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– Developing Story: People Arrested for Trying to Close Citibank Accounts (Gather, Oct. 15, 2011):
More ridiculous arrests coming out of New York today, as Citibank proves it’s just as bad, or even worse than Bank of America in how it treats its customers. Earlier today, about two dozen people formed a queue inside the Citibank building in order to close their accounts as a part of the Occupy Wall Street protests. Instead of allowing them to take their money elsewhere, the genius managers and security people in charge locked them inside and had them arrested.
It’s not clear why the people were arrested, but speculation is that when the bank would not allow customers to close their accounts, the customers began to protest. When this happened, that’s when the genius managers decided to lock them all in and call the police. Nice work, police, protecting your corporate masters.
The arrests were so contrived that you can’t help but laugh in bemusement. One woman who was talking angrily with police outside the building was manhandled by what appears to be a plain clothes officer and dragged inside by about five other officers.
Reports from around the internet are saying that two people who succeeded in closing their account left the bank but were forced back inside by police and security officials. In the video posted online, you can see how one woman was practically carried into the bank by a plain clothes officer, where she and the rest of the bank’s customers were subsequently arrested. So, if you were just in the neighborhood, and arrived before these people and closed your account, you’d have been arrested for disorderly conduct, whether you were a part of this protest or not. What the hell is this country coming to when you get arrested for simply asserting your right to do what you want with your own money?
The NYC police department is not doing itself any favors by acting with such force and dishonor towards the people it’s supposed to be protecting. Citibank, likewise, isn’t going to garner any kind of support among its customer base for refusing to allow customers to withdraw their money.
Corporate greed, a police state, citizens arrested for voicing their opinions. Unfortunately, it looks as if the United States is living proof that ‘1984’ has come to pass.