Democracy is fundamentally about advocacy: the people are free to
advocate for their interests and form groups to represent their shared interests. In the broadest scope, the people are free to advocate for what they hold as the
common good, policies and programs that benefit the entire populace rather than one special-interest group.
Since the state (all levels of government) concentrates wealth and power via taxation and a monopoly on force, groups advocate/lobby the state to recognize and respond to their interests. At the local level, this advocacy entails contacting city council members, speaking at council meetings, developing outreach tools (email lists, website, etc.), holding rallies at city hall, etc.