Ire over foreclosures in C. Islip march

About 20 residents and activists marched on Saturday through Central Islip, a community hit hard by foreclosures, symbolically reclaiming bank-seized homes for previous owners.

In a hamlet that according to RealtyTrac has had among the most foreclosures in Suffolk County, protesters said the economic downturn has brought more boarded-up, vacant homes to the community of 34,450. According to the foreclosure data provider, Central Islip, Brentwood and Bay Shore led the county in foreclosures in November, with 12 each.

Chanting "Banks got bailed out. We got sold out," protesters focused anger on financial institutions they said are obligated to avoid foreclosures after receiving federal bailouts.

At six boarded-up homes on Ferndale Boulevard, the protesters -- including residents and members of the activist group New York Communities for Changes -- nailed up signs attacking banks and labeling the houses "community property."

Ana Mota, a protest organizer, said they do not plan to take over properties but are sending the message they plan to press banks through demonstrations to return the foreclosed homes to their former owners.

Elizabeth Bonilla, 40, said she has been fighting a foreclosure of her West Islip home for three years, after her husband was laid off as a contractor. "It's hard to lose something you've invested so much of yourself and your money into." She said her husband "built so much of our home with his own hands, and all the color schemes are things we picked out together."

Protesters urged Suffolk County to close its accounts with JPMorgan Chase, as the villages of Hempstead and Freeport did last year, believing the bank does not do enough to modify mortgages.

On Friday, Jon Schneider, a spokesman for County Executive Steve Bellone, said the decision is up to the county treasurer and county lawmakers but Suffolk should be mindful of maintaining flexibility to get the best rates.

Patrick Linehan, a Chase spokesman, said in a statement on Friday, "We are doing everything possible to help keep people in their homes." He said they have offered more than 56,000 modifications in New York, preventing 11 foreclosures for every one made in the state.

Kevin Nelson, 27, who rents in Central Islip, said he's seen too many homes become vacant. "This is a community. When people lose their homes [and leave], you lose part of the community," he said.