Northbay Uprising - Information for the liberated zones of the San Pablo Bay

2012-01-08 "Senior Citizens Occupy, Shut Down Bank Of America" by Beth Buczynski
[http://www.care2.com/causes/senior-citizens-occupy-shut-down-bank-of-america.html]
Last week, while most of us tried to wake up from our holiday lethargy, a group of feisty senior citizens were standing to corporate greed and corruption.
KCBS San Francisco reports that a dozen senior citizens calling themselves “the wild old women” succeeded in closing a Bank of America branch in Bernal Heights on Thursday [http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2012/01/occupy_geriatrics_seniors_in_w.php].
The dubious lending and foreclosure practices used by Bank of America caused it to become a favorite target of the Occupy Wall Street movement, as well as a catalyst for the wildly successful Bank Transfer Day in early November, 2011. There was also a massive public outcry when BoA attempted to instate a $5/month fee for use of their debit cards. The bank later canceled this policy.
Toting walkers and wheelchairs, the “wild old women” certainly weren’t the most rambunctious group to fight for the interests of the 99%, but they did cause the branch to close and lock its doors, much to the protesters’ surprise.
“We’re upset about what the banks are doing, particularly in our neighborhood and neighboring areas, in evicting people and foreclosing on their homes,” protester Tita Caldwell, 80, told KCBS. “We’re upset because the banks are raising their rates because it really affects seniors who are on a fixed income.”
Bank Transfer Day saw a billion dollars moved out of large commerical banks. In one of the most visible actions against Bank of America, a San Jose church divested $3 million, closed its accounts, and moved to a local credit union [http://www.care2.com/causes/goodbye-bank-of-america-church-divests-3-million-video.html].