Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders called on supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement to take a stand and remove their money from the bank.
“People might want to think about going to your local community bank and withdrawing funds from these large institutions,” Mr. Sanders tweeted Sunday.
The tweet preceded a statement of support issued by Mr. Sanders on Monday, who praised Occupy Wall Street demonstrators.
“I think the protesters deserve a whole lot of credit in focusing attention on Wall Street, which in my view, is the most powerful, dangerous, secretive major institution in the United States of America. And the more we learn about Wall Street, the more we learn about their reckless and illegal behavior, the better off we will be,” Mr. Sanders told the Vermont Reformer on Monday.
“There is a lot to be said about people coming together at the grassroots level at this time. A lot of people are hurting, we are in the worst recession since the 1930s and this was caused by the greed and recklessness of Wall Street. And what the protesters are doing every day is reminding us of that reality,” he added.
Mr. Sanders is the latest member of Congress to offer his take on the Occupy Wall Street protest. The Occupy Wall Street demonstrations around the U.S. and the world continue to grow, with nearly $300,000 donated through a website.
