Portland, ME calls for end to corporate personhood

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The city of Portland, Maine joined other cities across the nation in supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing corporate personhood.

The Portland City Council voted 6 to 2 in support of a nonbinding resolution calling on Maine’s congressional delegation to support such an amendment, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The resolution was proposed in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, which held that corporations had the same First Amendment rights as people. The ruling allowed outside groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on political advertising, as long as they were not directly coordinated with a candidate’s campaign.

City Councilor Marshall said the local “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration inspired him to submit the resolution. The “Occupy Maine” protesters began camping out in Monument Square in October, calling for progressive taxes, re-regulation of financial institutions and an end to corporate personhood.

Mayor Michael Brennan, along with councilors David Marshall, Kevin Donoghue, John Anton, Jill Duson and Nicholas M. Mavodones Jr., supported the resolution, with councilors Cheryl Leeman and John Coyne opposed.

Los Angeles, CA; Oakland, CA; New York City, NY; Albany, NY; Missoula, MO; Boulder, CO and South Miami, FL have all passed similar resolutions.

[H/T: Alex Seitz-Wald]