CRLC Values

Values Statement
We value and support…………….
CRLC Values 10/25, 2021
edited 3/23
This document is a work in progress and subject to change.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
- Freedom of speech over speech suppression and censorship
- Sensitivity and respect for others during discussions of complex social and cultural issues
- The importance of engaging in difficult or controversial discussions – Respectful debate must not be silenced
- Discussion between and among people is recognized as free speech – we regard corporate or other money as illegitimate speech, and therefore should not be protected under the 1st Amendment
- Active listening
HUMAN RIGHTS, CIVIL RIGHTS, JUSTICE
- Equal justice and treatment regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, or immigration status
- Equal treatment of low-income, disabled, vulnerable or otherwise socially disadvantaged individuals, communities, and/or BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) groups
- Reallocate significant amounts of police funding to health professionals/organizations for mental health, crisis interventions, and other social services
- Right to non-violent protests and non-criminalization of peaceful protesters
- Accountability for unlawful police actions by impartial, external entities
- Replace the prison system with systems of rehabilitation that do not place a focus on punishment and government institutionalization; true prisoner rehabilitation (e.g., the “Norway Model”)1 and significantly reduce prison populations
- The right of every person to have control over their own body and reproductive system, including unrestricted access to abortions and birth control
1. Huffington Post, August 22, 2019. ‘How Norway Is Teaching America To Make Its Prisons More Humane”.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/norway-american-prison-system-reform_n_5d5ab979e4b0eb875f270db1
RIGHTS OF NATURE, CLIMATE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Protect the environment by prohibiting harmful corporate ecocide:
- A ban on aerial and ground chemical sprays that harm humans, wildlife, food, water resources, and the overall environment
- Sustainable forestry practices and legislation, including elimination of industrial forestry practices
- No “sacrifice zones”: geographic areas harmed by corporate environmental damage
- Not compromising our health, safety and wellness
- True sustainability: meeting present needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet theirs
- The “Precautionary Principle”: prove safety before use
- A pathway for equal input from all stakeholders concerning environmental protections and regenerative practices
- Support The Red Deal. The Red Deal is a call for action beyond the scope of the U.S. colonial state. It’s a program for Indigenous liberation, life, and land – an affirmation that colonialism and capitalism must be overturned for this planet to be habitable for human and other-than-human relatives to live dignified lives. The Red Deal is not a response to the Green New Deal, or a “bargain” with the elite and powerful. It’s a deal with the humble people of the earth; a pact that we shall strive for peace and justice, and a declaration that movements for justice must come from below and to the left.
- Support regenerative farming and food production; stop subsidizing industrialized farming
- Fair and just energy and climate policies that recognize and eliminate the historic burden of corporate harms (e.g., fossil fuel polluting industries) that disproportionately affect low-income and BIPOC communities
2Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992. “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.” https://www.jus.uio.no/lm/environmental.development.rio.declaration.1992/15.html
3The Red Nation. Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth. Published April 2021 by Common Notions. ISBN: 9781942173434. https://www.commonnotions.org/the-red-deal
LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL DEMOCRACY
New federal and state constitutional amendments that would:
- recognize a constitutional right of local community self-government
- authorize legal Rights of Nature
- prioritize human and civil rights over corporate rights
- clearly state that corporations neither have personhood nor civil rights
- reform campaign financing, to include prohibiting donations by corporations to political candidates
- reform the Second Amendment
4The Fair Representation Act. “Fair representation is the principle that a legislature should reflect all of the voters who elect them. Like-minded voters should be able to elect representatives in proportion to their number.” https://www.fairvote.org/fair_representation#what_is_fair_voting
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
- Support of generational wealth creation within BIPOC and other disadvantaged communities, including land-based and/or financial reparations
- Equitable distribution of economic resources and opportunities
- Fair wages; living wages; equal pay for equal work
- Safe workplaces
- Organizing protections (e.g., unions, guilds)
- Job security
- Employment and unemployment protections
- Non-discriminatory employer practices, including all protected classes listed above under “Human Rights/Civil Rights/Justice”
SOCIAL SAFETY NETS
- Accessible and affordable comprehensive health care for all (medical, dental, vision and mental health services, gender-affirming surgery and hormones)
- Accessible and affordable safe housing for all
- Access to healthy food, clean water and air for all, regardless of income
- Vibrant local communities and economies that maximize self-sufficiency in food production
- Disability protections
- Educational opportunities and protections
- Access to clean and safe public green spaces in all neighborhoods
- Loving, nurturing, non-traumatic environments for children and all people
STATE AND FEDERAL PREEMPTION REFORM
- Expand state and federal floor preemption, which are minimum government standards that still allow the ability of local governments to enact more protective regulations; and
- Eliminate state and federal ceiling preemption, which prevent local enactment of laws. This would allow local communities to set higher standards than those set by floor preemption to protect human, civil, and nature’s rights.

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