️ Democracy Is Crumbling. Here’s How We Rebuild It — Together
The big picture: Trust in democracy is at an all-time low. Voting rights are under attack. Power is being concentrated in fewer — and more corporate — hands.
What happened
- ️ Money over people: Corporations and billionaires dominate politics through lobbying and dark money.
- Media manipulation: Misinformation and polarization fracture public trust.
- Barriers to participation: Voter suppression, gerrymandering, and closed primaries block millions from having a say.
- Civic neglect: Schools stopped teaching civics. People tuned out. Power filled the void.
Bottom line: Democracy didn’t collapse. It was quietly taken — one rule, one loophole, one disengaged citizen at a time.
How it was allowed to happen
- Disconnection: People feel politics is “somewhere else” — not in their hands.
- Professionalized politics: Democracy outsourced to “experts,” donors, consultants.
- Narrative capture: We’ve internalized the idea that people can’t govern. That governance = elite control.
The flip: People power starts local
You don’t need to fix Washington to fix democracy.
Here’s how communities are reclaiming power:
- ️ Neighborhood councils: Direct decision-making on local budgets and land use
- ️ Participatory budgeting: Residents vote on public spending
- ✊ Co-ops + community assemblies: Ownership of media, energy, food, housing
- Mutual aid networks: Neighbors solving problems faster than institutions
- ️ Digital democracy tools: Community platforms for coordinated action
What it means for us
- Democracy becomes a verb again — not a spectator sport
- People learn by doing — not just voting every two years
- Small wins scale fast: from city block → city hall → statehouse
Yes, but…
Real democracy is messy, slow, and requires practice. But it’s the only system that makes power shareable — and communities resilient.
Coming to The Conference for Our Future:
“Democracy Starts Where You Live” — a track on community-owned platforms, participatory tools, policy toolkits, and real-world examples of grassroots governance that works.
Bottom line:
Democracy didn’t fail. We were convinced to give it up.
Now we take it back — one block, one budget, one story at a time.
Join the movement at mobilizednews.com.
