People Power
People Power is a project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that was created to oppose the restrictionist immigration policies of the Trump administration and to promote a series of other left-of-center ideological issues, including LGBT interests, restrictions on police surveillance, and expanded abortion.1
Contents
Campaigns
As of July 2018, People Power’s “grassroots army”2 claimed a membership count of roughly 1.84 million.3 People Power brings ACLU campaigns to cities and towns in order to change and resist policy from the ground up.4 “
Freedom Cities” advocates for LGBT interests, closing the wage gap, restrictions on policing, and left-wing housing policy.4
“Let People Vote,” another initiative, calls for left-wing election administration approaches, an end to electoral gerrymandering, and “voter restoration policies” for ex-convicts.5
People
Faiz Shakir became the national political director for the ACLU in early 2017, and oversees the operation of People Power. Previously, Shakir was vice president of the left-wing think tank Center for American Progress, and served as senior adviser to U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).6
People Power has also hired former Obama administration and Bernie Sanders campaign staffers.7