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Our Mission

Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) supports movements that seek to dismantle the political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction. We provide litigation, education, legal and strategic resources to strengthen and embolden their success. The CLDC is headquartered on the ancestral lands of the Kalapuya, Chelamela, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (native-land.ca). Our motto is: We’ve Got Your Back Until All Are Free.

Our Approach

Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Eugene, Oregon. Since 2003, we’ve been the legal firewall protecting frontline climate defenders from the worst harms of state repression. While others focus on important projects such as carbon offsets, protections for certain forests or waters, or incremental policy, we spend our time defending the activists who disrupt business-as-usual — the people blocking pipelines, occupying forests, and shutting down fossil fuel infrastructure and holding profiteers accountable.

CLDC defends front line activists, pursues civil rights litigation, and educates people about their rights and how to use them in order to expose and confront the persistent erosion of our civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. We believe knowledge is power, and that when people have the tools and understanding to take action and demand that the government honor all their rights, grassroots activism has a stronger chance of exacting the change necessary for building a more sustainable and just world.

CLDC’s Justice in Action and Dissent & Democracy programs bring a multi-pronged approach to achieving the goals set forth by our mission. By utilizing education, and when necessary, the courts, the Civil Liberties Defense Center both proactively and reactively challenges governmental attacks on our liberties and rights.

Background

In 2003, Lauren Regan, CLDC’s Executive Director and staff attorney, in partnership with a group of environmental and social justice activists and attorneys, founded the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC). The creation was an urgent response to a growing and increasingly crucial need for education and legal assistance within the progressive change movement in the post-September 11th era in which decrees like the PATRIOT Act were put in place. CLDC immediately developed a number of legal representation, education and outreach programs, offering free and reduced-rate legal assistance to activists, conducting national media interviews and commentary, and monitoring and challenging repressive legislation in the courts.

Our legal know-how, ability to effectively translate legalese, and litigation expertise, provide a foundation that activists can rely on to tackle the tough issues they are confronting. Additionally, the trainings we organize weave together to build activist skills, confidence, and awareness of what to expect from interactions with law enforcement or counter-protesters.