David Cobb is a “people’s lawyer” who has sued corporate polluters, lobbied elected officials, run for political office himself, and been arrested for non-violent civil disobedience. He believes we must provoke—and win– a peaceful revolution for a peaceful, just, sustainable and cooperative society if we are to survive. In 2004, he ran for President of the United States on the Green Party ticket and forced a recount in Ohio that helped launch the Election Integrity movement.
In 2010 he co-founded Move To Amend, a campaign for a constitutional amendment to abolish the illegitimate, court-created doctrines of “corporate constitutional rights” and “money equals speech.” In 2016 he served as the Campaign Manager for Jill Stein’s presidential campaign.
Currently David serves as the Co-Coordinator of the US Solidarity Economy Network and as the Administrator for People’s Network for Land Liberation, a consortium which seeks to decommodify the land to reestablish a right relationship with the earth and all of our relatives and relations.
Cobb will be speaking at Common Home – London at UCL on May 21st. Invitation only – let us know if you want to attend.
Thank you for joining us today, David. Let’s start by talking about your work at the People’s Network for Land and Liberation. Can you share with our readers what inspired the creation of the organization and its core mission?
Thank you for having me. We emerged from a deep recognition that land is not just a resource commodity, but is the foundation power, history, and community. Our mission is to decommodify the land and to reestablish right relationship with the earth and all of our relatives and relations.
That’s a powerful mission. What do you think are the most pressing issues today when it comes to land ownership and access?
The most pressing issues revolve around historical land theft, corporate land grabs, and land speculation. More and more land is being controlled by multinational corporations, large agribusinesses, and private equity firms. This disconnects people from the land, undermines local economies, and exacerbates inequality. The truth is, land should be a tool for liberation, not domination. So, the issues we are facing are both structural and deeply political, involving everything from the privatization of public resources to the criminalization of land defenders who are fighting back. These injustices must be addressed if we are to see real, lasting change.
From our perspective, we have both a right and a responsibility to properly steward land.
It sounds like your work involves not just land access but also challenging power structures. How does Land and Liberation approach this?
Exactly right! Our work is about challenging those power structures head-on.
We are six community based organizations strategically located across the United States implementing our version of a Dual Power program:
- Decommodify land using Community Land Trusts for community owned affordable housing, commercial space for worker owned cooperatives, food production using a food sovereignty framework, and to preserve the integrity of the life giving ecosystems of Mother Earth.
- Community production employing digital fabrication technologies for decentralized manufacturing to empower local communities to create goods collaboratively and sustainably.
- Incubating an ecosystem of worker-owned cooperatives that go beyond “coops for the sake of coops” to create profitable and vibrant local supply and value chains.
- An internal self-education program that engages folks to foster critical thinking, dialogue, and empowerment to learn and implement our transformational and liberatory program.
- Art and Culture is infused in everything we do. This includes making things beautiful, but goes deeper. We organize according to the adage “If it isn’t soulful, it isn’t strategic.”
We advocate for policies that return land to communities, particularly Indigenous peoples and Black communities, who have been historically displaced. But it’s not just about policy reform—it’s about creating models of land stewardship that center community care and sustainability. We emphasize that liberation is a collective process, and land is one of the key sites for that struggle. We also work to raise awareness about the intersectionality of land justice—how land, race, economic inequality, and climate change are all interconnected.
You mentioned the intersectionality of these issues, which brings to mind the role of climate change. How does Land and Liberation engage with environmental justice, especially in light of climate crises?
Environmental justice is integral to everything we do. Climate change is a symptom of deeper systemic issues, and it disproportionately affects communities that have already been marginalized—especially those who rely on the land for their livelihoods. Our work focuses on building resilience in these communities by creating sustainable, regenerative practices that are in harmony with the land. It’s about integrating traditional knowledge with modern sustainability practices, especially in communities that have been on the frontlines of environmental degradation. We also advocate for climate policies that address both the root causes of climate change and its impacts on marginalized people.
To be explicit– we are not merely trying to create pockets of sustainability. Our goal is to create local supply and value chains that will ultimately replace the entire capitalist economy. Capitalism is premised upon extraction, exclusion, and power-over dynamics. We are committed to the principles of the Solidarity Economy: democracy, cooperation, equity, sustainability, and solidarity to build an economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. This is a power-with framework.
That’s a great point—connecting traditional knowledge with modern practices is essential. Moving forward, what are some of the projects Land and Liberation is most excited about?
We’re really excited about several projects, particularly those that focus on land reclamation and community-led solutions. Let me take this opportunity to outline what each of the 6 “nodes” are doing.
- Community Movement Builders has nine national chapters rooted in the Black Radical tradition of self-determination and liberation. Their largest chapter is in Atlanta, GA, where they have been leaders in the movement to Stop Cop City, a massive militarized police training facility. They also own and operate four community houses; operate a Sea Moss Cooperative and are incubating another, Pangea Aquaponic Cooperative. They recently purchased 14 acres of land near Atlanta as a space for food production and a movement retreat and training space, which they call the Love Land Liberation project.
- Cooperation Jackson owns 52 separate properties in Jackson, MS—six are single family homes with 12 people currently living in them. Others are single family properties that need to be rehabilitated, and some are being farmed by the Freedom Farms Cooperative. They also operate a 6,000-square-foot community center, a community production center, and own a 6-unit strip mall on half a city block that is being remodeled to be the site of what will be called the People’s Grocery Store, intended to operate as a worker co-op.
- Cooperation Vermont, based in rural Vermont, purchased the historic 150-year-old Marshfield Village Store and converted it into a worker co-op. The second floor is being used as worker housing, and they are currently renovating the third floor for additional cooperative housing. The store served as a resilience hub during the recent floods that decimated the region. Earlier this year they purchased the Rainbow Sweets Bakery and are converting the ground floor into a commercial kitchen to support local food producers in preparing goods for a commercial market, with the second story to be used for affordable housing.
- Incite Focus is based in Idlewild, MI. Also known as “Black Eden,” Idlewild became famous during Jim Crow segregation as a place where people could be “fully human and unapologetically Black.” Today, they are recognized as leaders in the process of local community production using digital fabrication technologies in concert with local supply chains based on regenerative agriculture. They are also in the process of converting a 60-acre resilience hub, a 10,000 sq ft community center, and a historic hotel and restaurant into a land trust. They are incubating worker-owned cooperatives to operate them all.
- Native Roots Network (NRN) is an Indigenous-led community organization that operates in the traditional lands of the Wintu, Yana, and Pit River Peoples in what is now known as Shasta County, California. They practice ”Acornomics,” an Indigenous regenerative framework for land stewardship, cultural revitalization, and community resilience. They have already rematriated two sites, a 4.5-acre parcel which is being developed to become a community resilience center and a 1,200-acre site for TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) land restoration, Native food and fiber cultivation and community production with digital fabrication technologies and an aim to develop an ecosystem to support worker-owned cooperative businesses.
- Wellspring Cooperative is working to build a local solidarity economy ecosystem in greater Springfield, MA, by leveraging a community land trust model. Wellspring already has elements of this ecosystem in place including a shared use community kitchen, mutual aid and food security projects, redevelopment of an abandoned fire station as a community center/co-op hub, and continuing to build out a network of mutually supportive co-ops, including Wellspring Harvest, a quarter acre hydroponic greenhouse (the state’s largest), producing roughly 250,000 heads of lettuce, greens, and herbs a year, Wellspring Upholstery, Natural Living Landscapes, Energia a weatherization co-op, and Catalyst Cooperative Healing, a mental health care co-op.
These projects sound impactful. Looking ahead, what changes would you like to see in the broader conversation about land justice?
We would like to see a shift in how we think, talk about, and relate to land—moving away from seeing it as a commodity for profit and a return to the Indigenous world view that existing across the planet before Enclosure and Empire. We want to return to folks understanding Land as commons, managed collectively by those who have the most at stake in its well-being—local communities. We also want to see more integration of the voices of the people directly affected by land injustices. Too often, decisions are made about land without consulting those who are the true stewards of it. If we can reframe the conversation to center justice, community, and sustainability, I we can create a future where land liberation is a reality for everyone.
You mentioned that the People’s Network for Land and Liberation implements a “Dual Power” program. Could you explain how each of the five points in this program contributes to building a more just and equitable society?
Dual Power historically emerges during periods of political upheaval or revolution. It involves the establishment of parallel structures of power that challenge existing governmental authority. These structures can range from grassroots assemblies and councils to alternative economic systems or to Liberated Zones. Dual Power aims to create a counterbalance to established authority, often with the intention of eventually replacing it through revolutionary means. It represents a form of direct action and resistance against centralized power. When done successfully and authentically, Dual Power goes beyond governance and literally transforms ownership and social relationships.
These five points form a comprehensive approach to peaceful revolution to return social relationships to balance and right relationship.
How do you ensure that they are effectively implemented across the different communities you work with, given their unique local circumstances?
That’s a great question. Each of the six organizations involved in our network adapts the program to fit their local context, but we are united by the same core principles. We make sure that each community has the resources, training, and support they need to tailor the program to their specific needs. Regular communication and collaboration among our member organizations help to share insights, successes, and challenges. It’s all about building a network of mutual support where each community can learn from the others while staying grounded in their own local realities. This flexibility allows us to be responsive to the particular dynamics and needs of each area, whether that’s addressing racial justice in urban communities or ecological restoration in rural areas.
How can others learn from your approach and get involved in this kind of transformative work?
We believe in building solidarity, not just one-off actions. The first step for anyone interested is to educate themselves about land justice, Solidarity Economy, and the systems that perpetuate inequality. Engaging in local activism and supporting community-based organizations is another way to get involved. For those interested in implementing similar programs, we encourage them to start by organizing with others around shared goals, creating local cooperatives, and looking into Community Land Trusts. We also welcome collaboration and are always looking for new partners who are aligned with our values. Transformative change is a collective effort, and we all have a role to play.
Thank you, David, for sharing the details about the important work you’re doing. We look forward to seeing how these efforts continue to grow and inspire others. Finally, what can people do to the work of the People’s Network for Land and Liberation and its mission?
Thank you. It’s been a pleasure to talk about the work we’re doing, and I appreciate the opportunity to share our vision for a just and liberated future. There are a few key ways people can get involved. First and foremost, we need people to educate themselves and others about the issues surrounding land justice. We have a plan to win, and it only works if there i s abroad and deep mass movement of people engaging across the globe.
Awareness is the first step toward collective action. We also encourage people to support local land-based organizations and movements, particularly those led by Indigenous, Black, and other marginalized communities. Donations are always helpful, of course, but direct action, whether through grassroots organizing, advocacy, or volunteering, can have a real impact. And most importantly, we need people to push for policies that support land justice at all levels of government. Land is power, and we must ensure that it’s a tool for liberation, not oppression.
INTERVIEW by Christian Sarkar