Every week, you receive an email from us, alerting you about critical issues we face, as activists.
Whether you are on the frontlines defending our climate from destructive companies like TransCanada, fighting in a localized struggle to protect our forests from bad logging, or wholeheartedly supporting the movement by applying yourself to another amazing project, we know you care about justice, our rights, and our shared future.
Today, we are reaching out to you for urgent help. We need you to collectively provide grassroots funding support for our work, because without it, we could cease to exist.
As you may know, the CLDC is 100% committed to protecting our right to civil liberties. Every day, we work with unfettered commitment to defend our rights, and our people. Whether it’s through challenging government agencies constantly peeping into our lives or by providing free legal representation to activists on the frontlines of the movement, or offering our bilingual Know Your Rights trainings to communities who need it most, we work.
Did you know that since our founding in 2003, we’ve defended more than 800 activists? That’s 800 people working for social change and to protect our ecosystems from the worst corporate actors, 800 people who received top-notch legal defense for free. If 800 of you were to donate today, we know we could continue to fight.
You probably know that we are rooted in Oregon, our home. But did you know that we support non-violent direct action activists in Oklahoma, and in one of the most challenging legal environments in country, the state of Texas? We go where the help is needed.
What do you think all of this work — to protect free speech and our very right to dissent — is worth?
We feel that pushing back against the status quo builds movement power and is critical work. We need to continue fighting corruption, abusive corporations and runaway government power. We want to continue our work, with activists like you in mind, but we truly need your support to do it. We are at a critical juncture and need financial support from our broad base right now.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that large foundations and mainstream flows of funding are inhibited to freely offer large sums for our edgy legal activism, even though we are a federally recognized, 501(c)3 non-profit. We can live with that, because we believe that with just a nominal donation of $50 to $100 per year, our courageous support base could provide much of people-powered funding needed for us to continue to thrive.
Once again, your donation would be funding free legal representation, Spanish and English Know Your Rights trainings, strategic advice for organizers and historic court cases, challenging repressive actions by the government.
What would you do, if you couldn’t call the CLDC, when you knew you faced legal trouble? What would others do, if they couldn’t receive the basic information that could keep them from being deported? Can you contribute to the people power funding with $50 today?
We know the work is important, and we are proud to be a part of your movement, providing our specific, specialized role. But now we need you to show us, through a generous donation today, that you can make a small sacrifice and fight for us, too.
Of course there are a myriad of ways to support the movement, to be engaged and be effective agents of change. But without an influx of Yankee dollars right now, our grassroots legal lifeline faces grave threats — that could have disastrous impacts on our people on the frontlines, for our home communities and for our very freedom.
We know we are needed, but now we need you. Please donate the very most you can, today.
Solidarity for Justice,
Lauren Regan
Staff Attorney, CLDC