National group against corporate personhood grows stronger in Ohio

***BY ABU ZAFAR***

In their own words, Move to Amend is a “coalition of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individuals committed to social and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not corporate interests.”

The group against corporate personhood, the right of some corporations to be recognized as having the same rights as individuals, has gained significant ground in Ohio. In the 2014 elections this past November, Chagrin Falls and Mentor both voted in favor of resolutions asking Congress to reverse the ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission. This Supreme Court decision in 2010 gave corporations the right to fund and participate in elections.

Chagrin Falls and Mentor join other communities in Ohio that have passed similar initiatives. Brecksville, Newburgh Heights, Defiance and Cleveland Heights have all called on Congress to amend the Constitution. Greg Coleridge, coordinator for Move to Amend in Ohio, said there are currently 16 local branches of the organization at various communities in the state. Six of these have passed legislation or resolutions and 10 plan on bringing the issue to ballots in 2015.

Becky Thomas from Chagrin Falls and Dave Lima from Mentor talked to Greg Coleridge about public response to the Move to Amend initiatives in an American Friends Service Committee podcast the day after the elections:

Listen to the full 30-minute podcast here.

One of the newest branches is located in Stow, created by Anthony Hancovsky in June. The group had a public meeting last week, where they watched the documentary Heist: Who Stole the American Dream and discussed the ballot initiative. Hancovsky said the group is still small, only about five or six committed members, but he hopes to gather a following as more meetings and events are planned in the upcoming year.

The organization’s growth is, “certainly reassuring and positive” but there is still a very long way to go, said Michael Greenman of the Columbus branch.

Columbus is not one of the six communities that passed any sort of initiative, and has yet to bring any legislation to the ballot. Greenman said the group has had a more difficult time with city council than some of the other branches, and Columbus’ high population makes it harder to meet the high signature requirement for a petition.

Greenman said the bottom line is to garner enough support in enough states nationwide to bring the issue to Congress. Every small victory, like those in Chagrin Falls and Mentor, help in reaching that goal:

“The more states that pass legislation or resolutions…all contribute to an understanding of the problem.”

Colergidge said over 600 communities around the nation have spoken out against corporate personhood. Move to Amend’s strategy is to focus on the local level and start a grassroots movement, before taking the issue to state and federal levels.

“People are realizing our country is broken because our country is fixed,” said Coleridge, explaining how the current system is “fixed” to support corporations.

With the elections over and the new year on the horizon, many of the branches will be meeting during the holidays to plan for 2015. The Shaker Heights branch is holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. in the library where leaders from the Mentor, Brecksville, Cleveland Heights and Chagrin Falls branches will speak and hold a Q&A session. Members will strategize and plan for a ballot initiative campaign plan in Shaker Heights for 2015.