The Anti-Citizens United rally started at the Denver Capitol at 10 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 19, 2013. Members from Move to Amend spoke at the rally advocating for “ending corporate rule” and denying corporations the same rights as citizens. Ken Gordon, former House of Representatives member spoke at the event explaining that the people who work in the capitol building work for the people and “it is up to us to tell them what we want and who we are.”
The Raging Grannies performed on the capitol steps followed by a brief speech from Candace Johnson representing Denver Food and Water Watch. Johnson explained that 90% of consumers want genetically engineered foods labeled and from 2000 to 2010, Monsanto and corporations from the biotech industry have spent over a half billion dollars promoting genetically engineered foods.
The rally then marched from the capitol to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on 16th and Curtis St. Fred Henrich from the Colorado Foreclosure Resistance Coalition (CFRC) spoke about how millions of Americans were foreclosed on last year and how CFRC and new legislation being proposed by the Colorado Progressive Coalition (CPC) are working to fight for homeowner’s rights. Corrine Fowler, CPC’s Director of Economic Justice will be speaking about the proposed legislation on Jan. 26, 2013 at 1029 Santa Fe Dr. Henrich also spoke about his experience with being involved in the foreclosure resistance that took place in Idaho Springs, that led to a SWAT team eviction.
Spenser MacColl from OpenSecrets Blog criticized Citizens United stating it is causing, “Unprecedented political spending. Secret donors. New ways for unions and corporations to spend money on politics.”
Update on SWAT team eviction in Idaho Springs
Darren O’Connor from the CFRC released an article titled “Violent Police Action In Response To Peaceful Eviction Protest,” which shared new details from the SWAT team eviction on Oct. 30, 2012 calling it, “the most violent police response to a peaceful eviction resistance seen in the entirety of the United States since the crash of the mortgage market in 2007.”
O’Connor provided some context leading up to the eviction explaining, “Ms. Donahue was able to speak with a regional vice president due to the action that day, but they were only able to provide her a contact with someone at Vericrest financial in Dallas, TX. Ms. Donahue called them and was told, ‘We're going to evict tomorrow, the weather will be real nice for it.’"
Fast forwarding to Idaho Springs on Oct. 30, 2012, O’Connor described the scene of the eviction:
“As she walked through the kitchen on her way to the door, the door was smashed open and she found herself facing Captain Bruce Snelling and a sheriff pointing his rifle at her. For those that cannot imagine what this looks like, these men were wearing gear that looked appropriate for a war zone in Afghanistan, not the home of a 63 year old woman and 25 year resident. Faced with Captain Snelling yelling at her and waving a letter saying that her stay of eviction had been denied and a combat rifle pointed directly at her, Ms. Donahue found herself shocked, but
also angry that someone would so unnecessarily point a gun at her in her home. She told him something to the effect of don’t point that thing at me, which enraged him.”
“What happened next should chill the blood of anyone reading. Faced with a 63 year old woman
directing him to not point a gun at her and saying it was unnecessary, the SWAT team member picked Ms. Donahue up and threw her to the kitchen floor.”
Sahara’s home is still empty, Sahara recently stated, “Since the eviction, I have been monitoring the websites for the listing of my property on Bill Bateman's Stonegate Realty website. Bill being the listing Realtor for U.S. Bank/Vericrest Financial who orchestrated the violent militant Swat Team action that fateful day on Oct. 30, 2012, interestingly, it never appeared there.”
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