#OccupyMilwaukee Protester Yells Inside Bank: 'This Is a Hostile Takeover!'

By Collin Roth

According to reports by Sharif Durhams of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Occupy Milwaukee Facebook page, an Occupy Milwaukee protester walked into a downtown Milwaukee M & I Bank and yelled “this is a hostile takeover!” Fearing the bank was in the midst of a robbery, a bank teller hit an alarm, thus alerting police of the incident.

The Milwaukee Police Department have not confirmed the identity of the 25 year old individual, but they have confirmed that he has been arrested before at previous demonstrations.

The Occupy Milwaukee Facebook page was quick to confirm the incident with photographic evidence showing a young man in a brown sport coat being led away in handcuffs by two police officers. The individual who posted the picture said “our protest speaker got arrested downtown for apparently “disturbing the peace.””

Occupy Milwaukee launched last Saturday as part of the larger Occupy Wall Street movement that started just over a month ago. Occupy Milwaukee protesters have been camping in local parks and holding general assemblies to determine their goals and demands. The Occupy movement has largely been anti-bank, and Occupy Milwaukee was holding an anti-bank “teach in” today at Red Arrow Park, likely tied to the incident at M & I Bank.

This is not the first time M & I Bank has been the target of left-wing protesters.

Back in February and March, M & I Bank was targeted by anti-Walker protesters upset that employees of the bank donated to Governor Walker’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Protests occurred at branches in Madison, Milwaukee, and Racine, despite the fact that the bank itself does not contribute to campaigns.