San Bernardino action on WaMu

As part of a national day of action in 30 cities across the nation at Washington Mutual banks and at the Federal Reserve...

ACORN member, Barbara Eaton of Fontana, delivered a letter to home loan specialist manager Marty Barbados addressed to CEO Kerry K. Killinger at the downtown San Bernardino branch next to City Hall. Thirteen ACORN members (some WaMu customers) marched in, planted themselves across from the counter and sang and chanted, handed out flyers, and talked with other customers while they waited for the police to show up. Some customers made a point to get flyers and asked what was going on. When the flyers and the demands that would help our communities save homes from foreclosure were shared, they asked for more copies to pass out to friends, family members, and their churches. Right from the moment we walked in, the security guard asked us to leave, asked us to keep quiet, etc., but also very quietly indicated her support for our actions!! Great!!

A second manager, visibly upset, asked us to leave and told us that the police were on their way. Members agreed that we'd wait until we had to leave and told the manager that we'd wait for the police. A reporter from the San Bernardino Sun arrived and interviewed members. With low chants we kept the action going until a San Bernardino police officer came, and after a long conversation with ACORN folks about the subprime crisis, he asked us to take our group outside. When we finally decided to leave, we had delivered the letter, the demands and our message, and marched back outside chanting, "Hey, hey Kerry K, how many homes did you take today?"

On his way out, the police officer mentioned that the branch manager said if we were to go back in they'd ask for trespassing citations to be issued and arrests to be made. If local branches can't talk to or work with a group of retired homeowners, concerned community members, and customers, it makes sense that what are they doing at a national level to help ease the subprime crisis is not enough! Boo hoo WaMu!!

PS ACORN leader, Pewe Salgado, helped with one more great WaMu chant to the tune of "Bad Boys" (the theme from Cops)

WaMu WaMu

whatchya gonna do?

Subprime loans

make our neighborhood blue

WaMu WaMu

whatchya gonna do?

whatchya gonna do

when the bill comes due?