Killer Mike Was Heard. The People Are Fighting The Power With Their Money.

Last week, veteran MC Killer Mike made a strong call to action following the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police officers. Appearing on HOT 107 in his hometown city of Atlanta, Georgia the Run The Jewels co-founder urged his followers and those seeking institutional change to “run” their assets in a different manner.

Mike was quoted as saying, “We don’t have to burn our city down. But, what we can do is go down to our banks tomorrow. You can go to your bank tomorrow and you can say, ‘Until you as a corporation start to speak on our behalf, I want all my money. And, I’m taking all my money to Citizens Trust.’”

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The bank Mike mentioned and moved his money to, Citizens Trust, is Black-owned, and has 95 years of history. Five days later, reports indicate that more than 8,000 new accounts have been opened at the Atlanta-based bank. Due to the $100 minimum required to open an account, that figure guarantees that at least $800,000 of funds has been moved to the bank.

Hours following last week’s interview, Cynthia Day, Citizens’ CEO, publicly thanked Killer Mike for driving people to small, ethical banking:

Throughout the last week, Mike has used social media to amplify followers moving their funds to other small, local, and Black-operated banks. City Nation, One United, and Carver Federal Savings Bank are just some of the banks shared on Mike’s Instagram. He has encouraged people of all races manage their funds accordingly.

In that HOT 107 interview, the MC stressed principles he witnessed in the late 1980s and early 1990s during South Africa’s Apartheid. “What we’re going to do is to start to divert money from the system. And this works. Apartheid ended in South Africa because students in America said, ‘We not flying Delta anymore. We’re not drinking Coca-Cola anymore. We’re not supporting any corporation that supports that Apartheid and enslavement of people who look like us.’”

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“It’s a tremendous propel forward for the bank and the future of the bank and bringing new relevance to a bank that’s been here for 95 years.” Jay Bailey, chairman of Citizens Trust’s Next Generation Advisory Board, told 11Alive in response to the movement.

Last week, Mike also threw out the possibility of Black athletes and entertainers staging a unified boycott on the same day, calling for institutional change. He has stressed that $100 million of funds moved to Black banks is the goal.

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Today (July 15) a funeral gathering for Sterling is being held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.