On a cold day in early March, more than one hundred clergymen and protestors descended on the Community Bank of Lawndale, located at 1111 South Homan Avenue, on Chicago’s South West Side. The sale of the bank – which was started, operated and owned by Blacks for years – sparked the controversy.

Outrageous statements were made during the protest from bank supporters, employees and protestors. This reporter could only record what happened and what was said.

The clergymen and protestors were greeted not with a welcome wagon or hearty handshake, but by large blue “Do Not Cross” police barricade that stood in front of the bank. Security guards were stationed out front, some wearing the latest style in bulletproof vests. Alongside them was a line of police and police squad cars and trucks.
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