Cornel West arrested at Supreme Court protest

Occupy Boston protesters, joined by activist Cornell West (center, holding sign) march through the financial district in Boston, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. / AP Photo

WASHINGTON — Author, commentator, civil rights activist and Princeton University professor Cornel West has been arrested while protesting on the steps of the Supreme Court about corporate influence in politics.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman says 19 people were arrested Sunday afternoon after they refused to leave the grounds of the court.

Ann Wilcox, an attorney and legal adviser to the protesters, says West was among those arrested. West attended the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall before joining the October 2011 Stop the Machine protest in Washington's Freedom Plaza.

The protest is marking 10 years since the start of the war in Afghanistan and has an anti-war and anti-corporate greed message.

West is a well-known left-leaning academic whose books include "Race Matters" and "Democracy Matters."

West also recently got into a TV spat with presidential candidate Herman Cain, telling Cain to "get off the symbolic crack pipe," according to The Los Angeles Times.

Below watch video of West's arrest:

[helmyelsaid]

Popular movement for reform

[helmyelsaid]

Popular movement for reform

[FL_Son]

Prof. West is a real American treasure. Thank you for trying to doing something, anything, about our totally sold out supreme court.
James
Occupy Miami

[skithebumps]

West knows that if you commit the crime you'll have to do the time.

[Smokey75]

by spengolf October 17, 2011 9:55 AM EDT
In the decision made by the Supreme Court in 2007 2008 The Roberts Court gave corporations unfettered power in campaign fundraising which has opened the door to a beast that can feed unchecked on our political system. I do agree with you that a constitutional amendment should be added to our Constitution corporations have been granted too much power by a court system that has placed themselves above our executive and legislative body in our country and to Smokey 75 unions are nonprofit organization corporations are not. They all for-profit organizations.


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Since when are unions nonprofit? To funny liberals are against freedom of speech unless it is speech they want to hear or agree with.

So there is a simple solution that will appease the liberals. If Unions should have an unlimited voice in our politics because they are "Non Profit". Then every corporation should just give their money to a nonprofit organization who then goes out and voices their opinion on politics and lobbies as they see fit. Problem solved! Right?

[doneinone]

Cornell missin sum teef, he be smokin his carck pipe to long.

[spengolf]

What is truly amazing about the OWS demonstration in New York City and around the world a First Amendment privilege. And yet these people are being arrested for walking onto public property that taxpayers has paid for and is part of the public way. It is not private, or solely owned by one individual. And yet what Wall Street bankers,investors lending institutions has taken public money and is yet to show any gratitude by helping this president and Congress map any type of strategy to overcome this sluggish economy. Many of these investors and lending institutions was guilty of gross negligence in their business practices, and we have yet to see any of them arrested or brought to trial. This should clearly show the American public that our court system is bought and paid for by the wealthiest 1% of our nation

[kesac4650]

They are only being arrested because they insist on being arrested. Freedom of speech has its limits when it intrudes on the rights of others. Just as does the right to peacably assemble.

[indigenarojo]

Proposed amendment to the US Constitution:

Corporations are not people and do not enjoy the rights of people.

[Smokey75]

One question what is a corporation made up of? Corporations are made up of the same thing unions are. PEOPLE! So do you agree unions should be silenced along with corporations?

[spengolf]

In the decision made by the Supreme Court in 2007 2008 The Roberts Court gave corporations unfettered power in campaign fundraising which has opened the door to a beast that can feed unchecked on our political system. I do agree with you that a constitutional amendment should be added to our Constitution corporations have been granted too much power by a court system that has placed themselves above our executive and legislative body in our country and to Smokey 75 unions are nonprofit organization corporations are not. They all for-profit organizations

[slappy-mcjohnson]

When the SCOTUS and Republican candidates start referring to corporations as "people", "We the People" doesn't mean quite as much.

Corporations have access to huge quantities of cash. Even Bill Gates and Warren Buffett together can't touch their collective wealth.

What it comes down to is that I am against ALL PRIVATE CAMPAIGN DONATIONS. Make our pols run on limited public funds, and shorten the campaign cycle to 2 or 3 months as other first-world countries do so that our politicians might actually WORK instead of posturing!

Term limits - No private campaign donations - Shorten campaign cycles

[AAnnie52]

Yes, yes, yes - and term limits. If the President is limited to 8 years max, there is no earthly reason why a member of Congress should serve one day longer. And they should be barred from lobbying after leaving office by the same number of years served.

[TexFandango]

Cornell West is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with tenure in our universities.

[sandiegopete]

You have succinctly stated a basic position of the rulers of our country: the only people who should be allowed to teach at universities are those that agree with a dictatorship by the 1%.