Hundreds Protest Outside Koch Brothers' Retreat

Nearly a thousand protesters rallied against two major conservative backers at a California resort yesterday, slamming “corporate greed” as they chanted and waved signs. The Rancho Las Palmas resort was the site of a meeting of top conservatives held by the Koch brothers, who run the country’s second-biggest private company and fund libertarian and Tea Party initiatives. Wealthy donors are “drowning us out,” said a protester. “Their voices are louder.”

The protest was largely peaceful but ended after 25 demonstrators were arrested for trespassing. Protesters focused on a Supreme Court decision allowing corporations to give directly to political campaigns, the Los Angeles Times reports. The decision means “it's not who you vote for, it's how much money you've got,” said an activist. The Kochs’ meeting—attended by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor among other elected officials, political donors, and strategists—sought to fight the federal deficit and help “grow our economy,” said a rep. Click for more on the Koch brothers.
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