Public Filibuster

To an unsympathetic eye, disrupting a meeting can come across as mob rule. The power of the public filibuster depends on:

  1. Framing the tactic properly.Calling it a “public filibuster” helps lend the kind of legitimacy recognized by reporters and the broader public.
  2. Carrying out the action in a positive, dignified and respectful manner

Your tone, bearing and presentation should be above reproach. Be honest, expressive, polite and on-message. Focus on the issue at hand, not the person trying to run the meeting. And show some compassion for the chairperson, whose position of power is being challenged.

Washington DC, November 2017. A “People’s Filibuster” in opposition to a Republican tax plan designed to favor the rich at the expense of the working poor and middle class. Photo Stephen Melkisethian

 

Published by CALM