GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Three Occupy Grand Junction activists were arrested Wednesday for an act of civil disobedience when they refused to leave a foreclosure auction they were intentionally disrupting with chants of “stop this auction.”

The auction proceeded after Grand Junction police officers peacefully led Jacob Richards, Shaun McNeil and Cynthia Sexton to police cars waiting in the alley behind the Public Trustee's office at 619 Main St. The three were arrested for trespassing.

Outside on Main Street more protesters held signs protesting the nation's foreclosures rates and “predatory lending” practices of major banks.

“With the way loans have been bundled together, nobody really knows who owns them, so not only is it morally bankrupt to sell these houses, it may be illegal,” Eric Niederkruger said.

Currently, 670 Mesa County homes are in foreclosure proceedings.

Michael Ping said he has a lot of friends who have been foreclosed on under “dubious circumstances.”

“If we can afford to bail out banks why can't some of that trickle down and save homes,” Ping said.

Grand Junction resident Averill Bowers was also there to protest the housing foreclosures.

“I've never been political before but because I care about America, people's rights and my family it's time to take action,” Bowers said.

Twenty-year old Katherine Stewart cried in the hallway outside the auction room. She said the house she grew up in was for sale that day as part of the foreclosure auction. Her mother is Sexton, one of those protesting inside the auction room, and later arrested.

Grand Junction police sergeant Matt Smith said the three people arrested would probably receive a summons and then be released.

“Peaceable assembly is one thing,” Smith said. “Disruption is a problem. They refused to not be disruptive.”

A statement released by members of Occupy Grand Junction said they were “standing with those families being displaced and not with the Mega Banks kicking them out. Activists entered the foreclosure auction with the intent of disrupting and preventing the auction, thus keeping families in their homes.”

Mesa County Public Trustee Paul Brown warned the protesters that police would arrest them if they refused to allow the auction to proceed undisturbed.

“I'm required by law to conduct the sale and I couldn't let them disrupt it,” Brown said.

“I don't have a problem with them protesting at all. Quite honestly, some of the things they were saying were right. I don't have a solution to it. The banks have been a real pain for me.

“They've abused their situation and it's been a problem for me.”