“Divest from Climate Change!” Chase Bank Branch Protested on Opening Day
St. Paul, MN – Chase Bank’s new branch had been open for less than five minutes when two dozen students and activists entered through the front door, just after 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5. They were carrying a banner that read “Chase: Defund Climate Change” and were protesting the bank’s role as one of the most prominent financiers of fossil fuel projects in the USA.
The new Chase branch on Grand Avenue is the first in the city of St. Paul, and the second in the Twin Cities. A Minneapolis branch opened in August on SE Washington Avenue near the UMN campus.
9:00 AM CST today, #ChaseBank opened a new branch in St. Paul, MN.
9:02 AM, climate justice activists were inside the bank, preparing to protest Chase.
From their press release: “Since the #ParisAgreement Chase has provided $196 BILLION in finance for #FossilFuels.” pic.twitter.com/DRnxGwdj64
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2019
Activists announced that JPMorgan Chase & Co. funds pipelines, followed by chants of “pipelines poison water.” They then crumpled to the floor in unison and remained there unmoving for many minutes. Known as a “die-in“, the goal of this tactic was to directly and tangibly confront “the branch employees with the deadly reality of their company’s investments.”
Those gathered declared together, “Chase funds #pipelines!” followed by “Pipelines poison water!” They all then collapsed on the floor of the bank as if dead (known as a “die-in”) in protest of #ClimateChange and what they called a “slow cultural #genocide” of #Indigenous people. pic.twitter.com/Jbm929S6G1
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2019
Those inside the bank with appointments to do business with Chase bankers had to step around and over the motionless bodies of protesters to get to the back office.
When the manager of the branch said that the bank wanted the protesters to leave, one person responded, “we want Chase to stop funding pipelines.”
Mgmt announced protesters were not wanted, called SPPD when protest continued.
Stated goal of today’s die-in before #StPaul ”Rally to Demand Chase Stop Bankrolling #ClimateChange & #Line3” was to confront branch employees “with the deadly reality of their company’s investments”. pic.twitter.com/nUyBIqgqJ7
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) November 5, 2019
Several songs were performed with themes of banks, profit, and climate change, and about locking down to pipelines to prevent their construction. One song ended with a reference to Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline replacement project, which was deemed not necessary in 2017 by the Minnesota Commerce Department yet approved in 2018 by Minnesota regulators.
“I don’t care about oil / I don’t care about snakes
I’m gonna go and smash Line 3 until it fucking breaks!“
Once St. Paul police (SPPD) entered the building, the protesters’ police liaison informed those gathered that the police would be enforcing the bank’s request for protesters to leave. They then exited the building, continuing with a planned protest on the public sidewalk outside of the bank.
“When water protectors are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, divest!” — protest chant outside Chase Bank on November 5, 2019
Tar sands oil extraction was referred to as “slow ecological genocide” by one of the speakers.
A student from Macalaster College in St. Paul connected reproductive justice and climate justice, saying she fights misinformation from politicians who try to tell people what to do for their own gain. She stressed the importance of working together to fight corporations like Chase “who threaten our health and our future.”
“Pipelines threaten everybody’s health, especially poor people’s, especially people of color.” — Elizabeth, Macalaster student
One energetic student led chants of, “Climate change is not a lie; do not let our planet die” followed by, “Tar sands spill; pipelines kill.”
“Water is life! Protect the wild rice!” — protest chant outside Chase Bank on November 5, 2019
One speaker mentioned that Chase Bank plans to open 25 new branches in the Twin Cities over the next five years. He added that Macalaster students live down the street from the new branch, promising, “this is just the beginning.” Another student speaker reiterated that the fight to protect the wild rice is part of the fight to protect indigenous ways of life.
On Indigenous People’s Day in October Unicorn Riot covered a March to Protect the Sacred in Clearbrook, MN near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Watch interviews from the march:
Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help sustain our horizontally-organized, non-profit media organization:
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and Patreon.
Unicorn Riot's Line 3 Oil Pipeline Coverage:
- Landing Page for all Unicorn Riot Line 3 Resistance Coverage
- Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Speech Disrupted by Water Protectors - October 8, 2021
- Over 50 Line 3 Pipeline Protesters Arrested Outside MN Governor’s Residence - September 22, 2021
- Police Break Up Ceremony and Indigenous-Led #StopLine3 Occupation - August 31, 2021
- Hundreds March from Governor Residence, Urge Chase Bank Defund Line 3 - August 31, 2021
- First Trial from Treaty People Gathering Ends in Acquittal - August 23, 2021
- Line 3 Opponent Sentenced to Thirty Days in Jail - August 19, 2021
- Enbridge Spills 10,000 Gallons of Line 3 Drilling Fluid - August 16, 2021
- Line 3 Fusion Center Data Declared Secret - August 4, 2021
- Judge Orders Sheriff to Halt Harassment of Line 3 Resistance Camp - July 24, 2021
- Water Protectors Occupy Work Sites and Lock Down to Line 3 Pipeline Construction - July 1, 2021
- Hubbard County Barricades Private Property, Imprisons Water Protectors - June 28, 2021
- Indigenous-Led Blockades Occupy Line 3 Pipeline Sites - June 10, 2021
- Rising Up to the Heat: ‘Treaty People Gathering’ Resists Line 3 Pipeline - June 7, 2021
- Activists Serve Denver Wells Fargo Eviction Notice - May 3, 2021
- Appealing Line 3 Pipeline: Supply and Demand at Root of Hearing - March 23, 2021
- Caravan Disrupts Line 3 Construction Routes, Carlton County Triggers Backlash - March 13, 2021
- Treaty Rights Asserted During Creation of White Earth Camp - March 13, 2021
- 70 Water Protectors Cited, 1 Arrested During Line 3 Commemorative Rally - March 4, 2021
- Bipod and Car Blockade Jam Up Line 3 Construction - March 2, 2021
- Three Lock Down Inside Line 3 Pipeline For 6+ Hours - Feb. 21, 2021
- Lockdown to Keep it in the Ground: Line 3 Resistance - Feb. 15, 2021
- Court of Appeals Denies Motion to Stop Line 3 - Feb. 3, 2021
- Opposition to Line 3 Mounts - Jan. 29, 2021
- Resistance to Line 3: Direct Actions Aim to Stop Construction - Jan. 11, 2021
- Enbridge Line 3 Construction Blocked by Activists in Northern Minnesota - Nov. 18, 2020
- Protests After Permits for Line 3 Oil Pipeline Approved - Nov. 17, 2020
- ‘No KKKops, No Pipelines’ Banner Dropped in Minneapolis - Oct. 6, 2020
- “Divest from Climate Change!” Chase Bank Branch Protested on Opening Day - Nov. 7, 2019
- March to Protect The Sacred on Indigenous People’s Day 2019 - Oct. 14, 2019
- Hundreds Rally in Opposition to Line 3 Tar Sands Pipeline in Minnesota - Sept. 28, 2019
- Direct Action in Minnesota as Line 3 Pipeline Approval Reversed - June 3, 2019
- Multi-Agency Task Force Prepares “Rules of Engagement” For Line 3 Protests - Feb. 11, 2019
- ‘Valve Turners’ Shut Down Enbridge Oil Pipelines in Minnesota - Feb. 4, 2019
- Arts, Culture, and Hip Hop Resist Line 3 as Lawsuits Against Approval Continue - Dec. 29, 2018
- Minnesota Police Train at Military Base as Line 3 Pipeline Protests Escalate - Oct. 25, 2018
- Judge Accepts Water Protectors’ Climate Change Necessity Defense - July 18, 2018
- Line 3 Oil Pipeline Approved By Minnesota Regulators - June 28, 2018
- As Line 3 Oil Pipeline Decision Looms, Indigenous Resistance Increases - June 26, 2018
- Interfaith Community Delivers Letter of Line 3 Opposition to Minnesota Government Offices - June 4, 2018
- Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Requests Line 3 Schedule Change - Jan. 10, 2018
- Rally Against Line 3 Minnesota Pipe Yards - Dec. 11, 2017
- Resistance to Line 3 Pipeline Seeks to Save Sacred Manoomin - Oct. 9, 2017
- Direct Action Ramps Up Resistance to Line 3 - Sept. 18, 2017
