Context
The challenges we face feel big. Following the 2024 election it's not surprising that it may feel like the possibility for positive change is distant and daunting. Taken together, the ideas in this document do not pretend to be a magic wand to whisk all threats away. However, we assert that politics do shift in ways that can flip what feels fixed and insurmountable. The pace and direction in which this happens is impacted when people come together to defend against threats or demand change.
We offer this tool towards that goal - for everyday people to accelerate change for the common good. Though many of the problems we face are structural and have origin points far away from our local communities, it is possible to fight back from where we live and on our terms. By uplifting innovative and impactful strategies groups have carried out across the country, this document aims to spark inspiration and support in the creation of local campaigns or initiatives that meaningfully engage communities to solve the problems that matter to them.
It's important to elaborate on the challenges noted above in order to understand the trends and current conditions we must account for. Communities have been devastated by cycles of climate catastrophes happening with increasing frequency, even while facing economic booms for the few and busts for the rest of us. The global rise of inflation and price gouging only exacerbates longstanding issues of low wages and lack of good jobs which, combined with high interest rates and debilitating debt, make it harder to make ends meet, to access medical care or a higher education. Globally we have endured a once in a century pandemic while war and genocide continue.
At many levels of government, but particularly at the federal level, we witness a stalemate between political parties. This erodes the public’s belief in the pledges made by candidates during election season and in the sense that government can be a force for good. Doubt is further justified when bold solutions to reform our health care, criminal or educational systems are obstructed despite public support – especially when the influence of corporate money in politics, bureaucracy, or the adherence policies that protect the rich is clear for all to see. Part of the stalemate we see at the governmental level can also be attributed to the growing belief that the conventional political and economic doctrines are increasingly falling short globally.
All of this gives rise to uncertainty and a fervent desire for change with nowhere to go, and these pockets of circumstance give rise to leaders who pledge to ‘fix it’ at all costs and rhetoric that lays blame at the feet of those easiest to charge with it. There are those who want change, and then there are those who are entrenched to resist it. There are those who want to reinforce the racial hierarchy, closeted sexuality and rigid norms of gender. In the face of a country that is changing demographically and socially these folks are poised to take positions of power following the most recent election.
Over the last several years, those in power have shown a willingness to bend, break and ultimately change the rules. We see this in the process to remake the Supreme Court, and in the pre-emption laws at the state level that smother any progressive policies in municipalities. And we will see more and more examples of it. This is a reality we will have to account for. Regardless, the prospect of waiting for someone else to fix it, or for the problem to go away without our participation, is the slowest path to change.
It is necessary to approach these political realities with new ideas and strategies that grow our capacity for organization and mobilization, and that deepen our analyses. Politics as usual is unlikely to yield the change we see, in particular, an approach that doesn’t authentically relate and walk with community. This includes how we communicate and collaborate. It involves taking a fresh look at campaign demands, tactics and strategies. As we look for new ways to come together and fight together, it doesn’t mean we should disengage from local policy fights and the kinds of negotiation and compromise that might be required of us. There are different ways of building local power, and policy is one of them that we must connect to other tactics.
The local is not just a physical space, but also a place where we live, where we relate, and where we can begin to build new alternatives to live better. Therefore, it is urgent that like-minded and/or like-interested people and groups work together to re/build a liberatory political project that comes from the people.
While the number of issues impacting our communities is larger and more interconnected than what is covered here, our intention is for this offering to be a starting point for further strategizing. Because we know that the local conditions look different on the ground throughout the US and Puerto Rico, this is also not meant to be a prescriptive or one size fits all model. Instead we hope this toolkit will support your creative process as we continue to come together to organize, make demands, and challenge our different cities and local governments to do much more.
