In our current context, a people’s assembly uses directly-democratic decision-making to build a movement against fascism.

A grassroots directly democratic assembly is a decision-making body where all members of a particular community or group participate personally, rather than through elected representatives or intermediaries, in the process of making significant decisions that affect the group as a whole. This is a core feature of direct democracy, as opposed to representative democracy, in which people elect others to deliberate and decide on their behalf, like a city council.

We practice organizing that:

• builds a mass movement is transparent in its methods and goals is accountable to each other.

• We believe that city-wide assemblies are:

• the best way to coordinate the fight against fascism

• a way of building the type of communities we want – “a new world in the shell of the old”

• the starting point for setting up assemblies in workplaces and neighborhoods

Key Features of a Directly Democratic Assembly

1. Direct Participation by All Members – Every member of the group has the right and opportunity to attend the assembly, speak, deliberate, and vote on proposals or decisions. This establishes an inclusive structure for collective governance, aiming to ensure that the concerns, voices, and interests of everyone, especially those directly affected by decisions, are genuinely considered and included in the final outcome.

2. Deliberation Through Group Discussion – Decision-making usually comes after open conversation among assembly participants. People deliberate together, discussing issues, airing concerns, and weighing options before coming to a conclusion.

3. No Permanent or Centralized Leadership – While certain tasks might be delegated to specific groups or individuals (such as facilitation or technical roles), the essential decisions are made by the full group, not by a central authority or permanent leadership. Delegated bodies or individuals are subject to recall and direct oversight by the assembly.

4. Practical Size Limits – Such assemblies are particularly suited to groups of a manageable size, often up to a few hundred people, which makes it feasible for everyone to meaningfully participate, speak, and be heard.

5. Safeguards Against Domination – The goal is to prevent the emergence of new forms of internal class, gender, or racial domination by giving everyone a direct stake, role, and say in communal governance. This structure is intended to resist tendencies toward internal stratification or manipulation of governance by a subset of members.