A rally titled “WE DE-ICED CITIZENS!” will be held on Saturday, August 15 from 11:00am – 12:30pm at the Citizens Bank in Willow Grove (3905 Welsh Road).

The rally is celebrating Citizens Bank’s exit of its credit agreements with CoreCivic and The GEO Group, the nation’s two largest private prison and ICE detention center operators.

The Associated Press reported in late July that the bank announced “plans to wind down its financial relationship with two private prison companies that have been government contractors under the Trump administration to help run immigration detention centers, bowing to public pressure from advocates and left-leaning city governments.”

On July 17, Citizens Bank published “Citizens Comments on Certain Client Relationships“ which states that bank officials “determined that it is now appropriate to exit the credit facilities for these clients. This is a business decision based on changed commercial circumstances and does not reflect any change in our view regarding these companies’ business models or operations.”

On July 23, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Cheltenham Township was in the process of closing its two remaining Citizens Bank accounts after facing political pressure. You can read our summary of their coverage here.

Indivisible Greater Jenkintown, Indivisible Montgomery County PA & Friends, Social Justice Indivisible, and East Cheltenham C.A.R.E.S. are hosting the rally.

From the event flyer’s description:

This is a critical victory for the people who refused to let a major bank continue to finance human suffering.

Congrats to everyone who worked so hard on this initiative. You rallied, you made signs, you wrote letters, you convinced your local municipalities to divest. This shows what a mass movement focused on economic impact can do.

More details below:

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