about you are the power
You Are The Power is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the principle of human respect. We do this by empowering people who have been abused by local government officials to build a network of committed activists, gain media attention, and pass respectful policies to ensure their story is the last story of abuse in that community.
OUR APPROACH
You Are The Power helps citizens defend themselves against local government overreach by:

Building a Network
We help citizens build relationships with local activists, network with organizations, and develop the alliances necessary to push back against local government abuse.

Creating Media Attention
We use our vast social media reach and media connections to investigate the source of the abuse, bring attention to local officials, and drive demand for change.

Drive Respectful Policy Change
We empower citizens to identify the changes necessary to prevent future abuses, draft the language required, and implement those changes in their community to ensure every citizen in the future is respected.

WHAT IS HUMAN RESPECT
It’s what happens when government officials stop treating people as revenue sources, obstacles, or abstractions, and start treating them like human beings. When officials dehumanize us, they justify coercion, fraud, force and theft that strip away our dignity and breed fear. That leaves us poorer, divided, and unhappy. But when we are respected as people, we thrive; we’re more prosperous, more harmonious, and ultimately happier. That’s the Principle of Human Respect.
Our Statement of Goals
You Are The Power engages in activism to accomplish the following Goals:
Empowerment: When people feel helpless in their communities against an overreaching government, we show them how much power they have to enact the changes they wish to make. For far too long, politicians and bureaucrats have convinced many that they have no power. We’re here to remind them that they do.
Accountability: When politicians, law enforcers, or other people in positions of power abuse their authority, we use our resources and experience to expose their deeds to the public and hold them accountable. Those who abuse their power should have an example made of them. We will do just that.
Service: We can help those in need, and improve our communities far better than politicians, bureaucrats and cronies, and we demonstrate it regularly through direct charity and mutual aid initiatives.
Awareness: We utilize positive, solutions-oriented messaging and hands-on grassroots activism to demonstrate to the public that we have the best ideas and a feasible strategy to implement them. We win people to our side and achieve victory.
Nullification: Bad laws, policies and actions by politicians and bureaucrats can be nullified in many ways. Nullified at the ballot box through referendums and initiatives, nullified by informed jurors in unjust trials, and nullified by local governments through “sanctuary” laws and other nullification laws. The elected officials in the state and federal offices are not our rulers, and we show them just how little control they truly have over us.
Respect: Harmful measures from government come from a lack of respect for people, and growing a culture of human respect is the best way to combat it. In all of our endeavors, we drive home the message that theft, violence and coercion always reduce happiness, harmony and prosperity every single time, and that cooperation and respect are the way to create the kind of society we wish to live in.
Liberation: We have a long-term goal of dismantling the oppressive, tyrannical, and harmful systems and programs that those in power have been building up for quite some time. There are many steps that need to be taken on this journey, and we’re prepared for the long-haul – there’s no time to start like now!
Our Statement of Values
You Are The Power operates under the following Values:
We Value Autonomy. We do not harm people except in defense, we do not steal people’s justly-acquired property, and we do not threaten or coerce people into acting against their own will.
We Value Freedom. We believe that all of us do best when we are most free, and respect people’s freedom to do as they wish, as long as they don’t violate anyone else’s lives, rights or property.
We Value Trust. We trust one another, and we are trustworthy. We do not lie or cheat. The truth is on our side, so we have no reason to veer from it.
We Value Decisiveness. We identify problems, determine the solutions, and then work to implement them in a way that helps to inform and shape public opinion. We do not fear failure, because we will learn from it. Failure is better than inaction.
We Value Courage. Our opponents have vastly more resources than we do, but we know that the truth and justice are on our side. We forge ahead.
We Value Dignity. We speak and conduct ourselves in a way that attracts others, wins them over to our side, and inspires them to join us. We act calmly, courteously and with the truth on our side. We do not act disrespectfully, or with disrespect towards others.
We Value Vision and Commitment. We seek to set people free from coercion in our time. We understand that this is a long journey, and that there are many steps we need to take to get there. We seek to identify those steps, and commit to taking them, all the way through to victory.
We Value Diversity of Thought and Perspective. All of us come from different walks of life, have different perspectives and experiences, interact in different social circles, and have a different way of doing things. It is in that diversity that we are able to reach everyone, while remaining committed to the same goals and operating from the same values.
We Value Decentralization. We do not order people around or force people to accept the majority opinion. Democratizing everything simply pits allies against one another constantly, squashes minority opinion, and creates losers on every issue for no good reason. We do not form factions or try to create division. We inspire others to join us by doing great work and encouraging others to join us.
We Value Respect. If we disagree with another Member’s activism, we do our own activism. We respect the rights and motivations of others, and are more focused on being productive than criticizing or nitpicking one another.
We Value Tolerance. Not all of us live the same way, and that is good. We respect everyone’s right to live as who they are and how they wish, and we respect everyone’s right to their opinion on others as well. We do not force people to accept, or condemn, the lifestyles of others. We only expect tolerance.
We Value Knowledge. On any subject, hard data is our preferred source. Our second preferred source is the opinion of those with the most experience on the subject. Thinking and feeling are important, but we derive our opinions primarily from data and knowledge.
We Value De-Escalation. When we see the beginnings of conflict, we use positive communication to de-escalate it. We disagree by focusing on positive alternatives, and avoid insults and divisiveness.
We Value Love. At the root of our values, and our activism, is love. Love for ourselves and those closest to us, love for our communities, love for the freedom and wellbeing of others, love for future generations whose lives we want to improve by winning for liberty. When all things are considered, we default to love.