Politics & Government

Occupy and Good Neighbor Coalition March to Walmart

The group participated in Shut Down the Corporations National Day of Action, a nationwide occupy effort to protest members of the American Legislative Exchange Council. The Redlands group protested in front of Walmart on Wednesday.

Occupy Redlands took aim at corporate greed by protesting against Walmart on Wednesday as part of “Shut Down the Corporations,” National Day of Action.

More than 40 Occupiers and members of the Redlands Good Neighbor Coalition took part. They waved signs and chanted, “We want real jobs, not low wages” as they walked directly in front of the retailer’s glass doors.

Similar protests took place across the country. Occupy movements protested corporate members of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. Occupy Redlands focused their protest Walmart, a corporate member of the council, primarily because it is pushing to build a Supercenter in the city, which could have a big impact on the community, protestors said.

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ALEC's membership is made up of mostly conservative politicians and businessmen. The council's website describes it as a nonpartisan membership association for “conservative state lawmakers who shared a common belief in limited government, free markets, federalism, and individual liberty.”

ALEC’s members create model legislation they eventually present to legislators.

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“Unfortunately, this legislation ends up being very anti-environment, very anti-worker, very anti-union,” said Keith Jackson, committee member with Occupy Redlands. “It’s not really in the best interest of people, but certainly it’s in the interest of the corporations funding ALEC.”

The national day of action was a way to introduce the public to some of the members of ALEC and what their legislation is doing.

“ALEC is literally completely antithetical to everything we stand for,” said Sean McDuffee Occupy Redlands committee member. “We say get money out of politics and their whole job is putting politicians in the same room with people with money. I mean that’s why they exist.”

Occupiers waved signs from the sidewalk along Redlands Boulevard before walking past the store’s front doors as patrons walked by. The Walmart staff stood outside and watched the protestors carefully during the demonstration.


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