Seattle Wells Fargo vandalized, other protests planned against bank
Jan 30, 2012, 10:07 AM | Updated: 1:23 pm
Vandals broke a window and left “Occupy” graffiti overnight on a Wells Fargo branch in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood.
Images from The Stranger show a broken window and anarchy graffiti on the front door of the bank. The group planning Wells Fargo protests was not planning on demonstrating outside that branch.
The bank remains open Monday with customers directed to use a side door. On Saturday in Oakland, Occupy demonstrators broke into City Hall and battled police who made more than 400 arrests.
Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel says detectives are looking at some evidence in their investigation of the bank vandalism but have no suspects at this time.
A group that says they are trying to create jobs is protesting the large federal tax credits Wells Fargo has received since 2011 on Monday and Tuesday.
Working Washington says it’s not fair that Wells Fargo has received $681 million in federal refunds since 2008.
“Over the last three years, Wells Fargo has spent millions lobbying in Washington D.C. and Olympia and secured an astonishing $18 billion in special tax benefits, reducing their Federal income tax bill to less than $0,” the group said in a news release.
The Working Washington protest Monday features famous patriot costumes of the Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam at Wells Fargo branches in Belltown, Capitol Hill, Mount Baker and West Seattle.
A protest scheduled for Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. at Westlake Park will march to a Wells Fargo bank location with their message.
