Protestors Shut Down Bank of America in Richmond next to El Cerrito

Activists alleging that Bank of America fails to take care of property it has foreclosed on held a protest Saturday at the bank's branch on MacDonald and San Pablo avenues in Richmond, half a block from the El Cerrito border.

Members of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) and Occupy Richmond gathered at the bank branch to demand the bank take care of properties it foreclosed on. The protesters also urged customers to close their accounts and transfer their money to community banks and credit unions.

At the beginning, some protestors with Bank of America accounts entered the bank, and one said he closed his account. Subsequently, a security guard locked the door, barring access to anyone trying to enter, and a sign was placed in the window saying, "Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are temporarily closed..."

The protest started around 1:30 p.m. The branch normally closes at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, according to the bank's web site.

Jose Delgado, who was denied entry to the bank, said he was going to drive to a different bank branch to close his accounts. “Checking and savings — I'm done,” Delgado told the crowd as he tore up bank documents.

According to Richmond resident and ACCE member Teajae Taylor, banks are not taking care of the property they take possession of through foreclosure. “The banks use loopholes and say they do not own the property they foreclosed on," Taylor said, “but why did you foreclose on the property if you didn’t own it?”

Taylor estimated that there are 15 foreclosed and abandoned properties within a two-block radius of where she lives in Richmond’s Iron Triangle neighborhood. She said the houses become a magnet for crime, that drug dealers break in and deal drugs out of the houses and people illegally dump trash on the property, and that some people end up burning the houses down as they set fires to stay warm.