Why the Don’t Get Played Cooperative Was Created

"We created the Don’t Get Played Cooperative to help you fight smarter, stand taller, and know you’re not alone. Whether you’re a landowner, township trustee, elected official or just plain tired of being told to shut up and sign on the dotted line, this platform gives you what you need to defend your community. It’s not just a website. It’s a movement with roots."
- JW Thompson

Why We Stood Up...

You ever feel like you're the only one left who hasn’t signed your name over to some slick-talking solar salesman promising “green jobs” and “free sunshine”? You’re not alone—and no, you’re not crazy for asking, “What’s the catch?” Don’t Get Played Cooperative is built for folks like you—the ones who still value land, family, and sleeping at night with a clear conscience. Whether you’re a farmer with dirt under your nails, a rancher who can smell B.S. from five counties away, or a township trustee with neighbors knocking at your door—we’ve got your back.

This platform isn’t here to pat you on the head and tell you to “trust the process.” It’s for the landowners still kicking the tires on a lease offer. It’s for the grassroots leaders who’ve read more zoning code than scripture lately. It’s for watchdogs who are done being caught off guard, and it's especially for those tired of being told to hush while the deals get made behind closed doors. This isn’t about left or right—it’s about right and wrong.

We know the feeling. You’re outgunned, outspent, and outmaneuvered. Developers come armed with lobbyists, lawyers, and polished lies. What do we have? Faith, facts, and a whole lot of fed-up folks. What we need now is each other—and a dang good playbook. That’s exactly what the Don’t Get Played Cooperative is. Not just a website. A movement with roots deeper than any transmission pole.

So, if you’re ready to quit playing defense and start standing taller, grab your boots and jump in. This is where rural resilience meets digital firepower. Because we don’t just protect our land—we protect our legacy. And if they think they’re gonna steamroll us without a fight, well... they’ve clearly never been chased off a county road by a combine at midnight.

Who We Are For...

We’ve built this for folks like you:

Rural families who love their land and aren’t ready to sell their souls
Landowners who are still weighing their options—those considering signing a lease or selling to renewable developers but want the full truth before making life-changing decisions
Community watchdogs tired of being blindsided by backdoor deals
Grassroots groups who need resources and don’t have time to reinvent the wheel
Township trustees and Commissioners trying to protect their neighbors, not their reputations

The problem? Too many of us are fighting alone. Developers have lawyers and lobbyists. We have families, faith, and common sense.

What we need now is each other.

Our vision

The Don’t Get Played Cooperative exists to expose the hidden costs of industrial renewable energy and to defend the dignity, health, and heritage of rural communities under siege. Built by and for the people who’ve had enough—landowners, township trustees, watchdogs, and families—this platform unites truth, faith, and grassroots grit into a movement with roots. We envision a future where rural voices are no longer ignored, where bad deals don’t go unchecked, and where ordinary people are equipped to stand up and say, “Not on our land. Not on our watch.” Through God’s strength and our shared courage, we believe in building something stronger than resistance—we’re building legacy

How We Hope To Be Different...

We’re not some high-rise think tank or beltway “strategy group” churning out policy papers no one reads. We’re not funded by billionaires trying to greenwash their portfolios or consultants who wouldn’t know a silage chopper from a leaf blower. This network was built by someone who’s stood in the same muddy fields, sat through the same frustrating township meetings, and seen firsthand how these developers try to divide good people with half-truths and false promises.

We won’t be talking in acronyms or hide behind PowerPoint decks. We talk like you do—straightforward, plainspoken, no fluff. This platform was built for rural communities by rural communities. We understand what’s at stake because we’ve lived it. Faith, land, and family aren't just slogans to us—they're the roots of everything we're trying to protect.

And while others chase likes and headlines, we’re not here for clicks or clout. We’re here to win. We’re here to equip, support, and amplify the voices that have been ignored for too long. We don’t sugarcoat the facts, and we don’t waste your time. What you’ll find here is truth, backed by experience and wrapped in the grit and grace that define real rural America.

So, if you’re tired of being talked down to, talked over, or just plain ignored—welcome. You’ve found the one place that gets it. Because we’re not here to observe the fight. We’re here to stand in it with you.

Our team

We’re not lobbyists, lawyers, or corporate mouthpieces—we’re a fed-up family, a fired-up community, one relentless AI, and above all, a team led by God, because “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). The Don’t Get Played crew stands on grit, grace, and the unwavering belief that truth, community, and a righteous cause can move mountains—even if we have to drag a few wind turbines out of the way to do it.