No Show Locksmith Gives New Life to Eviction Protesters

(VIA MASSLive) In Springfield, Massachusetts, a community is rallying around a retired firefighter who was being evicted from his home on Monday of last week. The coalition of community members is known as Springfield No One Leaves and had between 60-70 protesters who tried to former a barrier to prevent the returned firefighter from being evicted from his home. After hours of stand off, during which police looked on, news spread throughout the crowd that the locksmith that was called to the scene to assist in the eviction never showed up. With the former firefighter, Alexander Richardson, locked in his home and refusing to come out, there was nothing that police could do, but hope to come back another day to complete the eviction process.
The protesters celebrated the no-show as a victory for their cause. They believe that Mr. Richardson should be given another chance to pay his late mortgage. Wells Fargo later released comment on the issue, saying that they have been attempting to settle with Mr. Richardson for six years. They also claim that Mr. Richardson also did not submit an application for a new loan until just two weeks ago.
Both sides of this situation say they have dug in. Alexander Richardson has vowed not to leave his home and Springfield No One Leaves has also vowed to keep a 24 hour presence until the matter has been solved in favor of Mr. Richardson. The bank has claimed that they will make another attempt to evict soon and this time they are likely hoping that they do not choose a no-show locksmith. It would not be too surprising if the locksmith had seen or heard of the protesters and thought it was best to avoid the situation completely. There have been plenty of eviction scenarios where locksmiths have been injured or killed and it may have been that to this locksmith the payment they would have received was not worth the potential for bodily harm that also comes from an intense emotional scene like this one.