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Dear Activist Abby,
I tried to leaflet inside the common area in the main shopping center in my town, but a local cop told me I couldn't without permission from the shopping center owner. Is he correct?
- "Leafletter in the Lurch"
Dear "Leafletter in the Lurch,"
The police officer is wrong. According to a 1980 Supreme Court Decision (PruneYard Shopping Center et al. v. Robins et al.), shopping centers count as public spaces because they offer public access. So as long as you are reasonable about your behavior and stay in the common areas (avoiding the inside of stores), you are within the law.
So, next time this polic officer gives ou a hard time, politely tell him about the PruneYard case, adn if he still refuses, get his name and badge number and file a complaint. See http://www.ran.org/action/tollbox/pruneyard.html
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Dear Activist Abby,
Of late, our meetings have seemed chaotic. It feels like we never get anything done anymore and every time fewer and fewer regular members show up. Sometimes we can't even agree on a time to meet. What can we do?
-"Drifting into Chaos"
Dear "Drifting into Chaos",
One way to impose order is by alwasy meeting at the same time and same place. You should also make up an agenda and distribute it prior to each meeting. A good agenda states meeting place,
starting time, time for each item, ending time, objectives of the meeting, and items to be discussed. Start the meeting by choosing a facilitator, a recorder and a timekeeper. Hopefully, these structural changes will create a sense of order and retain your members better.
- Activist Abby
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Dear Activist Abby
We often have new people show up at our regular meetings. However, it seems like these people often come for one meeting and then never come back. How can we turn some of thse newcomers into regulars?
-"Nobody Likes Us"
Dear "Nobody Likes Us,"
One thing you could do is to designate one person at each meeting to greet new people. Also, make sure to get phone numbers for all newcomers and then call them and invite them to events. Make sure to find out what new people are interested in doing and see if you can find a specific role, even a leadership role, for them.
Activist Abby
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Questions? Send them to Activist Abby at abby@citizenworks.org
or Activist Abby, PO Box 18478, Washington DC, 20036.
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