Congressional Hopeful Aims to Call Attention to Ron Paul's Candidacy

Jackson Assails Foreclosures

Jesse L. Jackson started his speech on the disparities involved in the foreclosure crisis by rattling off foreclosure data from Maryland.

Using information from the Center for Responsible Lending, Jackson said the projected number of homes ultimately lost through foreclosure in Baltimore County from 2005 to 2006 was 5,347. In Charles County, there were 1,629. Howard County had 968.

In Prince George's County, he said, there were 13,172 foreclosures.

That prompted gasps from about 75 people attending the town-hall style meeting at Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington.

"This is especially affecting Prince George's County," Jackson said. "This is a big deal. Something like this could sink whole cities."

The civil rights activist, who scheduled rallies across the country Monday on institutions involved in the mortgage industry, said: "Forty years ago we were marching for open housing. Now we're marching against foreclosures and losing our housing."

After a brief speech, Jackson opened up the floor to questions, prompting a couple of responses. A woman said many of her friends were refinancing, and she wondered whether some banks should be avoided.

Jackson said most lenders offer subprime loans, which often are made to borrowers with spotty credit. Some just do it more often than others, he said.

Another woman said she didn't know anyone whose home was in foreclosure, but she knew many people who were having difficulty paying their mortgages.

Zaunder Saucer, a member of Ebenezer, said she attended the meeting to be educated about the situation for herself and others. "I want to be aware of what's going on," Saucer said. "I want to know if I could fall into that category."

Staff writer Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.