Six Simple Steps for a Successful Community Resolution Campaign

In recent months, more than 120 communities in 25 states, representing more than 16 million people, have passed community resolutions affirming civil liberties and expressing opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act. From small towns like Peterborough, NH to large cities like Detroit, from the Republican-controlled Alaska Legislature to the Democrat-controlled Hawaii Legislature and the evenly divided Vermont Legislature; from Baltimore in the East to Oakland, CA in the West, communities across the country are taking a stand. Leading this charge are ACLU members and grassroots activists across the country who are building diverse coalitions of organizations from the American Conservative Union to Amnesty International, from the American Library Association to Gun Owners of America. The media and Congress are beginning to pay attention. Local activists are making the difference!

1. Contact the ACLU
>> Your local ACLU affiliate will inform you of any pending resolution activity and how you can get involved.
You can locate your state affiliate online at www.aclu.org. (Scroll down to the ?“In the States?” section.)
>> The national ACLU office has hired a full-time field team to support local efforts in passing resolutions.
For detailed information on promoting a resolution in your community, go to the ?“Pass Community
Resolutions?” section at: www.aclu.org/safeandfree
>> Look over the ACLU sample resolution and discuss it with your ACLU contact. Consider which
provisions are particularly important in your community. To obtain a copy of the ACLU draft resolution
online, go to the ?“Pass Community Resolutions?” section at: www.aclu.org/safeandfree
TIP: If there is no pending resolution in your community, inquire about potential contacts that may assist in
the process. Ask for assistance in setting up strategy meetings. Your local ACLU affiliate may have a list of
people and organizations that want to be involved.
2. Know Your Community
Understand your local administration and how decisions are made. In particular, you need to know what powers the city or county council has with regard to the police, libraries and other municipal offices and resources. You may be able to access this information by contacting a local government office or a former municipal official.
>> Collect information about the members of the city or county council. Get informed about which members of the council are most concerned about your issues and may be willing to support, if not sponsor, the resolution. Also, figure out what people or groups have leverage over council members who may not initially lend support for the resolution.
>> With the ACLU draft resolution in mind, consider what organizations and activists in your community may be particularly interested in joining the resolution effort. Obtain a copy of the ACLU draft resolution online at: www.aclu.org/safeandfree
>> Review the list of communities that have passed resolutions, to see if a resolution(s) have been passed in your state. (The list is available online through the ?“Pass Community Resolutions?” section at www.aclu.org/safeandfree.) You can contact organizers from those cities and counties to learn their strategies for success. Keep in mind that some resolutions contain legally binding language, which actually protects residents, while others have been largely symbolic. To protect your personal privacy best, please consider starting with the strongly worded ACLU draft resolution. Then, individualize
the draft so that the language is specific to the concerns of your community. To obtain a copy of the
ACLU draft resolution online go to the ?“Pass Community Resolutions?” section at:
www.aclu.org/safeandfree
TIP: Stay organized by keeping records of your contacts. Knowing this information will help you complete the
coalition-building process.

Protect Your Civil Liberties

3. Build a Coalition
>> Identify organizations in your community that you think may wish to work on the resolution effort. Know that a number of national organizations have pledged their support for this community resolution effort. You may also find allies by contacting the national organizations that have joined the ACLU in opposing intrusive federal policies - ask for local affiliates or activists in your area. With these possibilities in mind, contact your local ACLU affiliate to discuss the specifics of your coalition further. Remember that you can and should draw on the support of a broad array of organizations.
>> Locate your local affiliate online at www.aclu.org. (Scroll down to the ?“In the States?” section.)
>> View a listing of national organizations at: www.indefenseoffreedom.org/organizations.html
>> Send a letter to the organizations that you feel may be interested in working on this project. Remember
to include the ACLU draft resolution with your letter as a starting point for your discussion. To obtain
a copy of the ACLU draft resolution online, go to the ?“Pass Community Resolutions?” section at:
www.aclu.org/safeandfree
TIP: The coalition that you assemble should be balanced and representative of the diversity in your community.
Remember that having other organizations?’ and activists?’ support for binding language will be essential if you want to pass a strong resolution. And know that building a strong, broad grassroots coalition will create a defense against civil liberty abuses in your community that will continue after the resolution is passed.
4. Host a Strategy Meeting
>> Having discussed the initiative individually with some of your key organizational partners, you should
convene a coalition meeting to discuss this project as a group.
>> Establish roles and responsibilities for leadership.
>> Review and discuss the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that could adversely affect your community. Peruse the ACLU?’s PATRIOT Act information online at www.aclu.org/safeandfree. (Click on ?“USA PATRIOT Act?” in the Issues section.) Your state ACLU affiliate can also offer support as needed.
>> Draft a resolution that reflects the priorities of your community. While you should use the ACLU draft resolution as a starting point, you should be ready to add to and subtract from the draft in order to meet the needs of coalition partners critical to your success. The resolution should be both legally binding and representative of the diverse interests within your community. To obtain a copy of the ACLU draft resolution online go to the ?“Pass Community Resolutions?” section at:
www.aclu.org/safeandfree
TIP: You may want to involve sympathetic city council members in the drafting process.

(final section in next post)

Protect Your Civil Liberties

5. Build Public Awareness
>> Work with the ACLU to devise a public education strategy. Some suggested methods include: start
a letter writing campaig; draft an op-ed piece in the local newspaper; engage in a public petition drive; or set up information tables in public places. In addition, with your coalition partners, you can organize ?“teach-ins?” with your members and/or forums with the general public. Any information given to the public needs to be accurate and concise.
TIP: The ACLU has printable flyers ?— useful for raising awareness. Go to www.aclu.org/SafeandFree, scroll
down to the Publications section and click on ?“More Safe and Free Publications.?”
6. Implement a Strategy for Passing the Resolution
>> Schedule informal meeting(s) with your local council members. Present evidence of public support to the council members. Ask the most persuasive council member(s) to introduce the resolution to the city or county council.
>> Have influential people or groups call or visit members that need to be moved to support the resolution
>> Identify key people to testify in support of the resolution at the meeting when the council will be
debating it.
TIP: Members of the coalition should be prepared to attend City or County Council meetings and testify publicly on behalf of the resolution. And remember to keep the media informed about your activities, about council votes and certainly about your success!
Passing a resolution is only the beginning; early successes should be capitalized upon in the media and
in the community. Email us to develop a Next Steps Work Plan at: field dcaclu.org

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU?’RE ON YOUR WAY!

Go Batman!!

More legalistic bomb throwing, Batman?
Yeah, that's what we need, the ACLU in our midst.
Since you have been unsuccessful in ramming SOS down our throats, now you want us to invite your other lefty causes.
You and Boy Wonder were just born too late. Anarchy and antiestablishment hysteria went out with Beatle haircuts.
I for one hope the Patriot Act is left intact and executed fully. I have my own concerns for intrusive government but the concern is more for an over exuberant,unconstitutional judiciary; like that of which you are a member.
Splitting legalistic hairs while Osama is building bombs next door is my idea of a spectacular waste of time.
Hamstringing the constabulary is what allowed Osama to execute his original abomination.
Teddy, Chucky and Hilary, working diligently with the ACLU, blinding the CIA was instrumental in creating the environment that let Osama's gang flourish. Not to mention der Schlickmeister letting Osama go because he didn't think we had ''legal jurisdiction''.
With the prior damage done by the ACLU on domestic surveillance, he was probably right; something the Patriot Act is trying to reverse.
Your continuing effort to get legalism and political correctness to dominate is pathetic. Don't you have anything better to do?
Why don't you just file a lawsuit on behalf of the Taliban to block the Patriot Act? The ACLU would make you a charter member. You can put the card in your wallet right next to your SOS Gold card.
If there is a God (the ACLU says no)you would realize the same result as your earlier idiot suit.