Students stage 'die-in' outside Wells Fargo to protest bank's business ties to NRA

Annika Hammerschlag | Naples

Show Caption Hide Caption Collier students hold 'die-in' at Wells Fargo Bank Collier student activists hold a “die-in” outside Wells Fargo bank on Fifth Ave. to protest the bank's connection with gun makers and the NRA.

Nearly six months have passed since a 19-year-old confessed that, armed with a legally purchased semi-automatic rifle, he shot and killed 17 students and staff at his former high school in Parkland, but the national gun control movement the shooting inspired continues to sustain momentum.

Parkland survivors spent the summer touring the country to advocate for stricter gun laws, and on Monday eight Southwest Florida students staged a “die-in” outside a Wells Fargo branch on Fifth Avenue South to protest the bank’s business dealings with the National Rifle Association.

Wells Fargo has provided more than $413 million in loans and bonds to two of the largest firearm and ammunition companies since the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting in December 2012, according to Bloomberg. The bank also has established a $28 million line of credit for the NRA and operates the group’s primary accounts.

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Monday’s protest was organized by Collier Students for Change, a group that formed in response to the Parkland massacre, and included seven students from Barron Collier, Gulf Coast and Naples high schools, as well as one student from Florida Gulf Coast University.

The students read off the names of the 10 victims from the May school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, and lay flat on the sidewalk outside Wells Fargo for 10 minutes. The students then stood up and faced oncoming traffic, holding gun control-themed signs and chanting anti-NRA slogans. The bank had been notified of the protest, and two law enforcement officers stood in the outside lane to protect the students from traffic.

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Naples High junior Michaela O’Brien, 16, who wore an anti-AR-15 hat and a T-shirt with a blood spatter design, cheered as passing cars honked in support.

O'Brien said that though she plans to be a gun owner when she turns 21, she disagrees with the NRA’s values, particularly its stance on assault rifles.

“The NRA has become an extremist group that doesn’t represent all gun owners,” she said.

O'Brien said she and other Collier Students for Change members met with Parkland student activists David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez last week in Tallahassee and came away inspired to continue the gun control protests she and other students staged last school year.

“The more support the NRA gets, the more powerful it becomes and the harder it is for us to ensure the safety of our public schools,” said Gulf Coast sophomore Emily Batuman, 15. “Wells Fargo is fueling the NRA.”

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Todd Truax, a Democratic candidate for Congress, was one of three adults who attended the event in support of the students. He said the demonstration was “powerful.”

“A protest like this says a lot, as opposed to just yelling in the streets or sending angry tweets,” he said.

Wells Fargo representatives declined the Naples Daily News’ request to interview the Fifth Avenue branch manager, but spokeswoman Michelle Palomino issued the following statement via email:

“Wells Fargo wants schools and communities to be safe from gun violence, but changes to laws and regulations should be determined through a legislative process that gives the American public an opportunity to participate and not be arbitrarily set by a bank. We strongly encourage Congress to listen to the voices of the American people and earnestly debate the gun safety issue in order to develop sensible gun laws and other solutions that help protect our schools and communities.”

The American Federation of Teachers, a 1.7 million-member union, cut ties with Wells Fargo in April after the bank refused to discontinue its business with the NRA and gunmakers. Wells Fargo served as the union’s recommended mortgage lender and had, at the time, provided mortgages to more than 20,000 union members.

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Following the Parkland shooting, other banking companies — including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup — announced they would limit their business dealings with the firearms industry.

Other companies — such as United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Hertz and Enterprise — said they, too, were taking a stand by ending discounts for NRA members; Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods stopped selling guns to people under 21. Both retailers also no longer sell assault rifles.