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Occupy Beverly Hills: Protesters Plan to Shame Obama's $35k-a-Plate Fundraiser
Event poster image via Occupy 90210
While President Barack Obama rolls into town this evening to attend a swanky $35,800 a plate fundraiser dinner at the private home of a showbiz heavy hitter, about one and a half miles down the way a group of Occupy protesters will be gathering in a park to speak out about "the corrupting role that Big Money plays in politics."Occupy 90210, as tonight's action is called, outlines their objections and focus points and raises several questions:
In the aftermath of the Citizens United decision, it is expected that the 2012 presidential race will cost an unprecedented $2,000,000,000. Furthermore, Obama recently announced that he will accept SuperPAC money, which enables wealthy people and corporations to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns. What does this decision say about our leader? To whom will Obama be accountable? The millions of Americans who are poor, hungry and homeless in this country or the 1% of the population that can afford to spend $35,800 on dinner with the President?
In response to the plight of the hungry, Occupy says they are kicking off their own fundraising efforts to feed the food insecure here in Los Angeles.
"The Occupy movement is not just protesting things, it's actually doing positive things,'' including the Occupy L.A. Food Committee, which seeks to feed the homeless and increase public awareness of food insecurity in the region, event organizer Lauren Steiner told City News Service.
Money raised by Occupy and their supporters will go to the Hunger Action LA's Veggie Voucher program, which doubles the purchasing power of food stamps at farmers' markets. That program grew out of work done by Roots of Change, a statewide collaborative to address food insecurity in California.
What food stamps can buy in terms of fresh food, the Occupy fundraiser hopes to highlight, is far more a pressing concern to the population than how many Hollywoodites can pony up whopping sums of money to support a politician.
"When you think they are charging $35,800 for one dinner, you can feed 17,000 people dinner,'' Steiner said, citing the food bank price of $2 per person for dinner.
Sponsored message
The Occupy 90210 protest will take place from 4-7:30 p.m. today at Will Rogers Memorial Park.
Previously
Fight Hunger & Protect Healthy Eats on Hunger Action Day L.A.
Good Food For All Spotlights L.A.'s Foodshed, Work to Be Done
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