Sierra Club Calls on First Hawaiian Bank to Divest

Over 100 concerned citizens gathered on Monday, Jan. 30, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. in front of First Hawaiian Bank on Bishop Street on O‘ahu to participate in a demonstration to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and call attention to First Hawaiian Bank’s investment in fossil fuel infrastructure—including the Dakota Access Pipeline.

First Hawaiian Bank is 80% owned by BNP Paribas, an international bank that has invested over $400 million in the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Since the Trump Administration signed an executive order on Jan. 24 to advance the pipeline construction, more local organizations are joining the movement by withdrawing their funds from First Hawaiian Bank, the Sierra Club reported in a press release.

Since the last demonstration in December 2016, dozens of individuals and organizations have closed their accounts and withdrew their funds from First Hawaiian Bank totalling at over $1.6 million.

Over 100 demonstrators stood in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and called attention to First Hawaiian Bank’s investment in fossil fuel infrastructure—including the Dakota Access Pipeline. Sierra Club courtesy photo.

Tim Vandeveer, chair of the Democratic Party; Marti Townsend, director of Sierra Club of Hawaiʻi; Randy Gonce, member of Democratic Party of Hawaii, a veteran who visited North Dakota. Sierra Club courtesy photo.

Over 100 demonstrators stood in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and called attention to First Hawaiian Bank’s investment in fossil fuel infrastructure—including the Dakota Access Pipeline. Sierra Club courtesy photo.

Over 100 demonstrators stood in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux and called attention to First Hawaiian Bank’s investment in fossil fuel infrastructure—including the Dakota Access Pipeline. Sierra Club courtesy photo.