for pics see: http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2007/07/88818.html
On Friday, July 27, a crowd of protesters filled the Midtown Manhattan lobbies of two large Citigroup offices and a Citybank branch, as well as three branches of Bank of America. The protesters demanded that Citibank and Bank of America withdraw their investments from Massey Energy Co., the notorious coal company known for its abuse of the people and environment of southern West Virginia, as well as other areas in the southern Appalachian coalfields, through the use of mountain top removal coal mining.
The protesters handed out fliers about the destructive investments of the banks, held signs and banners, made impromptu speeches and chants, disrupting business for the afternoon. “The human rights abuses committed by Massey Energy are only made possible by the funding they get from these banks. Bank of America and Citibank should do the responsible and environmentally-friendly thing and stop funding climate change and mountain top removal,” said Lisa Hender, one of the protesters.
Mountain top removal is a form of coal mining that destroys entire ecosystems. Heavy explosives and massive machines are used to turn beautiful biodiverse forests into desolate wasteland. In Appalachia, an entire culture and way of life is being destroyed and driven out as machines are brought in to replace jobs, streams are buried, wells run dry, and elementary schools sit beneath sludge dams.
For more information about mountain top removal coal mining and investors in coal companies, check the following websites:
http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/
http://ran.org/new/dirty_money/home/no_new_coal/
http://www.crmw.net/