On Wednesday, 11 demonstrators in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street protesters were arrested when they blocked entrances to Wells Fargo Bank headquarters in San Francisco's financial district. They were cited, given an order to appear in court and released. Then they immediately rejoined fellow demonstrators in front of the bank. The protest ended by 12:30 p.m., and at its height involved more than 200 people.

Their "hold banks accountable" message resonated with one woman, a Wells Fargo employee who did not want to be named. She said it is terrible that a Wells Fargo corporate executive can make millions while so many workers are being laid off or are unemployed

"If I didn't have to go to work, I would be out there," she said as protesters chanted, sang and marched in front of the bank's two main entrances on Montgomery and California streets.

Wednesday's demonstration was organized by a number of groups, including Causa Justa Just Cause, United Here Local 2850, the California Partnership, Young Workers United and the Chinese Progressive Association.

They marched from the Occupy San Francisco camp at Market and Drumm streets at 7 a.m. to the bank's headquarters, causing the temporary closure of the California Street cable car line. Organizers said their goal was to call attention to what they say is the growing divide and inequality between rich and poor, in particular corporate CEOs and banks that received federal bailouts while continuing to foreclose on homeowners who have lost their jobs. Some of those same banks have announced plans to charge monthly fees for debit card users.

Max Bell Alter, 31, said he participated in Wednesday's event because both his parents' home in Evanston,

Ill., and his grandmother's home in Chicago had been foreclosed on by banks. Alter was one of 11 arrested for trying to block a side entrance that employees were forced to use to access the building.

The more people that join the movement, the more "banks will have to be accountable," said Alter, a Berkeley resident who belongs to United Here Local 2850.

Wells Fargo spokesman Ruben Pulido said the protest delayed the bank's opening by 15 minutes. He said the bank decided to keep the main entrances closed to discourage protesters from coming inside, but the side entrance was opened at 9:15 a.m. In a prepared statement, Pulido said Wells Fargo "recognizes that Americans are demanding more" from their banks and defended the institution's record on helping customers who are having financial difficulties.

His statement was not likely to pacify a movement that has only gathered steam and spread to include many organizations and individuals.

Buff Bradley, a former kindergarten teacher, said he drove from Fairfax to San Francisco on Wednesday to protest the "incredible economic injustice that has our country by the throat."

Banks, he continued, are complicit in the assault "on ordinary people."

That sentiment has fueled similar "We are the 99" movements around the Bay Area, using the number 99 to refer to everyone except the nation's wealthiest citizens.

Occupy Oakland protesters gathered since Monday in front of Oakland City Hall had no plans Wednesday to move their camp from the Frank Ogawa Plaza. Another group in Berkeley held court in front of the Bank of America at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street.

And an hour away from Wednesday's noisy protest in San Francisco, a solemn but powerful statement was being made in East San Jose.

Standing near the altar of the Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, the Rev. Eduardo Samaniego announced that the parish is moving its $3 million account from Bank of America, where he said the church has done business for at least 20 years, to a community credit union.

"We are in a holy place to do holy work," the Jesuit priest told 17 members of People Acting In Community Together who stood alongside him. Some of them held posters that read "Keep Families In Their Homes'' or "Stop Corporate Greed," and several made similar announcements about divesting their own personal bank accounts from big banks.

The PACT group also announced it is pulling more than $1 million from its accounts with Wells Fargo and placing that money in a local San Jose bank.

More than 150 people gathered in downtown Walnut Creek to voice the same concerns. The protest was in the front of the Bank of America on Main Street, but protesters were at every corner of the intersection at Main Street and Mt. Diablo Boulevard, where Tiffany's and the under-construction Neiman Marcus stand.

Retiree Tom Sheridan, of Walnut Creek, carried a sign with the "Austin Powers" character Dr. Evil on it that read "United Health Care CEO (was) paid 100 million dollars."

He said he was at the protest for one reason.

"Economic justice," he said. "I think corporations need to be regulated and live up to the laws. I don't think corporations are people and money isn't speech."

Carla Ingmire, a Concord resident, said she's a part of the working poor. She said she believes demonstrations like this can make politicians take notice and serve as a force for change.

"More people together make a more powerful point," she said.

In San Francisco, Cinthya Muñoz said the protest had fulfilled its goal.

"There was no business as usual all morning," Muñoz said, sitting next to her husband and toddler daughter outside the bank. "This is just another reminder that we won't stop holding them accountable in whatever way we can."

Staff writers Elisabeth Nardi, Eric Kurhi, Tracy Seipel and Hannah Dreier contributed to this report.

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