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Kentucky City’s Unusual Experiment In Citizen-Led Governance

Public trust in government is near historic lows. But Americans’ trust in their local government far outweighs trust in the federal government. It’s been this way since the mid-2000s, when the State of the Nation Project began keeping track. Standing on the sidelines of Kentucky’s first civic assembly – and one of the first carried out anywhere in the country – the palpable excitement I saw in that conference room was a far cry from the profound polarization, distrust, skepticism, and fatigue driving American political disengagement.

Detroit Working Class Unites For A Peoples’ City Budget

Detroit—Labor and community groups joined forces in a spontaneous show of solidarity at the Detroit City Council budget meeting on March 30. Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 26 and its president, Schetrone Collier, teamed up with the State of Southwest Coalition (SSWC)—a group fighting for residents of District 6 and immigrant families—to demand a city budget that prioritizes people’s needs over the greed of billionaires. On Monday afternoon, community activists from the SSWC gathered in large numbers in front of the Spirit of Detroit for a press conference ahead of the council meeting.

Detroiters Demand City Council Ban ICE From Communities

Detroit—Demonstrating through the bitter cold, Detroiters rallied at the Spirit of Detroit statue on Tuesday before a City Council meeting to demand an end to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in their communities. The action centered on a resolution submitted by Councilmember Gabriela Santiago-Romero that would prohibit ICE from schools, religious institutions, clinics, and all city property. “If our neighbors are not safe and free, then we are not safe and free,” said Board of Police Commissioner Victoria Camille of District 7, who joined the action. “Immigration status matters should not be handled with masks, guns, chemical spray, battering rams, and handcuffs.

Washington DC Turns Up Heat On ICE With Bill Banning Police Cooperation

Washington, D.C. lawmakers are trying to put the heat on ICE and take a stand for residents with the introduction of the Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act of 2025 by Ward 4 Council Member Janeese Lewis George, who is also running for mayor of Washington. The bill would ensure that the District’s policies reflect local residents’ values and public safety priorities by prohibiting D.C. police from joining in on immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant or court order. The bill is supported by Council Members Brianne Nadeau, Robert White, Charles Allen, and Zachary Parker.

Shreveport City Council Disrupted Over Secretive AI Data Center

Shreveport, LA – On December 18, community members packed a Shreveport city council meeting Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. to oppose a proposed artificial intelligence data center being introduced through a special use permit. The meeting became a flashpoint for public anger over secrecy, environmental harm and corporate control of local government. City council members met to discuss and vote on the proposal despite having signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that conceal critical details of the project from the public.

New Orleans City Council Refuses To Hear Public Comment On ICE

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday December 4, a crowd of 30 people packed the city council chamber to demand that the city stand up against ICE and Border Patrol operations in the city. Operation “Swamp Sweep” began in New Orleans and surrounding areas this past Monday, December 1. A host of federal agents have descended on the city, including Gregory Bovino, chief of Border Patrol operations, who also made stops in Chicago and Charlotte earlier this year. During a rally before the meeting, speakers united on the need to challenge city leadership, including Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, not to collaborate with ICE. “Children are skipping school because they are afraid of ICE, parents are unable to go to the grocery store, workers are losing their jobs and losing their businesses.

DC Residents Blast Trump’s ICE ‘Occupation’ At Hearing

Washington, DC - Residents of Washington, D.C.,  are upset and unhappy with Donald Trump’s ICE troops’ invasion, occupation, and deportations–and with their own officeholders’ cooperation with it. So a parade of 150 witnesses let the City Council know it in a day-long hearing on December 4. They didn’t get much satisfaction, however, from the council members who attended.  Councilmember Brooke Pinto, D-2nd Ward, who chaired the session, explained the city’s hands are tied because Washington is really under federal control and subject to Trump’s edicts and his troops. Council Chair Phil Mendelson (D) gave lip service to witnesses’ complaints while pushing an unrelated piece of legislation. 

From Coast To Coast, The Public Banking Movement Grows

After years of being considered a niche concept, relegated to a few academic articles and zealous activists, the idea of public banking is about to hit the mainstream. From coast to coast, 2025 witnessed a blossoming of support for public banking, especially on the local level. Not only did several activist groups hold conferences to drum up support for public banking, but numerous municipalities took concrete actions to inch closer to creating their own public banks, and politicians who supported public banking achieved historic victories during the most recent election.

Sit-In At Mayor’s Office To Demand Stronger Sanctuary Policy

Minneapolis, MN – On October 28, members of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a rally outside Minneapolis City Hall, demanding stronger protections for immigrant communities. The demonstration culminated in a sit-in at Mayor Jacob Frey’s office, where 11 MIRAC members and supporters refused to leave until the mayor publicly committed to supporting their Real Sanctuary Now campaign. The campaign calls for a significant overhaul of Minneapolis’s current “separation ordinance” – a law meant to prohibit collaboration between city employees and federal immigration enforcement agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Mass Opposition To Flock Surveillance Grows In Denver

Hundreds packed a conference room in Denver, Colorado on the evening of Wednesday, October 22, after the city’s Mayor Mike Johnston renewed a contract with surveillance company Flock without a public process or City Council vote, according to activists. Just weeks after Denver’s City Council unanimously voted down a two-year, USD 666,000 extension with Flock in May, Johnston’s office approved a shorter-term deal worth USD 498,500, which is narrowly under the USD 500,000 threshold that would have triggered council oversight. “Instead of joining us here at this town hall tonight, the mayor announced this morning that he is again unilaterally extending the city’s contract with Flock,” Katie Leonard, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, told the crowd.

Los Angeles Is Asking Us To Act

We’ve seen that federal overreach in Los Angeles precipitated massive collective action, but equally important is how Mayor Bass and municipal governments across the country absorb this energy to build more democratically resilient cities. At home and abroad we’ve seen this before — when protests are framed as security threats, when military force is used to override local authority, and when federal funding is used to intimidate. And, we have also seen a wellspring of tools to help cities win against contemporary authoritarian tactics. During my time as a democracy expert overseas, I saw a range of strategies used by civil society and governments to resist authoritarian backsliding. From them, we should take inspiration.

Tacoma City Council Passes Climate Commission Ordinance

Tacoma, WA – Dozens of community members gathered at the Tacoma City Council chambers on Tuesday, December 17, in preparation for the city of Tacoma’s vote to pass the city’s first Climate and Sustainability Commission into law. “It’s great that the city council is planning to pass an ordinance enshrining the Climate Commission into law, but as it stands there are some serious problems with it,” said Haze Bender, a rank-and-file member of Teamsters Local 174. “As written, the commission is only advisory, has no real power, and all members are appointed, rather than elected.”

Struggle To Save Chinatown From Arena Moves To City Council

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - A special session of the Philadelphia City Council was held Nov. 12 for council members to question representatives of 76DevCorp about their master plan and Community Benefits Agreement for a $1.5 billion basketball arena called “76 Place” they want to build adjacent to Philadelphia’s historic Chinatown. With Mayor Cherelle Parker being an enthusiastic proponent of the arena plan, it was not surprising that her staff members were on hand to help the owners’ representatives answer questions or that the event was planned without input from communities that will be most impacted.

City Councils Change Public Comment Rules As Ceasefire Debates Dominate

In the six months since Hamas’s deadly attack and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza, more than 100 municipalities across the country have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire. With more than 30,000 Palestinians dead, major cities including San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Detroit have formally declared their support for an end to Israel’s siege, often following dramatic showdowns and disruptions in their city council chambers. With anti-war activists in Virginia’s capital city demanding that Richmond join the list, finding a seat in Richmond’s City Council meetings has been difficult.

New Yorkers Demand Their City Council Call For A Ceasefire

From February 28 to 29, New Yorkers held a 24-hour vigil outside of City Hall to demand that the New York City Council pass a resolution to call for a ceasefire in Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. The vigil was organized by the NYC 4 Ceasefire coalition, composed of several pro-Palestine organizations in the city including Adalah Justice Project, the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, VOCAL-NY, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), and NYC Dissenters. At least 70 US cities have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire, according to Jewish Voice for Peace.
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