Banking

"STOP BANKING ON COAL"

Friday August 31st is a National Day of Action on Bank of America. Concerned citizens in over a dozen cities will be sending the same message to Bank of America. In Worcester, we will hold a PEACEFUL and educational rally in front of the Bank of America on Front St (near the Turtle Boy behind City Hall) with the goal of raising awareness of this banks significant involvement with dirty coal.

THIS FRIDAY,
4pm-6pm
Bank of America behind City Hall in Worcester (100 Front St)

Peace and Solidarity! -Marty

"Together, we can push Wall Street to drive a rapid transition away from deadly fossil fuels, and to end investments in new coal. It's time to build a vibrant, healthy, and equitable low-carbon economic future."

Please email MJWorcester@googlegroups.com if you would like to help out or join. For more information on Mountaintop Removal, please visit mountainjusticesummer.org

***What's so bad about Bank of America???

Bank of America has lent hundreds of millions of dollars to companies building coal-fired power plants. Coal is responsible for 1/3 of all US CO2 emissions.

Between 2005 and 2007 Bank of America facilitated nearly $1 billion in loans to Massey Energy and Arch Coal, two of the largest companies responsible for the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. Mountains are literally BLOWN UP to get coal, 474 destroyed, and counting.

Bank of America has made huge loans to Peabody Energy, the largest coal company in the world, infamous for its human rights abuses against Native Americans. 14,000 people from the Dine' and Hopi tribes have been forcibly relocated off their ancestral lands to make way for a strip mine.

(theres more at http://www.crmw.net/tools/Handouts%20&%20Flyers/BOA_Financial.pdf )

****What you can do:

1. Call Bank of America and cancel your account or tell them you feel like canceling your account based on their investments in coal mining and new coal power plants.

2. Let them know all of your family and friends will close their accounts unless they stop financing the destruction of Appalachian Mountains and coal-fired power plants.

3. Consider moving your funds to a locally-owned credit union.

4. Come to the Rally and HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

****Mission Statement****

Mountain Justice Summer (MJS) seeks to add to the growing anti-MTR citizens movement. Specifically MJS demands an abolition of MTR, steep slope strip mining and all other forms of surface mining for coal. We want to protect the cultural and natural heritage of the Appalachia coal fields. We want to contribute with grassroots organizing, public education, nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of citizen action.

Historically coal companies have engaged in violence and property destruction when faced with citizen opposition to their activities. MJS is committed to nonviolence and will not be engaged in property destruction.

Kev