As Many as 24 Arrested for Trying to Close Accounts At Citibank

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Mercy_

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#1  Edited By Mercy_

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Daily Kos publicized a story captured on Global Revolution, of perhaps as many as 30 people being arrested for attempting to close their Citibank accounts. Kos originally said 30 people were arrested; an update now says 17, again per Global Revolution.

The New York Post reports that 24 people were arrested; its characterization is that a “mob stormed” a branch at Laguardia Place in Manhattan. The basis for the arrests appears to be plenty dubious. Later accounts indicate that people trying to close their accounts were locked in the branch and then arrested for illegal trespass. This video (hat tip Mike Stark) appears to support the protestors’ claims. Notice that the people in the branch are not disruptive, and a woman outside the branch, who had documents to show she was a Citibank customer but apparently had been inside the branch, was grabbed by the police and forced into the branch:

This was Citibank’s statement:

A large amount of protesters entered our branch at 555 La Guardia Place around 2:00 PM today. They were very disruptive and refused to leave after being repeatedly asked, causing our staff to call 911. The Police asked the branch staff to close the branch until the protesters could be removed. Only one person asked to close an account and was accommodated.

I suspect there will be other footage taken by the participants to determine the accuracy of Citibank’s version of the story. The people in the branch did not look “disruptive” in the clip above, and if Citi closed the branch early, that would prevent others from making account closure requests.

This looks troublingly similar to an effort by Bank of America last August to stop account closures by individual who wanted to send a message, in which the police barred access to the branch in St. Louis:

I don’t know what the branch staff was thinking. This is yet another incident that is only going to engender more sympathy for the little guy versus the banks, whether expressed via Occupy Wall Street or other channels.

One of the things the powers that be seem to be underestimating is how they cannot present a cherry-picked version of what happened with so many people able to take videos. As we’ve said earlier, the same way that graphic TV coverage of the war in Vietnam was crucial in turning public sentiment against the war, so to are heavy-handed police actions against non-threatening protestors going to undermine the credibility of the officialdom.

Update: Some suggestions courtesy the website Red, Green and Blue:

Call Citibank President Vikram Pandit and tell him to stop arresting his customers. He told Fortune magazine he’d be happy to talk to Occupy Wall Street! His office line is (212) 793-1201, and his email address is vikram.pandit@citi.com. Other numbers to try: (866) 213-0890 (718) 248-6433 or (210) 677-7284, or on Twitter @askCiti

If you have a Citibank account, take your business to a good local credit union or bank.Find a local credit union.

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turoksonofstone

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#2  Edited By turoksonofstone

  

   Let them go does not work as a chant.....we need to get more severe....such as crooked cops, crooked judiciary....you are breaking constitutional law....you are criminals....you are fascists....you are bastards....history is watching! 
  Boycott .. Close your Accounts at --------->

Bank of America . ..JP Morgan .Chase Bank ... Wells Fargo.. Citi Bank......

Close your Accounts on 5th of November .... Just Go to your local Bank And tell them you want your Money Back & to Close your Account

... Join a Small Community Bank or Credit Union Bank

November 5th 2011

... ... November 5th 2011

November 5th 2011 Re-----------> Re--Post this Message

The Only way to get @ Wall St .

 

Long Live the Revolution

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InnerVenom123

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#3  Edited By InnerVenom123

............ wait why were they doing that? Protest?

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cyberninja

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#4  Edited By cyberninja

Oh God, first it was turok who was bit by the OWS bug, now it's Dark Huntress too?! We are doomed I tell you, DOOMED!

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Shadow_Thief

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#5  Edited By Shadow_Thief

Hmm...didn't Citibank just make a huge "donation" to the NYPD? I'd say this calls for a federal investigation.

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InnerVenom123

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#6  Edited By InnerVenom123

@cyberninja said:

Oh God, first it was turok who was bit by the OWS bug, now it's Dark Huntress too?! We are doomed I tell you, DOOMED!

Is it a bug, or a tentacle monster? Because honestly, I find the second possibility more intriguing.

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Ego

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#7  Edited By Ego

if they wanted to close their account, they could have done it the civil way. 
 
they deserved it.

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Ego

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#8  Edited By Ego
@Shadow_Thief said:

Hmm...didn't Citibank just make a huge "donation" to the NYPD? I'd say this calls for a federal investigation.

chase.
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cyberninja

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#9  Edited By cyberninja

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cyberninja said:

Oh God, first it was turok who was bit by the OWS bug, now it's Dark Huntress too?! We are doomed I tell you, DOOMED!

Is it a bug, or a tentacle monster? Because honestly, I find the second possibility more intriguing.

Tentacle monster? hmmmmmm, I don't know, I don't watch Hentai, so you are alone on that one.

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Shadow_Thief

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#10  Edited By Shadow_Thief

@turoksonofstone: I don't do business with any of those banks, but seeing all this makes putting their junk mail through the shredder that much more satisfying. I like to pretend that it screams.

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InnerVenom123

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#11  Edited By InnerVenom123

@cyberninja said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cyberninja said:

Oh God, first it was turok who was bit by the OWS bug, now it's Dark Huntress too?! We are doomed I tell you, DOOMED!

Is it a bug, or a tentacle monster? Because honestly, I find the second possibility more intriguing.

Tentacle monster? hmmmmmm, I don't know, I don't watch Hentai, so you are alone on that one.

It could also be a giant badger. Named Stan. Whatever works.

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Shadow_Thief

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#12  Edited By Shadow_Thief

@Ego: Ahh...yes. In my defense, with all these banks buying and selling each other, I stopped trying to keep track of them. Still, thank you for the clarification.

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cyberninja

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#13  Edited By cyberninja

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cyberninja said:

@InnerVenom123 said:

@cyberninja said:

Oh God, first it was turok who was bit by the OWS bug, now it's Dark Huntress too?! We are doomed I tell you, DOOMED!

Is it a bug, or a tentacle monster? Because honestly, I find the second possibility more intriguing.

Tentacle monster? hmmmmmm, I don't know, I don't watch Hentai, so you are alone on that one.

It could also be a giant badger. Named Stan. Whatever works.

lol

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Aiden Cross

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#14  Edited By Aiden Cross

I don't know what's up with the banks and why people want their money back. But from my own experience it can be very threatening to see people that refuse to leave even though you asked them multiple times. First of all, it keeps other potential customers away. Second of all, even though the protest is peaceful a mob outside is a threatening sight. You might say that the bank deserved it, and you might be right saying that. However, the people inside are only doing their job and do not deserve it. And if they'd try to remove people themselves they would most likely get sued.

So it's logical that the bank calls the police to remove the people (after they've been asked several times before to leave). And it's not like the police went in batons swinging and started beating people down. They asked the bank to close it down, wait for the protesters to go away. They didn't, so they moved in.

Personally, I think you always have to look at it from two ways. Do I understand the people, of course. Do I understand the police and bank, yes I do. Could they have handled it differently, probably. But that doesn't mean they were wrong doing it like this.

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NatalieImbruglia

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#15  Edited By NatalieImbruglia
@Aiden Cross said:

I don't know what's up with the banks and why people want their money back. 

Propaganda move. To prove a point.
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turoksonofstone

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#16  Edited By turoksonofstone
 
  
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iLLituracy

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#17  Edited By iLLituracy

You can't do this to people.

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PowerHerc

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#18  Edited By PowerHerc

Whatever spin the media puts on this stuff, at least people are waking up.

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Huntress_of_the_Dark

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That video has zero logic.  So you're going to close your Citi Bank account just so you can transfer your checkings/savings into another bank which all banks and Financial Services are tied and controlled by the Federal Reserve. What are you guys gonna do? Go to Check in the Cash and from now on and get ripped off even more? If it's anyone you should be closing with, it's creditors, not banks. Besides, these people got arrested because they stormed into the bank at the same time and they did not wait in line patiently, but disturbed the peace. This is a misdemeanor offence, so it's no wonder why they got locked in and arrested.

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#20  Edited By turoksonofstone
@Huntress_of_the_Dark said:


 
 
 
 
That video has zero logic.  So you're going to close your Citi Bank account just so you can transfer your checkings/savings into another bank which all banks and Financial Services are tied and controlled by the Federal Reserve. What are you guys gonna do? Go to Check in the Cash and from now on and get ripped off even more? If it's anyone you should be closing with, it's creditors, not banks. Besides, these people got arrested because they stormed into the bank at the same time and they did not wait in line patiently, but disturbed the peace. This is a misdemeanor offence, so it's no wonder why they got locked in and arrested.

lol, The people united, can never be defeated.
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realsilverjunk

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#21  Edited By realsilverjunk

Bank of America should be abandoned for their $8 dollar debit card fee. Screw that, Wells Fargo is going to charge $3, which still pisses me off.

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turoksonofstone

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#22  Edited By turoksonofstone

  

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nefarious

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#23  Edited By nefarious

That's alot of handcuffs.

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turoksonofstone

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#24  Edited By turoksonofstone