Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Citizens against Citizens United
Posted by NUVO Editors on Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Editor's Note: We asked the organizers of last week's Occupy the Courts rally to blog about the experience. What follows is an edited version of the report submitted by event organizers and participants.
Protestors hit the streets across the nation last Friday to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, which granted corporations the same constitutional rights as U.S. citizens.
In Indianapolis, Move To Amend, Public Citizen, and Indiana Alliance for Democracy collaborated to rally in front of the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on the Ohio Street side.
Despite bone-chilling temperatures, the people marched for hours, handing out informative pamphlets and letters, and collecting signatures on a petition to overturn the ruling.
"The petition was to amend the constitution to state that only people have rights, not inhuman corporations, and that paid speech is not free speech," said protestor John Northerner. "There were similar protests in 130 cities in 46 states.
"You know, corporations cannot join the military, vote in elections, serve on jury duty, or even go to jail. The idea that they are people is as preposterous as the idea that paid speech is free."
In what they call "a fight for democracy," protestors picketed and chanted, "Corporations are NOT people."
Defining political contributions as a protected form of free speech, as the Supreme Court did on Jan. 21, 2010, will allow ultra-wealthy interests to undermine the democratic process and the American Republic, opponents of the ruling argue.
"Everyone from the police to Homeland Security to the federal employees to the citizens on the street were encouraging and supportive of our cause," said Cheri Monroe, one of the event organizers.
"Many thanked us for our hard work and for representing true democracy."
Protestors argued that local communities need protection against domination by large corporations free to funnel millions into SuperPACs that will result in the unfair influence over the election of local politicians and judges. In short, they said, the decision tips the scales of influence in favor of business and to the detriment of citizens.
"We find ourselves in a time when we feel the need to petition to legalize democracy," Monroe said.
"With little to no support or news coverage on our passionate stance for an America of, for, and by The People, we protesters find ourselves having to buy permits to take to the streets and by sheer numbers, overwhelm the courts today.We are a success because it takes real courage to stand for your convictions.For every one of us there are 100 people who wanted to be here but had to work."
The effort garnered 55 signatures, Northerner said, "even thought it was the coldest day of the new year at that time and we were competing with simultaneous protests at the State House against the deceptively named right-to-work bill and the Eliminating Hygiene Standards bill HB1006."
For more information, or to sign a petition visit www.MoveToAmend.org or www.democracyisforpeople.org.
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