CESEC provides free legal support to community-based businesses, worker co-ops, and other city residents and collectives in Chicago’s solidarity economy movement. These cooperatives and businesses are, in Hatcher’s words, “meaningfully trying to change their neighborhoods, have more control and agency, and think about collective care and collective wealth in a way that doesn’t highlight the sole entrepreneur making lots of money off a new business, but building institutions that support the material needs of folks in Chicago neighborhoods.” This includes endeavors related to collective land stewardship, removing land from the speculative market, and establishing community land trusts or affordable housing.
“Lawyers often approach clients thinking they have the answer, and I think the law itself sometimes creates very problematic power dynamics,” Hatcher says. “So, we’re trying to use a community- and-client-centered approach and provide anything and everything that new institutions or existing solidarity economy initiatives might need as they grow their organization, co-op, or community land trust.”
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