Robobble

My girlie just bought a 97 escort. When you pull up the brake and then let it down, the brake stays stuck on. Any ideas? The previous owner said that whenever somebody put the brake on he had to get under the car and whack it off (lol) with a hammer. But he couldn't show me how to do it, so idk wtf is up with that. I'm hoping that something's just rusty and sticking and can be lubed up just to pass inspection. Then we can go back to using the trusty ol' rockbrake. I'm gonna get it up in the air today and have a looksie, but any help would be appreciated.