UPTOWN — About 30 protestors were barred from entering Bank of America Tuesday as they attempted to give the branch's president a letter decrying Gov. Bruce Rauner's vision for the state.
After crowding the entrance to the bank at the corner of Lawrence and Broadway for nearly 20 minutes as snow trickled down and police arrived Tuesday evening, the group settled for reading the letter through a megaphone.
The protest took place a day before Rauner's second State of the State address so the protesters could voice their disapproval before the media blitz over the speech Wednesday, organizers said.
"We know what he has to say, everything he’s been saying for a long time. He's promised us more of the same. He’s been cutting services he’s been closing social service facilities, he’s been squeezing workers and consumers. That’s what he plans to continue to do. So we’re hear ahead of time to make sure the voices of the rest of us, besides the big banks and millionaires are heard in the mix," said Francis Tobin, of the Alliance for Community Services.
The Alliance for Community Services aims "to bring together community activists, public service workers, and faith-based advocates to save and reform health and human services by promoting accountable, accessible, and responsive humane community services to all," according to its website. The group chose Bank of America to bring attention to the administration's cuts to "child care agencies and employee health insurance premiums," while continuing "swap payments to big banks."
"Thousands of people have lost Medicaid and other services, agencies have cut jobs and the administration is proposing a series off administrative policies that will harm consumers," a news release for the event said. "Rauner came into town saying he wanted to shake up Springfield. Well it’s kind of a shake, rattle and roll. He shook the money tree and handed it over to the rich. He rattled disabilities and took away stability and health care. And he rolled over the rest of us. Well we’re not going to put up with that. We’re organizing and fighting back. He created a mess and we’re going to work to fix it."
Rauner's vision has "cut services for those in need ... and those who want to be made independent" while giving millions to big banks like Bank of America, said Elijad Edwards, Vice President of AFSCME Local 2858, a local union representing public services employees.
"Last time, I checked they don’t have to worry about making their payments for bills and that such. Unfortunately, our tax dollars are what’s being underwritten for their profits and that needs to stop. We need to tell the governor of this state to get up off his butt and govern for once instead of pushing through an agenda that hurts the working class," Edwards said.
"This governor is a member of the 1 percent and the billionaire class, so he stands with them. Bank of America stands with him. Citibank stands with them. And all the other capitalists, who turn human services into a profit driven venture that needs to end and it starts here today with us," he added.
The group held the protest at a Bank of America branch to speak out against financial deals between the state and big banks in which the bans make millions annually but the state barely breaks even.
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