Bank of America Bandit Strikes at the Lilac Fest

<p> At this years Lilac Festival, park visitors have been seeing a lot about Bank of America. Behind the main stage, Bank of America was able to hang a huge advertising banner based on them sponsoring the festival. In addition, members of the newly-created Genesee Valley Earth First! group have been telling festival-goers about Bank of America in more detail. </p > <img src="http://rochester.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/6/bandit-kicked-out.jpg" align="right" alt="" /> <p> One of the more visible members of the group was the Bank Bandit. Dressed in a luchador mask, tights and a cape, the Bandit handed out <a href="http://rochester.indymedia.org/usermedia/application/4/boa.pdf">literature describing how Bank of America funds many destructive environmental practices around the world</a>. </p > <p> Once security guards became aware of the Bandit's actions, they proceeded to kick her out of Highland park. However, the Bandit continued to distribute information from the sidewalks several other days during the festival. Rochester Indymedia caught up to the Bandit and asked her why she was out, what response she got and how you can get kicked out of a public park for handing out information. </p > <p> <i> Isn't Highland park a public space? How can you be kicked out? </i> </p > <blockquote> The security guard who escorted me from the premises told me that, for these two weeks, the park is rented out and operated by Jim LeBeau, the promoter, and without explicit permission from him, I had no right to be there distributing information. </blockquote > <p><i> What's bad about Bank of America? </i></p > <blockquote> It is the largest financial services company in the world. It has been criticized for predatory lending and deceiving people who sign up for credit cards or mortgages. Bank of America also claims to support environmentally sustainable business, but in reality they fund some of the most environmentally destructive industries around. The bank finances coal mining operations that are in the process of destroying the Appalachian mountain ecosystem. Mountaintop removal blasts away the summit of a mountain to get to the coal deep inside, then dumps the displaced land into valleys, polluting a huge number of Appalachia's streams and rivers. Massey Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources all engage in this devastating practice, and all receive funding from BoA. The bank has financed over $4 billion for Peabody Energy, the largest coal mining company in the US, and the entity that operates the Black Mesa mine on land that belongs to sovereign indigenous people. The mine drains millions of gallons of water DAILY from the Black Mesa community's only water supply. </blockquote > <p><i> If Bank of America is paying money to sponsor the festival, shouldn't we cut them some slack and let them have their banner behind the stage? </i></p > <blockquote> Well, I generally don't want to see giant advertisements on stage when I'm enjoying music. But in this situation specifically, Bank of America received $45 billion in the taxpayer-funded bailout, so I think its ridiculous that they can pretend to be philanthropic, funding the festival with money they're borrowing from us! </blockquote > <p><i> What reaction did you get from the Lilac Festival crowd? </i></p > <blockquote> People responded in all different ways, but most reactions were positive. Kids loved the costume, and I posed for a handful of photos with people. Folks weren't surprised to learn bad news about Bank of America; a few already knew about the issue of mountaintop removal, and most seemed to agree that we need to stop massive coal operations ASAP. </blockquote > <img class="dada-image-center" src="http://rochester.indymedia.org/sites/default/files/migrate_dada/bandit-and-friend.jpg"><br> <p><i> Let's talk about climate change. Many people are arguing that "clean coal" is part of the solution. Other solutions put forth by people in power positions are increased nuclear power, plant-based bioenergy and "geo-engineering" (creating artificial volcanoes to fill the skies with soot, or seeding the oceans with mountains of iron to produce giant algal blooms ). What's the Bank Bandit's take on these solutions? How do you think we should go about addressing the crisis? </i></p > <blockquote> First off, "clean coal" is a mythical marketing ploy created by the coal industry to sell their product. The process of extracting coal from the earth is dirty and deadly. "Clean coal" shifts some of the toxic combustion output to different waste streams, like sludge and slurry ponds and landfills. Nuclear energy is a dead end because there is no way to safely deal with the waste that it produces. Agrofuels are produced using unsustainable and destructive agricultural practices, deforesting land, and are driving up the price of grain in the world, prioritizing the energy needs of the rich over the lives of the poor. "Geo-engineering" is not something I know much about, but my feeling is that the crazy schemes you describe are bound to fail. In a world with such complex ecosystems we cannot predict what the impact of these meddlesome operations would be. The solution is to completely re-imagine the economy: to shift its focus from "growth" to "sustainability," to meet human needs, not corporate profit goals. Its a huge challenge, but if we reevaluate our priorities, I think its possible. </blockquote > <p><i> Where can people go to learn more about these issues? What can people do to get involved? </i></p > <blockquote> There are lots of groups addressing these issues. Check out Rising Tide for lots of good information on the real solutions to climate change. Genesee Valley Earth First! recently formed to try to educate ourselves and the community about environmental issues at this critical time. Save America's Mountains and other groups like Mountain Justice are tackling the issue of mountaintop removal, trying to save parts of one of the most diverse bioregions on earth.</blockquote > <p><i> Where you able to pick any pockets before the coppers got you? </i></p > <blockquote> Oddly, the security guard was the one taking things from the festival goers! When he accosted me, he snatched literature right out of the hands of the woman I was talking to, and tried to grab it from the people around her. As he led me away, I held out the information behind my back, and the curious consumer took it back. </blockquote >

<p> At this years Lilac Festival, park visitors have been seeing a lot about Bank of America. Behind the main stage, Bank of America was able to hang a huge advertising banner based on them sponsoring the festival. In addition, members of the newly-created Genesee Valley Earth First! group have been telling festival-goers about Bank of America in more detail. </p> <img src="http://rochester.indymedia.org/usermedia/image/6/bandit-kicked-out.jpg" align="right" alt="" /> <p> One of the more visible members of the group was the Bank Bandit. Dressed in a luchador mask, tights and a cape, the Bandit handed out <a href="http://rochester.indymedia.org/usermedia/application/4/boa.pdf">literature describing how Bank of America funds many destructive environmental practices around the world</a>. </p> <p> Once security guards became aware of the Bandit's actions, they proceeded to kick her out of Highland park. However, the Bandit continued to distribute information from the sidewalks several other days during the festival. Rochester Indymedia caught up to the Bandit and asked her why she was out, what response she got and how you can get kicked out of a public park for handing out information. </p> <p> <i> Isn't Highland park a public space? How can you be kicked out? </i> </p> <blockquote> The security guard who escorted me from the premises told me that, for these two weeks, the park is rented out and operated by Jim LeBeau, the promoter, and without explicit permission from him, I had no right to be there distributing information. </blockquote> <p><i> What's bad about Bank of America? </i></p> <blockquote> It is the largest financial services company in the world. It has been criticized for predatory lending and deceiving people who sign up for credit cards or mortgages. Bank of America also claims to support environmentally sustainable business, but in reality they fund some of the most environmentally destructive industries around. The bank finances coal mining operations that are in the process of destroying the Appalachian mountain ecosystem. Mountaintop removal blasts away the summit of a mountain to get to the coal deep inside, then dumps the displaced land into valleys, polluting a huge number of Appalachia's streams and rivers. Massey Energy, Arch Coal, and Alpha Natural Resources all engage in this devastating practice, and all receive funding from BoA. The bank has financed over $4 billion for Peabody Energy, the largest coal mining company in the US, and the entity that operates the Black Mesa mine on land that belongs to sovereign indigenous people. The mine drains millions of gallons of water DAILY from the Black Mesa community's only water supply. </blockquote> <p><i> If Bank of America is paying money to sponsor the festival, shouldn't we cut them some slack and let them have their banner behind the stage? </i></p> <blockquote> Well, I generally don't want to see giant advertisements on stage when I'm enjoying music. But in this situation specifically, Bank of America received $45 billion in the taxpayer-funded bailout, so I think its ridiculous that they can pretend to be philanthropic, funding the festival with money they're borrowing from us! </blockquote> <p><i> What reaction did you get from the Lilac Festival crowd? </i></p> <blockquote> People responded in all different ways, but most reactions were positive. Kids loved the costume, and I posed for a handful of photos with people. Folks weren't surprised to learn bad news about Bank of America; a few already knew about the issue of mountaintop removal, and most seemed to agree that we need to stop massive coal operations ASAP. </blockquote> <img class="dada-image-center" src="http://rochester.indymedia.org/sites/default/files/migrate_dada/bandit-and-friend.jpg" /><br /> <p><i> Let's talk about climate change. Many people are arguing that "clean coal" is part of the solution. Other solutions put forth by people in power positions are increased nuclear power, plant-based bioenergy and "geo-engineering" (creating artificial volcanoes to fill the skies with soot, or seeding the oceans with mountains of iron to produce giant algal blooms ). What's the Bank Bandit's take on these solutions? How do you think we should go about addressing the crisis? </i></p> <blockquote> First off, "clean coal" is a mythical marketing ploy created by the coal industry to sell their product. The process of extracting coal from the earth is dirty and deadly. "Clean coal" shifts some of the toxic combustion output to different waste streams, like sludge and slurry ponds and landfills. Nuclear energy is a dead end because there is no way to safely deal with the waste that it produces. Agrofuels are produced using unsustainable and destructive agricultural practices, deforesting land, and are driving up the price of grain in the world, prioritizing the energy needs of the rich over the lives of the poor. "Geo-engineering" is not something I know much about, but my feeling is that the crazy schemes you describe are bound to fail. In a world with such complex ecosystems we cannot predict what the impact of these meddlesome operations would be. The solution is to completely re-imagine the economy: to shift its focus from "growth" to "sustainability," to meet human needs, not corporate profit goals. Its a huge challenge, but if we reevaluate our priorities, I think its possible. </blockquote> <p><i> Where can people go to learn more about these issues? What can people do to get involved? </i></p> <blockquote> There are lots of groups addressing these issues. Check out Rising Tide for lots of good information on the real solutions to climate change. Genesee Valley Earth First! recently formed to try to educate ourselves and the community about environmental issues at this critical time. Save America's Mountains and other groups like Mountain Justice are tackling the issue of mountaintop removal, trying to save parts of one of the most diverse bioregions on earth.</blockquote> <p><i> Where you able to pick any pockets before the coppers got you? </i></p> <blockquote> Oddly, the security guard was the one taking things from the festival goers! When he accosted me, he snatched literature right out of the hands of the woman I was talking to, and tried to grab it from the people around her. As he led me away, I held out the information behind my back, and the curious consumer took it back. </blockquote>