Business & Tech

Protest at Bank of America: See Video, Take Poll

Throngs of people turn out Thursday evening to protest the bank outside one of its Santa Monica branches.

At least 100 people turned out to protest Bank of America outside one of its Santa Monica branches on Thursday evening.

The protest took place starting at 5 p.m. outside the BofA branch at It was organized by MoveOn.org and was part of a weeklong nationwide action titled "Jobs Not Cuts!"

Protesters held signs and chanted that slogan. They also chanted, "We are the 99 percent," echoing sentiments expressed by the ongoing . Drivers who were in agreement honked their horns as they drove by.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Outrage has been building toward Bank of America after last week's announcement that it will charge most of its customers a $5 monthly fee if they use their debit card to make a purchase. Customers who have a BofA mortgage or a total of $20,000 in their BofA accounts (or in certain Merrill Lynch accounts) are exempt.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., legislators including Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rep. Brad Miller (D-North Carolina) are calling on customers to move their money out of the bank in response to the new fee.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"My word to consumers across America is: 'Talk with your feet, look for a debit card that doesn't charge the Bank of America fee,' " Durbin told The Huffington Post.

President Barack Obama has also scolded BofA, telling ABC, "You can stop [the fee] if you say to the banks, ‘You don’t have some inherent right just to, you know, get a certain amount of profit if your customers are being mistreated,’ ”

In defending its decision to implement the new fee, Bank of America has cited recent Wall Street reforms as the motivating factor behind the fee.

“We have a right to make a profit,” Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said.

Do you agree with the people protesting BofA? Share your thoughts in the comments box, and take our poll below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here