[GPSCC-chat] 11/5 - Occupy Palo Alto: Big Bad Bank Tour of Shame

[Azure Sea]

  FYI - for those who are interested in attending.   Lori OCCUPY Palo Alto:
Big Bad Bank Tour of Shame *When:* Saturday, November 05 2011 @ 12:00 AM -
- 02:00PM *Where:* Gather at King Plaza, Palo Alto City Hall
250 Hamilton Ave
Palo Alto  *Description:* A protest march and walking tour in support of
Occupy Wall Street

Bring signs and banners!

After a brief gathering at King Plaza in front of Palo Alto City Hall, we
will take a walking tour of downtown Palo Alto, stopping at the branch
locations of some of the most notorious criminal enterprises active in the
United States today. When we return to King Plaza after our historic tour,
there will be a brief open mike speak-out.

We begin with a leisurely stroll from King Plaza to:

CITIBANK (Ramona Street, halfway between Hamilton Avenue and University
Avenue)
Citi received $45 billion in taxpayer-provided bailout money and $2.4
trillion in Federal loans, yet they just announced that customers who
cannot maintain a monthly balance of $6000 will be charged a $15 per month
fee. Citi has dumped $16 million into various campaign coffers since 1989
and employs 81 revolving door lobbyists in Washington.

We'll then walk down University Avenue, turning left on Cowper to arrive at:

BANK OF AMERICA (Corner of Cowper Street and Lytton Avenue)
BofA is one of the country's largest banks. It received a $30 billion
bailout in taxpayer funds and $3.2 TRILLION in Federal loans, but has found
it "necessary" to charge its customers $5 a month for the "privilege" of
using their ATM cards. Since the 1990s, BofA has taken control of 13 other
banks, leaving consumers with fewer choices. From 1989 through today, BofA
has flooded our elections with nearly $15 million in campaign
contributions. It currently holds over $2 trillion in assets, and yet in
2010 it received a $1 billion tax refund!

Our historic tour takes us back to Hamilton Avenue where we visit:


WELLS FARGO (400 Hamilton Avenue at Waverley)
Wells Fargo reported over $12 billion in profits last year, after receiving
a taxpayer-financed bailout of $25 billion and $300 billion in additional
Federal loans. Wells Fargo has tossed $5 million in the electoral moneypit
and employs 20 Capitol Hill lobbyists who know their way around, having
worked there on behalf of "the people" during previous careers in public
service.

Finally, we end our educational stroll with a visit to:

CHASE (300 Hamilton Avenue at Bryant)
JP Morgan Chase is the country's largest financial institution and is the
very epitome of "too big to fail," due in no small part to its having
swallowed up Bear Stearns and Wachovia in the midst of the banking meltdown
in 2008, during which Chase received $25 billion in taxpayer bailout money
and $161 billion in Federal loans. This behemoth corporation turned a nice
profit of $17 billion last year. Chase's campaign giving rivals that of
BofA and it employs 71 lobbyists who either previuously worked for Congress
or who were legislators themselves.

Together, BofA, Citi, Chase, and Wells Fargo:

Issue almost one half of all the mortgages in the country and nearly
two-thirds of the credit cards. Do you have something you'd like to say to
them?

(See event web page <http://www.peaceandjustice.org/programs/Tour_Of_Shame/>
)
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