Human Need, Not Corporate Greed!
Offset, 2000
Giant financial corporations are symbolized by a bloated blond puppet master wearing a dollar-sign belt buckle and straddling the globe. He also controls both the Democratic and Republican parties represented by donkey and elephant marionettes. The protesters at the bottom are rejecting this false choice."No Globalization Without Representation" relates directly to the 2016 political campaign focusing attention against the non-democratic aspect of trade agreements such as NAFTA and TPP. The poster's statement, "Enough is Enough," became a slogan of the Bernie Sanders Campaign and captures the feeling that animates Democracy Spring protests.
On Monday April 11, 2016 more than 400 activists were arrested in a massive sit-in at the U.S. Capitol to protest corporate lobbying and control of political campaigns by wealthy individuals and large corporations. The Democracy Spring protests followed a march from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. by activists representing some 140 progressive organizations with the purpose of ending big money corruption in politics. Participants also protested the U.S. Supreme Court decision in "Citizens United" that removed limits on financial contributions by corporations in political campaigns. The sit-ins are planned through Monday, April 18, 2016.
Poster History
Favianna Rodriguez designed this poster to mobilize against the 2000 Democratic National Convention held in Los Angeles. The DNC events drew approximately 35,000, including delegates, journalists, dignitaries and protesters. Trying to avoid another "Battle of Seattle," the LAPD presence was intense, and areas where people were allowed to demonstrate were strictly controlled. Instead of concentrating on arrests, the LAPD used its resources to intimidate protesters with a massive display of riot police, complete with teargas, helicopters and "infiltrators."
As many as 10,000 people had gathered for a free concert on the first day of the Convention given by the band, Rage Against the Machine. Demonstrators were herded into a designated "protest area" for the concert, surrounded by a large chain-link fence and concrete barricades. The barricades were surrounded by hundreds of riot police with teargas grenades and rubber bullets. As the concert progressed, a few of the rowdier demonstrators began to taunt the police and throw glass bottles over the fence. The police responded by shutting down the entire concert and giving the 10,000 protesters jammed inside the fenced area 15 minutes to leave. After 15 minutes, a line of policemen on horses charged the crowd, eventually forcing thousands of activists down the streets with rubber bullets and horses. About 150 were injured, including an L.A. Times reporter and a legal observer from the National Lawyers Guild. A series of lawsuits were filed against the LAPD, and the city of Los Angeles paid $4.1 million in settlements.
Resources:
For more information about Democracy Spring see:
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/4/12/democracy_spring_over_400_arrested_at
For a deeper understanding of corporate corruption in politics see
Robert Scheer, The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street, Nation Books, 2010
For more info about the 2000 DNC (aka D2K)
http://articles.latimes.com/2004/may/08/local/me-demo8
Spread the word