I did basically what mountain mann is talking about...when I worked for BofA. The old BofA that is. (Sure we were still fee crazy, but not the way things are now).

Charging $5 to cash a check is a great way to cut into the low and moderate income worker's paycheck. It's "anti" CRA. The majority of folks who do need to come into the bank and cash those checks, account holders or not, are not your middle or high income folks, but instead, folks who work from paycheck to paycheck. You are always welcome to write their CRA officer as well as their examining agency and mention this in context with their CRA performance (the Community Reinvestment Act). Be sure to mention the detrimental effect this has on the low income residents of your communities. Ask them to keep a copy in their "public file". If enough letters build up, pressure can be put on the bank to stop the fee.

You could also ask the NCRC to write "with" you. http://www.ncrc.org/ They are a very powerful advocate for the working poor and frighten the huge banks beyond belief!

Since you are in NY/NJ you could also contact http://www.innercitypress.org/ with the same comment as above. They are another very active organizations.