On February 29th, 2012, a group consisting of members belonging to various local branches of the Occupy Wall St movement joined forces to conduct a demonstration outside of Pfizerʼs headquarters in Groton, CT. This demonstration was carried out in conjunction with a nationwide movement of local OWS branches picketing outside whatever local manifestation of the corporate-legislative complex existed in their region. The stated purpose of this demonstration was to call attention to the presence and practices of the super-mega-lobbying firm known as ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council). ALEC enables large multinational corporations to pool resources and hire highly skilled lobbying firms (who usually have former public servants in their employ) with the explicit purpose of drafting legislation designed to further enrich and empower the corporate overlords and their minions.

The protest in Groton was well-planned, even down to the arrests. A source close to the organizers explained that the organizers notified the police about a contingent of the group who chose to exercise an act of civil disobedience. While the organizers and police did not discuss the numbers explicitly, they agreed on protocols and established a policy of non-violence on both sides of the thin blue line.

The group gathered at Eastern Point Beach between eight and nine a.m. By ten the group had moved down the street and begun to circumnavigate the campus. While the five mile circumference was a bit more than some had anticipated, all went well. By quarter past noon, the protestors completed the lap and coalesced by the main gate. At that time, their civilly disobedient contingent stepped forward to cross the thin blue line that Pfizer and the Groton City Police had established as the boundary between a lawful demonstration zone and trespassing on private property. As those arrested were packed into the back of the paddywagon, four or five of the females in that contingent sang songs of solidarity and laughed as the doors closed.

For more information on ALEC and the OWS movement against the firm, please click on the link below: