Zephyr Teachout, Bob Master, and TJ Helmstetter address a group of demonstrators outside Citigroup HQ. Photo by Nick Moe.

A demonstration of about 120 peopleAi??gathered outside Citigroup’s headquarters in midtown Manhattan to amplify Elizabeth Warren’s message that it’s time to break up the big banks,Ai??including PCCC members, Working Families Party, former New York gubernatorial candidate and reformer Zephyr Teachout, New York Communities for Change, Citizen Action New York, American Family Voices, and other progressive allies.

On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Pres. Obama signed aAi??law written by CitigroupAi??that repealed a major piece of Wall Street reform, resulting in risky derivatives bets now being insured by taxpayers. Elizabeth Warren shined a national spotlight on this issue from the Senate floor:

“Thereai??i??s a lot of talk coming from Citigroup about how the Dodd-Frank Act isnai??i??t perfect. So let me say this to anyone who is listening at Citi: I agree with you. Dodd-Frank isnai??i??t perfect. It should have broken you into pieces.”
— Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

About 120 demonstrators gathered to amplify Elizabeth Warren’s message to break up the Big Banks. Photo from WFP Twitter.

“We are here today because Elizabeth Warren is right. We need to break up the Big Banks — banks like Citigroup,” saidAi??PCCC spokespersonAi??TJ HelmstetterAi??at the event.

“Elizabeth Warren has stuck her finger into the socket of American populism, and the country is lit up,ai??? saidAi??former New York gubernatorial candidate and reformerAi??Zephyr Teachout. ai???Now the lights are on, and every candidate running for president, whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush, has to answer the question: Do you think that Citigroup should be broken up, or do you think Wall Street should get to keep writing its own rules?”

“Citigroup has infiltrated so much ofAi??governmentAi??that government is in danger of forgetting about working families,” saidAi??Working Families Party co-chairAi??Bob Master. ai???We can’t keep paying the tab for ‘too big to fail, too big to jail.'”

“Executives at Citigroup and the Big Banks take home millions while gambling with the livelihoods of low and moderate income families,ai??? saidAi??New York Communities for Change memberAi??Skipp Roseboro. ai???Enough is enough, it’s time to end too big to fail and break up the banks. Democracy belongs to the people, not the banks.”

Demonstrators chanted “Break Big Banks” at the rally. Photo by Nick Moe.

#BreakBigBanks Headlines:

MSNBC: Pro-Warren protesters take their fight to Wall Street

BLOOMBERG: Elizabeth Warren Gets Her Own Folk Song on Park Avenue

CNN MONEY: Elizabeth Warren allies march outside Citi: ‘Break big banks’Ai??(great photos!)

WALL STREET JOURNAL: Elizabeth Warren Pins Wall Street Ills on Citigroup