About Citizen Oversight
Who We Are
We're just regular people who are tired of doomscrolling and decided to do something marginally more productive instead.
We're not a major activist organization. We don't have a fancy office or a PR team. We're two sleep-deprived citizens who's souls are being crushed under the slow-motion collapse of democratic norms.
So we started making stuff.
What We Do
We honestly pissed off and wanted to use our skills in a way that felt like we could help. We can design, curate resources, help amplify the right voices if we humbly get enough followers to do so. But we don't want to just grift off "resistance merch" so we are actually putting our money where our mouth is:
50% of profit (after production costs) goes directly to organizations fighting to protect what's left of our democracy.
The other 50%? That keeps the lights on so we can keep making more stuff.
This Isn't Our Main Gig
This is a nights-and-weekends kind of operation. We have day jobs, families, and all the usual life responsibilities—this is what we do with our remaining scraps of free time because it feels better than just feeling hopeless.
We've added a few designs and resources so far, but we'll be adding more as we go. Consider this a work-in-progress, much like democracy itself.
If things seem a bit rough around the edges or if we don't ship as fast as Amazon, that's why. We're actual humans who occasionally need to sleep.
Why We Do It
Here's our deeply philosophical plan:
- Create designs that remind people not to normalize authoritarianism.
- Sell those designs on quality products.
- Give half the money after production costs to organizations doing the hard work of protecting civil liberties.
- Sleep slightly better at night knowing we're not just doomscrolling.
Our current obsession is making sure people remember that the most dangerous moments in history started with citizens who simply obeyed in advance—accepting restrictions on liberty before they were even imposed. (If you haven't read On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder, we highly recommend.)
Our Commitment
Beyond just selling stuff, we're committed to:
- Education: We plan to create free downloadable resources explaining threats to democracy in plain language.
- Transparency: We'll tell you exactly where your money goes—down to the penny—and show receipts. Right now we will be doing this monthly.
- Accessibility: All our designs will be made available for free download if you want to DIY. We're not precious about ownership when democracy's at stake.
- Constant improvement: We're iterating as we go, adding new designs and resources when we can carve out time between our regular jobs and life commitments.
Who We Support
Currently, we plan to donate the ACLU because when constitutional rights are under threat, they're the ones who show up with the legal firepower. The courts are our last line of defense and its not looking good.