Protecting the Rights of People & Nature From the Local Up  
Hi,

Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep up with the rapid growth that Community Rights US is experiencing. And we are managing all of it with the tiniest of budgets devoted to actual wages. 

We truly believe that we are on to something big  - helping increasing numbers of people from across the US to discover a history they never knew - one that encourages folks to feel hopeful for a change - that something actually CAN be done to end the travesty of corporate personhood and other corporate constitutional “rights” that has so devastated our country - socially, culturally and ecologically. 

It’s not inevitable  that corporations get to exercise constitutional “rights” over We The People. In fact, for our nation’s first century, business corporations had only the privileges granted to them in their charters, and those charters were filled with requirements and prohibitions that kept their directors on VERY short leashes. We can bring these laws back.

It’s not inevitable  that corporations are given regulatory permits that make it entirely legal for them to poison our air, food and water; to destroy our local economies; and to mistreat their employees. In fact, for our nation’s first century, corporations were required to serve one specific social need and to cause no harm. We can bring these laws back.

It’s not inevitable  that the directors of huge corporations are insulated from being held personally liable for the harms and debts caused by their corporation. In fact, there was no such thing as limited liability for corporate directors or shareholders during our nation’s entire first century. We can bring these laws back.

It’s not inevitable  that corporations can drown our elections with unlimited amounts of money. In fact, corporate interference in elections was entirely prohibited until the Supreme Court’s Buckley v. Valeo decision in 1976. Money = Speech, the Supremes claimed. We can bring these laws back.

It’s not inevitable  that state legislatures can preempt local governments from passing laws that protect a community’s health, safety and welfare. In fact, the American Revolution was substantially based on the demand for the right of local community self-government. It was written right into our first state constitutions, until the ruling elite tossed that language out through state constitutional amendments. We can bring these laws back.

The above list is just the tip of the iceberg of a history most of us no longer know, but one that it is essential that we learn if we are to successfully end corporate rule in this country!

And with every donation that YOU - our faithful supporters - make to our gutsy and essential educational and organizing work - we can continue to expand our reach.  Please consider becoming one of our monthly donors.  Just $5 or $10 or $25/month can make a huge difference in our efforts, and it’s tax deductible!


Corporate power exists as a house of cards.   It’s way less stable than it looks.

It was built incrementally, primarily via the US Supreme Court granting one new constitutional “right” after another to business corporations, starting in 1819, exactly 200 years ago.
And once We The People understand this history, we can begin to incrementally dismantle this house of cards.

It’s hard work, but so much more impactful and empowering than simply resisting one corporate harm at a time. And 200 communities in twelve states are already well on their way to tossing that house of cards into history's rubbish heap.
Here’s a brief overview of our current leading edge work to bring this story to a larger audience:

* This Spring, we will be  bringing local elected officials together  from throughout rural Wisconsin and Iowa to discuss ways to build solidarity between their local communities, so that as one community takes the necessary deep dive into passing a Community Rights ordinance, other communities can pass identical ordinances to more rapidly build public awareness, or to offer their financial support in case of a lawsuit.
* We are about to launch a Community Rights Curriculum Team that will produce a comprehensive  Study Guide  that anyone can use to start an ongoing group in preparation for launching a Community Rights public campaign.

* Two months ago, we published the first-ever comprehensive and searchable database of existing  Community Rights ordinances  from across the US. Is YOUR town, city or county ready to consider such a campaign to protect yourselves from harmful corporate activities? Our new database is a great place to learn about the communities that are already tackling your issues of concern.

* In February, we launched our first-ever nationally coordinated year-long series of local events which we have titled, Roasting 200 Years of Corporate Constitutional “Rights” 1819-2019: See how our rights have been usurped in plain sight… and learn how we can take back local control! ”. We want YOU to consider hosting one of these events in your community sometime during this Bicentennial year.
* We have produced a captioned photography exhibit titled, “ Hidden in Plain Sight ”, exploring the myriad of ways that business corporations exercise their constitutional “rights” everywhere under our very noses.

YOU could host this exhibit in your own community’s library or community center or coffeehouse or gallery or college campus. It has already appeared in numerous communities in Iowa, Wisconsin and Oregon. Find out more  HERE.
* And if you haven’t already done so, please start making a regular visit to our  homepage  where you will be thrilled to discover our always-current national updates on all the  news and analysis about and from the Community Rights movement .

We are doing all of this mostly with a few beloved volunteers and active Board members and a tiny paid staff. We need YOU to  volunteer with us , or to  make a tax-deductible donation , or to offer us your spare  frequent flyer miles . Thanks in advance!
All my best,
Paul Cienfuegos
Founding Director,

PS. I will be back in the Midwest once again during the entire month of May and early June. It’s not too early to let me know if you want me to visit your Midwest community this Spring! Or anywhere in the US. I’m here to serve YOU.
Reflections on Community Rights
from Rural America
The Difference You Make May Surprise You
by Curt Hubatch

[Note: We're running a new CRUS 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, family, and friends in Northwestern Wisconsin.]

It's the day after the Lake Erie Bill of Rights vote in Toledo, Ohio. Voters overwhelming declared the Great Lake is worthy of having its own Bill of Rights.

It's a major step forward for the Rights of Nature and Community Rights movements in The United States and beyond.

To the north, the Washburn County Community Rights Alliance whose meeting I facilitate, has come together for another gathering. We've been meeting most Wednesday evenings for two years now.

I assume everyone there knew about the landmark Toledo vote. But something told me I better ask just in case. I had an article in mind to read aloud in case there was interest. And there was plenty of interest... the excited kind!
I was surprised they hadn't heard the news out of Toledo in this day and age of instant information.

So we abandoned the original agenda and basked in the satisfaction of reading part of the article out loud.

We ended the reading with a powerful quote from  The Toledo Social Justice Subcommittee of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests  praising the landmark vote. One of the members of our group, Father Jim, a local Catholic Priest, is passionate about Pope Francis' call for climate and environmental justice. After some questions and comments we moved on with our meeting.

What happened next is what reminds me that we never know what a difference we might be making.... [ READ MORE ]
Essential CR News from the Web
Want the latest News & Analysis from and about the Community Rights Movement? CLICK HERE

Want to access all archived articles? CLICK HERE

Want to help further the work of Community Rights US?

Your tax deductible donation goes a long way to fund our efforts. Please give generously.
Did a friend forward you this email? Join our mailing list , and join the Community Rights US momentum.

Please also forward this to family, friends, and colleagues who may be interested. Thanks!