Occupy Austin marches to Wells Fargo for Bank Transfer Day
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One day shy of its one-month anniversary, Occupy Austin took to the streets again, this time, marching to Wells Fargo in South Austin.
Saturday’s march was in support of Bank Transfer Day. Occupy Austin has led similar marches on Bank of America and Chase since the demonstration’s first day on Oct. 6.
People within the demonstration have been keeping track of the impact. Dave Cortez with the Occupy Austin's Bank Action Team said more than $400,000 has been taken out of national banks in Austin since the protest started.
"These dollar figures represent Americans, they represent people here who do not support these big banks and what they finance," Cortez said.
Natalie Goodnow, a now-former Wells Fargo account holder, is one of dozens who pulled her money out Saturday.
"When I saw all the things that were going on, I was like 'This is a very historic event and I can't sit by and watch,’" she said.
Much of the frustration is aimed at what they call financial corruption within the banking system. They’ve drawn the attention of several groups including the Workers Defense Project and Texans United For Family.
"We heard about different community members divesting from big banks that weren't investing in our communities,” Cristina Tzintzun with the Workers Defense Prioject said. “We wanted to bank with an institution that shared our values."
As of Saturday evening, more than 84,000 people said they would take part in Bank Transfer Day on Facebook.