A campaign from
CoreCivic and The GEO Group are for-profit prison companies who are financed by Citizens Bank. What goes on between their walls is morally reprehensible. Here’s what we found.
Meanwhile, The GEO Group's net income has risen by nearly 700%. CoreCivic's by nearly 70%.
Deaths and suicides
at disproportionate and ever-increasing rates.
"One mental health practitioner for nearly 1,800 detainees."*
Filthy conditions
dangerously lacking in humane medical care.
"Among the dirtiest medical spaces I have ever seen in a U.S. detention facility."*
Labor exploitation
and poverty wages in deplorable work camps.
"Detainees were paid $1 a day for labor worth the state minimum wage."*
Why are Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) and Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) targeting Citizens Bank?
Who are CoreCivic and The GEO Group? What do they have to do with this, and how is Citizens Bank connected to them?
Is the De-Ice Coalition working on this same issue?
Do GBIO and GCC have enough power to force Citizens to change?
Should I/we move our money now?
Do I have to share how much money I could move?
I only have a small amount of money in my account, will moving my money make a difference?
Isn’t it bragging to share the amount of money in my account?
If we do eventually decide to move our deposits out of Citizens Bank, where should we move them? Aren’t all banks bad?
What are we asking Citizens Bank to do?
How do I get involved?
I heard there's a Trump Executive Order that prevents banks from being pressured to drop clients. Doesn't that make our campaign illegal?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
JULY 17 • NOT WITH OUR MONEY
The campaign asked congregations to look inward, examine where deposits were held, and make a commitment to act in line with their values.
Public action, direct outreach to Citizens executives, newsletters, social media, press, and partner organizing kept the issue visible until the powerful had to take notice.
GCC and coalition partners held a press conference at Warrensville Center Rd & Cedar Rd, drawing coverage from Ideastream, Cleveland.com, and Cleveland 19.
Citizens said it was now appropriate to exit the credit facilities. Our steering team is analyzing the statement, cautiously optimistic, and celebrating the strong reaction to organized pressure.
HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN SO FAR
Pledging is one thing – making good on our word is another. We will continue to withdraw money until Citizens meets our demands.
HAS BEEN PLEDGED SO FAR
GCC & GBIO have collectively and strategically moved our money out of Citizens Bank and you should pledge to as well.
IN BOSTON AREA
GBIO had a relationship with Citizens Bank – a bank who touts community values – for decades. But when GBIO requested a meeting, the bank called people of faith “false and misleading” and refused to meet – while continuing to finance human cruelty. Not with our money.
ACT NOW - TAKE THE PLEDGE
IN GREATER Cleveland
Citizens Bank holds $6.59 billion from Cuyahoga County but invests just 2.2% back into local housing. Instead, they finance the detention of hundreds of immigrants in nearby Youngstown, Ohio – profiting from the suffering and separation of families. Not with our money.
ACT NOW - TAKE THE PLEDGE
Citizens Bank Ends Financing for Private Prison Companies, Local Campaign Credits Public Pressure
Citizens Bank announced it will cease financing agreements with two private prison contractors due to new business realities. Meanwhile, advocates, including a Cleveland faith-based coalition, cited a recent campaign against the bank as the driving force.
Citizens Bank to exit prison financing; Greater Cleveland Congregations cites campaign
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Citizens Bank said changing business circumstances, not activist pressure, led it to exit credit facilities for private prison operators CoreCivic and GEO Group, while Greater Cleveland Congregations said months of organizing and withdrawal pledges helped drive the decision.
Greater Cleveland church network demands Citizens Bank end funding for private prisons, ICE jails
CLEVELAND, OH: A network of Cleveland area churches rallied in front of a Citizens Bank branch in University Heights Thursday to demand the corporation cut ties with immigration and customs enforcement jails.
TAKE ACTION
You can make an impact by taking the pledge, attending a meeting, or even just sharing the campaign with your community. Just reach out to us by visiting our websites below.
JULY 29 • NOT WITH OUR MONEY
Although Citizens has chosen to frame this result as a mere business decision, it comes as the bank was faced with the commitment of thousands of individuals, faith communities, municipalities and organizations to withdraw tens of millions of dollars from Citizens unless it ended its lending relationship with the two companies. There can be little doubt that Citizens saw that our grassroots campaign was real and was only going to grow.
This win is about more than Citizens Bank. It is a demonstration that organizing and coalition building can work to bring about positive change. It signals that individuals, acting together, can make a difference in promoting a more just society.
We have updated our pledge and withdrawn totals to reflect commitments from NJ and PA municipalities voting to leave and pull all deposits from Citizens Bank, including Jersey City ($276 million in June) and Montclair, NJ ($64 million two weeks ago).
You can learn more about this entire campaign effort on last night's The Rachel Maddow Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44qje2mgiiI - our friends at De-ICE Citizens Bank posted a clip of the full story. Greater Cleveland Congregations gets a shout-out at timestamp 6:57. Additionally, an interview with Reverend John Edgerton, Senior Minister of Old South Church in Boston, begins at timestamp 10:24. His congregation is part of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO).