YOU CAN Help STOP the Eviction of a 77 year-old widow with Stage IV terminal cancer
Call the Evictor: at the Office of the President of Stanford University (650) 723-2481
Ask about Angie Cicero’s case
Call TODAY (THURSDAY) starting at 8AM through 5pm
FACT: Angie wants to die in peace in her home of 24 years
FACT: Stanford University does not need the money. It already owns the home.
Stanford University need to stop their eviction process.
Angie Cicero is a 77 year-old widow with no children, and like many senior citizens, she lives on a very low, fixed income. She has lived in her home in Union City for over 24 years. Ms. Cicero finds great comfort in the familiar surroundings of the home where she lived for over two decades with her husband, until he died three years ago. This comfort is important, as she faces terminal Stage IV cancer, which most recently spread to her lymph nodes.
Her fervent wish is to die in peace in her home.
Unfortunately for Ms. Cicero, she is currently facing imminent eviction and homelessness.
When Ms. Cicero’s landlord passed away several years ago, he left the house where she lives to Stanford University. The house is now managed by a Trustee, with Stanford University as the beneficiary. The Trustee is moving to evict Ms. Cicero, with Stanford University’s blessing, on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 9am in department 31 of the Oakland Superior Courthouse. Despite many pleas made on behalf of Ms. Cicero, Stanford University has made it clear that they need to ensure that “their assets are being made productive.” They have expressed unwillingness to let Ms. Cicero remain in her home, which is valued at $445,000, according to the tax assessor’s office. Notably, in 2008-2009, Stanford University raised $640.1 million from donors.
“I am extremely disappointed in Stanford University’s behavior,” says Anne Tamiko Omura, the Executive Director of the Eviction Defense Center, which is defending Ms. Cicero’s eviction. “This house was a gift. Yes, the value of the gift is diminished by the fact that it came occupied by a long-term, elderly, frail, terminally ill tenant. But, it was a gift nonetheless. The humane thing to do would be to let Ms. Cicero die in her home, not on the streets, then graciously accept the house as another asset to be added to Stanford University’s portfolio.”
When Ms. Cicero received word that the trustee was moving to evict her on June 17, 2010, she broke down sobbing. “I’m so scared. I’m so scared,” she repeated. “Where am I going to go? What is going to happen to me?” Unless Stanford University backs down, the answers to those questions may be very grim.
Please CALL (650) 723-2481 from 8AM THURSDAY
WHAT TO SAY:
1. Ask what they know about Angie Cicero’s case
2. Insist on giving them your number and getting them to call you back.
IF WE TIE UP THE PHONES LONG ENOUGH, SOMEONE WILL CALL SOMEONE WHO HAS POWER!
Press Contacts
Dr. Joann Falkenburg Anne Tamiko Omura, Esq.
Primary Care Doctor for Angie Cicero Chris Beatty, Esq.
Palo Alto Medical Foundation The Eviction Defense Center
510-506-3082 510-452-4541
Rob Rooke
Campaign for Renters Rights (Oakland)
510 595-5545
5 comments:
I think its sad that the entire story is not being told.
1. Mr. Fin Trustee is bound by law to His wishes. - If Mr Fin wanted the renter to live in his rental house for free upon his death his will should have stated that
2. Ms. Cicero and her supporters should have tried to find alternative housing for the ill women they have had three years to work on this. She could have applied for an emergency section 8 voucher.
3. She has not paid rent for over three years, is Mr. Fins trustee trying to collect that? I hope so!
4. The trustee has offered to pay first, last, security deposit, moving expenses and a large Safety net.
Who is really to blame here?
The trustee for trying to follow the wishes of her late uncle?
Stanford because they are beneficiary of Mr. Fins estate?
Ms Cicero for not planing for her retirement?
The state for not building enough affordable housing?
God for not giving Ms Cicero children or other family to support her?
Where is the reality here. Its a bad situation, but dont drag people though the mud until you have all the facts.
Or maybe you did have all the facts
I think people need to look at reality here?
"Annonymous" wrote: “Who is really to blame here ?. . . God for not giving Ms Cicero children or other family to support her?”
"Annonymous" says that it is sad that the entire story is not being told.
Why sad? Sad for whom? Sad perhaps for the inconvenience to Stanford that a 77 year-old widow who is dying with cancer is standing in the way of the University cashing the check off the sale of this house.
Mrs. Cicero has lived in her home for 24 years, she probably paid the entire amount of the mortgage for the landlord during those years. All she wishes is to die at the home she shared with her husband whom she was married to for over 50 years.
The 4 arguments that “Annonymous” makes are identical to those promoted by the Stanford University Communications Department. We can only assume that "Annonymous" is a paid employee of this private University. The same people that told Angie Cicero that if she went to the media there would be no settlement. For Stanford this has always been a private affair. They think it’s unfair for her to fight to stay in her home.
We have made clear that Angie has attempted to pay the rent and has the rent in the bank whenever Stanford will accept her rent. Many landlords will not accept rent as a means to evict a tenant. This has been the approach of Stanford, no doubt under the advice of Eviction lawyers. They can then attempt to picture the big rich University as the victim and Mrs. Cicero as the bad tenant.
Stanford University Communications Department does not accuse Angie Cicero of refusing to pay the rent, instead they say she has not paid rent. They will not accept her rent. Flowing from one lie (that she can’t/won't pay the rent) they now go on to argue that she did not plan her retirement well enough. In addition, the Stanford University Communications Department adds that Angie should become a Section 8 tenant, that the public should pay for Mrs. Cicero’s future.
The motivation of Stanford is to facilitate Stanford University’s Planned Giving Goal for the year. Can the Stanford University Communications Department let us know what the fundraising goal of their Planned Giving for this year? Stanford raises over $300 million a year, which is organized by putting the full resources of the University to work on collecting cash from its Alumni. It’s all about the money.
Lastly I’d like to comment on Annonymous’ last and perhaps most venomous point; that this situation is Angie’s fault for not having children for whom she could depend. Only a man would make this point.
In a poll some years back the number one fear of women was deemed to be “fear of becoming homeless in their old age.” That is because the threat of being homeless in their old age is real. For men this is not as common a fear. The reality is that women, once the men in their lives have gone, through flight, divorce or being widowed, they generally become impoverished. This is a part of the ingrained inequality of capitalism. Stanford University is a pillar of this system. They are angry that one of the little people is standing in their path to more cash.
Facts for Working People fully support Angie’s fight to stay in the home that she shared with her husband for decades. We support her right to not to be bounced around by the acts of the bean counters at the Stanford University Planned Giving in the remaining months of her life.
Havana wrote:
"Lastly I’d like to comment on Annonymous’ last and perhaps most venomous point; that this situation is Angie’s fault for not having children for whom she could depend. Only a man would make this point."
"Venomous" is a good way to describe this defense of landlords. But then there is the other aspect of this, that it is misogynistic although Havana makes the point that the writer must be a man, I agree. What sort of person could make the argument that a person is in the particular state they are in because they don't have children?
I will answer my own question.
Only people who have privilege.
If you listen to Ms. Cicero she says she has no children or family to support her. If stanford is refusing to except her rent that is not fair, but if she is getting less than 1,000 a month I doubt she is paying market rent?
I dont work for Stanford I am a landlord who works very hard to keep up my units and get very tired of people thinking that just because someone has more resources than someone else, we should support them no matter what.
My Question is who do we blame for this?
Should any company be responsible for someone else? If so why and for how long?
Why are you not complaining to the state for not building places for people in these situations? I still dont understand why someone does not apply for an emergency section 8 voucher. I agree this women needs help, but why is stanford the one being held accountable? Because they have money? Then they should be responsible for every sad case in the bay area.
What I dont like is when both sides of the story is not told.
Cathy Stirling, the trustee of the Fini estate, had the trust documents restructured when my stepfather had full blown Alzheimer's and was taking Aricept, Namenda and Risperdal. Great court system - love thos attorneys.
My stepdad never even cash Angie's rent checks. He knew she had cancer and her husband was dying. My stepdad was the most honest and kindest person. He left his self-made fortune in excess of $10 millin to Stanford for cancer research. Not sure what Stirling articulated for herself and her family when she pirated my stepdad out of the state after my brother stole $108,000 out of a Bank of America account which she decided not to pursue since my stepdad would have to take the stand in court per the DA and he did not have the capacity to do so. If Hercules Fini took the stand, she would not be able to steal from the estate and rewrite it as he had full blown Lewy Bodies AD at that time.
The fact that Stanford did not step in and guide her to forego this situation is worse than her manipulative thievery. My stepdad never would have evicted Angie nor would he have wanted the rent monies if she could not pay. This is so very, very sad and not what Herc would have wanted.
This horror story never ends, it just keeps going and going. The only upside is that at least she diverted the first set of predators, anna marie and the Mapes families.
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