Protesters to Bank of America: Pay Your Taxes

Protesters to Bank of America: Pay Your Taxes

Protesters to Bank of America: Pay Your Taxes

In the run up to this year’s Tax Day, hundreds of protesters ascended on a Bank of America branch to demand that big banks pay their fair share of taxes and stop foreclosures.

Facebook
Twitter
Email
Flipboard
Pocket

On April 15, in the run up to this year’s Tax Day, hundreds of protesters descended on a Bank of America branch in Union Square, New York City. They demanded that big banks start paying their fair share of taxes and stop foreclosures, and they also called for the government to break up banks that are “too big to fail.” Around fifty people entered the lobby of a nearby Bank of America branch with signs reading, “Stop Foreclosures! People Before Profits!” and “We pay our taxes. Why doesn’t Bank of America?”

Right before people march over and interrupt business as usual for Bank of America, Nation contributor Chris Hedges calls on the crowd to defy consumer culture and “recover the primacy” in their lives “of mercy and justice.” To do so, Americans will have to take on “the religion of unfettered capitalism.” 

In the Bank of America lobby, organizers set out boxes to show the many different social programs that could be financed if big banks paid their taxes, and condemned Bank of America for financing our current wars.

Kevin Zeese, who helped to organize the protest, says of banks like Bank of America: “They take their money overseas, rip our economy, avoid paying taxes and undermine our budgets at the state, city and federal level.” According to Zeese, citizens in the US are facing austerity because corporations like Bank of America don’t pay taxes.

For more, read Allison Kilkenny’s blog post on the action, "Chris Hedges: Obama Defies Core Values of Liberal Tradition."

—Kevin Gosztola

Can we count on you?

In the coming election, the fate of our democracy and fundamental civil rights are on the ballot. The conservative architects of Project 2025 are scheming to institutionalize Donald Trump’s authoritarian vision across all levels of government if he should win.

We’ve already seen events that fill us with both dread and cautious optimism—throughout it all, The Nation has been a bulwark against misinformation and an advocate for bold, principled perspectives. Our dedicated writers have sat down with Kamala Harris and Bernie Sanders for interviews, unpacked the shallow right-wing populist appeals of J.D. Vance, and debated the pathway for a Democratic victory in November.

Stories like these and the one you just read are vital at this critical juncture in our country’s history. Now more than ever, we need clear-eyed and deeply reported independent journalism to make sense of the headlines and sort fact from fiction. Donate today and join our 160-year legacy of speaking truth to power and uplifting the voices of grassroots advocates.

Throughout 2024 and what is likely the defining election of our lifetimes, we need your support to continue publishing the insightful journalism you rely on.

Thank you,
The Editors of The Nation

Ad Policy
x