Don't petition the White House, Use Change.org

Don’t petition the White House, Use Change.org

Nov 18, 2012 Aaron Krager No Comments
Secessionists. I first want to say thank you for finally learning something from history. The last time so many desired to rid themselves of a tyrannical president they declared war on the Union. Thus, your use of a peaceful means through petitions on the White House’s site is commendable. Furthermore, each state now finds themselves represented by a petition and signatures from people possibly...
The Country Moved to the Left Last Night

The Country Moved to the Left Last Night

The whole campaign season did not just depend upon the presidential race that finally came to an end last night. Yes, the country voted clearly to give Barack Obama another four years in the White House. He received more than 50 percent of the vote and won handily in the electoral college. Yet, it is what happened down the ballot that shows the nation’s...
Republicans, Rape, Life, and Control of Women

Republicans, Rape, Life, and Control of Women

Oct 24, 2012 Aaron Krager No Comments
During last night’s Indiana Senate debate the Republican candidate, Richard Mourdock, did more than stick his foot in his mouth. I believe life begins at conception. The only exception I have for to have an abortion is in the case of the life of the mother. I struggled with myself for a long time but I came to realize life is that gift from...

Bank of America refuses customer with continued threats

Aug 10, 2011 Aaron Krager 4 Comments
Bank of America refuses customer with continued threats

After being arrested for criminal trespassing yesterday, Action Now board member Marsha Godard, returned to Bank of America headquarters this morning to close her account and once again present the bank with the list of violations.

Bank of America refused her entry. Their own customer was not allowed the enter the bank and attend to her own money.
Speaking over the phone with Ms. Godard she detailed her treatment prior the arrest. With her organizations support outside she entered the downtown headquarters to present them with a list of potential violations for the impending vacant homes law requiring them to maintain and secure the buildings.

Action Now has been raising the empty homes as a safety and neighborhood concern for sometime now as a place of crime and drugs. In fact, two firefighters were injured after an empty home went up in flames.

While Ms. Godard, dressed in her Action Now shirt, waited for the personnel person to find the employee in charge of the vacant properties she was approached by security multiple times. The first time the guard asks her about an appointment and tells her she cannot protest. She replied that she did not have an appointment, was not protesting but waiting for customer assistance.

Roughly five minutes later she is still waiting as a different security guard while the personnel person asks her name and if she was with Action Now. Ms. Godard responded in the affirmative and provided her name.

Still waiting – the head of security comes over with four other guards as well as the Chicago Police. CPD tells her to leave because she has been asked to do so when in fact she had not. The head security guard then tells her she cannot protest and be a customer at the same time. Godard restates that she is not protesting but a customer waiting for help and is not leaving until she talks with someone about the violations in her neighborhood. At this point she is asked to leave.

“This is how you treat your customers?” – Godard

“We will arrest you.” – CPD

“Then arrest me.” – Godard

Action Now and other local organizations once again support Ms. Godard in her attempts to get Bank of America’s attention and close her account after being mistreated. While being taken away by CPD on Tuesday she was told by the officer she would be arrested again, spend the night in jail and would be a felon if she entered the bank again.

Bank of America executive Patricia Holden refused her entry based upon supposed BofA policy. (Holden has not returned multiple phone calls at this point – will update if she does).

According to Ms. Godard, Ms. Holden said it is BofA policy to not allow customers into the bank once they have engaged in a protest. Once again Ms. Godard, wearing her Action Now shirt, claimed to be a customer and not a protester. Refused again, Godard offers to put on a jacket. Still no. Upon asking for the policy in writing she is told she would have to subpoena the supposed policy despite pages and pages worth of rules for customers being readily available at her fingertips.

Needless to say it sounded a little fishy. Action Now is not giving up and neither is Ms. Godard. They will continue trying at 10am the rest of this week.

Ms. Godard’s court date for criminal trespassing is set for September 22nd.

  • Pingback: “I Closed My Account With Bank Of America!” | Action Now

  • Pingback: BofA’s side of story calls Godard a liar | Aaron Krager

  • Lahill71

    There is no such “customer policy” per Corp security guidelines but as there’s 3 sides to every story: they asked her to leave b/c it was a threat assessment-and she didn’t pass the test. You protestors need to think about the environment you’re in: this is a bank, and while you may be intending to rightfully express freedom of speech, as protected under law- these bank.employees have a right to protect their staff and other patrons from unknown risk factors. I.e., you showed up demanding things and information….just like any out-of-control, potential criminal would, **how would they have known otherwise.** Your credibility went right backwards out of the door you juat walked in from.

    Your format needs to be reconsidered; this COMPANY is a TARGET, as are the, oh- TELLERS, who work like you do for a living (!) Or how about scaring the hell out of the other customers whose very homes you’re trying to protect now thinking you’re **not** on their side, the way this came off, so radical(?); Or, staff working there, and you protestors are lucky you didn’t get yourselves or someone else shot at, in an escalated situation, brought on by a cascade event, fueled by the start of someone’s misunderstanding. That’s always the first shot off before any **real**gun gets drawn.

    So you all get on the news. Whoo. You didn’t “inform” this company of ANTHING-and I mean **nothing**, they don’t know regarding their assets, with the resources at their disposal. You’re letting them know about building code violations….and while basically interrupting them in the middle of (5) major, industry-wide civil suits, in excess of around 45 billion dollars: please attend to the neighborhood you are trying to protect, by turning your hands-on attention to the people in it=so the people at this company can ALSO try helping your kin, from the inside-out..by working on loan mods or something else to save that neighborhood. Your well-meant protests tie OUR hands for EVERYONE, if we constantly have to stop to attend you as a perceived threat assessment, gobbling up our resources…which in the end are your own. That ate ours, they are everyone’s, all of ours. Remember the White House had a mortgage, once, also. We had to build it. We immigrated here, all of us. We came by way of a boat, and it is a privilege, an earned honor and a joy-to be here. Not of of us made it back then, and this…here we are now.

    Write a letter from your home and go through peaceful, more non-invasive channels before your dramatic efforts foreclose on the principles of your endeavors.

    I work 12hr days calculating income for other people’s solutions: “what within my means and power can I make work? Will it hold before someone screws it up again?” Against a system I will never beat, never fix, never was my creation.

    I rent, and I’ll die without a home of my own. I promised, though, that will only be me, as often as possible-and not my seeing a house that could have been mine destroyed for others, not by others, yet at the hands of others.

    Community is a virtue that I learned about living alone. If you have time to get arrested, the money to bail out of jail, and you go back again=you’ve got time to find a solution and the money to fund it.

    Get cracking.

  • Pingback: Marsha Godard’s Story on CBS! | Action Now

© Aaron Krager 2008-2013 | Have any questions? Send me an email.

Design