The personal side of 'Occupy'

>>> i have until february 17th , and my plan is to stay here. we plan to fight. we don't plan on doing it just for myself. we plan on doing it for anybody else who's in foreclosure who wants the help. i lost my health. i went through the stimulus programs. i tried negotiating with the banks. and nothing seemed to work. i can gather all my neighbors, friends and community that are willing to tastand up with me and going to fight. they'd like to know how committed you guys are to this.

>> that was bobby hull of minneapolis talking with ed schultz earlier tonight here on msnbc. mr. hulls, a vietnam veteran , facing foreclosure and eviction, as you just heard, is protesting his foreclosure and eviction by staying put. today, as you saw there, he has a lot of support. there were anti-foreclosure protests planned today in two dozen cities across the country. here's what that looked like in chicago today . protesters served as the welcoming committee of a family moving illegally into a foreclosed homes. the anti-eviction campaign and the group occupy the hood chicago organized volunteers and donated materials and rehabilitated a foreclosed vacant home in order to house three homeless families there. in portland, oregon, debby austin told supporters gathered on her lawn how after illness and bankruptcy she and her husband were pushed into foreclosure.

>> ours is not just a house in some community in some city. this is home. it's our home. we have ties here. i'm sorry. my kids went to school here and i volunteered at those schools. we help our neighbors and they help us. we belong here and we're not leaving.

>> in southgate, michigan, supporters heard from another family that suffered illness and is now facing the prospect of losing their home. in new york today, hundreds of protesters marched through brooklyn neighborhood to protest foreclosure there. they marched to a vacant home which was reoccupied by a family that needed a place to live. the anti-foreclosure protesters in atlanta aren't outside a home, but a fulton county courthouse . not because people are trying to fore close on the courthouse, but this is where decisions are being made about peoples foreclosed on homes. this is where an auction on foreclosed homes was being held and these folks were being very, very loud on the courthouse steps in order to disrupt the auction. they did quiet down for a message from the civil rights leader, dr. joseph lowery , there to support their effort and rally their cause.

>> we want an end to foreclosed mortgages. we want an end to evictions. we want an end to poverty. we're calling upon the banks to do their part. just as this country came to the rescue of the banks. we're asking now the banks to come to the rescue of god's children. no more foreclosures.

>> no more foreclosures.

>> no more evictions.

>> no more evictions.

>> as is fitting for what is now a totally decentralized dispersed locally autonomous movement, thousands of 99%ers have convened here in washington , d.c. the plan is to be here all week. tomorrow they will be on k. street which, of course, is the nest of the lobbying industry. yesterday they set up an occupy-style people's camp on the national mall at 14th street and constitution. today they were at congressional offices. protesting members of congress, in particular, those who oppose the president's jobs plan and things like extending unemployment benefits. they physically went to members of congress' office and they sat there and refused to leave until the lawmaker in question would meet with them. in most of the cases, the meeting did not happen. for a big chunk of the day, protesters could be seen in and around the offices of dozens of mostly republican members of congress today. staging the sit-in protests and demanding to be heard. joining us tonight for "the interview," jay chiamber, third generation, iron workers union. he spent the day today camped out in massachusetts senator scott brown 's office hoping to get a chance to talk to the senator. nice to meet you.

>> thank you.

>> did you get to talk to senator brown?

>> of course not.

>> why did you decide to come to washington today?

>> it's poignant. it's where part of the problem lies in our country. or a lot of the problem. we had the opportunity. we were invited to come down with the coalition that was coming down. and as an occupy boston member, i had to jump on the opportunity.

>> when you hear occupy, the occupy movement get talked about between politicians now and sort of the big political discussion, do you feel like politicians and people commenting on it get it or do you feel like it's being misreptsed?

>> it's a little bit of both. sometimes it's misrepresented and sometimes -- there are politicians out there that do get it, that, you know, that understand where we're coming from. and agree with our message. not always our methods, but with our message. you know, so there's been some positive outpouring from, you know, some politicians, but others, you know, try to disparage us and discredit us as best they can.

>> what would you have asked senator brown today if you had been able to meet him face to face ?

>> the first question would have been, where's the jobs? he campaigned on his independent platform about job creation , with the brown jacket and pickup truck. you know, the prop comic . he came into washington and everything he's voted has been anti-worker, anti-jobs. so where are the jobs that he promised? and i didn't vote for him, personally, but he does represent me in the senate, and i just had one question to ask him, maybe would have taken 30 seconds, and he just couldn't provide that time today.

>> you're a third generation iron worker . i realize we are taking you away from the bruins game right now for which i'm grateful. a lifelong boston resident. what's the working scene like right now? what's the iron working scene around boston ? is there any work to be had?

>> it's minimal. very minimal. in the past few years the membership has either been unemployed or underemployed. you know, i can't do what my grandfather did. i can't, you know, work my job, buy a house, raise a family and send the kids off to college. the american dream 's not attainable in this economic environment. so it's been, you know, frustrating to say the least.

>> are you planning on doing any of the protesting, going to be here all week in washington ? what are your plans?

>> absolutely. k. street tomorrow. what i'm going to do, my question will be to the lobbyists, especially the biggest contributors to scott brown from wall street , will be, how do i get the senator's attention? how much money would it cost me to get his attention? you know, and hopefully, you know, i mean, it's just a protest and it's to make a statement, to make a point and drive the point home. scott brown takes home a lot of money from wall street and, you know, sothey're some of his biggest contributors. he represents them. after today, it's really, we've materialized it. we've seen that he wants to ignore 100 people that are his constituents sitting in his office. we waited there from 10:00 this morning until 6:00 at night.

>> well, i'll just say this. senator brown, if you are watching, i know you occasionally do, if you just missed the chance to talk to your swanconstituents today including jay chambers, member of the iron workers , local 7 in bo boston , if you missed the chance and want to get in touch with the folks, get in touch with us and we'll hook you up. the conversation could be fruitful. jay chambers, it's nice to meet you.

>> thank you.

>> right after this show on "the last word" why did mitt romney spend nearly $100,000 in state funds to replace the computers in his office when he left as massachusetts governor ? lawrence o'donnell has news on that.

>>> and later on this snhow, a major day in obama administration foreign policy including a landmark moment for secretary of state hillary clinton . big, big deals all over the world. stay tuned for that. gas