Wells Fargo Comes Under Fire In Renton, Seattle & Across The Nation

Less than a week after Federal and state taxes were due, about 30-40 members of Working Washington expressed their dissatisfaction with the tax rate paid by big business and banks by staging a protest outside of the Renton Wells Fargo on Grady Way.

The group gathered at the Evergreen office building nearby and marched to the bank on April 24. The group chanted “Corporate taxes must be paid,” and “Wells Fargo, you can’t hide, we can see your greedy sign,” as they stood on the street corner and marched around the bank.

According to Working Washington, Wells Fargo did not pay its fair share of taxes, has spent millions on lobbying and received billions in special benefits.

“We did our taxes and paid our fair share. It’s time for big corporations like Wells Fargo to stop gaming the system and start paying their fair share too,” said protester Sherri Osborne, who drove to Renton from Moses Lake for the protest.

Renton resident Susan Wilkinson, the only local protester, said her decision to participate in the March was spurred by social justice.

“They need to pay their fair share,” she said.

The march lasted about an hour and ended peacefully, although staff and customers inside the branch could hear the protest and snapped photos through the windows.

Branch employees declined to comment, but Wells Fargo regional spokesperson Lara Underhill responded to a phone call from Patch with an email:

“We will always respect the rights of Americans to peacefully assemble.  We understand that people are demanding more from their financial institutions during these difficult economic times.  However, much of the current public discourse about Wells Fargo is not based on fact.  Wells Fargo is a company with a long history of responsible lending, local community investment and involvement, and prudent risk management.  We care about our communities. In Washington, Wells Fargo invested $2.67 million dollars in local nonprofits and our team members logged 30,000 volunteer hours in 2011.”

May Day Protest:

Wells Fargo will likely come under fire again Tuesday, May 1, according to kirotv.com.

King County Metro Transit has warned its riders to Expect transit delays in downtown Seattle this afternoon.

Transit service – and all traffic – in downtown Seattle will likely be delayed during the Tuesday afternoon commute and into the evening due to a May Day march and other activities. Bus riders should be prepared for transit service delays – and possible reroutes. This could affect bus service both on surface streets and possibly the transit tunnel, wrote spokesperson Linda Thielke.

“One march is planned to leave the Central District at 5 p.m. and travel along South Jackson Street to Fourth Avenue to the Wells Fargo Building on Third Avenue between Madison and Marion streets. There could be additional May Day activities in other locations that could also delay or disrupt traffic and transit," she said. "If possible, people may want to leave work early Tuesday. They should also give themselves extra time to travel through the downtown area. Metro may have to temporarily reroute buses if streets are closed or become blocked."

Check Patch, metro’s  Eye on the Metro Commute blog (http://metrocommute.wordpress.com) and metro’s Twitter account @kcmetrobus for the latest updates on transit disruptions on May 1.