On May 9, thousands of people gathered on the streets of Charlotte, N.C., to protest the annual shareholder meeting of Bank of America. Despite the city government declaring the shareholder meeting an “extraordinary event,” which allowed the city to restrict protest and increase the power of police to suppress demonstrations, three marches still took place, meeting in front of Bank of America’s headquarters before marching to Bank of America Stadium.
Marchers said they were protesting the bank’s unscrupulous foreclosures, its connections to coal energy and its influence on the government. Workers who had been laid off and then foreclosed on by the bank were present at the march.
While similar protests have been held in the past, this year’s march was the biggest in decades.
Bank of America and other large banks wield massive power in the U.S. government, often pouring massive amounts of money into campaign contributions to both parties to ensure their interests are protected from any reform.
