We The People are like hamsters on the wheel, running endlessly, but rarely if ever gaining ground. Does the following scenario seem all too familiar to you? Your city/county/state has scheduled a public hearing to ascertain public opinion on a proposed corporate development that will dramatically impact the health, safety and welfare of your human and other [...]
Reflections on Community Rights from Rural America is a monthly column by CR activist and organizer Curt Hubatch. Curt is an unschooling father of two young children and one young adult. Currently he works as a substitute rural letter carrier for the USPS. He lives in a cordwood house that he built with his wife, [...]
This editorial by Chad Nicholson was published in Penn Live on August 21, 2019. Recently, the Pennsylvania State Legislature undermined the discretion of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. In July language was slipped into the state budget to give the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro powers to circumvent Krasner’s discretion in prosecuting gun laws. Backlash [...]
Court battle over rights for Michindoh Aquifer ballot initiative heads to Ohio Supreme Court. The press release by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund was published on August 21st, 2019. BRYAN, OH: Officials from Williams County are stonewalling a proposed Community Rights county ballot initiative that would prevent corporate privatization of the Michindoh Aquifer, the sole [...]
Thomas Linzey, Esq., Senior Counsel for the nonprofit Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), will be in Duluth, Minnesota to hold a Rights of Nature workshop. Details below: This one-day workshop will provide an overview of the movement in the United States and abroad to recognize legally enforceable rights for ecosystems. The workshop will focus [...]
A new motion from the City of Toledo cites ‘fatal’ flaws in the corporate lawsuit against LEBOR. Petitioners file amicus brief supporting the City This media release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on August 13th, 2019. TOLEDO, OH: The City of Toledo has exposed serious errors and misrepresentations in Drewes Farms Partnership’s [...]
From preventing toxic algae blooms to banning aerial pesticide spraying, the fight for local control over environmental decisions elevates the rights of nature as a key step in the larger community rights movement. This article by Valerie Vande Panne appeared in Next City on August 12, 2019. I've been following articles and news updates on [...]
Patrick Farnsworth interviews Will Falk about his newly released book "How Dams Fall" and other essential Community Rights topics on his Last Born in the Wilderness podcast. It was published on July 29th, 2019. Below is the description of the interview. In this episode I speak with lawyer and radical environmental activist Will Falk. In [...]
A recent federal court ruling in favor of a cellphone radiation disclosure law for the City of Berkeley highlights the tug-of-war between states and municipalities as state lawmakers increasingly block local democracy for the benefit of corporations. This article by Ben Price was published on Truthout July 31st, 2019. In 2015, the City of Berkeley, [...]
Tactics to keep duly-qualified citizen ballot measures off local ballots raise constitutional concerns in Ohio and Washington. This press release was published by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund on July 22, 2019. MERCERSBURG, PA: Residents petitioning for municipal laws to expand human, civil, and ecosystem rights, while governing corporate activities, are facing administrative run-arounds, legal [...]
