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Rally Inside Wells Fargo Headquarters Demands Bank Divest from Dakota Access Pipeline

by #NoDAPLBayArea
During a busy payday lunch hour, members of #NoDAPLBayArea took over the global headquarters of Wells Fargo Bank in the financial district of San Francisco.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

#NoDAPLBayArea Holds Rally In Wells Fargo’s Headquarters & Closes Accounts
Demands Bank To Divest Disputed Pipeline

December 16, 2016
San Francisco, California

Today during a busy payday lunch hour, members of #NoDAPLBayArea took over the global headquarters of Wells Fargo Bank in the financial district of San Francisco. As part of a continued campaign to stand in solidarity with the water protectors at Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, the Bay Area activists are set on pressuring local figures who have decision making power around the contested Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Two weeks ago, #NoDAPLBayArea paid Wells Fargo Chief Financial Officer John Shrewsberry a sunrise visit at his Piedmont, California home. The morning gathering was an attempt to “wake-up” Shrewsberry to the reality his financial institution is investing in the destruction of the earth and massive human rights violations. Today #NoDAPLBayArea continued to keep their promise to stand with Standing Rock, and restated their call for Wells Fargo to divest not only in DAPL but in the corporation that owns the pipeline - Energy Transfer Partnership (ETP).

While several Wells Fargo customers entered the bank to close their bank accounts in protest to DAPL, more than two dozen protesters sang political songs in the Wells Fargo museum while passersby watched thru the glass windows from the sidewalk. Simultaneously, a dozen other customers not on site closed their accounts online.

“Divest your funds from oil/From Dakota Access Pipeline/Water is life and a human right/Can you Wells Fargo/ Can you do what’s right?”, asked one of the caroler’s songs done to the tune of Prince’s “When Doves Cry.” “Think of the people downstream/ No one wants oil spills/Keep it in the ground /Don’t turn the water brown /INDIGENOUS RIGHTS/Water i-is life”

Outside, activists passed out fliers urging the public into action.

“As a customer of Wells Fargo, call and DEMAND THAT WELLS FARGO DROP ITS ACCOUNTS WITH ENERGY TRANSFER PARTNERSHIP! DEMAND THAT WELLS FARGO USE CUSTOMERS’ MONEY TO INVEST IN CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS!”, reads a flier the water protectors were passing out. “And close your account with Wells Fargo. Don’t let them use your money to invest in companies that destroy the environment, poison drinking water and violate human rights and use violence against peaceful protestors”, the flier continued.

Wells Fargo is just one of many financial institutions based both here in the U.S. and worldwide that has money tied in the DAPL. Wells Fargo is currently responsible for managing the financial accounts of Energy Transfer Partnership. Currently the bank has invested $567 million into the pipeline.

Since April of this year, more than 700 Native American tribes, calling themselves water protectors, have converged on Standing Rock reservation and neighboring treaty lands. Using prayer and non-violent direct action they are standing against the massive environmental destruction and human rights violations that have surrounded and will inevitably come with the building of the DAPL. Already, DAPL has illegally built on Native American lands, U.S. Federal property and private properties of thousands of U.S. citizens who never agreed to have the pipeline run thru their backyards. If constructed, the pipeline will contaminate the Missouri River - the largest watershed in the United States. DAPL will pollute the drinking water of 18,000 million Americans, thousands of acres of Native American lands, wildlife, ecosystems, farms and ranches.

DAPL’s private security and hired mercenaries worked with Morton County Sheriffs to protect ETP’s business interests by bringing down unthinkable violence and massive human and indigenous rights violations on peaceful and prayerful water protectors.

Water protectors and thousands of their allies have demanded that President Obama and The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stop this pipeline. After their cries were met with silence, people are now going after the money behind this pipeline.

And the tactic is working. Last month the bank of Norway pulled their money out of the pipeline. And this week the state of Washington ended its relationship with Wells Fargo because of its involvement with DAPL. Over the past month, thousands of people across the U.S have closed their accounts with Wells Fargo in protest to the unwanted pipeline.

Several of #noDAPLBayArea have recently returned from the ground zero at Standing Rock, North Dakota. “Wells Fargo’s international headquarters are here in San Francisco and key decision makers like Shrewsberry live here in the Bay Area”, said #NoDAPLBayArea member Needa Bee. “It’s our responsibility now that we have returned from the Standing Rock resistance camps to put pressure on people in our own back yard that can impact the outcome of this pipeline.”

Will Wells Fargo’s continue its current extractive reputation? Or will Wells Fargo take the sensible path and stand on the right side of history?

Hashtags:
#FareWellsFargo #DefundDAPL #NoDAPL #DumpETP #MniWiconi #WaterIsLife

Videos and Photos of today’s action to come. Customers who have closed their Wells Fargo bank accounts today are also available for comment.

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