Protecting the Rights of

People & Nature From

the Local Up

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Survey says…

Greetings, and gratitude to all.

Last month, we included a survey in our newsletter. And we got LOTS of great responses – thanks! We will share a few of our favorites here. For now, we won’t share names (because we didn’t ask permission), but we would love to hear from all of you again, so we’ve got a follow- up survey that goes much deeper.

When we asked all you beautiful intelligent people “What is the Community Rights movement?” we received many inspiring visions:

“Community Rights reseats control of the fate of the community into the community by dismantling the preemptive rights of governments, institutions and corporations that have taken that control.”

 

“It’s a bottom up approach to local governance where residents have the power to control their own bioregion”

 

“The movement toward democratic local control, focused on the benefit of people, ecosystems, and local economies.”

 

“Social Responsibility: being truly responsive to the needs and long term goals of the people who live and work here. Environmental Stewardship: […] living in harmony with the planet.”

 

“An open-minded approach to fair, just, communities.”

“When the power of local people can defeat big corporate moves that are harmful to the local environment and economy.”

CRUS works to shift power from corporate America back into the hands of people, where it belongs.”

Most of the responses were similar – we are overjoyed to see the consistency of purpose even as everyone tackles very different local issues! – it’s just so compelling to hear many voices expressing our common vision with different vocabularies and different priorities.

One of the most important findings of our survey was that many of you care deeply about Rights of Nature and want to learn more about that movement which is so closely aligned with Community Rights. We are so glad to hear that! We too have been learning about Rights of Nature, researching and discussing. That topic will surely be featured in future workshops. What else do you all want to learn about? Do tell!!

Solidarity,

Tyler Norman

CRUS Director

Take the August Follow-up Survey:

 

From the Archives:

Is a Truly Sustainable Society Achievable as Long as Corporate “Rights” Trump the Rights of People?

An hour-long speech by Paul Cienfuegos, followed by Q&A, at the Unitarian Church in Portland, Oregon. The speech was broadcast internationally on hundreds of radio stations via Alternative Radio.

You can listen to the February 26, 2010 speech and Q&A HERE or if you’d prefer to read it, click HERE.

Here’s how Oregon radio station KBOO described the talk when it aired 11 years ago:

This is Paul Cienfuegos’ talk on the ascendancy of corporate rights over the rights of people as citizens, and how this trend can be reversed. The assertion of corporate over citizen rights came into sharp focus this January with the Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision which opens the floodgates of unrestricted corporate money into election campaigns, under the guise of free speech. Countering this trend are citizen revolts, many in small communities, which assert the right of the people who live in a community to decide what happens to that community and to its natural environment. Abroad, this movement worked with the government of Ecuador to include in its constitution the inherent rights of nature, its ecosystems, and its genetic heritage.

Essential CR News from the Web

From the Archives: Uncolonizing Our Minds; On the Supreme Court by Richard Grossman

Oregon Community Rights Activists Undeterred by Court’s Validation of Timber’s Toxic Legacy

Chuck O’Neal Pushes Rights Of Nature Across Florida

Should rivers have the same rights as people?

 

Want to help further the work of Community Rights US?

There are many ways to support our work protecting the rights of people and nature. You can donate via PayPal or Action Network! Through this link, you can sign up for one-time or monthly recurring donations quickly and easily. Check it out and consider supporting Community Rights US, so together we can take our country back from corporate rule, and reclaim our rightful authority to govern ourselves (from the local up).

Photo credits: Top two images are from the North Cascades in Washington by Paul Cienfuegos; “Banyan Tree Roots” by moonjazz