Arn Pearson – CMD Exclusive: Why I Chose to Get Arrested in Defense of Our Democracy

On Monday, I joined hundreds of fellow citizens who were arrested as part of a non-violent act of civil disobedience on the steps of our U.S. Capitol.

I stood with people of all ages and all walks of life as part of a growing movement to reclaim an America that guarantees the unimpeded right to vote for all and a government that works for the people instead of the powerful plutocrats.

I was there as someone who has worked for Clean Elections and ethical government for 20 years, and on behalf of my colleagues at the Center for Media and Democracy. CMD serves as a watchdog against corporate influence on democracy and public policy, and it sounded the alarm on the dangerous Citizens United decision of the U.S. Supreme Court six years ago.

CMD was one of a handful of public interest groups that helped launch the movement for a constitutional amendment to repair the severe damage done to our democracy by an activist Court bent on rewriting the First Amendment in a way that allows billionaires and big corporations to drown out the voices and votes of ordinary people.

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