Billionaires from across North Carolina converged on Bank of America branches in Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte and Raleigh in a stunning show of support for the bank’s coal investments.
Sipping “dirty martinis” made with coal and holding signs with slogans like “More profit, less mountains” and “Our bottom line is the bottom line,” the Billionaires for Coal have been gathering at branches of their favorite bank - calling attention to Bank of America’s investment priorities and defending their choices to fund the coal industry and ignore the environmental and human rights consequences coal mining and power.
In North Carolina’s affluent Research Triangle, an organized Billionaire Bloc paid visits to Bank of America’s main branch in Chapel Hill, an office in downtown Raleigh, and another smaller but very well-trafficked branch in Raleigh.
Dressed in top hats, gowns, monocles and feather boas, these Billionaires for Coal staged a demonstration calling for increased coal development. They chanted “Get your dirty mountains off our clean coal!” and thanked customers for their support. Meanwhile, a group of counter-protesters leaf-letted about the ecological and human rights consequences of dirty energy investment and held banners decrying the bank’s support for mountaintop removal mining.
Inside the Raleigh banks, Billionaires raised an entitled ruckus, praised coal investments and handed out information until the police were called. Once outside, the Billionaires demonstrated and informed the public of BoA’s dirty deeds. Outside, several passers-by said that they would cancel their B of A bank accounts.
Asheville Rising Tide’s billionaire bloc descended on Bank of America’s regional headquarters to demand that BoA continue to invest their money in coal. The Billionaires for Coal carried signs reading “More Profit, Less Mountains” and sipped on dirty (coal) martinis, applauding BoA for its funding of mountaintop removal coal mining as well as the new generation of dirty coal plants. The Asheville Police Department did an excellent job of protecting the Billionaires and blocking access to the bank entrance and the ATM frightening a number of bank customers.
In the coming weeks, Billionaires, activists and people seeking an end to coal financing will be adopting Bank of America and Citi branches around the country. Stay tuned to www.dirtymoney.org for more.
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