STRIKE BACK SATURDAY: Join Occupy Redwood City on a Big Bank TOUR OF SHAME!

OCCUPY REDWOOD CITY
LEADS "TOUR OF SHAME"
TO BIG BANKS

This Saturday at 10 AM in downtown RWC, Occupy Redwood City will lead a "Tour of Shame" march addressing the large banks known as the Big 4: Citibank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase. The Tour has two main goals: To hold banks accountable for their role in the financial crisis and to educate the public on banks' crimes.

Paige Scott, an Occupy RWC participant, explains: "Prior to my involvement in Occupy, I knew there were some issues with the banking industry, but I wasn't well-educated. We want to empower people with information and let them know that there are viable alternatives to big banks, such as credit unions and small community banks." While Occupy RWC has many grievances with the banks (such as rampant foreclosures and the misuse of bailout funds), Paige says, "This will be a peaceful event. We recognize that most bank patrons and workers are also part of the 99%."

Roger Brina, another participant, explains the significance of marching on December 17: "December 17, 2010 was the day Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire in Tunisia, sparking the eventual downfall of that country's government, setting the stage for the Arab Spring, and arguably leading to the mass protests worldwide of which the Occupy movement is a part. It is also the birthday of Bradley Manning, the army private who is accused of leaking classified documents to Wikileaks and is currently imprisoned without charge by our government. Part of what led to Bouazizi's defiant act was his reading of documents on Wikileaks revealing the corruption in his country's government."

Although the Peninsula has not been known for its activism, Occupy is still taking hold. Other Occupy groups have been established at Stanford and in Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Half Moon Bay. Redwood City's "Tour of Shame" is modeled off a similar action by Occupy Palo Alto, in which 300 people marched to downtown branches of the Big 4 banks.

Want "Hope" and "Change"? Then join us:

Because YOU ARE THE 99%!

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