Most of this manual discusses proactive planning and strategic decision-making in moving an advocacy agenda. However, often a crisis will occur unexpectedly, and community members must spring into action within a matter of hours or days. The key is to turn these events into opportunities.
Focus on accomplishing two goals:
Consider the following steps toward achieving those goals:
Buy yourself some time: call
for an investigation back
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Events may unfold quickly, and you should attempt to keep pace,
if not one step ahead. Nevertheless, you need time to gather
the facts, figure out your demands, and decide how you will
handle the media. Buy yourself some time by publicly calling
for an investigation. This allows you to immediately step forward
without hastily committing yourself to any version of events.
It is also likely to generate a news story to keep the incident
in the public’s eyes while you become better prepared.
Be clear about whom you are asking to undertake an investigation. The state attorney general? A U.S. attorney? Local health department? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?
Get the facts back
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Get your facts together before you take a position. If you
put yourself out there and the situation does not turn out the
way you thought it would, you will lose credibility and appear
to be someone simply looking for headlines. But remember:
try to keep pace. The initial news story will likely be based
on an official report, which may not be accurate or complete.
You need to get the facts as soon as possible; if the incident
happened a week ago and you still have not commented on it,
the report will stand in the public’s mind as the uncontested
facts.
Learn everything you can about the incident. Gather as much accurate, complete, and detailed information as possible. What happened? When? How many people were affected? How? What has the media reported? Who is quoted? What steps are officials planning to take?
Attempt to obtain relevant documents, for example, reports by eyewitnesses and officials on the scene. This may be another opportunity to make a public statement to keep the story alive. Alert the media to the official records you have requested and whether you have received a response.
Convene and coordinate all
stakeholders back
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During this time, you should also pull together the various
stakeholders. This might include neighborhood residents, community
leaders, clergy, civil rights advocates, youth organizations,
and others who are already involved or have been involved
in similar events.
Build as organized and unified an effort as possible. There’s
power in numbers and, ideally, all stakeholders will stand behind
a shared list of demands.
Designate spokespersons and an organizer. Who will present public officials and the media with your demands? Who will coordinate your efforts and keep everyone informed?
Decide on your demands back
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Positive change for the community. What policy or practice—or
lack of one—is related to this incident? If you do not
know what to demand, call someone who may, for example someone
from an advocacy organization that works in this issue area.
Renew earlier demands. If you called for an investigation, has it begun? If you requested official documentation, have you received it?
Work with the media back
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Set the stage. What is the image you want to project?
Set the record straight. Is your version of the facts different from that of the official report? From what has been reported in the news? Are there others who will contradict those accounts? Are there unanswered questions? Always provide accurate and reliable information. Never overstate the facts or invent them. Give the media your list of demands; it makes good news copy.
Stay on the case: keep it
in the news back
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Persistence and public scrutiny pay off (sometimes); without
it, you do not stand a chance. Decision-makers respond to
public pressure, most often exerted through consistent public
action and media coverage. Keep the story in the news and
engage in public actions.
Don't wait for next time back
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Events move fast in a crisis. If you are unprepared,
you will have to scramble. You’ll be unsure of what to
propose and may miss the opportunity created by intense public
attention.
Be ready! You may not be able to anticipate how or when a crisis
will arise, but by taking the steps described in previous sections
to develop a set of clear goals, identify policies and practices
that will get you there, and build a broad coalition, people
will look to you for effective solutions and you will be in
a strong position to address the immediate problem and advance
your larger advocacy agenda.
A final word on speaking out back
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Advocates are by nature optimists. Underlying our actions is
the belief that there are solutions to even the most serious
social problems, that our institutions (the media, legislature,
agencies, courts, and businesses) can function to improve the
lives of all members of the community, that individuals everywhere
are interested in the truth and would like to be a part of a
society that is prosperous and fair, and that by working together
in a concerted way change is possible.
Change is hard. Celebrate every victory (small and large) and
spread the word! It’s a win for advocates everywhere.