Piece of Advice for AGB Protest

Desires of seeing the upcoming counteroffensive protest against the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf in Crystal City area (part of Arlington, VA, too) to be successfully implented next July 27-29th.

Most important of all is to hire the reputable and trusted public relations agency for mastering the media handlings on the behalf of the Deaf Bilingual Education Coalition. We really could find the public relations agency to give us a "trial-run" account or pro bono as part of securing the long-term contract. We are against the real Golitah like the multi-millionaire and influential powerhouse, Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf and the Volta Bureau.

Glad to know that John Ebgert and the Deaf Bilingual Education Coaltion decide to have selected individuals to be fully authorized for speaking with the media than having handful of individual protestors sputter out conflicting statements and messages. That have been happened during the "Unify for Gallaudet" protest.

Hopefully will see the Deaf Bilingual Education Coaltion participants and team leaders to have the organizational leadership structure from the media coordinator to the official spokesperson (if necessary) to tactical counteroffensive training coordinator how to deal effectively with the law enforcement officers and hotel management.

Highly recommended for videotaping every media interviews and press conferences and protest activities for our own protection and organizational video archives, etc. Using the video library for future disputes with media people if they distort such statements from the Deaf Bilingual Education Coaltion.

Setting up the registration site for interested individuals to help out with the upcoming protest against the AGBAD and weed out any possible sabeteours and inflirators. The registry of protest and organizational participants could be truly effective for future network contacts. Keep the registry only to the authorized individuals from any kind of misabuse or privacy violation.

Shane Feldman of the DeafDC.com, surely gave effective advice what we could make real difference within our counteroffensive activities against the Alexander Graham Bell Association of the Deaf (AGBAB) like re-arranging the makeover of the AGBAD board members and at large member and tilt the board consesus to the pragmatism of practical and workable deaf educational methods.

Ricky Taylor aka Ridor on his blogsite, "RidorLive.com" on his bubble guru, told many of us to go ahead with the protest. I profoundly agree with him as how we embrace the protest in respectful and peaceful manners without verbally abuse or engage in hostile mannerism.

Well-dressed protestors and organizational representatives are real necessity for the media image. Avoid wearing any casual tank top and t-shirts and cut-off jean shorts. Just wear comfortable short-sleeve shirt and khakis and light color-coordinated clothes. We want to represent the best image of ourselves to the society at large and media people. Excellent image presentation of ourselves would save such embrassment as compared to the well-dressed conference attendees. Just one day for protest participation and the sake of public image within the deaf community at large, especially the signing community.

Rallies and public demonstrations are no longer an effective tool of getting the public attention. At least, we could make our presence known to the AGBAB people and their supporters and cochlear implant manfacturers and medical comnunity that we are definitely watchful of their intentions, agendas and network power mechanisms.

Memorable slogans and clear-defined mission statments for this ucpoming AGBAB protest are real MUST. Printed brochures and media packets and additional resources are valuable tools for effective media communication with media reporters and editors and publishers.

Call for the donations from the deaf retailers like related non-fiction books from the "Campaign Against Sign Language", "Twain Shall Meet" and past publications and studies on the questions of oral educational methods toward deaf youngsters. Those resources could be vital tool for media reporters and other people to comphrend why we are doing such thing like the counteroffensive protest against the AGBAB current leadership. Use AGB's own hyprocritical postitons on the use of sign language and herditary deafness research studies against the contradications of the AGBAB's philsophy and agenda for deaf youngsters.

Worming in the organizational structure is truly effective and time-saving approach as what Shane Feldman of the DeafDC.com implied in his two e-articles on the upcoming AGBAB protest.

Check out the use of parlimentary procedure at the AGBAB conference. We could use the parlimentary procedures to our favor within protecting the rights of minority voice for meetings/conferences in general.

Hosting the informal pre-conference party at the hotel or on the first night of conference to schoomoze and to get know the AGBAB delegation people and members and attendess. Persuasive skills with kind and thoughtful pose often win the minds and hearts of opponents from how we treat those people.

Gather all kind of information from the finanical supporters of the AGBAB conference and organization itself and membership body what make them click and respond.

Drawing up the agreement form for any interested participants within the protest activities to be committed to the conduct of rules within the Deaf Bilingual Education Council for respectful and proper and non-threatening behaviors during the protest or non-protest time. If someone do not engage in agreed behaviors and be asked to leave the premise and do not consider him or her to be affilated with the Deaf Bilingual Education Coalition. The agreement form could keep the DBEDC from any kind of liability if someone go too far or not comply with the ideals and goals of the DBEDC organization.

Prepare for any kind of worst within the protest activities or meetings. Work closely with the local law enforcement unit and officers to keep everything under control. The law enforcement people would greatly appreciate when we coordinate openly with them to prevent any misunderstandings or communication breakdown.

Call the Arlington County Police and Sheriff Department about the permit for public demonstration in advance. Whether you or the rest of organizational people do not have any plan for public demonstration. Just do the permit inquiry as part of the Plan B, C and D, E.......

I could go further on more stragetic means for the upcoming AGB protest, but not rather publicly post them on the very public forum like the DeafRead. Will engage in private e-correspondences with the Deaf Bilingual Education Council and other supporters without exposing our plans, etc.

The last thing is to contact the civil liberties organization for sending one of their lawyer to monitor our protest activities and keep abreast of any police misconducts and false accusations, etc. The assigned lawyer and the team would keep protestors from being unfairly arrested or wrongly accused.

Ryan Commerson, FSSA student leader, learned much from the people of the NVCA during the "Unity for Gallaudet" for effective strategies and other things.

ASLize yours,
Robert L. Mason (RLM)
RLMDEAF blog