On March 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. a group of Alameda residents will be picketing in front of the South Shore branches of Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America on Otis Drive (at 2260, 2270 and 2218 Otis Drive, respectively) to demand that the banks stop financing the fossil fuel industry. Wells Fargo, Chase and Bank of America, along with Citi Bank, dominate the funding of fossil fuel pipelines and expansion in the world, together loaning more than one trillion dollars to fossil fuel companies since the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.

“I’ve lived on Shore Line Drive for more than 40 years. My neighborhood and Alameda as a whole will be devastated by sea level rise,” said Alameda resident Shekinah Shephard in a press release. “Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America and Citi Bank are financing this destruction of my community. These banks continue to fund the fossil fuel industry despite many bank visits and calls from their customers. That’s why I’m dropping my Chase credit card.

The protesters will be asking the branch management of Wells, Chase, and Bank of America to relay their concerns to Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf, Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. They also will encourage bank customers to close their accounts and credit cards until these banks stop using customer deposits to fund climate destruction.

“These four banks are taking the savings of the average family, families like yours and mine, to loan billions to the fossil fuel companies,” said Alameda resident Jon Demeter. “Our money is being used to fund catastrophic climate change.”

Shephard and Demeter are members of Third Act, a national environmental organization founded by journalist Bill McKibben last year designed to get people over the age of 60 working to defend the climate. Third Act is coordinating more than 75 protests in 24 states on March 21 outside the four banks, including a 3:30 p.m. protest at Wells Fargo’s headquarters in San Francisco at 420 Montgomery St. The San Francisco Wells Fargo protest involves a coalition of large and small environmental justice groups, including Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, 350.org, 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations among others. Nationally more than 50 organizations are involved.