This kind of chicanery isn't as much news to me as the 24 people who were arrested at CitiBank for trying to close their bank accounts. When asked to leave and refusing, they were locked inside the CitiBank until police could arrest them for not leaving.
What's really fucked up (to me) is the hacktivism in this case actually worked because I got to find out about something important like the combination of abuse of power and the potentially illegal actions of a bank in the treatment of its customers.
I don't see where anyone was locked in? It's not really possible to lock someone in a building, because it's actually against the fire code to make an building that can do that.
Watch the video. The people behind glass are inside a large man-trap at the entrance of the bank and can't exit the doors. I'm sure if there was a fire they could reopen the doors.
What's really fucked up (to me) is the hacktivism in this case actually worked because I got to find out about something important like the combination of abuse of power and the potentially illegal actions of a bank in the treatment of its customers.
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/10/15/occupy-wall-street-p... http://gothamist.com/2011/10/15/reports_at_least_20_occupy_w...
Chase bank, by the way, allowed its customers to close their accounts without arresting them.