Skeptics would suggest that this is going to be just another event that produces little political momentum for real change. But, the setting of Chicago ensures that there will be a fiery energy to any action that takes place during the Showdown.
"Between 2006 and 2008, foreclosure filings doubled [in Chicago], which is particularly scary because in 2006 we weren't looking at a pretty picture, explains Goehl.
He goes on to say:
"What really started with predatory lending in communities of color then started spreading out like a virus until it affected everybody. And now whether you were one of these families that got bad loans or not, we're all affected by it because the economy's gone down the tubes."
Goehl is the Executive Director of National People's Action, which is a network in Chicago that was founded in 1972 and "exists to create a society in which racial and economic justice are realized in all aspects of society.
He has experience crafting national campaigns on affordable housing, predatory lending, and immigrant justice issues and has been a community organizer, strategist, and trainer for 15 years.
"Right now, we're seeing a lot of private frustration and anger. People are sitting at home upset about this, watching the news and getting upset about this, sitting at the barbershop or being in a corner store and getting upset about this, says Goehl. "I think this may be the first of many mobilizations where people take that frustration and move it out into the streets.
The Showdown will hopefully be what Goehl calls a "Which Side Are You On? moment. And, if it is the beginning of a rising tide that forces our nation's leaders to fundamentally shift economic policy and alter the current nature of our economic system, than the Showdown will be regarded as a huge success.
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