Occupy Redlands: Take Your Money Out of the Banks

Months before Bank Transfer Day, Redlands resident Jim Green had already decided that he was moving his money to a credit union.

“This (event) sort of spurred me to do it,” Green said. “The banks for years have been charging fees and (implementing) other charges they really shouldn’t be charging.”

Green was among about 70 protestors from around the area who circled the Redlands Bank of America branch Saturday in solidarity with Occupy groups nationwide. And he was one of about 10 people in the crowd who said they were now banking with credit unions.

The Occupiers spent much of the day urging local residents to “shift their funds from for-profit banking institutions in favor of not-for-profit credit unions to send a clear message that conscious consumers won't support companies with unethical business practices.”

“The idea is that we can weaken these banks that have had so much influence on both the economy and politics in out country,” said Sean McDuffee, Redlands Occupy committee member. “If we can get people to move their money out of those banks, we can symbolically state that were no longer satisfied with that situation and we can also make a hard line affect.”

The response to the Transfer Day has been impressive, McDuffee said. Several people had expressed interest in the credit union information the group was providing. Others were working on ways to move their accounts.

At least 650,000 people across the country have joined credit unions in the past four weeks, apparently as a result of some bank’s attempts to impose debit card fees, according to a survey by the Credit Union National Association.

McDuffee and his fellow Occupiers believe it is the grassroots efforts that moved the banks to drop the fee.

The interest in the marches and the movement itself is growing rapidly

“Look at this,” said Redlands resident Craig Lawrey. “They started with 15 members and are now up to well over 100.”

The 44-year-old veteran of Navy and Army service did not march on Saturday, but was proud that his young daughter got to see it.

“These politicians need to know they can be removed by force if they only listen to a few of their constituents,” Lawrey said. “If you listen to one instead of all, it is a problem."