More shattered glass: Broadway Chase bank suffers most significant damage yet -- UPDATE

You're right. We'd better not upset our corporate masters or they'll crash the economy and then what will we do? Better to just sit at home and kiss their asses on the Interwebs. Maybe then they'll love us.

Oh like defending capitalism is really noble. You are either a cop or a fool!

You sure know a lot about these vandals. You claim to know where they're from, what social class they are, and some intimate details of how they feel and why.

Are you one of them, or do you just do a lot of stereotyping?

"You sure know a lot about these vandals. You claim to know where they're from, what social class they are, and some intimate details of how they feel and why.

Are you one of them, or do you just do a lot of stereotyping? "

You seem to think the captains of industry give a shit about a broken window. They'll just overcharge more consumers to pay for it, big fucking deal. Breaking things feels good, you're not doing it to be honorable, you're not doing it to affect the "system".

"You sure know a lot about these vandals. You claim to know where they're from, what social class they are, and some intimate details of how they feel and why.

Are you one of them, or do you just do a lot of stereotyping?"

Eh, I know enough to feel comfortable in assuming that they come from a place of privilege (considering how little effort they've put into figuring who to target with their "revolution") but yet, they seem poorly educated if they feel that this is somehow feeding anything but their insecure, attention-starved egos. Seriously, do y'all have nothing else going on in your lives but sponging off parents, selling pathetic etsy crafts spraying your ugly dumpy "shitbarf" graffiti and smashing "symbols of capitalism"? You guys are the Segway of revolution, do something that has an actual effect or stop pretending that you have any desire to "help".

Child.

There are many ways I could describe your attitude, but I'll be polite about it: "Jerk-with-too-much-time-on-your-hands."

I agree however i think it's the financial institutions at large and the concept of money as god. Fuck the commodification of life.

"I agree however i think it's the financial institutions at large and the concept of money as god. Fuck the commodification of life. "

Sure, but these actions have essentially nothing to do with consumerism.

I'm in support of this targeted action.

Next, they should pull that hideous chase sign down.

You are being really condescending.

While I don't completely agree with their tactics it makes sense that they are attacking banks. I mean why do banks get to take houses from people and throw them out into the streets and leave them unoccupied for months. If you think that banks are in the right I feel nothing but pity and disgust for you. Go on protecting the state.

Hey Linda... Why don't you let someone stay in your house for free? Oh, you probably don't own one...

It IS a big inconvenience to the customers because they/we are the ones who end up footing the bill for these pointless acts via fees and penalties.

Trashing shit is the kind of thing that makes sense to 11 year olds. Adults should be able to come up with more creative ways to get their point across.

It's not a big inconvience for me cuz I don't bank with Chase cuz the suck balls. Besides they have insurance so the cost really isn't going to trickle down very much if at all. Chase has plenty of other ways to screw you out of money.

"Besides they have insurance so the cost really isn't going to trickle down very much if at all "

Wow, you're a real economics mastermind, aren't you?

thank you for noticing. YES! I am a friggin' genius!

"It's not a big inconvience for me cuz I don't bank with Chase cuz the suck balls. Besides they have insurance so the cost really isn't going to trickle down very much if at all. Chase has plenty of other ways to screw you out of money."

He's calling you a moron because if they're fully insured, this does nothing to change the system and the way they operate, aside from getting better surveillance cameras.

I would say that more police would be a bad thing. Police don't represent or protect the people. They defend banks, big business, landlords, and bosses.

Marxist dogma is so boring and inaccurate.

Who are you going to call when your home is burglarized or when you are mugged/assaulted on a public street? Will the police then respond by saying "sorry, can't help, we're busy protecting the banks, landlords, etc".

what?

if my home is broken into, i'm assaulted on the street or am worried that i'm being followed or something, i call my friends. the police won't do shit, and more than once i've been sexually harassed BY COPS who were uniformed and on duty.

OK, say you are brutally assaulted on a street...Will your "friends" come immediately, chase down the perp, arrest him/her, take him to jail, refer to a prosecutor, testify in court, etc etc?

These are things that the police do many times every day. They're not perfect, but I for one am sure glad they're available.

You seem to have an inordinate animosity towards those who are critical to a civilized society.

You condone police brutality, and yet you call other people cowards? You don't really understand the concept of hypocrisy, do you?

I condone a good, sound beating to anyone who deserves it and cowardly, destructive anarchists are certainly deserving. Just get the hell out of our neighborhood and crawl back into your dank, little holes. Pretentious garbage. One day when you grown up you will realize how silly and ineffective your tactics are.

Wow. I didn't think I'd find myself siding with the anarchists in this one, but when people like tco advocate "kicking the shit out of" people it's easier for me to take the unconventional viewpoint. The anarchists have broken some windows and left some flyers laying around. They're not hurting anybody, just making trouble for what they see as an intruder.

My grandfather died to keep this country from becoming a fascist police state. So when vile little turds like tco talk about how much they want to see the police use violence in retaliation for some damaged property (when we already have laws in place to punish vandals fairly), I feel physically ill. There's a special place in Hell for people like you, tco. Right next to the Nazis and the child molesters.

La Dee Da

Breaking the windows of your home does hurt you.

Shoplifting does hurt anyone except for higher prices

People who do this or people who condone this are the intruders in this community.

seriously lol @ "the windows of your home." You aren't even paying attention, are you?

They're almost as bad as the bankers.

Oh, what a beautiful example of cowardice you are! Threatening people with the anonymous violence of a disinterested third party. "Hey, person I disagree with, I hope somebody who isn't me does something bad to you!" Typical passive-aggressive whining pink-boy. Come back when you grow some balls.

Ineffectual anarchist trying to "stick it to the man" and having no effect on the corporate overmind versus vaguely psychotic conservative armchair warrior, who will win the biggest worthless asshole award?

like unfocused rage and tired old slogans actually change anything. whatever

the only thing tired and old is you!

@anne. wow. where'd you learn that? fourth grade?

"if you are angy - DO SOMETHING
typical seattle passive-aggressive responses: a bunch of smug internet champions."

Are you suggesting people who don't think this is doing anything, beat up some kids in black hoodies?

I am entirely certain that Chase officials will not read your rant, and equally certain that they are on Broadway to stay. Breaking windows will not change this, but it will turn even more law-abiding people against your way of "protest."

And by going with credit unions you're already 100x more effective than this dumb act.

"Our elected representatives and our regulators have failed us, standing by idly while you cheated, then they forcing us to bail you out. They've failed us, so we'll resort to vigilantism".

Actually our elected officials are more to blame for this mess than the banks. Ever heard of the Community Reinvestment Act? Liberal politicians in the Carter administration decided that poor people should be able to own a home even if they can't afford the mortgage payment and so they provided banks with incentives to make a whole lot of bad loans, causing the housing bubble. Sure enough, those risky borrowers were not able to pay their mortgages which resulted in a housing market flooded with foreclosures. The surplus of foreclosed homes caused the housing bubble to burst, which eventually led us to the bail out that you so detest. I have to agree with you on this one point, I do wish that the government would have let the banks fail and allowed prices and interest rates to return to their market-clearing levels.

Maybe you should study up on some economics and try to come up with a solution that would be productive. Smashing out windows does nobody any good. Believe it or not, our system is designed for people to make a change without resorting to violence or vandalism. If you have an idea that could change society for the better, why don't you try to get some supporters? If your ideas are so brilliant then I'm sure you'll have no trouble doing so. The problem is that you don't really have a solution, now do you?

"Actually our elected officials are more to blame for this mess than the banks. Ever heard of the Community Reinvestment Act? Liberal politicians in the Carter administration decided that poor people should be able to own a home even if they can't afford the mortgage payment and so they provided banks with incentives to make a whole lot of bad loans, causing the housing bubble."

1) banks were never forced to make bad loans
2) loans covered by the CRA amounted to what, 20% of the toxic debt?

Stop blaming the blacks, the poors, and the liberals for bankers' ills.

From the comment by "Blackhand," it seems that decisions made by Carter administration officials are at least partly to blame (if not the root cause) for the subsequent housing crisis. Yes, alot of blame goes to the banks too, mainly because of the way they "bundled" the iffy loans and sold them to investors, thereby ridding themselves of risk. But some of the blame must go to those individuals who signed on to these mortgages, using false income information, and knowing full well they would not be able to make the payments, especially for "adjustable rate mortgages." Did they think some tooth fairy would come along and save them from the increased payments?

There's plenty of blame all around. You can't lay it all on the banks.

The CRA does not mandate bad loans.
The CRA does not incentivize bad loans.
In the long run, bad loans do not make money.

So, again, fuck the bankers and the liars who support them in their fleecing of our treasury.

(Lib, not anarchist.)

This is why Cap Hill fucking sucks now: when did vandalizing businesses and causing damage become acceptable?

"It's like the soulless corporations are, like, leading the commodiziation of life, forcing us to be peons of the dollar. And stuff."

Get a clue dipshits. If you don't like Chase - don't fucking bank there.

I don't bank there, Poseur. What the hell would make you think I do?

@poseuer:

Capitol Hill sucks now because left and right developers are tearing everything down to build these disgusting condos with their corporate box shop yuppy feeding stations built in the bottom. But mostly because of the kind of douchebags who would actually live in one those. To borrow a line from some graffiti that recently went up on Broadway: LEAVE BROADWAY. DIE SLOW, YUPPY SCUM.

I hope the anarchists keep making your type hella uncomfortable.

Leavebroadway,

Broadway and Capitol Hill have already passed you by. Have fun in your trailer park in Renton.

@leavebroadway

It's happening everywhere asshole. And you think this is a yuppie problem? And the appropriate response to that to be vandalism and ignorant stereotyping?

I agree with your namesake: if you want dirty and trashy, move to Skyway/Tukwila/International Blvd. Perhaps that will be "gritty" enough for you.

"I hope the anarchists keep making your type hella uncomfortable."

Oh give me a goddamned break, you hoodie-types weren't here before the place got gentrified. You're about as counterculture as the yuppies, I don't see how you're doing any more good for the world.

I sure as anything don't see how attacking a corporate chain-bank would do anything to keep the yups from moving in, or keep the real-estate speculators from investing in high-priced and dense condos, or improve the position of Seattle's poor. Sure, maybe if you were pelting the Federal Reserve with tomatoes, or pie-ing Chase execs, or doing something fairly constructive, like working with food not bombs, maybe we'd be more impressed.

Instead, this is just annoying because of how incredibly ineffective it is. It's like signing an internet petition.

But I support the vandals, not the police. What sort of community activism can I take to prevent Chase and its cronies from establishing a foothold in my neighborhood?

I agree that a statement would best be made in the light of day, in full view of the customers - the vandalism hasn't had much of an effect. Do you have any good ideas that won't get me arrested?

I couldn't agree more. If they are so PROUD of there actions why are they waiting until after dark. Also one thing I think should be pointed out is they said in there statement that they made: One group of onlookers was heard saying "It's not a big deal, they're not hurting anyone" as people stood by watching, no one was seen calling the police and no one was chased. YEA RIGHT!!!! Total and complete garbage. Im sure people also threw money and appluaded.

@ Ella, yeah, why should we believe the account of the only people who were actually there? If I had been there I would have said the same thing. I even might have cheered. Fuck the banks.

I wouldn't have thrown money, though.

The city holds SEVERAL public meetings and forums for development and construction in the neighborhood, but I've noticed it's always the SAME few community members that appear. In many cases, it's Urban Planning Students, and not many people who actually have to live here.

In the case of this branch, WaMu had been in that location for 20+ years and I'm not sure you could've done much to prevent the purchase of WaMu by Chase and it's conversion.

More than 50% of this branch's staff lived Capitol Hill,prior to Morgan Chase coming into WaMu. What do we say to those employees when we say, "we want your business out of our neighborhood!"

The reality is, Capitol Hill is becoming more gentrified - thanks to the light rail, thanks to Microsoft, Amazon, and Google employees making $70,000+ to start and wanting to live in the city and not Bellevue or Redmond.

I'd love to claim Capitol Hill as my "urban oasis" - and we can protest, and petition to limit all the proposed development, but what right do we have to tell "yuppies" not to live here? Why is our claim to this neighborhood any more valid?

OrderOutofChaos asked, "What do we say to those employees when we say, `We want your business out of our neighborhood!'?

We say, "Remember when you found out that your employer and its peers are treated like they're above the law? Remember when you learned that the entire nation is being forced to pay for your employer's bad bets? Remember when you wondered if your neighbors knew what a horrible business you worked for, and you considered leaving to go be part of a community bank or credit union instead? We do, and you should."

Breaking windows and complaining on CHS are unlikely to have any effect on this situation. Convincing our neighbors to move their money elsewhere might. Wouldn't it be nice if people around here felt like they should apologize for continuing to do business with Chase, Bank of America, and the like, whenever they asked friends to stop at one of those bank's branches or pulled out one of their charge cards to pay for dinner?

"Wouldn't it be nice if people around here felt like they should apologize for continuing to do business with Chase, Bank of America, and the like, whenever they asked friends to stop at one of those bank's branches or pulled out one of their charge cards to pay for dinner?"

How am I supposed to put that on an edgy pamphlet with drawings of "shitbarf"?

Complaints about people wearing masks for actions such as these and attacking at night are facile. Even from my outside perspective some of the possible reasons seem pretty clear:

Why would it possibly make any sense to engage in illegal action with one's face clearly visible? People who expect that anarchists in particular are playing by the rules that commonly govern civil disobedience and other more recuperated forms of protest are missing the point that this was not a protest, it was an attack. These are different things. Why attack at night? less chance of getting caught (and if this isn't civil disobedience, why would anyone possibly want to go to jail?) and a similar attack during the day would've risked injuring the low-paid employees and customers so many people seem so concerned about.

"Complaints about people wearing masks for actions such as these and attacking at night are facile. Even from my outside perspective some of the possible reasons seem pretty clear: "

Of all the complaints, wearing masks and operating at night are pretty low on the scale of outrage.

Preach it.

We all need to be preaching it!!!

There was no attack on Julia's. The author of the CHS was trying to be poetic about the music playing across the street and just succeeded in making the opening sentence confusing.

It is sad that you think a savings account is a good way to invest money.

Good point.

I think I'll invest in the plate glass replacement industry instead.

(so keep up the good work, anarchists!)

Under the Internet Tough Guy Ordinance, you are either going to 1) continue to grandstand from the safety of the internet or 2) find off you bit off more than you can chew.

I live in Capitol Hill and while I'm not sure that one night of vandalism means anything, I have no sympathy for the banks and admiration for people who fight them rather than just sitting around complaining.

@yeahright:

I think there are enough people on the side of lawfulness and orderly conduct who want to organize against this type of vandalism and behavior.

For those of us who want to see change and be taken seriously, we need to find ways to curb this type of radical action. This isn't protest that's intelligent - this is just destruction of property.

"Under the Internet Tough Guy Ordinance, you are either going to 1) continue to grandstand from the safety of the internet or 2) find off you bit off more than you can chew.

I live in Capitol Hill and while I'm not sure that one night of vandalism means anything, I have no sympathy for the banks and admiration for people who fight them rather than just sitting around complaining."

I also live on Capitol Hill and I'm not just an "Internet Tough Guy." I would love, love, LOVE to be there when one of these people "fight" the banks. I'd be happy to make a citizen's arrest and believe me when I say that I have the physical tools to do so. I'm sick and tired of these anarchists running around and resorting to stupid acts of property destruction to gain attention. If their message was all that great, they'd be able to make a statement in non-destructive ways.

How cute. I see you have the typical 12 year-old's understanding of anarchism. Turn off your television and open a book one day, and you might broaden your worldview.

Seriously, if you think capitalism is nothing more than people getting made to make computers, and anarchy is simply the chaotic destruction of everything, maybe you should quietly bow out of this discussion before you make yourself look even more stupid.

"How cute. I see you have the typical 12 year-old's understanding of anarchism. Turn off your television and open a book one day, and you might broaden your worldview."

While that's true, I wish these "anarchists" opened a few books themselves.

What's a looser?

"The world is really just black and white to the bunch of you douche-canoes, isn't it?"

I don't know, is it, douchecanoe? The anarchists haven't put forth a single grey thought, idea, or action here. There are millions of sympathetic people in the US who hate the financials and the system, and yet you still can't offer us anything of substance. I don't want yuppies in my neighborhood, and I don't want idiot manchildren smashing the fucking place up either. How bad do you have to be for people to actually prefer the police protection?

Fuck, maybe you guys are financed by the police, to strengthen the police state. Sure seems to happen to delegitimize the opposition all the fucking time.