Grassroots

Militants Who Reject The Ballot Box In Spain Form New Network

May 25, 2015 Mark Bray, www.roarmag.org Resist! Elections, Grassroots, Podemos, Politics, Spain

Four years ago this month, the 15-M movement, commonly referred to as the indignados, burst forth in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol. The movement united a wide variety of political factions and tendencies. It managed to gain momentum behind a widespread critique of the austerity measures of the two ruling parties (the PP and the PSOE, which many 15-M signs refer to collectively as the PPSOE) and a desire for “real democracy now!” (¡Democracia real ya!) embodied in directly democratic assemblies and a rejection of hierarchy. In May 2014, Podemos surged onto the scene as a new political party that attempted to channel the popular democracy of the 15-M into the ballot box, winning five seats in the European parliament. Although Podemos claims to be the legitimate heir to the fading 15-M movement, Left critics have argued that the new party has hastened popular demobilization by selling the notion that social ills can be simply voted away and that this new party isn’t like the ones who came before it.

Xeni Gwet’in Mining Activist Wins Goldman Environmental Prize

April 21, 2015 Payal Sampat, www.earthworksaction.org Resist! Canada, Environment, Grassroots, Mining

We are thrilled to join the Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's largest prize for grassroots environmental activism, in honoring Xeni Gwet’in leader Marilyn Baptiste of British Columbia, Canada for her work to stop Taseko Mines' proposed Prosperity gold and copper mine. We are thrilled to join the Goldman Environmental Prize, the world's largest award for grassroots environmental activism, in honoring Xeni Gwet’in leader Marilyn Baptiste of British Columbia, Canada for her work to stop Taseko Mines' proposed Prosperity gold and copper mine. Marilyn overcame great odds to spearhead a successful campaign to protect her community from the Prosperity mine proposal.

Grassroots Activists In D.C. Take On A Corporate Titan

April 15, 2015 Joan Shipps, www.huffingtonpost.com Organize! D.C., Electricity, Grassroots, Washington, Washington D.C.

Exelon is America's largest producer of nuclear power. But its plants are several decades old now, and getting expensive to maintain. And the increasing cost competitiveness of solar means Exelon's nuclear offerings just aren't as appealing to consumers anymore. How's the owner of an aging fleet of nuclear reactors support to ingratiate itself to profit-hungry shareholders in the face of looming obsolescence? Buy up America's energy distribution network, piece by piece, and then sell itself its own power. Well, that was Exelon's initial plan, and it was working pretty well for a while. Over the last several years and without substantial opposition, Exelon expanded in size and geographic scope by acquiring several major regulated utility companies, including Baltimore Gas & Electric, Illinois' Commonwealth Edison, and the Philadelphia Electric Company.

A New Fake Corporate Grassroots Campaign Uncovered

April 2, 2015 Tony Romm, www.politico.com Educate! Corporatism, Grassroots, Net Neutrality

A number of messages to lawmakers purporting to be from average constituents who oppose the Obama administration’s net neutrality rules don’t appear to have come from people within their districts, according to the company that manages the technology for some House members. The notes have identical wording to those organized by a group called American Commitment, which is led by Phil Kerpen, a former top aide at the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity. On Monday, American Commitment boasted that it helped direct more than 1.6 million messages earlier this month from more than half a million voters to members of the House and Senate.

42 Members Skipping Netanyahu Speech

March 3, 2015 Naomi Dann, www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org Resist! Congress, Grassroots, Israel, Wars and Militarism

Jewish Voice for Peace members across the country have helped organize a multifaceted campaign to encourage members of Congress to skip Prime Minister Netanyahu’s inappropriate and destructive speech to Congress tomorrow. Speaking to reporters as he departed for Washington, Prime Minister Netanyahu once again asserted that he would speak as an emissary of “the entire Jewish people.” A campaign launched with partner groups US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, RootsAction, CodePink and American Muslims for Palestine to encourage members to #SkiptheSpeech produced over 110,000 letters and an additional 20,000 petition signatures which were delivered to 75 offices on the Hill and 30 local district offices. To date, 42+ members of Congress have pledged to skip the speech.

People Power Scares The Establishment

December 8, 2014 Mark Karlin, www.truth-out.org Educate! Education, Grassroots, History

A "history for the rest of us" is not a bad way of describing it. But it's more than just whose voices are included in Voices; it's how that history is told. One of the major faults of Great White Men history (or, if you are a bit more sensitive, Great White Men and a Few Great Others, Since We Are So Great and Inclusive, Whatever "Mistakes" We Made a Long Time Ago and Let's Move On . . . history) is that it leaves most students and readers utterly alienated from the process. Howard's emphasis on people's history, a bottom-up view of how change happens, was that unknown people, groups of people and not just individuals, oppressed people, dispossessed and abused people, make history. And that is a dangerous idea to those in power.

Responding To Climate Change From The Grassroots Up

November 10, 2014 Desmond Brown, www.ipsnews.net Create! Antigua, Barbados, Climate Change, Grassroots

As concern mounts over food security, two community groups are on a drive to mobilise average people across Antigua and Barbuda to mitigate and adapt in the wake of global climate change, which is affecting local weather patterns and by extension, agricultural production. “I want at least 10,000 people in Antigua and Barbuda to join with me in this process of trying to mitigate against the effects of climate change,” Dr. Evelyn Weekes told IPS. Food security is a growing concern, not just for Antigua and Barbuda but all Small Island Developing States (SIDS), as changing weather patterns affect agriculture. Scientists are predicting more extreme rain events, including flooding and droughts, and more intense storms in the Atlantic in the long term.

Grassroots Power Is Shaping New York’s Marijuana Debate

July 26, 2014 Hannah K. Gold, www.wagingnonviolence.org Organize! Grassroots, Marijuana, New York (NY), Police, War On Drugs

Earlier this month, Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson announced that his office would no longer, in many cases, prosecute low-level marijuana possession. Despite being limited to Brooklyn and allowing exceptions for people smoking in public areas or in front of children, the policy represents a historic break in the city’s marijuana decriminalization debate. “That does not happen because someone wakes up and realizes it’s a problem,” said Kassandra Frederique, New York Policy Coordinator at the Drug Policy Alliance, a national organization that partners with local grassroots groups to reform drug policy. “There is no doubt that public pressure from grassroots organizations and people who have been impacted have influenced the talking points of elected officials on marijuana arrest policy in New York.” The day after Thompson’s announcement, a crowd of about a hundred people, including a dozen elected officials and representatives from local advocacy groups, gathered outside City Hall in Manhattan to introduce the Fairness and Equity Act — a bill that, if passed, would reduce racial disparities in statewide marijuana arrests by demoting low-level marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a violation that comes with a fine. It would, effectively, extend Thompson’s policy to the rest of the state and put additional protections in place for people most impacted by current policies of marijuana arrests and prosecution.

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