Protesters to Swarm BofA Annual Meeting

Demonstrations planned for shareholder meeting today
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2012 7:40 AM CDT
Protesters to Swarm BofA Annual Meeting
The Bank of America headquarters is seen on February 4, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina.   (Getty Images)

Today’s annual Bank of America shareholder meeting is going to be a little crowded: Protesters are planning to show up in full force at the bank’s headquarters in Charlotte, NC. The demonstrators, inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, are calling their group 99% Power and plan on expressing anger on issues including foreclosures, corporate taxes, bailout money, and more. The meeting has been declared an “extraordinary event,” meaning officials can ban items such as backpacks or, ahem, crowbars in order to cut down on safety issues.

"Shareholder season is one of the only times of the year when everyday people can go face-to-face with the most powerful corporate decision makers in the country," says one activist. Protesters have already targeted similar meetings this year, including Wells Fargo’s last month, where more than 500 showed up. BofA’s shareholder meeting has drawn demonstrators before, but this year is expected to bring a much larger crowd, Reuters notes. (More Bank of America stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X