De-ICE Citizens Bank National Day of Action – Pittsburgh South Hills

Join Partners For Progress SWPA and the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills, along with thousands of people across the country on Saturday, June 6th to send Citizens Bank a clear message: financing The GEO Group and CoreCivic, operators of private prison and immigration detention facilities, is bad for business.

Please note: for the safety of attendees, the exact South Hills location will be provided only to individuals who register for the event.

Please bring signs specific to this action: De-ICE Citizens Bank; Cages Aren’t Communities; Citizens Bank – Stop Financing ICE Prisons; Citizens Bank + ICE = Human Rights Abuse; ICE Prisons Don’t Strengthen Our Communities; Citizens Bank – Cut Ties With ICE Prisons; etc.

Citizens Bank is bankrolling the country’s two largest prison companies that are earning record profits operating dozens of ICE detention facilities. While most major banks have cut ties with CoreCivic and The GEO Group, Citizens Bank is deepening its financial support for these companies, which are already holding more than half of the 70,000 immigrants currently in ICE detention centers across the country.

The bank’s capital is supporting a deplorable ICE agenda that aims to fill detention centers with more than 100,000 people by next year. Even as it publicly touts its commitment to “strengthening our communities,” Citizens Bank has played a key role in helping The GEO Group and CoreCivic access more than $2.5 billion in financing, some of it approved earlier this year. This comes as the companies face a mountain of allegations, including forced labor and wrongful deaths due to understaffing and medical neglect at their facilities.

We won’t quietly stand by as Citizens continues to finance the private prison & ICE detention companies that are harming our communities. The 2019 exodus of banks from the industry in response to activism should be a reminder to us that our voices matter. Now it’s time to use them. Visit www.de-icecitizensbank.org for more information and other actions you can take!

Remember, we want to be in solidarity with workers including bank branch employees. Treat everyone with respect and do not harass or film employees.

A core principle behind all Coalition events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. We expect hosts to ensure all participants in your event uphold this commitment. We recommend all participants review a safety and security resource before your event, such as https://indivisi.org/safety.