Occupy groups branch out

Occupy and (un)Occupy Albuquerque groups may have left Yale Park, but the movement is alive in Albuquerque.

In fact, at least three new Occupy movements have sprouted in Albuquerque as spinoffs of Occupy Albuquerque and the ongoing national Occupy movements that took to the streets in September to protest corporate greed.

Move to Amend is a national volunteer coalition that seeks to change the Constitution to strip corporations of the same First Amendment rights as people, which were articulated by the 2010 Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Move to Amend created the Occupy the Courts protests, which took place across the nation on Friday, to decry the case.

Tom Dent organized the protest in Albuquerque, and more than 30 protesters gathered outside the Pete V. Domenici Federal Courthouse for the protest. He said the protest aims to educate the public about the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Citizens United is the keystone of the arc of total corporate control of our government,” he said. “It messes with our First Amendment rights.”

Protesters could be heard chanting, “We are the 99 percent, we know where all the jobs went.”

Protesters have referred to themselves as the “99 percent” since the Occupy movement began on Wall Street. The phrase refers to the imbalanced distribution of wealth in the United States.

Albuquerque City Counselor Rey Garduño and County Commissioner Mary Hart Stebbins also attended the protest.

Protester Veronica Egan said it is imperative that Supreme Court decision be overturned.

“We can’t afford to compete with the unlimited contributions of the special interests,” she said.

Protesters from Albuquerque also took part in the statewide Occupy the Roundhouse movement last Tuesday, the first day of the 2012 New Mexico legislative session. The group plans to have an active presence at the Roundhouse during this year’s legislative session to protect the interests of local business.

Occupy the Roundhouse protesters hope to encourage legislators to support legislation that allows small, local businesses to compete with national corporations.

Albuquerque protesters have also joined another Occupy organization known as Occupy Oral History, a project that began in London and aims to record the experiences of Occupy protesters around the world.