Five protesters with the group Action Now have been arrested after a show of action this afternoon to call on banks to maintain and secure vacant, foreclosed properties. According to a press release, the following protesters were arrested: Gloria Washington, 80; Annie Harris, 76; Doris Strickland, 68; Madeline Talbott, 61; and Donna Roberts, 56.

The community organizers went to Bank of America's headquarters to deliver garbage and debris collected from a vacant, foreclosed Garfield Park property owned by the financial institution. A group of mothers and grandmothers from the area cleaned up the property at 3328 W. Monroe and took what was collected to the bank's downtown offices and the police were called, leading in their arrests.

Check back with Progress Illinois for more on this story. 

UPDATE (8:15 p.m.): The five women were arrested when they walked into the lobby to deliver the trash collected from the foreclosed Garfield Park property as hundreds of protesters picketed outside, chanting "Bank of America is bad for America."

“I’m doing this for my children and grandchildren. There is no excuse for what Bank of America has done to our community," said Washington. "These kids shouldn’t have to walk by dangerous, abandoned properties on their way to school. Bank of America’s bad loans and greedy practices have made our neighborhoods unsafe, and it’s time they took responsibility for all the damage they’ve done.”

Here's a short video of the action courtesy of Take Back Chicago: