GBIO + GCC NOT WITH OUR MONEY CAMPAIGN SURVEY

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On behalf of Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC), we are writing to inform you that GCC has officially launched a research action encouraging congregations and individual members to consider discontinuing their financial relationship with Citizens Bank. 

Citizens Bank is the principal financing agent of private prisons and ICE detention centers operated by CoreCivic and GEO Group, including the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown. In fact, they are one of the only banks currently funding private prisons.  After 2020, all US banks pulled out of funding private prisons except Citizens.  

Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), a sister organization, is running a parallel campaign and has approximately $15.7 million across GBIO itself, congregations, and individuals with Citizens Bank.  The campaign focuses on pressuring Citizens Bank to stop financing GEO Group and CoreCivic.

In the Cleveland/Northeast Ohio market, Citizens Bank has 31 branches and approximately $8 billion in assets. It is important to find out how much money we collectively have deposited in Citizens Bank to give us leverage or power to press them to stop financing GEO Group and CoreCivic. 

As a result, our research action will encourage GCC congregations and individuals to:

  • Complete a survey to identify financial connections to Citizen Bank.
  • Participate in upcoming teach-ins to educate congregants about the concerns prompting this campaign.
  • Pledge to move money out of Citizens Bank (This plan is to move pledged money in a joint GCC action in coordination with GBIO. To maximize leverage, we are requesting congregations and individuals do not move their money until the larger campaign determines the appropriate time to act.) 

Our purpose is not to dictate financial decisions, but rather to provide information and invite congregants with accounts at Citizens to consider whether they might move their money should negotiations fail to reach the desired outcomes. 

TAKE THE SURVEY…. MAKE THE PLEDGE 

No personal information will be shared publicly. 

It takes courage to tell us your number. Not because we’ll judge it – but because we’ve been taught that money is private. Today we’re asking you to trust GCC with just one number, so we can show Citizen’s Bank just how serious we are.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO ACCESS THE SURVEY: