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May 2008 ~ Democracy News
Internships at Democracy Unlimited
Gain hands-on experience in community education and grassroots
organizing as an intern for justice! Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt
County is a community-based organization working to abolish corporate
rule and create a truly democratic society. We educate, organize,
and advocate for the deep systemic change needed to bring power
to the people through strong local communities rooted in social
and environmental justice.
Democracy Unlimited seeks interns from diverse backgrounds to
help build the movement for a truly democratic society. We are
eager to nurture new leaders as we work together for change, using
feminist, non-hierarchical, and anti-oppressive organizing techniques
to achieve democratic goals through democratic action. Join us
in challenging oppression through education, activism, and modeling
that empowers you to become a better organizer and collaborator
in the global justice community.
FALL 2008 DATES
Application Deadline: June 2
Phone Interview: June 9-20
Acceptance By: June 30
Commitment by: July 7
Internship Begins: September 8
Internship Ends: December 5
Click here
for more information and application form.
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DUHC Eureka Canvass Report
Democracy Unlimited is pleased to report that
our Community Outreach Canvass concluded the week of 12/7/07
with enormous success. Among our goals for this project were
the following:
(1) training DUHC members and volunteers on important
canvassing skills;
(2) making contact with community members
who have been inaccessible to us heretofore; and
(3) investigating
political concerns and opinions of lower income community members
who are typically neglected by political processes. We achieved
all our primary aims and much more.
We launched this pilot project in October with 30 people who
turned out for a 2-hour information and training session. Amazingly,
this determined DUHC crew worked more than 65 3-hour shifts over
the following 6 weeks and managed to knock on one third of the
doors in Eureka! Our canvassers dedicated themselves to administering
over three hundred surveys and prompting political dialogue and
consideration while they informed neighbors about DUHC’s
mission and the many ways to get involved. We also invited people
to either of two free showings of the film the Corporation. The
first screening, two weeks into the canvass, brought out over
20 people, half of whom had been invited by the canvassers. Well
over 50 people attended both showings.
This 6-week pilot canvass provided DUHC with the experience
we will need to efficiently mobilize future door to door efforts.
It also offered us much pertinent information about the opinions
and concerns of our immediate community. Listed below are some
considerations that many people voiced:
- 9 out of 10 people agreed that corporations have
too much power and that we must do something about that.
- 70%
of those surveyed felt that local government is not adequately
addressing the community’s challenges. Nearly everyone
agreed that community members themselves have to become more
active if things are to improve.
- Primary concerns locally pertained
to safety issues and to drugs. Interestingly, people did not
merely suggest that safety problems stemmed from too few policemen.
While that was among the problems mentioned, police brutality
was cited consistently as well. People also regularly noted
the necessity for functional outreach and support for drug
users and the homeless.
- Respondents were also asked, “What
are the most important issues/problems facing the country?” An
overwhelming majority first named the war in Iraq, followed
by the lack of affordable health care and housing and good
jobs. Many are very concerned with the homeless.
- One ironic
juxtaposition was noted by numerous respondents and canvassers
alike when the #1 national and #1 local problems were considered
together: the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars
on the war in Iraq, eroding our national security and destroying
local security for millions of Iraqis. Meanwhile, our own U.S.
neighborhoods are being starved of the funding and resources
required to provide a sense of safety in our homes and communities.
This first Democracy Unlimited Community
Canvass showed us that, although many community members have
already engaged with Democracy Unlimited, the canvass is a
effective means to discover more people who have social concerns
and who are looking for ways to plug into active organized
efforts. The working class and lower income communities in
Eureka demonstrated progressive values along with enormous
concern and love for their community. We are confident that
many of those contacted by Democracy Unlimited during this
canvass will be brought into our circle of determined positive
action that achieves results for Humboldt County and far beyond.
We want to thank all the volunteers who went out canvassing
with us. Door knocking can be intimidating, and we really appreciate
the time, energy and commitment each of our volunteers made to
learning a new skill and to reaching out to their fellow community
members.
If you have any questions about this effort and
what we found, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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 From
Our House to Yours...
...this delicious coffee is a great way to support justice and
sustainability while downing your daily brew! This award-winning
coffee is roasted by Thanksgiving
Coffee Company for Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County (DUHC),
a community organization based in Eureka, California.
Democracy Unlimited House Coffee is certified
organic and fair trade, promoting values consistent with our
organization’s
mission. This very special coffee is grown by Byron Coralles and
his family in Aranjuez, Nicaragua. Byron is a Sandanista leader
who fought against Somoza in the revolution for democracy and liberation
in Nicaragua in the 1970s.
His small-scale organic farm is known for producing some of the
best coffee in the world. As a member of the Solidarity Cooperative,
Byron has been instrumental in developing fair, just and ecological
trade relationships for other farmers in his country.
But that’s not all! By purchasing this
coffee, you are also supporting the work of Democracy Unlimited
to create a just and democratic society in Humboldt County and
beyond. Thank you for investing in our efforts to establish geniune
democracy that empowers people and local communities.
So grab your mug and fill up with Democracy
Unlimited House Coffee! Whether you’re proud to participate in “conscious caffination” or
hooked on the taste of Byron’s special blend, we are grateful
for your support and solidarity in the movement for global justice.
Enjoy!
Coming soon you will be able to order our coffee online. For now
though, please place orders by emailing
us or calling us at 269-0984. We can take your credit card
over the phone and mail the coffee wherever you'd like, or you
can pick it up if you're in Humboldt County.
Our House Coffee is offered in both MEDIUM and
DARK roast blends. The cost is $10 for a 12 oz. bag (we will accept
$2 Community Currency).
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By Kevin Danaher, Shannon Biggs and Jason Mark at Global
Exchange
"'Building the Green Economy' tells the
real stories of what is both possible and necessary to restore
power (metaphorically and literally) to the people, to save the
nation, and save our world. It should be on every American's
'A' reading list."
- Thom Hartmann, Air America radio host and author
of 'Cracking the Code: The Art and Science of Political Persuasion'
After
centuries of economic activity based on extraction, exploitation,
and depletion, we now face undeniable environmental threats. New
business models that save or restore natural resources are critical.
But how can we translate that insight into more sustainable practices?
Building
the Green Economy shows how community groups, families, and individual
citizens have taken action to protect their food and water, clean
up their neighborhoods, and strengthen their local economies.
Their unlikeley victories-over polluters, unresponsive bureaucracies
and unexamined routines-dramatize the opportunities and challenges
facing the local green economy movement.
This book features an
entire chapter on the work of Democracy Unlimited:
"Culture Shifting in the Land of Giants."
Get your copy today - order it
from our independent bookseller and a portion of your purchase
goes to support our grassroots organizing work!
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 Democracy
Unlimited Featured in the Fall 2007 Issue of Yes Magazine
Why try to fight? Corporations have the money and the power. That’s
what we’re told. But people across the country are standing
up to corporations. If we join forces, we can claim the power that
rightly belongs to us.
The story of Measure T and the work of Democracy
Unlimited are featured in this month's issue in two different articles.
Read the articles:
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 April/May
2008 Humboldt Exchange Directory
You can find the directory at grocery stores and coffee shops
in your town. Or, check
it out online!
The deadline for submissions to the June/July
issue of the Humboldt Exchange Directory is May 15th. Submit
your listings online.
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 Check
Out David Cobb's Weekly Column or Tune in to his Radio
Show
"Thursday Night Talk"
Our own David Cobb writes a weekly column in the
Times-Standard. Pick up the paper on Thursdays to see it. Or
check it out online.
David is also a co-host of Thursday Night
Talk on KHSU. Tune in every Thursday night at 7:30pm - he rotates
hosting with Melanie Williams. This is a call-in show.
KHSU can be heard at 90.5 Arcata, 91.9 Crescent
City/Brookings, 89.1 FM Ferndale/Fortuna, 89.7 FM Garberville,
99.7 FM Willow Creek or online.
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 Measure
T News
55% of Humboldt County Voters Cast Their
Ballot Against Corporate Rights and For Democracy!
On June 6th, 2006, voters in Humboldt County passed Measure
T: the Ordinance to Protect Our Right to Fair Elections and Local
Democracy. Measure T will prohibit non-local corporations from
contributing money in Humboldt County elections and represents
the latest example of citizen's organizing to challenge the illegitimate
legal idea that corporations should have the same rights as human
beings. Humboldt County is now the largest community to challenge
corporate personhood, and the first to do so using the citizen's
initiative process.
Democracy Unlimited was an integral part of the Measure
T campaign. We wrote the first draft of the law and convened the
group that ultimately went on to form the Humboldt Coalition for
Community Rights, the group that ran Measure T.
Please visit the Measure
T campaign website to view newspaper stories about the campaign,
our television and radio ads, the results of the poll we conducted
before writing Measure T, and tons of other information.
If you are interested in running a
similar campaign in your community, please
contact us. We are currently working to develop materials to
assist other communities, and we would be happy to provide ongoing
organizing assistance and legal support to your effort.
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Green Fire Farm CSA Partnership with
DUHC 