Cries of “shame” rang out this afternoon (Friday) outside Citizens Bank near the King Street-Old Town Metro Station, as dozens of protestors rebuked the bank’s ties to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
The group made speeches, sang songs and held signs condemning the bank for extending a $500 million line of credit to The GEO Group, a Florida-based international private prison operator that has more than $700 million in contract obligations with ICE.
“There’s a lot of other ways that the bank can make money,” said Luke Lorenz, a steering committee member of Indivisible NOVA West.
“We want Citizens Bank to be a good member of our community,” Lorenz said. “We just don’t want them doing business with these private detention center companies that are profiting off of terrible conditions and abuse and the pain of human beings. We want Citizens to get out of the private detention center business.”
The protest was part of a “multi-state effort” by organizer Indivisible to bring attention to the bank’s GEO Group dealings. In 2023, Virginia ended the group’s management of the Lawrenceville Correctional Center following issues including unexplained deaths and injuries and inadequate staffing, according to Virginia Public Media.
The Rev. Beth Goss, who spoke on behalf of Faith in Action, called on Citizens Bank to change its business practices.
“Remember, one day, everyone will always have been against this,” Goss said. “It’s okay to change your mind. Show us your courage.”
The bank was closed during the protest. In a response sent to ALXnow, a Citizens Bank spokesperson said “we do not have any comment to offer regarding the protest.”
“As a general matter, we engage with organizations that operate in a lawful manner, and, if we determine that they are not, we are prepared to exit those relationships,” the spokesperson said.
Protestors told ALXnow they intend to return to the site.
