[Source – We Are Oregon]
Community members, Portland Central American Solidarity Committee (PCASC) and We Are Oregon celebrated Wells Fargo’s 160th birthday by dressing up as clowns and disrupting business as usual at four downtown Wells Fargo locations.
Clowns threw confetti, made noise and wished Wells Fargo a happy birthday while delivering a message against the bank’s bad business practices.
Wells Fargo is one of the worst players in the housing crisis that led to the economic collapse. They are well known for their predatory sub-prime lending and their unwillingness to work with homeowners. In addition Wells Fargo is one of the largest investors in the GEO Group, Inc. –-one of two largest private prison companies in the U.S. The GEO Group support and lobby for legislation that disproportionately puts people of color in jail.
The birthday clown troupe made it into one branch before attracting a police escort. The police escort followed the clowns as they crisscrossed and performed at each Wells Fargo location. The bank’s staff was curious but managed to lock the doors in anticipation of the troupe.