A $32,400 per-person dinner. That's more than many Americans make in a year. Some might think it's enough to protest on the sheer grounds of absurdity.

However, this wasn't just an exorbitant New York City dinner for the rich and powerful. This was a fundraiser for the Republican National Committee. Hosted by billionaires Woody and Suzanne Johnson, owners of the New York Jets and heirs to Johnson & Johnson Co., the Oct. 6 dinner brought in such GOP stars as Mitt Romney, Chris Christie and Rand Paul.

It seems almost too perfectly staged that the dinner took place at the Trump International Hotel and Tower. But everything about the GOP and their fancy fans seems to speak these days to a well-oiled machine of comic-book evil dealings.

To be fair, the GOP isn't the only shadowy character operating with dark money. Many Democrats also have "For Sale" signs on their principles and office doors. But lately the GOP has been pushing extra hard for their 1 percenters, kicking dust in the face of their supposed "average American" voter base.

Consider the Republicans' recent rich history of pro-corruption legislation – from killing minimum wage, equal pay and veteran assistance, to the recent united stance they took against proposed Senate resolution SJR19 to overturn Citizens United.

What sort of trickle-down can be expected from corporate tax cuts and ludicrously priced events such as the one held last week? The "working class," after all, is one of the GOP's go-to talking points. But take a look at this dinner and the juxtaposition between working class and Republican Party goals look like night and day.

It was this hypocritical, corrupt GOP playbook that activists sought to highlight when they staged a sit-in at the RNC dinner last Monday. Chaining themselves to the stairs in front of Trump Hotel and Tower, 99Rise activists Kai Newkirk and Curt Ries set out to raise awareness about the increasing inequality in our political system.

“We wanted to take action to dramatize that betrayal of the American people,” explained Newkirk, co-founder and organizer of 99Rise, “and show that we will resist and attempt to disrupt or at least expose pro-corruption politicians' ability to raise big money.”

After about 45 minutes, NYPD officers removed Newkirk and Ries with the help of bolt cutters. It was precisely what the pair had expected and indeed hoped for. As police blocked off the immediate area, passersby were able to engage with other 99Rise activists who were there to support the sit-in.

Newkirk said the officers were “frustrated but professional” and that he and Ries were able to speak to them about their protest and the larger movement to get money out of politics.

“In 99Rise we always make the point to try to reach to police and organize them – or to plant the seed and show that we are fighting for them and their families as part of the 99%," added Newkirk. "This always leads to some meaningful conversations.”

Ries and Newkirk were taken to jail where they spent that night and much of the next day engaging with prisoners, whom Newkirk noted were “feeling the weight of the new Jim Crow.” Prior to their release, the pair accepted what's called an adjudication contemplating dismissal deal – which strikes the charges against them if they agree not to break the law for the next six months.

When I asked him whether he thought he could stick to the agreement, Newkirk admitted he wasn't sure. “We're evaluating options on this front because we don't want to limit ourselves from additional action on our own initiative and timeframe,” he said.

His answer isn't surprising, considering this action was just one in a series of ongoing events organized and carried out by 99Rise in its push to advance the larger aim of getting money out of politics via a Constitutional Amendment.

“To end political corruption and inequality and establish real democracy in the U.S., we have to win a Constitutional Amendment and federal legislation,” said Newkirk.

A Growing Movement

This has rapidly become the stance of many political organizations, including Move to Amend, Money Out/Voters In, Common Cause and Public Citizen. Furthermore, the issue of money in politics is of global concern – as Lawrence Lessig, political activist and Harvard law professor, says, it's not a matter of “left vs. right but insiders vs. outsiders.”

Indeed, Lessig's own campaigns, including MayDay PAC and the New Hampshire Rebellion, bring people together from all sides of the political spectrum to confront candidates and demand systemic change to the corruption in DC.

This approach is also a point of focus for 99Rise – which isn't limiting its civil disobedience to the Grand Old Party crowd.

“Actions are happening or happened at Obama-headlined DNC fundraisers in LA and San Francisco, calling on the President to step up and take leadership on this issue,” Newkirk said, because “corruption is not a partisan issue.”

In fact, following Newkirk's Ries's arrest last week, 99Rise activists staged a protest and rally at an Oct. 10 fundraiser dinner for Obama in San Francisco – also interestingly priced at $32,000 a head.

“Obama's leading the charge to raise big money but not in the fight to change the rules of the political funding game to make democracy work for everyone who can't pay thousands of dollars to dine with our supposed representatives,” Newkirk continued.

99Rise is considering further public actions leading up to the primaries, as well as large scale protests and civil disobedience next year.

“We may do a fast to mobilize people to vote [this November] for pro-democracy candidates – those who have demonstrated support for constitutional or legislative reform to end big money political corruption,” he added.

“As for next year, we are still developing our plans but they will likely involve a multi-day march to Washington, DC, followed by several days of occupation and mass civil disobedience at the Capitol if we can garner pledges from 5,000 to 10,000 people to participate. Call it a 'Kickstarter for Mass Nonviolent Action,'” he said smiling.

Like artful activism, their loud and peaceful demonstration of dissent is something Newkirk and his fellow organizers take proudly from American history.

“Progress on the fundamental democratic struggles of American history has always included the essential step of escalating nonviolent action that dramatizes injustice, disrupts the status quo, and creates a crisis that ultimately forces change.”

img_16051_1.jpg