PNC bank funds mountain top coal mining that destroys the environment. This includes poisoning rivers and streams, and one result of this is a documented increase in disease and birth defects in the immediate vicinity of this work. But what can you do when wealthy banks invest in dangerous profit-making endeavors? Take your money out of the bank and tell others about this so that they will remove their money, with the result that funding this harmful practice becomes unprofitable.
How? One strategy is to walk to the bank’s headquarters, informing folks along the way that you are going there to remove your money and telling them why you are doing this. Fortunately we don’t have an account with PNC bank, but we can tell folks about this miscarriage of justice. And that’s exactly what Fran did, for more than a week. The march began in Philadelphia, went to Harrisburg and Carlisle, where walkers got a ride over the mountains, and walkers started hiking again on the other side. Fran hiked the first day from Philadelphia to Swarthmore, later we drove to Harrisburg for a major demonstration there, and then Fran continued on by foot while I had to return for work and another action (with Protecting our Waters) here at home. A few days later I took the train to rejoin Fran for the last three days. We walked into Pittsburgh, which is headquarters for PNC bank, and had a major action at their headquarters there.
Peace (not war) injury: At one point along the way, Fran stopped to smell the wild flowers by the side of the road. The group continued onward, and when she ran to catch up, she slipped and injured her right hand in breaking her fall. It was clear that something had happened with her hand, and an x-ray at the nearest hospital ER showed broken bones at the base of her 4th and 5th fingers. But she got it treated and a cast was made, and then she gamely carried on for the rest of the walk.
Comment by admin — June 30, 2012 @ 2:45 pm