Photos by Marcy Burstiner

Exercise takes effort.

Muscles that aren't exercised become weak. Our constitutional rights are the muscles that keep our democracy healthy. That's why at HumRights, we try to remind everyone in our local community that they need to exercise their constitutional rights to keep those rights strong.

We do this through events and projects that engage members of our community and educate them about their rights under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights: Among them, the right to speak out, the right to peaceful assembly, the right to petition our government and the right to equal protection under the law. 

Our projects include:

• The "personal protest" booth at the North Country Fair. In September 2017, more than 500 people filled out tiny protest signs to celebrate Constitution Day.
• The Banned Books Read-Out: An annual reading of books that people have tried to keep out of school and public libraries.
• A public debate of candidates for Humboldt County District Attorney on the issue of free speech.
• A First Amendment essay contest at Sunny Brae Middle School.
• The establishment of a student legal resource center at Humboldt State University.
• The holding of a free speech barbecue to prevent the City of Arcata from closing Redwood Park on 420. 
• A White Paper on the use of body cams and dash cams by our local police departments.
• Successfully petitioning the City of Arcata to change its film permit policy to eliminate fees charged for the filming for educational purposes on the Arcata Plaza and other public properties.