Spokane to vote on reclaiming community rights from corporations
In one of the more interesting and possibly most consequential votes in Washington state this week, citizens in Spokane will be offered a rare opportunity to give community rights priority over corporate rights. Proposition 1 would create a community bill of rights similar to the one adopted recently in Pittsburgh and among many towns throughout Pennsylvania.
These citizen-based assertions of community rights are radical in the best sense of the word—they strike at the root of many of our current problems. Namely, that “They the Corporations” have built a regime of legal rights that enables their interests to repeatedly trump the interests of “We the People.” If actual living persons are to achieve real self-governance, we must assert our own rights to do so and dismantle the rights of so-called corporate persons.
This is what Spokane voters will have a chance to adopt. Proposition 1, put forward by a community coalition called Envision Spokane asserts four basic rights:
- Neighborhood Residents Have the Right to Determine the Future of Their Neighborhoods. This gives neighborhood majorities the right to approve all zoning changes proposed for their neighborhood involving significant commercial, industrial, or residential development.
- The Right to a Healthy Spokane River and Aquifer. This gives city government or any residents legal standing to enforce rights such as clean water and protection of native fish habitat.
- Employees Have the Right to Constitutional Protections in the Workplace. Protects workers’ rights, including the right of collective bargaining.
- Corporate Powers Shall be Subordinate to People’s Rights. This is the lynchpin to enforce the other rights of neighborhoods, water, and workers.
In this time of reclaiming people power from the 1%, this campaign in Spokane cuts right to the chase. This could be hugely consequential, which means all the usual suspects are fighting hard against it, just as they did two years ago when a more ambitious bill of community rights was put forward in Spokane and badly defeated at the polls. But sentiments have been shifting quickly in recent weeks. Something big could happen here.
Watch this one.
Comments
By Paul Cienfuegos on November 6th, 2011 at 10:16 pm
Good work, Lance. Thank you so so so much for covering this story!
One minor correction:
The Spokane ordinance is actually not that similar to any of the east coast ordinances. Spokane’s focus is a general Bill of Rights, with no urgent issue being battled there. The other 130+ communities that have passed these in six NE states are ALL focused on specific corporate LEGAL harms that they’re trying to prohibit, like fracking, water extraction for bottling, sludge dumping, ag, etc. But all of them, including Spokane, have very similar language that strips corporations of their so-called “rights”.
Go Spokane Go!
Paul Cienfuegos
By Lansing Scott on November 9th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
11/9 update: It appears that this proposition is failing narrowly, by fewer than 500 votes.
By Kenn Space on November 14th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Dear Washington State Patrol,
I have sent this letter to as many of Seattle, and Washington State Lawmakers as I can find.
I sent it to President Obama. I have posted and linked it hundreds of times on the web. I am just one guy, there will be thousands of people practicing democracy on January 20th, 2012. I worked with the Washington State Patrol when I organized a protest at the capitol in Olympia. It was actually a pleasure. They made me feel they were there to protect me, as much as anyone else. The Olympia Police were also easy to work with and good partners. I have concerns
about Seattle police. I hope you will help them with this demonstration, I feel they could learn something from you.
Thank you,
Kenn (letter follows)
(I have Tolstoy in my blood, sorry it’s so long.).
Dear Mr. President,
There is a very large demonstration being planned for January 20th, 2012 at the Federal Courthouse at 700 Stewart street in Seattle, – and at every Federal Courthouse in the United States.. There are many groups organizing and “gearing up” for this demonstration. I will be promoting and advertising it. This “occupy movement” has only just begun. I suggest you figure out your plan of action and response; The rules of engagement; – Need a way better understanding of what is going on; – than during WTO in Seattle. Treat the people like they are the enemy, and they will become it.
I am hoping that what I say makes sense to someone, and they will start writing and treating this “occupy movement” with the respect it is going to earn. Did you see where Israel had a demonstration of 500,000 people demanding concessions from their government? It worked. Listen to Martin Luther King, his words are as meaningful today as they were then. This struggle for economic justice and government control will be won by the people! (It is very old..).
I feel the occupy movement does have a basic underlying message; Stop letting money decide political elections; And regulate corporate lobbying (and all lobbying) making it a public forum. Right now lobbying is mostly two old white guys sitting across from each other in an office. “They” have probably worked with each other or went to the same school; And “they” have promised you a job when you get out of politics, — tripling your present salary!. The “lobbyist” used to be a “politician”, it worked for him!. Who owns who? – That’s a “Person-hood”.
I lived in the Glenn Hotel in downtown Seattle when the WTO protests happened. It happened at my front door. I was a part of it, promoting it, and involved in it. There is something going on, and I am going to be a part of it again. I have helped organize and promote protests in Bellevue, Olympia, and Seattle Washington; another big one is coming. I feel it will be a “WTO” sized protest in multiple cities.
“I” was at the WTO protests in Seattle Washington, (with thousands of “other” really awesome “people”, and a few “freaks”) when a bunch of “anarchists” started busting windows with crowbars. We surrounded them, and they got in a circle with their crowbars. I tried to get the “Seattle police” to come arrest “these anarchists”, that were only fifty feet away and threatening violence and breaking windows… The “Seattle police” would not budge from their “police line”, making all of “us” the “enemy”…. (There were thousands of “union” and “other” people sitting and standing in the street, – it was a relatively peaceful protest until the windows started breaking…). ” I” am not the “enemy”.
I will be in Seattle at 700 Stewart street at the Federal courthouse January 20th, 2012!!! I know we can do this better than last time.
The Corporate Occupation of the United States
Our corporate controlled government (through corporate lobbying and election funding ) is out of the peoples control. People want government control back. Makes sense to me… I feel US corporate capitalism (corporatism) is a type of economic fascism: To have a corporate being where the chain of command eventually muddles all responsibility to any human being. These corporate beings are running your life, and controlling your government. (Enough to really make an individual mad and protest.) In reality, the corporate being does not exist, and when it comes to face it’s corporate responsibility, it is a piece of paper. (Or a CEO saying; “I do not recall that”, “I did not have that information”, “that was not my responsibility, I was running the company, and not just that department”,,, and on and on. It has bred a corporate culture of abuse, because they keep getting away with it..), Corporate person-hood is plain and simply wrong: A corporation is not a human being. Restore capitalism to individual responsible chains of command, or this struggle will be lost.
Please Sign the petition to amend the Constitution for revoking corporate personhood at:
movetoamend.org
(I feel January 20th, 2012: will be a bigger day in US history than WTO in Seattle. The battle continues, rage against the machine is real.)
January 20, 2012 – Move to Amend Occupies the Courts!
Move To Amend is planning bold action to mark this date — Occupy the Courts — a one day occupation on Friday January 20, 2012, of the Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States and as many of the 89 U.S. District Court Buildings as we can. (I am inspired by Doctor Martin Luther King who said; “a true revolution of values”, … “there comes a time when silence is betrayal”., “people are not gonna be silenced”.). Move to Amend will lead the charge on the judiciary which created — and continues to expand — corporate personhood rights.
It’s Time to GET MONEY OUT of politics
Bailouts. War. Unemployment. Our government is bought, and we’re angry. Now, we’re turning our anger into positive action. By signing this petition, you are joining our campaign to get money out of politics. Our politicians won’t do this. But we will. We will become an unrelenting, massive organized wave advocating a Constitutional amendment to get money out of politics.
Please sign the petition!
http://www.getmoneyout.com/
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/require-federal-agencies-reveal-special-funding-requests-members-congress-making-these-public-real/Sv4WRnHl
………………………………………………………………………………………
My friend and I put on a protest in Olympia for World Can’t Wait Oct. 5, 2006 at the capitol. Here are some photos…
http://www.creativeflashes.com/Politics/World-Cant-Wait-Oct-5th-2006/1971747_r54FkC/1/100377072#100377079_npPWj
I also coordinated and promoted a protest in Bellevue when Bush was there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hzh3OtBgNI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPoWphQhdm0&NR=1
Happy to say both worked out without arrest, injury or property damage! I worked with the Washington State Patrol in Olympia, and Bellevue Police beforehand, and we pretty much understood the rules of engagement. Medina police were not good partners..
http://open.salon.com/blog/kennspace/2011/10/28/corporate_occupation_of_the_united_states_1