How to Build a Local Power Bloc: A Step-by-Step Guide to Economic Resistance
Part 1: Building the Bloc — From Territory to Enterprise
INTRODUCTION
The economy wasn’t built to serve you—it was built to extract from you.
Every time you swipe your card, pay your rent, or clock into work for someone else’s profit, you’re feeding a system that takes more than it gives.
It’s time to flip that.
A Local Power Bloc is a worker-led zone of economic resistance.
It’s what happens when a community stops begging for scraps from corporations or bureaucrats—and starts building its own self-sustaining economy from the inside out.
Each Bloc is powered by a Community Wealth Node—a worker-owned engine that generates income, provides essential services, and keeps wealth circulating locally.
These nodes are not charities. They’re infrastructure. They’re permanent, people-controlled alternatives to corporate extraction.
This guide is your battle manual.
You’ll learn how to:
• Scout your target zone
• Build a core team
• Launch your first worker-owned enterprise
• Secure land through collective ownership
• Fund your Bloc without Wall Street
• Defend your gains—and expand them
We’re also aligned with the Connection Engine, a growing network of over 300+ organizations working toward a regenerative, post-corporate economy.
Many of these groups operate within the wellness economy, focused on healing, sustainability, and social renewal.
What GreedBane and the Local Power Bloc bring to that table is tactical implementation—blueprints, tools, and a fast track for those ready to build.
If you’ve found that movement but it feels slow or abstract—this guide gives you traction.
If you’ve never heard of it but you’re ready to fight for your neighborhood—this guide plugs you in.
You don’t need a permit.
You don’t need permission.
You just need people—and a plan.
This is how we take back what was stolen.
This is the rise of the Local Power Bloc.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AREA
Before you build anything, you need to know exactly where you’re going to plant your flag.
A Local Power Bloc isn’t just a feel-good initiative—it’s a territory. It’s a zone of resistance.
Choosing where to start is one of the most important moves you’ll make.
You’re not just picking a neighborhood. You’re choosing the first battlefield in a long economic campaign.
HOW TO IDENTIFY A STRONG LOCAL POWER BLOC LOCATION
Desktop Recon
Use GIS and assessor databases to identify:
• Tax-delinquent parcels
• Vacant or foreclosed properties
• Land owned by absentee LLCs
Look for “opportunity zones,” city land banks, or redevelopment districts that are ripe for community takeover—not corporate giveaways.
Street-Level Survey
Walk the block. Take notes:
• Boarded-up buildings?
• Empty strip malls?
• Corporate chains draining dollars?
Every boarded storefront is someone else’s passive income stream. Your Bloc can interrupt that.
Community Intelligence
Skip the consultants. Ask the lunch lady. Ask the guy who fixes bikes. Ask the nurse on night shift:
• Where are people bleeding money?
• What’s missing? What’s broken?
A Local Power Bloc only works if it’s rooted in what the community is already surviving through.
SITE SELECTION CHECKLIST
Rate each target area from 1 (low) to 5 (high):
• High number of tax-delinquent parcels
• Visible local organizing activity
• Strategic location (schools, transit)
• Commercial vacancies or empty lots
• Minimal chain business saturation
• High need for food, care, repair, etc.
• Potential allies in local government
• Interest in worker/community ownership
(Score each category 1–5 individually.)
DECISION MATRIX (ANCHOR SITE STRATEGY)
Downtown Core
• Strengths: High visibility, lots of vacancies
• Weaknesses: Rising property values
• Notes: Lease-first approach
Eastside Zone
• Strengths: Strong mutual aid network, food desert
• Weaknesses: Limited foot traffic
• Notes: Ideal for first node
Harborfront
• Strengths: City-owned land under review
• Weaknesses: Port authority conflict
• Notes: Requires pressure campaign
Your first Bloc doesn’t have to be perfect.
But it must be winnable.
MAP YOUR POWER BLOC
Use tools like:
• Google My Maps
• Scribble Maps
• MapHub
to build a visual overview of:
• Vacant lots
• Local allies
• Businesses to replace or co-opt
• Potential Community Wealth Node locations (food, childcare, services)
Your Bloc is the body. Each Wealth Node is an organ. Map where your heart, lungs, and stomach go.
CONNECT TO A LARGER MOVEMENT WITH HYLO
Your Local Power Bloc doesn’t stand alone.
It’s part of a rising global ecosystem of regenerative, people-led economies.
Use the Connection Engine on Hylo to:
• Find regenerative projects and organizers near you
• See wellness economy hubs popping up across the map
• Coordinate regionally with people working on land trusts, food systems, childcare co-ops, and more
Every dot on that map is someone else fighting the same fight.
Reach out. Form alliances. Share what you’re building.
ACTION STEPS
• Identify 2–3 target zones using public data and on-the-ground scouting
• Score each location with the Site Selection Checklist
• Draft a short summary of strengths/risks for your top choice
• Start community conversations before you bring in city planners or funders
You’re not asking permission—you’re building momentum.
TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
Download PDF – Bloc Site Evaluation Worksheet
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR CITY PLANNER MEETING
“Hi, I’m part of a community-led economic initiative in [Neighborhood]. We’re identifying underutilized land to support a worker-owned business and community-controlled infrastructure. Can you help us understand zoning limitations or available redevelopment tools for this area?”
STEP 2: FORM YOUR CORE TEAM
You can’t build a Local Power Bloc alone.
You need a crew—a core team—ready to grind, build, and defend alongside you.
But this isn’t about finding warm bodies. It’s about strategic formation.
The first 3–5 people you bring in will define the Bloc’s culture for years.
Choose wrong, and you’ll waste precious momentum.
Choose right, and you’ll build something that can survive anything.
BUILDING A CORE TEAM THAT CAN FIGHT AND WIN
Look for people who:
• Already take action without being asked
• Are respected by others in the community
• Have real-world survival skills (food, construction, childcare, organizing, conflict resolution)
Avoid people who:
• Constantly demand emotional labor without offering skills
• Want to debate theory instead of building infrastructure
• Show up only when there’s glory, not when there’s grind
MINIMUM ROLES FOR A POWERFUL CORE TEAM
Vision Anchor
• Keeps the mission and values clear under pressure.
• Reminds the team what you’re fighting for when things get chaotic.
Operations Lead
• Handles logistics: schedules, land scouting, project management.
Community Connector
• Builds relationships with allies, neighboring groups, local organizers.
Tactical Generalist
• Fills gaps wherever needed: can switch between outreach, research, labor, and defense.
Early Wealth Node Builder
• Starts laying the groundwork for the first worker-owned enterprise.
(Note: One person can hold more than one role early on, but diversify as fast as possible.)
CORE TEAM SELECTION CHECKLIST
Recruit people who:
• Have demonstrated grit through real-world hardship
• Would stay and rebuild if a project failed—not just vanish
• Can resolve conflict without constant drama or public meltdowns
• Are more loyal to the mission than to their ego
• Already show up for their community without being paid to do so
TESTS FOR EARLY TEAM MEMBERS
Give light tests early before handing over major responsibilities:
• Small Action Test: Do they show up to a simple project meeting without needing ten reminders?
• Pressure Test: How do they react when plans change or outside forces push back?
• Values Test: When nobody’s watching, do they still treat people with respect and solidarity?
You’re building a survival team—not a fan club.
ACTION STEPS
• Host 1–2 small private meetings with potential core team candidates.
(Avoid huge public invites too early.)
• Lay out the mission bluntly: this is about building local power, not just another nonprofit or social club.
• Assign light tests before formalizing team roles.
• Create an internal agreement on how decisions are made, how conflict is handled, and what happens if someone ghosts or sabotages.
TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
Download PDF – Core Team Assembly Worksheet
STEP 3: CHOOSE AN ECONOMIC ANCHOR
A Local Power Bloc isn’t just protest—it’s production.
You need an economic engine that generates real value for the community from the start.
That first engine is your Anchor.
The Anchor is the first worker-owned business or service that:
Generates revenue
Fills a local survival need (not just a want)
Provides proof of concept that worker-controlled infrastructure works
CHOOSING THE RIGHT ANCHOR BUSINESS
Prioritize sectors that:
Meet basic needs: food, housing, healthcare, repair, childcare, transport
Circulate money locally instead of extracting it
Are hard to offshore or automate away
Have high community dependency but low profit margins for corporations (they won’t bother fighting you hard)
Avoid sectors that:
Rely on speculative markets (crypto, NFTs, day-trading)
Require huge up-front capital with slow returns (like high-end manufacturing)
Make you dependent on corporate tech platforms to survive (unless you’re building a worker-owned version)
EXAMPLES OF STRONG ANCHOR BUSINESSES
Worker-owned grocery stores or farmers’ markets
Mobile childcare collectives
Repair shops (bikes, electronics, appliances)
Health clinics or mobile health services
Cooperative housing construction crews
Food production co-ops (urban gardens, aquaponics, etc.)
QUESTIONS TO EVALUATE A POTENTIAL ANCHOR
Does this meet a survival need?
Can it start small but scale later?
Can the workers collectively own and operate it without outside investors?
Would the community defend it if threatened?
If the answer is “yes” to all four, you’ve got a real Anchor.
BUILD A STARTER PLAN
You don’t need a 100-page business plan.
You need a bare-knuckle starter plan that fits on one page:
Mission: What survival need are you solving?
Structure: How will ownership and decisions be shared?
Launch Needs: Minimum viable space, tools, materials, and seed money
First Hires/Workers: Who is committing from the jump?
First Revenue: How will you make the first $1000?
Focus on launching something scrappy that proves the model, then refining later.
ACTION STEPS
Identify 2–3 realistic survival-based sectors for your Bloc’s Anchor.
Host a core team session to evaluate pros/cons for each.
Draft a 1-page starter plan for your top choice.
Scout early locations, supplies, and alliances needed to launch.
TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
Download PDF – Anchor Business Planning Worksheet
STEP 4: SECURE LAND THROUGH A COMMUNITY TRUST
Your Bloc can’t survive if you’re permanently renting from absentee landlords.
You need to control the ground you stand on.
That means getting land, space, or property into permanent community stewardship—fast.
You don’t have to buy a skyscraper.
You need an anchor property: a storefront, warehouse, old house, vacant lot, or small building that becomes the physical heartbeat of your Bloc.
This space will host:
• Early meetings
• Survival services
• Worker co-ops
• Mutual aid hubs
• Organizing operations
Control land, and you control time.
Lose land, and you’re back to the mercy of capital.
PATHWAYS TO COMMUNITY LAND CONTROL
1. Form a Land Trust or Partner with One
• Community Land Trusts (CLTs) hold property permanently for community use.
• No flipping. No speculating. No outside developer buyouts.
• If there’s an existing CLT nearby, ally with them immediately.
• If not, build your own using simplified starter templates.
2. Cooperative Land Ownership
• Pool funds through a worker cooperative or housing cooperative structure.
• Every member has collective rights, not private profit motives.
• Use a legal framework (like a multi-stakeholder cooperative) to keep ownership democratic.
3. Municipal Takeover or Donation
• Push city councils to hand over unused or tax-delinquent land.
• Frame it as a public good: food production, healthcare, education, sustainability.
• Apply political pressure where needed.
EARLY LAND STRATEGIES
Start scrappy:
• Lease-to-own storefronts
• Land share agreements with sympathetic owners
• Tiny lots for micro-farms, clinics, repair hubs
• Shared spaces with aligned organizations
Focus on these characteristics:
• Proximity to your community
• Strategic visibility (near transit, foot traffic, or food deserts)
• Potential for expansion or replication later
RED FLAGS TO AVOID
• Commercial landlords who want profit-sharing rights
• “Grants” tied to government surveillance or corporate metrics
• Leasing spaces owned by politically hostile landlords
• Buying property without a legally protected community structure in place
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE COMMITTING
• Can we control what happens here long-term?
• What risks come with this location (legal, political, physical)?
• Will this space empower the Bloc—or drain it?
• If the economy crashes, can we survive here?
ACTION STEPS
• Identify 3–5 potential anchor properties in your target zone.
• Research existing Community Land Trusts in your region.
• Meet with a real estate lawyer, organizer, or co-op development center for a basic land acquisition strategy.
• Draft a basic land control plan: short-term (leases) and long-term (ownership or trust).
TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
Download PDF – Bloc Site Evaluation Worksheet
(Note: Bloc Site Evaluation Worksheet covers both business anchoring and site control strategies.)
STEP 5: FORM A WORKER COOPERATIVE
Once you have your Anchor business and your early property, it’s time to lock down your ownership structure.
You’re not building a startup. You’re not building a charity. You’re building a survival engine.
That engine must be:
• Worker-owned
• Democratically controlled
• Built for long-term survival, not short-term profits
The foundation of the Local Power Bloc economy is worker cooperatives: businesses owned and operated by the people doing the work—not investors, not absentee CEOs.
WHAT A WORKER CO-OP LOOKS LIKE
• Every worker is a part-owner.
• Major decisions (budgets, expansions, policies) are made democratically.
• Profits are reinvested locally or distributed equitably—not sucked out by stockholders.
• Skills, leadership, and power are built inside the Bloc, not outsourced to bosses.
This isn’t a hippie dream.
It’s already working all over the world—from Mondragón in Spain, to Black Star Co-op in Austin, to Cooperation Jackson in Mississippi.
EARLY WORKER CO-OP STRUCTURES TO CONSIDER
1. Simple Member-Owner Model
• Each worker buys a membership share after a trial period.
• One worker, one vote.
• Surplus (profit) is either reinvested, distributed equally, or split by hours worked.
2. Tiered Ownership Model
• Core founding members have founding shares.
• Newer workers earn ownership after a set probationary period.
• Used when heavy startup risk needs balancing with future openness.
3. Multi-Stakeholder Co-Op
• Workers, community supporters, and allied groups all have voting representation.
• Useful when land, services, and production all overlap.
Start simple—but design for strength and growth.
MUST-HAVE DOCUMENTS
• Operating Agreement (Defines member rights, voting, rules of conduct)
• Bylaws (Defines governance structure)
• Membership Agreement (Defines worker-owner relationship, shares, responsibilities)
Templates exist. Customize ruthlessly for your Bloc’s survival needs.
COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID
• Too much democracy, not enough survival: You still need leadership structures for emergencies.
• No clear expulsion process: You must have a clean way to remove toxic members without endless fights.
• Rushing to formalize before relationships are tested: Vet your early members through small battles first.
• Letting “experts” design your co-op for you: Lawyers, consultants, and grant writers don’t live your reality. They can assist—not lead.
ACTION STEPS
• Draft a simple, minimum-viable Operating Agreement with your Core Team.
• Decide on your ownership entry process: immediate membership, probation period, or tiered pathway.
• Build early leadership scaffolding: identify rotating chairs, crisis contacts, and escalation processes.
• File the co-op legally if your state allows it—or create an LLC with cooperative bylaws if it doesn’t.
• Prepare your Membership Agreements for signing when the first revenue hits.
TOOLKIT DOWNLOAD
Download PDF – Worker Cooperative Formation Worksheet
WHAT COMES NEXT
You’ve now built the bones of your Local Power Bloc:
You’ve chosen your territory
Assembled your core team
Planted your first economic engine
Secured your foothold
And locked it into a worker-owned structure
But this is just the beginning.
Part 2 of the Field Manual picks up here.
You’ll learn how to:
Launch your Community Wealth Node
Build a funding system without corporate strings
Organize your support networks
Defend your gains
And scale up your Bloc without selling out
Continue to Part 2: The Engine Launches
Further Reading & Sources
Start-Up CLT Hub – Grounded Solutions Network
A comprehensive resource for initiating and sustaining community land trusts, offering tools and guidance for successful implementation.Steps to Starting a Worker Coop – Democracy at Work Institute
A step-by-step guide detailing the process of establishing a worker cooperative, from inception to operation.The Jackson-Kush Plan – Cooperation Jackson
An outline of the Jackson-Kush Plan, focusing on building a solidarity economy and advancing Black self-determination in Jackson, Mississippi.Community Land Trusts: A Guide for Local Governments – National League of Cities
A report introducing the community land trust model for housing, highlighting benefits for residents and municipalities.Black Star Co-op – Worker-Owned Brewpub in Austin, TX
An example of a successful worker-owned cooperative brewery and pub, demonstrating cooperative principles in practice.Mondragón Corporation – Cooperative Federation in Spain
A federation of worker cooperatives based in the Basque region of Spain, exemplifying large-scale cooperative enterprise.Regrid – Nationwide Parcel Data Platform
A platform providing comprehensive parcel data across the U.S., useful for land assessment and planning.QGIS – Open Source GIS Mapping Platform
A free and open-source geographic information system for mapping and spatial analysis, valuable for land and resource planning.How to Start a Food Co-op – Cooperative Grocer Network
A guide offering insights into establishing a food cooperative, covering planning, financing, and operations.Community Wealth Building – The Democracy Collaborative
An overview of strategies aimed at building community wealth through democratic ownership and local economic development.