Santa Cruz Wells Fargo Paint Bombed

As a Wells customer, you can kiss my ass.

I am not sure that this incident of...direct action, I use that term with pause, even happened. No pictures???
Did they simply paint ball the place or did they write something that conveyed a message. Any kids could have paint balled the bank for many reasons. If no specific message was written, than they effectively did nothing but make a mess for employees. These people are just that, employees. What positive was achieved?

Bank of America helped the South African government during the days of Apartheid. I remember when S. Biko was written on the walls of Bank America Downtown, and this did have some small effect locally.

It would be better time spent to educate people on the true wrongs done, if there are, by the bank. This could be used to stop people from banking there. This requires doing research, writing, and making sure what you write is accurate. If this was done, and the bank has done as many things as you say, many could, in theory be swayed to take their biz elsewhere. At least in our community, but that is far from what this post conveys.

People want change. I think people realize in large numbers for the first time in a long time that the whole system is fucked up, and they want change, major change. Obama's success is largely due to using that word "Change" over and over and promising that very thing. I am not saying he is going to do it, but it shows that America is fed up, wants change. Now we have to see if we as a Country have the guts to demand it, and do it in manor that allows people to be encouraged and educated and use direct action in a way that is conducive to common goals.

I hate Wells Fargo. I hate them because of there lines, poor access for the disabled, and there policies. I do not particularly like banks at all. But the Bank I go to knows me by name, doesn't bother to check my ID and never has a line more than one person deep.

I am unsure of anything like war profiteering occurs at my bank, most likely the answer would be yes at any bank.
I use my Bank very little as i have very little money.

The problems with these poorly planed acts is they make people who really try to make direct action something that has a positive effect and enacts real change to have to work even harder. I hope people do more direct action that is well thought out, has a goal and a message. If not, it like dry humping -- it has no meaning.
Peace
Tim Rumford

*Additional charges may be applied without notice.

*But rest assured, even on a Sunday, if you are a customer of Wells Fargo, because you know that Wells Fargo never stops investing your money to finance social and environmental destruction around the world. And you can take that to the bank.

I don't think anyone undertakes actions like this under the assumption that the action alone will change things - I do think people see their actions as part of a wider movement to create change.

Will throwing paint onto a building create change? No, but neither will burning one down or holding a protest outside. What changes things is the collective activity of people to refuse class society and destroy it. But, actions like this one are a part of that.

If you don't like the idea of people throwing paint onto a part of the machine of capital and the State - do something else that makes their action seem silly. Or, better yet, undertake your own actions that will aid in this struggle in other ways. I find it interesting how so many people - when things are so fucked up are so quick to downplay actions that actually are trying to (at least in small ways) confront what is going on - while the majority of them sit on the side lines waiting for the next election or city council meeting.

Also, to people who are reading other's comments and who are let down that so many people on this board often seem taken aback by illegal actions - keep in mind the amount of pigs that post (and read) indybay and the reality that police and govt. probably post on here as well to create divisions within social movements. There is also a lot of stupid liberals out there...so if you see posts by either just ignore them, revolutionary action is for us, not them.

Keep in mind as well that most people that are inspired by said actions will probably never say anything about them. In dark times, heroic acts create a light in the darkness.

After seeing this post, I went over to the Wells Fargo to investigate, as opposed to posting a comment here doubting the authenticity of the communiqué by the anonymous anarchists. At first I did not see evidence of a paint attack, but then I saw a few yellow splotches of paint. The photos above were taken at about 4pm.

I understand the justifications for targeting Wells Fargo, but I'm sure there are plenty of other reasons people have as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEO_Group
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wackenhut
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Detention_Center

Smash ICE Northwest Detention Center - docushort
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bTrR1s7du6s

deleteTheBorder.org
towards a global network of movements against borders
http://deletetheborder.org

I agree, that yes, people do act out and sometimes that is needed. i just see a post that is anonymous, and paints a picture... that is very hard to tell if its true or not. it happened yes. but was it kids having fun or real direct action? i may have gone to far in saying that this really detracts from those trying to enact change, I just would rather have seen " Fuck Wells Fargo written. or a message, that was my only real point.
peace & thanks for your great photos Bradley!

Waterboarding terror "suspects" doesn't particularly bother me and I put suspects in quotes because the technique is only ever used on Al Quaeda leaders. Now perhaps the technique isn't very pleasant but I don't really see what Wells Fargo has to do with anything. So they invest in a company that is contracted to do work at a prison run by our military. That's a very indirect connection. Does this company carry out waterboarding? No, the military interrogators do that. Who should we blame then? Cuba for letting our government use the land?

There should have been a message painted. This simply looks like some annoying punks got a hold of some pain. If you're going to do this, make the message very clear. Bumper sticker slogans aren't that hard to come up with, we're Americans for f**k sake:

wells fargo supports torture

wells fargo's money isn't welcome here

wells fargo (picture of a heart) Guantanamo torture

wells fargo is evil

wells fargo uses your money to sponsor dictatorships

wells fargo sucks

wells fargo pays for pain

so on and so forth.

otherwise what you did was vacuous.

this is the proper website, oops.

also, I would totally support this action had you included a message.

they posted their communique to this website and you read it. remember?

love love love you

Well, it is obvious that there was a specific message being sent, as someone has already pointed out, but would the paint be any less vivid if that weren't the case? If it were just "punks with paint" or "kids having fun," that would be a sin against activists and their "serious" actions, wouldn't it? One can hate Wells Fargo for many reasons (immigrant detention centers, life-sucking loans, their ugly architecture), and that is enough reason to throw paint at their windows--to express ones hatred and to taste the joy of striking back. One doesn't have to fucking justify oneself to professional activists with a populist slogan, as if they were the judges or priests of dissent. The rebellion of delinquents is far sweeter than the drone of activism. As crudo already said, "revolutionary action is for us, not for them."

Well, it is obvious that there was a specific message being sent, as someone has already pointed out, but would the paint be any less vivid if that weren't the case? If it were just "punks with paint" or "kids having fun," that would be a sin against activists and their "serious" actions, wouldn't it? One can hate Wells Fargo for many reasons (immigrant detention centers, life-sucking loans, their ugly architecture), and that is enough reason to throw paint at their windows--to express ones hatred and to taste the joy of striking back. One doesn't have to fucking justify oneself to professional activists with a populist slogan, as if they were the judges or priests of dissent. The rebellion of delinquents is far sweeter than the drone of activism. As crudo already said, "revolutionary action is for us, not for them." OK I am going to respond to this very quickly because I am really tired. Here Goes: "One doesn't have to fucking justify oneself to professional activists with a populist slogan, as if they were the judges or priests of dissent" You are right. Absolutely. The action does not need justification. Wells Fargo sucks. I guess my next question would be this: Are you who spray painted the building doing so because you think Wells Fargo sucks? Or are you doing it because Wells Fargo is an irresponsible corporation and its actions must be stopped? I am going to *assume* that you are doing this because of two things (based on the initial statement on this page, as well as the action of paint bombing): 1)You do in fact want the world to know that Wells Fargo does this, and you want that message to be heard (in addition you also want your objection to this to be heard, or you would not be posting something on a public website explaining your actions). 2)You want this behavior on the part of Wells Fargo to stop. If the above two statements are true, then you have negated your own point by not explaining the action on the walls of Wells Fargo so that all could see. "Revolutionary Action is For us not for them"- so in other words the actions can happen in a vacuum, because we are not doing these actions because we want revolution to happen, we are doing these actions because they please us. Thus rendering these actions vacuous, as I initially said. I do not argue that the paint bomb or any other radical action needs justification all the time. I also completely agree that Wells Fargo deserves a little fucking up. I have no problem with this at all. I completely support your doing it, and in fact encourage it. GO FOR IT. However, like I've already pointed out, the people claiming responsibility for this particular action, are wanting it to be associated with a specific message, and therefor, they might want to make that message known. That is all I have to say. Paint on radical painters, I think it's beautiful. (and the "slogans" I wrote out were not actually meant to sound serious I was goofing off with that. I have some other stuff to say, including an apology for suggesting that everyone here, or that the spray painters were American. More on that when I'm not falling asleep between sentences. peace

A dear friend of mine sent me a great e mail regarding my posts here. I am sure he will permit me to post them, however, I have not gotten explicit permission yet. But a few things he said (although much more eloquently than this): we shouldn't criticize fellow activists, we should get off our asses and do something (he, of course is specifically talking to *me* here). He also points out that these guys did their part with the paint bombs, now it's our turn to do our part.

I have to leave the computer now, but I would like to say that I totally agree with this. I never meant to criticize from my comfy couch, nor did I meant to say that it was someone else's job to spread this message while I enjoy said comfy couch.

Again, paint on you sexy painters. And I'll tell people about what Wells Fargo does.

Incidentally, UCSC uses Wells Fargo as their bank. Or an affiliate of Wells Fargo...

peace.

I don't agree with everything posted on Indymedia, I think I'll vandalize them... And then protstors wonder why no one takes them seriously... Stop this childish vandalism B.S and try to do something that might actually make a difference -- Now Wells Fargo can grossly overstate the damage caused by this, write it off on their taxes, and contribute further to our state deficit which means less funding for education and public health.

Good job, paint bombers, Way to make a difference, keep up the good work!

So I'm supposed to jump into an action that I don't even agree with (petty vandalism, unassigned message) because you're friend says that's better than complaining that I thought the action was poorly thought out and ill-advised.

Okay, I'm on board. Give me your home address and your favorite color...

My address is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

This wasn't an action of boredom...

Also, since I've been so kind as to give you my address, how about you do me a favor?

Make sure that when you pain bomb my house you do so with flare, pizazz, and here's an idea for a possible slogan you can pain on my house:

This is a rodeo and you are the clown.

peace.

er...

hey I've got some pabst here too. So excited to see you!

yeah man, FUCK Wells Fargo for supporting things I don't agree with!! Good thing I don't indirectly support anything I don't agree with...

*pays tuition to UC*

*pays taxes to Govt*

Are you suggesting that because I pay taxes, and tuition to UCSC that I should not criticize them? Should I merely sit by and let the government do whatever it deems necessary, and that if I do criticize it, that somehow because I have paid taxes I am a hypocrite?

If that is indeed your suggestion, then I am asking you to please share whatever drug you have clearly taken so much of that you have completely lost your mind and all grasp of historical reference what-so-ever.

I would like to take about half the amount you did, because I can see how powerful that drug is.

You idiots match terrorism with terrorism.

One is a big bank, one is a punk.

The difference between the bank and the punk is that the bank is at least transparent in what it does, the punk just sprays paint and runs away.

If the little paint terrorist had any real courage, he would have called the media, spray painted the bank, then waited for the cops to arrive. He could have made his message better known and be accountable as well.

Or how about going to the headquarters in San Francisco and spraying the CEO in the face?

This act of terrorism wasn't political direct action; it was cowardly vandalism.

cowardly action is criticizing someone's action against a huge enemy from the comfort of internet anonymity. It's really really easy. If you don't like any of this, then go do something and shut the hell up. you don't have a face in this context. give yourself some visibility or as the saying goes; "hi kettle, meet pot..."

"match terrorism with terrorism"

I could agree but does that mean killing employees of say, a bank, as suicide bombers would. Thats an easy thing to say in such undefinable terms. How do you match terrorism and which terrorism? That of our own government and corporations? Are you going to torture and watter board a government agent? Or is it the act of suicide bombers in the middle east or that of government agents that do acts of terrorism here?

See I get it, I just don't understand the targets. When I do, I often don't get the act. Splattering a little paint is far from matching what Wells Fargo does each second of every day.

I understand this. And I think I went too far with my "you needed a message" As i do not mean to say you need a fancy slogan to make a message. I just think in order to get people to also engage in tearing down a system that deserves it, then you must have a message that is more... more than splattered paint. Although in general I am not against anything done to Wells Fargo, as long as it doesn't hurt employees. I know people who work there, they hate working for such a place, but while they look for something else, they need to pay their rent.

picking targets must be done with the utmost care if you really want change.

I just don't see this had any major impact.

Ripping out ATMS - for it
Ripping down cameras - for it
Dismantling machines of development at sites of bad development and gentrification. -- yes Sure!
breaking windows of Greenway... just doesn't help although i get it. I just disagree.
Smashing a church window -- I get it, but also think its counter productive. I disagree.

There are so many other acts for the willing that could make more impact. I wish those that have the balls to do such things would plan more wisely. Stop development here. Stop video surveillance as some of you have and great! Go to the recruiting offices! And sure banks. Just do a better job.


Hmm... wonder if I will ever be allowed on a plane again.


Tim R