In this hyper connected, hyper aware era, a lot of people feel like they have more control over the information they consume, and the communities they can help. And while we most definitely have the ability to read more research, more articles and more journalism from more places around the world than we ever have, only so much can be done behind screens. In a criminal legal system class, the professor said that wealthy people did politics all the time, and I believe that the way in which we interact with politics–especially on the local level–needs to change. Changes that affect us negatively in our daily lives must come from somewhere, local officials have made policy decisions that have a certain impact, and gentrification is no exception. Whether policies act to remove government regulations or to explicitly target the disadvantaged, ordinary citizens have the right to intervene. Over the last decades, local election turnout and grassroots organization involvement has plummeted, when showing up for one’s local community is one of the most crucial stepping stones toward real, tangible social change. Members of the community that are able to identify issues and common goals, the people that manage to build a network of locals truly committed to the cause and to mobilize around them are essential in order to stand a chance against unfair, cruel decisions from local officials. By rallying your neighbors, holding meetings, attending public hearings and protesting unfair subsidies for developers, engaging in direct conflict with various officials, or educating one another can– and has made– the world of a difference.