ST. LOUIS - The Occupy Wall Street movement estimates about one in four homeowners in America is underwater in their mortgage, meaning they owe more on their home than the property is currently worth. There seems to be no shortage of families pushed to the brink in this economy and today, "Occupy Our Homes" is a national day of action, to represent the Occupy movement's support for those who are ready to stand up to banks and mortgage companies.



Glenn Burleigh, who is part of the Occupy St. Louis group, thinks banks created a house of cards that left millions of people vulnerable when they lost their jobs.



"Just want people to think about the difference between that: Homeowners that are now underwater, or rates have ballooned up hundreds more dollars than they ever thought it would, aren't receiving much of any help whatsoever from the government, or from the banks."



Burleigh says many people are being forced to make difficult decisions.



"A lot of the folks that have been forced out of their homes are being forced into, you know, unsafe encampments, and squatting in condemned buildings that could collapse on them. So, I mean, it's not just a question of convenience; it's a question of survival, at this point."



Burleigh says Occupy St. Louis is holding an open house today at the home of an unemployed woman facing foreclosure who has tried unsuccessfully to modify her home loan for two years. In Burleigh's view, unemployment is the primary cause of foreclosures, not overextended consumers as some have suggested.



Occupy St. Louis is online at www.occupystl.org



