Stationed on the street and in the sky, hundreds of demonstrators descended upon David Koch’s sprawling beach-front estate on Sunday, to protest the billionaire’s $50,000 a plate fundraiser for Governor Mitt Romney.
A broad coalition of groups from across the region came out to scenic Southampton Village, including the Long Island Progressive Coalition, Occupy Wall Street, MoveOn, Occupy the Hamptons, Strong Economy for All Coalition,Occupy the East End, SEIU, Long Island Jobs with Justice, United NY, Greenpeace, Suffolk Peace Network, Occupy Huntingdon, NY Communities for Change, Align NY and Art Not War.
After marching towards David Koch’s house at 880 Meadow Lane, the demonstrators gathered on the sides of the only road that can reach the mansion, holding signs and making noise as fundraiser attendees drove past. While the protest grew on the ground, a plane flying behind the Koch estate carrying the banner “Mitt Romney Has a Koch Problem” guaranteed that even the attendees behind Koch’s gates would be confronted with the demonstration.
“We’re tired of seeing our backyard be used to raise money which is then used like a weapon against regular people like us” said Lisa Tyson, Director of the Long Island Progressive Coalition. “David Koch has done everything in his power to erode the few protections that we have for workers, for the environment and for clean elections. We may not be able to stop the fundraiser, but we can make sure that it’s clear to everyone who attends: if you’re siding with David Koch, you’re standing against the 99%”
Citing the ever-growing and pervasive influence of Koch Industries’ money on the electoral system, the protestors declared “Romney’s has a Koch Problem”, noting the list of ultra conservative causes that David Koch(pronounced “coke”) had given his backing to. In describing Romney’s “Koch problem”, the demonstrators laid out some of the most repugnant causes that Koch has supported:
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David Koch, through his group Americans for Prosperity, has spent nearly $11 million to help Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s anti-union and anti-public education agenda.
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David Koch has spent millions fighting against expanded healthcare access, through Americans for Prosperity and has bought intentionally deceptive ad space to confuse voters on the facts surrounding expanded healthcare initiatives.
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The Koch brothers have given nearly $100 million to right-wing think tanks, so they can push their regressive policies on legislators in both Washington and across the country.
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The Koch brothers have spent millions supporting Citizens United, a court ruling which opened the floodgates for corporations to have unlimited influence on elections.
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The Koch Brothers are one of the nation’s biggest funders of efforts to prevent reductions in fossil fuel use. They actively spend to defend the interests of Koch Industries which has grossed billions for the Koch Brothers despite having more than 300 spills in 6 states, and one of the largest fines ever imposed upon a US corporation.
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David and Charles Koch have donated at the very least $1.5 million dollars to the controversial American Legislative Exchange Counsel (ALEC), authors of the infamous “Stand Your Ground” law which emboldened Trayvon Martin’s killer George Zimmerman. David and Charles Koch have continued to support ALEC as the group continues to draft model legislation to maximize Koch profits.
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In 2000, David and Charles Koch’ company was indicted on criminal charges related to the dumping of 91 tons of liquid benzene, a chemical linked to childhood leukemia, into a stream in Corpus Christie, Texas. After successfully lobbying the newly appointed Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001 David and Charles reduced their criminal counts to a $350 million dollar fine for falsifying documents related to the dumping.
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In 2011 David & Charles Koch pledged to donate $100 million dollars to whoever runs against president Obama and expanded their promise by saying they would fundraise 10 times that of the Obama campaign.
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David Koch has spent $3.6 million on misleading ads blaming specific government officials for high gasoline prices despite knowing that the governing bodies that regulate prices are autonomous from any political group in the United States.
