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To mark the one-year anniversary of the landmark Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which changed the makeup of campaign financing, local politicians and city groups rallied Friday for a somber, yet optimistic “Wake for Democracy.”

The South Central Wisconsin Move to Amend and the Liberty Tree organizations co-hosted the rally to oppose the decision and to raise spirits for an upcoming referendum that would take a step toward canceling the decision.

The January 2010 decision mandates that corporations have the same rights as citizens concerning free speech under the protection of the First Amendment and money is a protected form of free speech that cannot be restricted.

A collection of nearly 50 protesters gathered at the Capitol steps for a mock mourning of the death of democracy because of the Supreme Court decision, which allows unlimited corporate backing of independent political broadcasts involving elections.

Co-Chair of SCWMA and University of Wisconsin graduate student Kaja Rebane said the organization is upset by the decision because it is difficult to conceive a corporation as a real person.

The rally represented its own expression of personhood as a crowd of nearly 100 people participated in a funeral procession to Broach’s Irish Pub carrying a simple wooden coffin. A group of women dressed in funeral attire also participated in the procession.

Community members who participated in the procession shared stories about grievances and anecdotes about their political involvement and how the decision has affected them.

“The event is meant to raise spirits,” Rebane said. “There is a lot of education that needs to be done, and once the gravity of this decision is understood we can begin fixing it.”

A group of mourners wailing lamentations in Broach’s Pub led to speakers sharing their stories and keeping a festive and positive attitude for the upcoming referendum.

UW student and active member of SCWMA Mindy Preston spoke at both the rally and the funeral procession.

“The coffin represents the idea that democracy is dead or dying, and SCWMA is representing and beginning the steps for its revival,” Preston said.

Citizens United is recognized on the federal level and can only be overturned by another Supreme Court decision or an amendment to the Constitution.

Rebane said amending the Constitution is an important and necessary step in correcting the decision that to hold regulation of corporate spending on elections is not limiting their free speech.

Voting in favor of the referendum will be a first step in repealing the decision and will push Wisconsin into the national movement to do so, Rebane said.

The City Council voted Jan. 18 to place the referendum against corporate personhood on the April 5 ballot.

Organizations are required to collect 16,000 signatures before entering their cause on a ballot referendum. The City Council passed the referendum because SCWMA could not meet the required amount, falling short with 15,251 signatures.

The referendum will address the issue of whether Madison residents support amending the Constitution to distinguish corporations from people and money from free speech.

In the Jan. 24 issue, Kaja Rebane was improperly identified
as the Co-Sponsor of South Central Wisconsin Move to Amend. She should have
been identified as the Co-Chair of South Central Wisconsin Move to Amend. We regret the error.