Community Rights Amendment
Legalizing Local Democarcy!
Oregonians are reeling from the disasters and events of 2020. Battered by wildfires destroying life, homes and our beautiful forests, accelerating climate change, police misconduct and lack of public oversight, growing economic inequality, the broad impacts of COVID-19 – and the year isn’t over yet.
The unifying link to all that has taken place this year and for many years now and has been exposed by recent events is an imbalance of who decides, of real democracy. The current structure is more concerned about the corporate few rather than the fundamental needs of the many.
The mission of the Oregon Community Rights Network (ORCRN) is to empower Oregonians to exercise their right of local community self-government in matters that pertain to their fundamental rights. We believe we need a system that recognizes the ability of local communities to be out front in advocating, protecting, and stewarding for the needs of people and nature where they live.
Introducing the Community Rights Amendment to the Oregon Constitution for the 2021 legislative session would provide such an opening, one that the legislature can play a central role in making happen by voting to place the amendment on the ballot for Oregon voters to decide.
The Community Rights Amendment would:
- Secure the right of people and local governments to advance protections for the health, safety, and welfare of natural people, communities, and nature.
- Limit corporate interference.
- Respect protections and rights already secured by state and federal law.
The ORCRN has worked for years to educate the people about their right of local community self-government – their community rights – and believes the time has come for the Community Rights Amendment to the Oregon constitution.