CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Larry Calhoun joined about 70 "Occupy the Court" protesters on Friday to send the public and politicians the message that corporations are not people.
Amid shouts of "We are the 99 percent" and "Only people are people," a number of organizations rallied in front of the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston to protest the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision from Jan. 21, 2010. The decision allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political action committees, which many Occupy protesters are against.
"I think that corporations have a lot of money and they are not people. The voice of the person has drowned," Calhoun said. "I think the Supreme Court, in making the decision, was naive in thinking there could be a separation between a moneyed interest and the people."
More than 200 rallies were to be held Friday and Saturday throughout the nation in an effort to raise awareness that corporations are not people and money is not free speech, said Hedda Haning, organizer of the Charleston rally, Occupy the Court -- Demonstration of Democracy.
Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Fairmont also hosted rallies throughout the state. Protesters held signs with slogans that said, "Corporations don't bleed and suffer, people do," as others sang, played drums and cheered at passing cars that honked in support of the rally, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
"Corporations are not mentioned once in the Constitution. In my opinion, I want a constitutional amendment," Haning said. "We'd like to make it absolutely obvious that there's a significant number of people who are aware of this. Small businesses are against this idea -- it's not the idea [that's the issue], it's what it's become."
Gary Zuckett, executive director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, informed the crowd that state lawmakers introduced a resolution Friday morning to oppose Citizens United, an action that will put West Virginia on the record as opposing the Supreme Court decision.
"It gives the opportunity for the West Virginia Legislature to take a stand on this issue, and we hope they give a message to Congress and overturn Citizens United," Zuckett said. "Corporations should not enjoy the rights of flesh-and-blood citizens. They should not be able to spend money to influence elections."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Larry Calhoun joined about 70 "Occupy the Court" protesters on Friday to send the public and politicians the message that corporations are not people.
Amid shouts of "We are the 99 percent" and "Only people are people," a number of organizations rallied in front of the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston to protest the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision from Jan. 21, 2010. The decision allows corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political action committees, which many Occupy protesters are against.
"I think that corporations have a lot of money and they are not people. The voice of the person has drowned," Calhoun said. "I think the Supreme Court, in making the decision, was naive in thinking there could be a separation between a moneyed interest and the people."
More than 200 rallies were to be held Friday and Saturday throughout the nation in an effort to raise awareness that corporations are not people and money is not free speech, said Hedda Haning, organizer of the Charleston rally, Occupy the Court -- Demonstration of Democracy.
Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Fairmont also hosted rallies throughout the state. Protesters held signs with slogans that said, "Corporations don't bleed and suffer, people do," as others sang, played drums and cheered at passing cars that honked in support of the rally, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
"Corporations are not mentioned once in the Constitution. In my opinion, I want a constitutional amendment," Haning said. "We'd like to make it absolutely obvious that there's a significant number of people who are aware of this. Small businesses are against this idea -- it's not the idea [that's the issue], it's what it's become."
Gary Zuckett, executive director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, informed the crowd that state lawmakers introduced a resolution Friday morning to oppose Citizens United, an action that will put West Virginia on the record as opposing the Supreme Court decision.
"It gives the opportunity for the West Virginia Legislature to take a stand on this issue, and we hope they give a message to Congress and overturn Citizens United," Zuckett said. "Corporations should not enjoy the rights of flesh-and-blood citizens. They should not be able to spend money to influence elections."
About 9 in 10 Americans say large companies have too much power and influence in Washington, D.C., Zuckett said. He also pointed out that the overall spending in the 2012 election is expected to reach an all-time high of $8 billion.
"Citizens realize this is not a good idea. We have an issue that is so transparent and we need to push this issue," Zuckett said. "Our democracy is at risk right now in 2012."
Protester Dave Pahl agreed with Zuckett, and said he is afraid that eventually the peoples' vote won't matter. Friday's rally outside the federal courthouse is just the first step to prevent a limited democracy for citizens because of a corporate government takeover, Pahl said.
"I'd like to see a cap on the amount of money that can be donated from a corporation to a candidate," he said. "We'd like to think that people make the decision when they vote, and they do, but money talks."
Dylan Engles participated in Friday's Occupy the Court as well as the Occupy Charleston movement that began on Oct. 15. Local participants were evicted from their camps at Haddad Park and Davis Park but Engles said he wants to bring positive energy to the Occupy the Court rally.
"The government would rather you be in the dark, but the public needs to know [about these issues]. I'm pro-peace," Engles said.
Occupy the Court participating organizations included: West Virginia Citizen Action Group, Seneca2, League of Women Voters of West Virginia, AFL-CIO, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Move to Amend, Communication Workers of America Local 2001, Common Cause, People For the American Way, Public Citizen and Free Speech For People.
Reach Megan Workman at megan.work...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5113.
