Ever since Runnin' Scared started its coverage of the foreclosure auctions a few months ago, one of the most helpful and kind individuals have been Debbie Seabrook. As we've mentioned before, the 63-year-old travel agent have been monitoring the Queens Supreme Court foreclosure auctions--peacefully, in the back of the room, jotting down information--for the past nine years. She does this for a few reasons: to keep an eye on the court procedures; to help clueless homeowners who may be getting shafted by the system; and because she lost her home nine years ago to what she believes to be unjust reasons.

We wrote three weeks back about Seabrook's arrest (by nine guards) and how she was banned from the civil courts for assisting a Haitian immigrant family--a group that does not speak English very well--from being evicted.

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Two weeks ago, we reported on this foreclosure protest by New School students. While their singing protests stopped part of the sales, the investors on scene still managed to snap up a few a couple of properties.

One of which was a three story apartment complex in Bushwick (556 Evergreen Avenue). As Elise Goldin of The Surreal Estate pointed out to us, that building was part of the Department of Housing and Preservation's Alternative Enforcement Program--meaning it's been flagged as one of the 200 worst buildings in the city due to various violations.

So, she suggested, perhaps the apartment being sold to a new owner would be a good thing. After all, the new owner can't get any worse than the previous owner, right?

While that theory would be correct in some cases, unfortunately, not here.

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Organizing For Occupation

Weary of protestors, the Brooklyn Supreme Court has ramped up security checks, turning what was once a smooth and quick entry into auction room into something resembling an airport TSA line

The "Week of Action" --three foreclosure blockades at the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queen's Supreme Court--finished today with two dozen singing protestors storming Queen's court.

Yesterday's action at Brooklyn led to 38 arrests.

Unlike the Seabrook incident, most of the interactions between guards and protestors went smoothly, and almost all were released, charged with only a violation of disorderly conduct.

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We are in the midst of a "week of action", a term dubbed by a collective of housing activists--you know, those singing protestors we've written about for the past few months--and homeowners facing foreclosure, and it has been action-packed indeed.

On Monday, about 40 people from diverse backgrounds, made up of members from activist groups such as Occupied Wall Street and Organizing For Occupation, faith groups like Jews for Racial & Economic Justice and Occupy Faith, and righteous students from Columbia and New School, turned up at the Bronx Supreme Court and, like all previous singing protest actions, serenaded court officials, investors, and court guards with lyrics such as "Y'all are speculating off people's pain. With all due respect, you should be ashamed."

Fourteen of them were arrested.

The group will do this again tomorrow and Friday, respectively at Brooklyn and Queen's Supreme Court.

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Poster for next week's "Week of Action"

Well, looks like that grumpy Chinese restaurant we profiled has been saved from being sold!

Yesterday, singing protestors struck Brooklyn Supreme Court with a foreclosure blockade again. The courts, as we've written over the past several weeks, have gotten more and more paranoid and protective against potential protestors--adding a second security check before entry into the sale room and banning cell phones, to list two examples--and today was no exception. The sale started 30 minutes ahead of schedule, perhaps to avoid protestors, but the determined singers, made up of social study students from The New School--a group that's technically separate from the previous organizers and participants of such blockades--arrived at the court early and jumped straight to action.

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King's Chef Chinese restaurant is facing potential foreclosure

The Voice is starting a new feature several times a week. As foreclosures continue unabated across the nation, the Voice will be profiling the foreclosures that happen every week right here in the five boroughs. We'll be looking closely at the properties facing foreclosure, the public auctions where those buildings are sold to the highest bidder, and the individuals facing eviction in the process.

Eight properties are set to be sold Thursday at Brooklyn Supreme Court's weekly foreclosure sale. And as usual, we knocked on a few doors to see who lives/works there and, more importantly, if they are aware of the foreclosure sale.

Residents near Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park who are into Chinese may have to find another spot, as King's Chef Chinese Food, a very popular joint located at 681 Flatbush Avenue, is set to be sold.

And judging from the reaction of the staff, they are well aware of it.

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Jasmine Mable's home, which was set to go on sale last Friday, was saved when the sale was canceled for undisclosed reasons

Two weeks after the Queens Supreme Court abruptly canceled its foreclosure auction amid potential interference from protestors, the sales have yet to get back on track.

Last Friday, the court called off another sale, citing lack of properties listed.

But a scan through the listings showed that at least 4 properties (501 Beach 66th Street; 110 212th Street; 34-21 96th Street; and 24-40 Shore Boulevard) were set to be sold.

Mr Miles, a private investor who made the trip out to Queens from the Bronx, was visibly frustrated with the canceled sales.

"Ever since they had those protests, the courts have been paranoid," he said. "Taking our phones, making us wait in lines, it's bullshit."

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​The Voice is starting a new feature several times a week. As foreclosures continue unabated across the nation, the Voice will be profiling the foreclosures that happen every week right here in the five boroughs. We'll be looking closely at the properties facing foreclosure, the public auctions where those buildings are sold to the highest bidder, and the individuals facing eviction in the process.

As foreclosures continue to swarm US homeowners, investors are taking advantage by snapping up foreclosed home in bulk (sales of home to investors soared 64.5% in 2011). Today, The Voice visited 191 Classon Avenue in Brooklyn, a three-story apartment that is set to be sold, along with seven other properties, tomorrow at the Brooklyn Supreme Court.

Mrs Ortiz, a Hispanic housewife who lives on the first floor apartment, said she's aware of the looming eviction, but not from the landlord and owner of the property.

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If there's one thing we've learned from reaching out to homeowners about to face foreclosures the past several months, it's that the entire foreclosure system is heavily flawed.

Back in February, we profiled Debbie Hailey, who managed to stop the foreclosure sale of her home by failing for bankruptcy at the last minute.

She was scheduled to meet with the court last week, but when she arrived at the Brooklyn Supreme Court, she was told her date had been changed to April 16th.

And also, her home is in danger of being seized again.

Hailey said she has no idea what's going on, with the court forcing her to go through levels and levels of red tape just to apply for an extension.

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On Monday, 24 singing protestors were arrested for interrupting a foreclosure sale inside Bronx Supreme Court. While 23 of them were released after a few hours, a 56-year-old unemployed woman named Madeline Nelson was held for over 24 hours...and she has no idea why.

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