Occupy The Courts
Contents:
Overview
Articles
Photos
Media Coverage
Links
OVERVIEW
CLEVELAND:
Occupy the Courts
Friday, January 20, 2012 / Cleveland, Ohio
Corporations are not people. Money is not speech.
An event to mark the Second Anniversary of the Citizens United vs FEC Supreme Court decision extending never-intended inalienable constitutional rights to corporations.
Decisions agreed to at our December 14 planning meeting:
- Limit all of our actions on January 20 to a maximum of two hours -- due to the likelihood of very cold temperatures. At this point, we’ll begin at 11 am and conclude bu 1 pm at the latest (12:30 may be more likely).
- Gather at Metzenbaum Federal Courthouse on Superior Ave (just across the street from the northeast quadrant of Public Square) at 11 am with signs, handouts, Move to Amend petitions, etc. Prepare for march.
- March from Courthouse around Public Square and past locations where there are likely to be people outside during that time.
- The march will consist of 3 groups of “persons” -- corporations, wealthy individuals and the rest of us (99%). Corporations and wealthy persons will be making a great deal of political noise (exercising their free speech) with megaphones, etc as a result of Supreme Court decisions granting money as speech and corporations as persons. Everyone else will march will tape over their mouths wearing signs or sashes to symbolize that the political voices of the 99% in our current system are silent compared to corporations and those with money.
- We postponed the human-corporate person “wedding” action until later in the year when the weather is warmer and when we have an opportunity to attract more of a crowd over a longer period to adequately convey the message/symbolism.
- During the march we will hand out a flyer explaining the anniversary, action and our goals. We will also hand out gold wrapped chocolate coins with a message (example, money is not speech, etc. )
- Our next meeting will be at Peace House (10916 Magnolia Ave., University Circle, Cleveland) on January 5 at 5:30 pm. We’ll be constructing “corporate persons” using cardboard boxes and paint as well as discussing other issues (outreach, media, logistics, etc.). All are welcome. You don’t have to work on any art project to participate in the meeting. Many other hands are needed.
Cleveland Occupy The Courts Facebook Page
AKRON:
OCCUPY THE COURTS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2O12
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
John F. Seiberling Federal Courthouse
2 South Main St., Downtown Akron
Citizens United vs FEC was the US Supreme Court decision of January 21, 2010 that extended never-intended constitutional rights of persons to corporations. The decision expanded corporate First Amendment free speech rights by permitting them for the first time to spend money directly from their corporate treasuries on political campaigns for or against political candidates. Following the decision, more than $300 million was spent in the 2010 midterm elections alone, more than three times the amount spent during the 2006 midterms.
Occupy the Courts is a one-day occupation of federal courthouses in more than 75 federal courthouses across the country on Friday, January 20 to commemorate the second anniversary of the undemocratic and bizarre Citizens United decision. Actions are taking place in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
Occupy the Courts is sponsored by Move to Amend, a national coalition formed to abolish never-intended corporate “personhood.” Move to Amend has proposed a constitutional amendment proclaiming corporations are not people and money is not speech.
Only by driving corporations and big money out of our constitution can the voice and rights of real human beings without huge sums of money be heard, our needs met, and our communities served.
JOIN US at the Seiberling Federal Courthouse on January 20 for a rally! Help us proclaim that CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PERSONS and MONEY IS NOT SPEECH!
ARTICLES
1-4-12 - A Call for the Tea Party and Occupy Movements to "Occupy the Courts" by Greg Coleridge and Britney Schultz - OpEdNews.com
PHOTOS
Occupy The Courts - Akron photos
AP photos of the Cleveland event also appeared in newspapers and websites across the US:
This photo is of a member of our Economic and Political Justice program committee
This photo, from the India Times website, is of a member of our Monetary Reform workgroup
MEDIA COVERAGE
Protesters demonstrate outside some U.S. courthouses, including Cleveland
Friday, January 20, 2012, 2:31 PM
Olivera Perkins, The Plain Dealer
One-Hundred and Thirty Cities Across the US Protest on Anniversary of Citizens United
Sunday 22 January 2012
Truthout | Report
Occupy The Courts!
January 19, 2012
Progressive Radio Interview of Greg Coleridge
Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com
Cleveland Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com
Cleveland Scene
The Alliance Review
WKYC Channel 3
WFMJ
WHIOTV
FOX19
MSNBC
WTRF
WTOV Channel 9
ClevelandNews.net
nbc4i.com
WBEZ91.5
BND.com
LINKS
BACKGROUND
Summary of opinion polling regarding Citizens United, showing nearly unanimous sentiment against the decision
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/17/citizens-united-poll-80-p_n_465396.html
Move to Amend
http://movetoamend.org/
This website contains a plethora of resources on corporate personhood
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