Occupy group plans bank protest next Sunday

Occupy Winston-Salem, drawing about 150 people to its first public meeting Saturday, made plans to protest at the Bank of America branch on Stratford Road next Sunday, as part of its movement to fight "corporate greed."

"The government is being corrupted by corporate money," said Marcus Hodges, who led Saturday's assembly. "There's a major rift, a divide between the richest people in the world and everyone else."

The time of Sunday's protest is yet to be decided and will be announced on the group's Facebook page and its website, www.occupywinstonsalem.org.

Some members preferred to do it on a day the bank would be open for business, but some said more people could participate on a weekend day.

"We'll still be seen that day," Hodges said.

The group also plans future lunchtime protests at the Wells Fargo building downtown on a date or dates to be announced.

Media representatives from Bank of America, contacted late Saturday about the group's intention, did not return phone calls by deadline.

Mary Eshet of Wells Fargo public relations sent this emailed statement late Saturday:

"We welcome open and collaborative dialog with our stakeholders. We recognize Americans are demanding more from their financial institutions during these difficult economic times.  Wells Fargo is committed to serving the financial needs of businesses and individuals, keeping credit flowing, and working to help those in financial distress find solutions."

The Occupy movement is catching on across North Carolina. Hundreds of people converged Saturday on downtown Charlotte to march on Bank of America's corporate headquarters. Charlotte is the second-largest U.S. banking hub.

Hundreds chanted in unison "We are the 99 percent," as they made their way to the headquarters of the country's largest bank by deposits.

Last weekend, Occupy rallies were held in Raleigh and Durham. Occupy Greensboro plans a protest Saturday.

Occupy Winston-Salem had its first general assembly on Oct. 1, drawing about 20 people.

By Saturday's meeting, the group had grown to 150 people.

On a hillside beside Krankies Coffee, for more than 90 minutes, people spoke to the group about issues ranging from concern for the hungry, to job losses, to whether one needs a driver's license to drive.

The local movement is patterned after the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City that began three weeks ago.

The movement has spread to nearly 200 cities, with people fighting to change a financial and political system they say favors the rich, according to the group's main website, www.occupywallst.org.

The first meeting in Winston-Salem came about after a couple of people in King started a Facebook page about the issue, Hodges said. Word spread and led to that first meeting on Oct. 1.

There's no money or political party behind the movement, he said.

"This is a people's movement," he said. "The whole point is to get money out of the movement. We welcome all (political) parties, and we're going to align with none."

Rhon Parker of Winston-Salem liked what he saw as the crowd started gathering Saturday.

"Look at this range of people," he said. "This is awesome."

Mostly young and middle-aged people were there, along with some older adults and some children with their parents.

"My biggest fear on this is it's going to be hijacked by the Democrats and the (labor) unions," Parker said before the assembly started. He said that again to the crowd when he got his turn to talk.

Ghali Hasan of Winston-Salem said the jobs situation is the most critical issue people are facing.

"Just seeing all the people across the nation being frustrated at what's happening, seeing something at the local level was very inspiring to me," he said.

Mary Dickinson invited people to join Monday Mourners, a group that meets Mondays at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Stratford, Country Club, First and Miller streets.

"We mourn all the things we as middle-class folks have lost," she said. "Our message is, 'Where are the jobs?'"

Representatives of other groups showed up, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Occupy Greensboro.

The Winston-Salem group decided not to hold its protest this coming Saturday, in part so as not to interfere with a previously scheduled Pride parade in downtown Winston-Salem.

Hodges stressed to the crowd that the movement is nonviolent, and he read aloud the statement of purpose, which was released Friday. It says the movement means to "fight the corporate abuse of our democracy, and to take the reins of power away from profit-driven interests and assert our rightful place in the political process."

The movement is populist and leaderless, stressing the power of the 99 percent against the power structure of the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. Hodges led Saturday's meeting, but the leadership roles will rotate, he said, and someone else may well lead future meetings.

The crowd broke into small groups to work on such tasks as what actions to take and how to communicate. The groups then shared their reports and recommendations.

A number of people drifted away over the course of the three-hour meeting. About 45 people were left when the group voted by consensus to stage next Sunday's protest.

Hodges advised people to take their money out of banks and put it in credit unions. He said the group hopes to address national and local issues.

"We're in a community that has its own problems," he said. "It's about ultimately doing good work (here), and that's why we're doing this here as opposed to going up to New York."

Wells Fargo response

Mary Eshet, media relations spokeswoman for Wells Fargo, released the following statement late Saturday, when contacted about Occupy Winston-Salem’s plans for a future protest at a Winston-Salem branch of Wells Fargo.

“We welcome open and collaborative dialog with our stakeholders. We recognize Americans are demanding more from their financial institutions during these difficult economic times. Wells Fargo is committed to serving the financial needs of businesses and individuals, keeping credit flowing, and working to help those in financial distress find solutions. 

“Since 2009, we have participated in more than 600 home preservation workshops, opened 27 home preservation centers and have conducted 704,869 active trial or completed mortgage modifications. Wells Fargo is committed to responsible lending and we believe we’re leading our industry in approving loans to creditworthy customers during this difficult economy. We continue to work with borrowers on mortgage modifications and other options that can help them remain in their homes and avoid foreclosure when possible. Our priority is to prevent as many foreclosures as possible by working with financially distressed customers — and we want them to know we are there to help them. 

“As America’s #1 small business lender for nine consecutive years, Wells Fargo is committed to helping our nation’s small businesses succeed in today’s economy by actively lending. We are doing everything we can to say ‘yes’ to creditworthy borrowers. We want to help business owners access the capital they need to manage and grow their businesses. In 2010, Wells Fargo lent $15 billion in new loans to small business nationwide. For the first half of 2011, Wells Fargo made over 67,000 loans totaling $7.5 billion in new loan commitments to small businesses nationwide — a 13% increase in dollars lent from the prior year. Wells Fargo has loaned more SBA dollars to more small businesses in 2011 — the first lender to lend $1 billion in SBA 7(a) loans to small businesses in one year.”