Protest organizer needs advice

[glbt_equality]

I've looked over the Soulforce website for tools/advice for activists interested in organizing a nonviolent protest.

I'm sure someone has worked out some guidelines and tips, but I'm just not finding them.

I live in Tyler, Texas, where our only local AIDS clinic is being closed because of budget cuts. This will have a catastophic effect on the local AIDS population. We got front page newspaper coverage for our World AIDS Day candlelight vigil, but I'm afraid it's not going to be enough for this right-wing community to rise to the occasion.

The largest church here is a Baptist church, who refused to participate in World AIDS Day remembrances because it was viewed as "too controversial." This church also sponsors "ex-gay" seminars and teaches fundamentalist literalism. The pastor said regarding homosexuality in one of his sermons "It is one of the two greatest social issues facing us as Americans." I fear that this church believes that AIDS is God's punishment for gays. In the same sermon about the evils of homosexuality, the pastor, referring to Romans 1:18, said "It talks about how the wrath of God is being revealed against all ungodliness and wickedness..."

My plan is to camp out on their lawn to solicit media attention and funds to keep the clinic open, but having never organized a protest before, was hoping to find some guidance.

[Steven E. Webster]

I have some questions:

How is this Baptist Church connected to the clinic closing? Are they? Who cut the funding for the AIDS Clinic? What reasons did they give?

Keep studying the Soulforce website. There is a description of steps of nonviolent direct action. One principle is that the object is to open dialogue with one's adversaries. How would you open dialogue with this church? A public protest would probably not occur until you had attempted dialogue and had that dialogue refused or cut off.

You need to be clear about what you want from the church.

Do you have any religious/church allies in the community?

I'm in a rush to get to work Monday morning, so I hope someone else might direct you to some of the Soulforce training materials in nonviolent direct action (give us some links).

Steven Webster

[Zerbie]

I'm not clear on whether the church you reference wielded some influence to cut off the AIDS funding, or not. If so, then that is a protest target. If not, then what organization IS responsible for the funding cut?

Before planning to protest any body, first see if there is ANY way you can take a positive approach, rather than a negative. Can you, as Stephen sugegsts, find allied organizations and get help from them? How can you focus on getting the funding restored? Who can you ask to pick up the financial slack? Is there a wealthy donor in your neighborhood who you could wine and dine and persuade to toss a check in the direction of your clinic to keep it afloat for a few months while you advocate for restored funding?

[glbt_equality]

Thanks for the responses... let me try to answer some of the questions. Firstly, the church I'm focused on is in no way obligated to keep the AIDS clinic open. They are, however, responsible in my opinion for the apparent prevailing attitude in this community that AIDS is God's punishment for gays. This is a HUGE mega church that refused to participate in World AIDS Day remembrances because, in their words, "it would be to controversial." Since when is fighting AIDS controversial?

I guess "protest" is the wrong word for what I'm trying to do. I'd like to embarass them into opening a dialogue with us by publicly asking them to help us keep the clinic open. After all, there is no organization in this community with more resources at their disposal.

My ultimate goal in all of this is both to keep the clinic open by drawing enough public attention to the issue, and challenge the most powerful organization in the region to rethink their hate-mongering.

I have made several attempts to communicate with the pastor, but can't get past his secretary, who actually laughed when I called to ask for their participation in World AIDS Day.... That's how absurd the idea was to her... she actually laughed!

I see this church as ground zero for affecting any change here, but as you say, I want to bring about healing, not hatred -- cohesion and not division... so I know we will have to proceed with caution.

[Zerbie]

Thanks for the responses... let me try to answer some of the questions. Firstly, the church I'm focused on is in no way obligated to keep the AIDS clinic open. They are, however, responsible in my opinion for the apparent prevailing attitude in this community that AIDS is God's punishment for gays. This is a HUGE mega church that refused to participate in World AIDS Day remembrances because, in their words, "it would be to controversial." Since when is fighting AIDS controversial?

I guess "protest" is the wrong word for what I'm trying to do. I'd like to embarass them into opening a dialogue with us by publicly asking them to help us keep the clinic open. After all, there is no organization in this community with more resources at their disposal.

My ultimate goal in all of this is both to keep the clinic open by drawing enough public attention to the issue, and challenge the most powerful organization in the region to rethink their hate-mongering.

I have made several attempts to communicate with the pastor, but can't get past his secretary, who actually laughed when I called to ask for their participation in World AIDS Day.... That's how absurd the idea was to her... she actually laughed!

I see this church as ground zero for affecting any change here, but as you say, I want to bring about healing, not hatred -- cohesion and not division... so I know we will have to proceed with caution.

Okay, that's clearer. And yuck, what a daunting task!

Since when is fighting AIDS "controversial?" Since about 25 years, unfortunately. :mad: :rolleyes:

Ok, so you cite 2 goals for your action. Pick One. I vote for "keep the clinic open." Don't think or worry about "embarassing" the megachurch. With regard to the church, see if there is any crack in the wall that will let you through and someone there who will be receptive. maybe someone of influence in there can be persuaded to share their prodigious resources out of Christian charity. Do you know an¥one who goes there? Know anyone who knows someone who goes there who supports the clinic? Ask that person to speak to someone on your behalf.

Definitely go for that first - well before you try to "embarass" them. If they don't get on board but continue the "wrath of God" speeches, then make protesting their malevolent teachings a *future* endeavor. But that is a separate issue from the immediate and pressing need to fund the clinic. Right now your focus needs to be on keeping the clinic open. Any forum members have brilliant ideas for maintaining this clinic?

[glbt_equality]

I have some questions:

There is a description of steps of nonviolent direct action. One principle is that the object is to open dialogue with one's adversaries. How would you open dialogue with this church? A public protest would probably not occur until you had attempted dialogue and had that dialogue refused or cut off.

... so I hope someone else might direct you to some of the Soulforce training materials in nonviolent direct action (give us some links).

Steven Webster

Thanks for some great advice, all of which I intend to take. In the meantime, I'me still interested in knowing where to find the resources Steven spoke of (see quote above).

I think that focusing on the clinic for now is best, and I'll look for a church member that might make this plea on our behalf.

In the meantime, I have strong feelings about opening a dialogue with this group, and would like to begin the process of fleshing out a methodology or approach that might work. I'm a recent transplant to East Texas from North Carolina (moved here a year ago to be closer to my family after being diagnosed w/ AIDS), and am constantly amazed how fearful and closeted the gay community is here -- and how blatantly hateful the religious right is here. Thankfully, the press is refreshingly liberal, though the local government seems to suffer from the right wing church influences. So I'm on a mission to make a difference. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel, I knew that Soulforce would have the resources and advice I needed.

[NathanATX]

Visit www.thekingcenter.org for non-violence resources & training.

My suggestions:

Think about your purpose and frame it in the context of healing relationships and creating community. If you see the Baptist church as your enemy, they will be your enemy. Reconciliation should be paramount.

1. Write the pastors personally and ask them to support the AIDS clinic using the compassion of Jesus as the basis for their actions. Wait for a response. If you don't get one, call them.

2. Write articles and letters to the editor that frame the issue in the context of Christian compassion... and not in the context of attacking people for their differing opinions.

3. Camping on their lawn is just a quick ticket to jail for trespassing.

[Zerbie]

Cool! I'm glad you're keeping your options open and brainstorming!

I don't know what links Stephen was referencing? Maybe for now keep surfing the SF website (the books and videos list, the 4-step journey, etc.)

Interesting deets about the atmosphere in your community. Is it not very tight-knit? Maybe that's something that needs to be worked on - perhaps the clinic funding issue could be a rallying point to pull the community closer together? I dunno, just kinda rambling here.

Where exactly in East Texas is Tyler? I lived in Houston for 7 years, so I have a bit of a mental picture of smaller East Texas towns from having driven so often along the I10 east from Houston (through little towns like Vidor,)
Anyway, dunno if resources from a larger area like Houston might be out of the question/too far away to tap into? But I would imagine it's worth asking - if the Montrose Counselling Center is still there in Houston, maybe you could contact them and see if they could put you in touch with someone who might have some fund-raising genius to give you some advice on keeping the clinic afloat? Couldn't hurt to try.

[Steven E. Webster]

Friend,

I don't think anyone has given the link to the "4-step journey"

http://www.soulforce.org/article/566

This is a good overview of the Soulforce method of nonviolence.

I didn't understand from what you said just what funds were cut off from the clinic. Were they from state or local government? from some local agency? I'm just wondering about how direct the connection is with the big Baptist church.

Also, I'm wondering about other churches in the area. Any of them more compassionate towards persons with AIDS?

Steven Webster

[glbt_equality]

Thanks again for the additional information. These links were exactly what I was looking for.

Steven, to answer your question about the direct link between the church and the clinic, let me be clear that there is none... whatsoever. My perception, which I believe is accurate, is that the clinic is being closed because of local hostile feelings toward the glbt community, which is doubly unfortunate, since HIV is not a particularly gay disease in this context -- so this attitude hurts both the glbt community and those suffering from the disease. The church simply represents to me the primary source of this ongoing hostililty. And not that I ever intended to approach them with hostility. I rather intended to publicly ask them for their help in keeping the clinic open.

Having said that, the truth can sometimes be recognized by its distinctive ring... and Zerbie's suggestion that I tackle one issue at a time rang true to me -- that I focus on keeping the clinic open first and tackle the larger issue of local attitudes later (though wouldn't it be brilliant if we could figure out a way to do both -- the two issues being so inextricably linked).

Zerbie asked about the location of Tyler, which is about 2 hours east of Dallas. Tyler is much larger than the town I moved from a year ago (Wilmington, NC), yet it has no MCC and no identifiable glbt community. PFLAG is the only glbt organization here, but its meetings (including the one I attended last night) are scantily attended. When I ask folks here why we don't have a more cohesive community, sheer terror is always the answer -- terror of losing jobs and even of physical violence. Prejudice is so taken for granted here that ten years ago, the killers of Nicholas West stated flatly that the reason they confessed so easily was because they felt certain the police would let them go for killing a gay man.

So Tyler, Texas has no gay population, and no one here has AIDS as long as we ignore it. After a lecture to a local church group about AIDS, a local STD educator friend of mine was approached by a prominent local woman who complimented her on the excellent presentation, then added, "but why are you speaking about this in Tyler? We don't have an AIDS problem here."

That's why it so miraculous that we got a front page newspaper article for our World AIDS Day activities. I just wanted to strike while the iron is hot... perhaps using this recent re-awakening of the public imagination, along with the holiday season, to help keep the clinic open. But maybe, as you say, a more tempered approach is best, even at the cost of some hard-won inertia.

I have been called "impetuous," which is cute, but also a double edged sword. But I don't want to go off half-cocked on this issue. Too much is at stake. Too many people will be hurt if I make an error and the clinic closes.

[Zerbie]

Well who else do you have to network with? Maybe you could connect with a PWA community in Dallas and get their suggestions??

I think I have a very clear picture of the fear in your local lgbt community now:'( - what's in Dallas that you could connect with? There must be people around with experience and ingenuity at fund raising and keeping non-profits afloat - there MUST be.

[NathanATX]

Contact the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas.

[glbt_equality]

I wanted to update everyone about our (only) local AIDS clinic, which is slated for closure because of budget cuts. Having scaled back my initial impulse to publicly ask the largest mega (Baptist, anti-gay) church in the area to chip in -- and having discovered the Cathedral of Hope in nearby Dallas has its hands full maintaining their local services and programs, my efforts quickly focused on a specific plea for donations aimed at the general public.

My letter to the editor began as an empassioned plea, but even this was scaled back in various stages to the simple "facts only" approach demanded by the newspaper. The result is a few short paragrapghs, published this morning in the "Rants and Raves" section of our local newspaper, which is both frustrating and miraculous...

...Frustrating because it seems neutered of the profound emphasis the issue demands, and miraculous because of its timely appearance in the widely-read issue of the newspaer issued on both Sunday and Christmas Eve.

I am gratified that we are even talking about AIDS in a cummunity where, according to many local citizens and religious leaders, AIDS doesn't exist. And I'm gratified that this letter represents the second time this month the newspaper has published the fact that our clinic is being shut down.

Please send your prayerful thoughts our way that we may generate the funds needed to keep the clinic open. And thanks again for all your considered advice.

Here's the text of the article that appeared in today's paper:

KEEPING IT OPEN

RESPONSE: I'm writing in hopes that we, as a city, can come together to keep Tyler's only AIDS clinic open. Chances are, everyone knows someone with AIDS, even if that person is not aware of it.

I definitely know many of them. I know their faces, names and gentle spirits. My challenge to all of us - from our city government to our churches to our individual citizens - is that we rise to the occasion, keeping Jamieson Clinic open.

It is not a big or fancy clinic - just a simple operation requiring scant funding. The clinic needs to bridge a $50,000 shortfall to get it through July, and then another $87,000 for the entire following year to July 2008.

If we can make up this shortfall, there is new funding in the works that promises to keep the clinic open beyond those deadlines.

A year ago, I was welcomed into the Jamieson Clinic when no other clinic would see me. There, for the first time in a year, I began to receive the care I needed. That care saved my life and did far more than restore my health - it restored my self-worth and desire to live.

The closure of Jamieson Clinic would represent the inevitable result of an uncaring community. But Tyler is better than that. Please join me in fighting to keep this vital community resource viable.

Troy Carlyle
Tyler


EDITOR'S NOTE: Send tax-deductible donations to the Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas: "Save Jamieson Clinic." Make checks payable to Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas.

-- end --

[nmwolfboy]

You've got the message out. Bonus that it's in two widely read issues! Congrats on that fruitful effort. Getting the public's attention focused on an important mission is essential, especially in local grassroot efforts. Your few paragraphs published may have been scaled back from your first plea, but they are very well-written.

My prayers are with you & your community. Please keep us posted.

scott

[Colonel Skot Phrea]

You are fortunate to live in a community that actually has a clinic to close down. I live in rural central texas and I am compelled to travel an hour and a half each way to San Antonio for Labs , consultation and treatment, The prevailing attitude here in Kerr County is that there is no problem and that anyone that is positive is a pariah. I STAY HOME, It is very disheartening to go to S.A. and see all these wonderfull social programs set up for P.W.A.s. There is nothing here, No Art Therapy, No Peer Counseling. Nothing here except The Finger of Conviction,I have heard the local morning talk radio host James Williamson on several occasions state that ALL PEOPLE WITH A.I.D.S. be quarantened. He also has said that it is also because of illegal immagants and Katrina refugees. I am fearfull of this community that is so filled with hatred and biggotry,If my H.I.V. Status was well known I am sure that some early morning I would awake to a mob of God loving christians repleat with pitchforks and torches ready to carry out a cleansing in the name of Jesus. What diference does it make anyway? These Humans are completely brainwashed and most likely will go to thier graves with thier fears and preconceptions. Maybe I should just learn to be more apethetic and be thankfull for each breath. WHO WOULD JESUS WATERBOARD ? :'(

[Zerbie]

There is nothing here, No Art Therapy, No Peer Counseling. Nothing here except The Finger of Conviction,I have heard the local morning talk radio host James Williamson on several occasions state that ALL PEOPLE WITH A.I.D.S. be quarantened. He also has said that it is also because of illegal immagants and Katrina refugees. I am fearfull of this community that is so filled with hatred and biggotry, :'(

That's really sad. This Williamson dude is saying that about quarantines to this day?:confused: I remember that idea being floated 20 years ago when I was a little girl - and how it freaked me out. Skottie I'm sorry you're living in an environment like that. It must seem overwhelming when that's all you hear. :'(

Any way you could settle in to San Antonio, so you could be in a better environment and close to all those resources?

Oh and to GLBT Equality - I've been thinking of your letter and your clinic, and sending prayerful thoughts that your community comes through. Thank you for what you're doing, and best wishes.
:pray:

[glbt_equality]

This was my first authored trhead here on Soulforce, and I wanted to let everyone know how the issue turned out.

As a recap - I came here with two issues, which I originally saw as related (truth be told, they probably are) - but that, thanks to some gentle-spirited Soulforce members - I began to see as best approached separately. The imminent closing of our local AIDS clinic was my main reason for action, and I had originally planned to fight this by protesting at a preeminent local Baptist church.

Soulforce members recommended a different approach, however, and I ended up making phone calls and writing an editorial piece that was published in the newspaper a few days later.

Well, that was back in January, and I'm happy to report the clinic was saved! Thanks to heightened public awareness (to which my article may have played a small role) and a flood of donations, the clinic has a new lease on life. They've even redecorated the waiting room so that patients are no longer greeted by holes in the wall and peeling wallpaper!

Most importantly, major changes in clinic funding have transpired, resulting in an independent non-profit "umbrella" which will put them in a better position to receive federal grant monies.

Finally - and this is the best part - because of the interest I expressed in keeping the clinic open, I have been asked (and have accepted) to join the board of directors for that non-profit organization, which is called "Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas," and includes all the public medical services in this part of the state (not just the HIV clinics).

So thanks to my new and dear friends here in Soulforce who helped me proceed in a spirit that was most effective in causing change. My community is a better place thanks to this online cummunity!

As a footnote, the second part of my "conflict" was with the East Texas Baptist attitudes, which I believe are responsible for much of the violence against the LGBT community. And thanks (once again) to the advice posted in this thread, I'm now in the process of forming a panel of calm and thoughtful local religious leaders and thinkers to approach the Baptist leadership regarding the message they're promoting. This project, however, is still in its infancy - so wish us luck on that one! I will keep you posted.

Hope you all have an outstanding day! Love, Troy

[u-dog]

Thanks for the update Troy !!! You are an amazing person and I am really glad that the community here was able to support you and help you to refine your thinking and your approach in ways that bore fruit! (makes me feel MUCH better about how much time I spend here ;) )

"Good trees bear good fruit"

[Zerbie]

Well, that was back in January, and I'm happy to report the clinic was saved! Thanks to heightened public awareness (to which my article may have played a small role) and a flood of donations, the clinic has a new lease on life. They've even redecorated the waiting room so that patients are no longer greeted by holes in the wall and peeling wallpaper!

Most importantly, major changes in clinic funding have transpired, resulting in an independent non-profit "umbrella" which will put them in a better position to receive federal grant monies.

Finally - and this is the best part - because of the interest I expressed in keeping the clinic open, I have been asked (and have accepted) to join the board of directors for that non-profit organization, which is called "Community Health Clinics of Northeast Texas," and includes all the public medical services in this part of the state (not just the HIV clinics).

So thanks to my new and dear friends here in Soulforce who helped me proceed in a spirit that was most effective in causing change. My community is a better place thanks to this online cummunity!

As a footnote, the second part of my "conflict" was with the East Texas Baptist attitudes, which I believe are responsible for much of the violence against the LGBT community. And thanks (once again) to the advice posted in this thread, I'm now in the process of forming a panel of calm and thoughtful local religious leaders and thinkers to approach the Baptist leadership regarding the message they're promoting. This project, however, is still in its infancy - so wish us luck on that one! I will keep you posted.

Hope you all have an outstanding day! Love, Troy

Troy, this is all WONDERFUL news!!!!!!!! :) :D

I am SO glad. :)

What a difference you've made!
:love: :love: :love: