Dear John,

BlackRock, the world’s largest investor in weapons and oil companies, has been tapped by the U.S. Federal Reserve to help resuscitate the U.S. economy during the global pandemic. BlackRock promotes a roughly 3 billion-dollar defense fund locked and loaded full of weapons made by Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing defense. All these companies make a killing on killing.

Tell the Fed Chair Jerome Powell: Don’t let BlackRock use taxpayer dollars to bailout weapon and oil companies!

BlackRock puts profit before people and the planet. It is unconscionable that the Feds hired a company that does business with the murderous Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who is responsible for leading a war on Yemen, imprisoning women’s rights activists, and ordering the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Additionally, BlackRock is back-peddling on its climate change commitment to hold companies to account if sustainable goals are not disclosed. Instead of the U.S. government granting BlackRock a seat at the bailout table, a long-term plan needs to be crafted to build a green and peaceful economy. Average Americans are struggling and speaking out about how the government is choosing “money over morality.”  

BlackRock is taking advantage of world economies suffering from the outcomes of the coronavirus to further consolidate their global power. Not only is BlackRock working with the Feds, but it is also helping the Bank of Canada with its bailout. Even the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, had to get in on the action. He tweeted a photo of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink appearing on videoconference. Most recently, BlackRock won a contract to help the European Union (EU) develop new environmental guidelines for banks—this choice has our heads spinning because BlackRock is the largest financier of unclean energy in the world. WTF!

BlackRock stands to benefit from the current economic crisis. Even though the Feds made a poor decision in putting BlackRock at the helm of a few bailout programs, we can still demand that our taxpayer dollars be used to bail out the people and not the weapon and oil companies.

Tell the head of the Federal Reserve that we do not want BlackRock to use taxpayer funds to bailout weapon and oil companies.

Towards global solidarity and health, 
Nancy, Ariel, Ann, Asia, Carley, Caty, Cody, Emily, Jodie, Kelsey, Leonardo, Makena, Medea, Michelle, Paki, Teri, and Yousef