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Grassroots Agenda: June,
July, August
By Calli
Schiller
As Congress prepares to adjourn for the July 4th and August
recesses, now is an excellent time for you to plan grassroots activities
centered in the legislators’ home-districts. While some Members of
Congress (MOC) use these recesses to vacation with their families, many
legislators are working in their district offices. This presents an
excellent opportunity for in-district meetings, town-hall meetings and
site visits.
In-District Meetings:
An in-district meeting is where you,
the constituent, meet with the Member of Congress in his or her home
state. These meetings can be just as effective as in-person meetings
in Washington, and they are often easier to arrange. June, July and
August present perfect opportunities for you and a small delegation to
meet with your legislator to discuss the Crack the Disparity campaign,
and encourage them to support legislative reform.
In order to arrange an in-district meeting, send a
written request (e-mail or fax) to your legislators’ scheduler. In
your e-mail or fax, introduce yourself and your issue (crack cocaine
sentencing), and ask to schedule a meeting with the MOC during the
recess. The July recess is June 28-July 6th. The August recess is
August 9-September 7th.
To find
the contact information for the scheduler, visit your MOC’s Web site.
Most legislators have contact information for both their Washington
and district offices.
You can
find talking points and background information for your meeting on the
Crack the Disparity web site at www.crackthedisparity.com.
Town-Hall
Meetings:
Members of Congress often use recesses
to meet with their constituents in town-hall meetings. These meetings
are a great way to remind your Representative or Senators about the
Crack the Disparity coalition and our goals.
To find out if there is a town-hall meeting near you
visit your legislator’s web site. Many MOC’s include upcoming meetings
on their site, but if yours does not, you can call their district
office and ask. Town-hall meetings are open to the public, and are
often not very well attended. This presents a fantastic opportunity to
present your MOC with a one-page fact sheet on the issue, and a
promise for follow-up in the future. You can find one-page fact sheets
on the Crack the Disparity Web site at
www.crackthedisparity.com
Site Visits
While the Members of Congress are at
home, a great way to get their attention and ensure they remember your
cause is through a site visit. Site visits can be almost anything that
introduces the legislator to your cause in an interactive way. Here
are a few examples of site visits that you can consider conducting
during the July and August recesses:
- Organize a “Crack the Disparity” day at
your place of religious worship. Invite your MOC to hear your
religious leader’s sermon.
- Gather people from your community who
have been affected by the unjust crack cocaine sentencing laws.
Invite your MOC to hear their stories.
- If you are a lawyer, have your MOC visit
your office and perhaps meet with some of your clients to show the
human element of these sentencing laws.
The summer months represent a unique opportunity for
building momentum around our cause. Let’s work together and create a
grassroots movement that is a force to be reckoned with. Let’s CRACK THE
DISPARITY!
Calli Schiller is
the manager for grassroots advocacy at the National Association of
Criminal Defense Lawyers. NACDL is the preeminent organization advancing
the mission of the criminal defense bar to ensure justice and due
process for persons accused of crime or wrongdoing. You can
reach Calli at calli@nacdl.org
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