NightprowlKitty asked:
… then give us some small tactics. You’d find a lot of folks would join in, well at least I would. I am not experienced at this. I’m not even sure I understand it! But I’m ready to help even if I’m not yet ready to lead in this kind of project. I’d love an essay from you with concrete action items that illustrate these “small tactics.”
I responded to Ground with a tactic for a group of maybe 10 people that begins thus:
Go to your representative’s office, present your demands, and insist on seeing him or her. Staffer tells you congressperson is in Washington and isn’t available. You say, we’ll wait here until he/she comes back on the next plane. Staffer says that’s ridiculous. You say you’re staying. Staffer threatens to call police. Fork: If police come, you treat them politely, explaining the justice of your position, then you leave, having provoked a response that provides a news hook. If police don’t come, you stay 5 minutes past closing time, then leave. You have defied authority, stayed out of jail. And upset the staffer.
You could also come back when the rep is in town.
Another I’ve toyed with is for a small group of people to prepare a flier and go to a jobs fair (New York State even gives a schedule of them here). These grotesque spectacles give the illusion that you could get a job. The flier could say any number of things. If the small group included unemployed people, the flier could advocate not leaving until jobs were offered to all. Tactically, you could back down when pressured by security. Having to be forced out by security or police becomes an issue all by itself. If the group were all employed, it could have a general statement about unemployment and call a meeting. Give a phone number and web page (not that expensive since the traffic would not be massive). The very act of trying to organize at such events could provoke a reaction, and that reaction, however small, then becomes an issue. Then you could take your group and “Go to your representative’s office …” as above, demanding the right to organize at these events. (Organize for what? You’d have to figure that out.) Some of the fairs listed are for government jobs, and thus the issue would be more sensitive than if the jobs were private sector.