Politics & Government
Occupy OC Takes a Bank Shot
Saturday march urges people to transfer their money from large banks to credit unions and community banks.
Marching to the beat of a djembe drum, about 50 protesters rambled noisily through Irvine on Saturday, chanting: “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out” in English and Spanish.
It was the fourth march in Occupy OC's two-week tour of duty in Irvine. The theme of Saturday's rally was , in which Occupy groups nationwide encouraged people to withdraw their money from big banks and transfer the funds to credit unions and community banks.
“I quit my job at my family missile-building business to do this,” Occupy OC leader Andrew Weber said before the march began. “We plan to make a lot of noise, in a nonviolent way, basically hoping to cause a scene.”
Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Starting at Occupy OC's Irvine Civic Center encampment, the group marched to a Bank of America branch at the Westpark Plaza shopping center. (The bank declined to comment for this story.)
Shoppers had mixed reactions to the protest, some befuddled by the commotion, others flashing smiles or shaking their heads in disgust.
Find out what's happening in San Clementewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“You can live the American dream; you just need to work and it can be done,” said Irvine resident Jim Goheen. “They made their point, now they need to pack up and go home.”
After BofA, the march continued to a nearby Citibank and Chase bank.
“This is about awareness and education,” said Occupy OC organizer D. Marie Mulattieri. “We have to go through education before we get to a solution.”
