Rev. Billy Talen ARRESTED After Placing 'Holy Hex' On JPMorgan

A New York City preacher was arrested after placing a 'holy hex' on JPMorgan Chase.

Protesting what he calls JPMorgan's financing for mountaintop removal in Appalachia, Rev. Billy Talen led his Church Of Life congregation in an Easter morning protest outside of a bank branch in New York City. Courthouse News has the details:

"Rev. Billy led his Life After Shopping Gospel Choir to two East Village Chase branches, where the singers "deposited" mounds of "sacred dirt from Coal River Mountain, West Virginia" on the floors of ATM lobbies.

At the branch on St. Marks Place and 2nd Avenue, the choir performed a "mystery channeling of money" as bank customers withdrew money, and the reverend/performance artist preached to a crowd through a white megaphone."

The bank's financing of "mountaintop removal" -- the controlled deforestation and detonation of upper parts of mountains to access coal deposits -- has been widely critizied by environmental advocates. In the past two decades, JPMorgan has underwritten 20 huge bond deals to help support the practice, Mother Jones noted last month.

On Rev. Talen's website he lays out his case against the bank:

We are joining thousands of activist citizens who have opposed the removal of peaks in Appalachia for "dirty coal" mining. In resisting Consumerism, there is always an earth-justice motive, right in front of us. We remember leading Iceland citizens into their own super malls to oppose the big dams and aluminum smelters; and we recall opposing the super ferry in Kauai; and also singing to tree-sitters up in the redwoods.

Check out Courthouse News's full piece here.

Comments

[StopMakingSense2]

02:14 PM on 04/07/2010

Hexes are witch craft and not christian. They evidently don't see the irony in this... I do.. Good thing they don't still burn heretics at the stake. He would be well done..

[lylo]

12:47 PM on 04/07/2010

From the original article:
"As Talen concluded his sermon, NYPD Officer William Svenstrup ordered him to withdraw his deposit of dirt from the bank floor.
The Rev. Billy refused.
"Then you are coming with me," Svenstrop said, while another officer took out the cuffs, and used them, and the choir chanted, "Free speech! Free press! Free people! Repressed!""
Can someone please explain exactly why it's a criminal offense to put dirt on someone's floor? I could understand if it was something along the lines of disturbing the peace, or even trespassing (assuming that they were asked to leave, of course), but in what way was the dirt the problem? I didn't know that "mucking up the place" was a crime.

[revko]

01:36 AM on 04/07/2010

" In the world of banking hex crimes are particularly heinous"

[GlenParked]

12:34 PM on 04/06/2010

Let me get this straight...Fred Phelps and his band of zealots have the right to hate-fueled protests at private funeral ceremonies for fallen soldiers, but Rev. Billy gets arrested for this?

George Orwell truly was a prophet!

[norepublicanleftbehind]

10:48 PM on 04/06/2010

You know, you have an excellent point.

I think it was the dirt dumping that probably got him arrested.

Wonder if he'd be arrested for voodoo dolls?

[lylo]

12:51 PM on 04/07/2010

So don't go to JP Morgan if you've got muddy boots. You'll probably be arrested.

[stargazer13]

12:04 PM on 04/06/2010

ya know I don,t believe in hex,s but if this is what we are reduced to well I will try any thing once :)

economic hit men beware ! hex,s are now flying your way !! god speed to those hex,s !!

[mbaty]

12:31 PM on 04/06/2010

Amen to that.

[Luv2Purple]

11:53 AM on 04/06/2010

What crime did he commit? Isn't America the land of FREE SPEECH?

[roald]

01:12 PM on 04/06/2010

Probably trespass and the dirt on the floor of private property rather than the speech.

[lylo]

12:49 PM on 04/07/2010

What crime is it to put dirt on someone's floor? Destruction of property?
The article never said he was asked to leave the public place, and if that didn't happen then he was not trespassing.

[PresidentRobertBooth]

10:16 AM on 04/06/2010

I endorse this hex as well.

[tucsoncindy]

08:54 AM on 04/06/2010

This is a scream...a holy hex ...hope it works...

[themodernleader]

08:39 AM on 04/06/2010

When rationality and courage are asent to remove the financial cancer upon our economic and political system, faith comes forward to bring the wrath of the Almighty upon this human scourge and contagious evil..God bless you, Reverend Billy.

[floodmfx]

08:10 AM on 04/06/2010

He does seem crazy - but these are crazy times - and he is the only one doing anything to reel in the banks - so, I can get behind this guy

[DebtNavigation]

09:19 AM on 04/06/2010

Massive, coordinated strategic default would do a lot to reel in the big banks. And though it's going to happy willy-nilly anyway, organization on the part of the American public can shift their pain even more to the banks rather than allowing Wall Street to prey on Main Street.

In Mexico in the mid-'90s Wall Street engineered a currency coup that tripled the debt owed by small businesses and family farms and also allowed for them to be massively ratejacked on top of it. Mexicans consequently formed the "el Barzon" movement and pushed back Wall Street and deposed their ruling party of 60+ years. In this country YouTube phenom Ann Minch has already declared the debtors' revolt and begun going after them http://www.revoltstartsnow.com

If you've been pushed under, you can read every other page of my book for free: http://www.scribd.com/doc/25443175/Debt-Hope-Down-and-Dirty-Survival-Strategies-Evaluation-Version-Complete

[Copitlism]

07:18 AM on 04/06/2010

He seems perfectly normal to me.

[EStellar Expectations]

07:12 AM on 04/06/2010

I love this guy.

[47songs]

07:25 AM on 04/06/2010

After reading just the headline I had to check to see if the article was posted on the comedy page.I've never heard of this guy before. Can a person be arrested for placing a hoax? lol!

[EStellar Expectations]

07:32 AM on 04/06/2010

I met him once a couple of years ago. He's really funny, he does all of these anti-consumerism stunts.

I guess a person can be arrested for anything if JP Morgan wants them to be. :)

[Harrier]

07:11 AM on 04/06/2010

From the writing, I don't know what illegal activity was done

[skippyB]

12:51 PM on 04/06/2010

Dumping the dirt in the lobby? Creating a public disturbance? Maybe since a bank is Federally insured, there are all sorts of laws that apply and for good reason ---- --

Guess it's ok to take a dump on the bank over a caldron of equations and disturb the global financial system from up in the boardroom though.

[lightningbolt]

07:09 AM on 04/06/2010

As usual, the criminals are allowed to continue their criminal practices, while the protesters are arrested. The U.S. justice system is BROKEN!

[marijam]

05:15 AM on 04/06/2010

Rather pointless protest. If JP Morgan doesn't provide financing someone else will.

[Timothy Knight]

05:49 AM on 04/06/2010

I am glad there are some people who are willing to speak up, instead of just passively sitting by, like yourself.

[stavrogin]

07:07 AM on 04/06/2010

And what are You doing?

[washlib]

01:04 PM on 04/06/2010

wrong. Not if they are shamed into losing a lot of other business they won't.

Consumers DO have an effect on the banks, we just don't know it.