Community Organizing as Organizational Development:

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ORGANIZING IS THE WAY TO MOVE HARM REDUCTION
POLICY FORWARD
80A Fourth Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11217 Phone
[phone] Fax [phone] E-mail
flynn_at_nycahn.org Web www.nycahn.org
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NYC AIDS Housing Network

• The NYC AIDS Housing Network is a membership led
  organization bringing together homeless and
  formerly homeless people living with HIV/AIDS,
  AIDS service organizations and nonprofit housing
  providers
• Given that housing is a human right, it is our
  mission to empower low-income people living with
  HIV/AIDS to organize our community, including the
  nonprofits that serve us, to advocate for more
  and better housing and sound public policies for
  all New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.
• NYCAHN brings together tenants housing
  providers, clients service organizations.
• Decisions are made at quarterly general
  membership meetings and weekly campaign meetings.
• We are governed by low-income people living with
  AIDS. If you would like to find out about
  getting more involved. Members control the
  organization.
• 93 of our members are active drug users (heroine
  and crack cocaine primarily).
• NYCAHN has over 3,000 members and has trained
  over 1,900 low-income people living with HIV/AIDS
  in community organizing and advocacy skills.
• NYCAHN has trained 67 nonprofit service
  organizations in community organizing and
  advocacy skills.

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Projects of NYCAHN

• HASA Human Rights Watch Tracking human rights
  violations at welfare centers that serve
  low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.
• POWER Academy (People living with HIV/AIDS
  Organizing for Welfare Equal Rights) our core
  leadership development course offers political
  education to low-income people living with
  HIV/AIDS and basic community organizing and
  advocacy skills.
• Oral History Project Homeless PLWAs tell it
  like it is to be homeless and HIV on the streets
  of NYC. Form of participatory research, and
  human rights documentation.

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Projects of NYCAHN (cont.)

• Parolee Human Rights Project we track violations
  committed by parole officers in an effort to
  bring about systemic reform. In addition the
  project members organize to improve access to
  healthcare in prisons and access to housing upon
  release.
• Youth CAHN Once our members become recognized
  leaders, their family members want to get
  involved. Youth CAHN is training the next
  generation of leaders in the fight against AIDS.
• Building Community Project a weekly drop-in
  center (modeled on worker centers) which
  provide a place for our members to socialize,
  take showers, get assistance with their welfare
  case or finding housing and tenant organizing
  projects in buildings where 2 or more low-income
  people living with HIV/AIDS live. We house over
  150 homeless people living with AIDS each year.

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NYCAHNs RecentCampaign Victories

• Increased funding to build housing for homeless
  people living with HIV/AIDS on City and State
  levels
• Created two new funding streams to build AIDS
  housing on the City level
• City Council unanimously passed 3 pieces of
  legislation ensuring that homeless people living
  with AIDS will be moved quickly into permanent
  housing (this is a right to housing-one of the
  1st in the Country)
• Successfully advocated for the legal sale of
  syringes in pharmacies.
• Saved three harm reduction programs from being
  defunded/closed by community boards.

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Community Organizing

• Community Organizing is a set of basic principles
  that, when followed, allows your organization to
  grow, and allows more and more people to become
  activists on your issues. It is the how to of
  movement building.
• Community Organizing is not just outreach, not
  just forming a speakers bureau, not just
  engaging in direct action, or meeting with
  elected officials.
• Organizing acknowledges moves POWER from the
  hands of a few people into the hands of many.
• Advocacy and activism should be components of
  organizing
• Organizers work on campaigns, not issues.

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Organizing breaks the rules!

• John Wayne Rule pull yourself up by your boot
  straps partner. Its you against the world.
• Despite the globalization of American
  Individualism, one person is not a movement. If
  you are alone in a gun battle, you will
  eventually be outgunned.
• The Be Nice Rule you solve problems by not
  making any waves.
• Power Concedes Nothing without Demand. It never
  has and it never will.Frederick Douglas, US
  Civil Rights Pioneer
• You cant build a bridge without tension-My
  mother (although she probably stole it from
  someone else).

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Why Organize?

• Organize in order to grow your organization.
• Organize in order to bring about systemic change.
• Organize in order to duplicate yourself.

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Problems vs. Issues

• Issues are
• are specific and measurable
• are winnable
• involve many people and are strongly felt
• provide opportunities to develop new leadership
• lead to other issues
• attract allies
• fits organizational resources
• are consistent with organizational values, and
• clarify what the organization is about
• change the relations of power
• expose the underlying causes of issues racism,
  economic oppression, etc.
• Develop multiple, incremental demands that are
• specific and winnable

• Problems are
• Vague
• Too big
• Dont have a good, clear target (best when it is
  a person, rather than The WTO
• Only affect a few of your constituents
  personally
• Are polarizing
• Can be solved by an expert.

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Never Leave Home without a Strategy Chart
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BUILDING MEMBERSHIP BUILDS CAPACITY

• The more people you have, the more you will be
  able to do.
• It is just as important to build leadership as it
  is to find a person a home, refer them to a
  doctor, etc.
• Service organizations must engage IN REACH-just
  because people are coming and getting syringes
  does not mean that they feel connected to your
  organization, your cause or feel like they are
  part of a community.
• Communities are intentional, they are created, it
  takes a lot of work.
• NYCAHN uses benefits rather than services-
  needle exchange, detox referrals, food pantry,
  showers, help finding housing-as a way to recruit
  and sustain membership.
• Similar to union model of offering benefits in
  exchange for participation and unity.
• Good ideas for in-reach are
• English language classes (using advocacy issues
  as your primer)
• Special services for those who participate (1st
  in line for a study, 1st in line for an award,
  t-shirt, etc.)
• Market yourselves HIV t-shirts, red caps, etc.

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Proactive vs. Reactive

• A common misconception is that reacting all the
  time is chaos.
• Your job is to look for and in some chaos
  create crisis. The key is to follow your
  strategy chart to keep your moving forward.
• Think like a gambler Go All In--The bigger
  your goal, the more you win.

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NYC Drug User Union

• REALLY, REALLY ROUGH BACKGROUND ON DRUG POLICIES
  IN US
• Drug possession is criminal in the United States.
• Sentencing varies State to State typically
  based on amount, type of drug, of times
  arrested.
• There are some drug courts/treatment options.
• Drug use (except for tobacco and alcohol) is
  illegal anywhere other then medical provider
  (hospital, meth clinic) or with a prescription.
• In NYC there are 8 legal syringe exchange
  program.
• If you have been convicted of a drug related
  felony, you are not allowed in public housing.
• Rough Guide to NYC Drug User Union
• The Drug Users Union consists of three
  participants from each of those Harm Reduction
  Programs.
• Ideally, they will get to a place where the three
  representatives are elected by their peers, but
  right now they are self-selected.
• Currently, developing campaign is secondary to
  building group.
• One campaign will likely be to increase funding
  to Hepatitis C testing, treatment in NY.

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BUILD STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

• We frequently work in coalition-the ones we form
  and control. Wade Rathke, Chief Organizer,
  ACORN
• The Case of NY Vote
• NY Vote brings together several labor unions and
  community groups in NYC working on different
  issues.
• We engage in regular voter registration which
  helps us build our membership.
• We have LOTS of people who have never voted.
• Broad platform includes NYCAHNs demand for
  improved access to healthcare in NYS prisons.that
  eligible voters agree to. Campaign consists of
  intense doorknocking in all neighborhoods
• Way for NYCAHN members to collectively pool
  their votes with members of labor unions and
  other NGOs not working on AIDS/harm reduction.
• Way to create a bigger tent with more people
  working towards our goals even if they dont
  normally work on our issues.
• Forces unlikely partners to start talking about
  our issues. Educates people about AIDS, drug use,
  homelessness.
• We give other groups MORE people, they give us
  their power.

NYC AIDS Housing Network, Casildo Caballero,
protests outside the Federal welfare program
Listening session
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How to Mobilize

• Turning out large numbers of people lets people
  know that you are not an army of one.
• People who take time out to show up makes it look
  like they will take even larger risks if nothing
  changes.
• Public action shines a flashlight into the
  corner.
• Mathematical Rule of Mobilization
• For every 10 people who save yes to showing up,
  only 3 actually will (so over book by 30)
• You must ask each person, ideally in person,
  THREE TIMES to attend an action/event/protest
• Helpful Hints to increase your numbers
• Hold sleep overs for early morning
  actions/meetings
• Provide wake up calls
• Offer van rides/pickups
• Form a buddy system
• Give people JOBS to do at the action (chant
  leader, speaker, banner holder). People who feel
  like they are needed are much more likely to
  attend. Ideally everyone should have a job.
• Hold a pre-action meeting and be more serious
  about attendance than the day of the action.

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Tricks of the Trade

• In order to ensure that people can show up,
  overbook important meetings.
• Develop fellowships or internships to have
  new people follow your existing leaders.
• Continually replicate your leaders you are
  always grow organization.
• Create a strategy chart for EVERYTHING.
• Leaders are created. They do not rise up on
  their own. Take time to give people things to
  do-repeatedly.

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Tools of the Trade

• Organizers and organizational leaders need the
  following items
• Calendars/date books.
• E-mail access.
• Notebook (preferably with entire week laid out on
  two pages-see addendum).
• Press list, ability to blast fax press releases.
• Phone.
• Database (free database called Organizers
  Database, but you should use one that integrates
  with your services).

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Quick Guide to Media/Communication

• Send out information about your
  organization/movement/campaign to press before an
  action just to let them know about you.
• Call reporters in the morning, not at end of day
  and be respectful of their deadlines.
• Dont be offended if reporters are short with
  you.
• There is no replacement for calling a reporter
  (faxing and e-mailing is not enough).
• Have several spokespeople ready for any story.
• Call reporters back.
• Create a database of reporters (dont buy lists)
  or get from some big NGO.
• Call three times before an action. Call once to
  follow up. The day of and after an action are
  often the most important for getting media
  stories.
• Post your own story (www.indymedia.com,
  www.blogspot.com, etc)
• 10 in 60 Rule Be able to say 10 points in 60
  seconds, starting with most important.
  Credential yourself in the beginning.
• Dont know what to say? Say it Again!
• Reporters are not your friends, even when they
  are.
• Reporters are not your enemies-stay on point
  always, but treat them like human beings.
• Dont wait by the phone. Write a newsletter and
  send it to the media.

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Dont Get Glued to the Table

• Its important for active drug users to be a part
  of any conversation setting policies about active
  drug users.
• BUT, bureaucracies have begun to create tables
  in order to keep activists busy.
• Think like a gambler
• Does the person at the head of the table have the
  power to turn on and off and the lights? If not,
  get out of your seat.
• Use your strategy chart to explain why this table
  is useful. If you cant do that, get up.

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RULES that shouldnt be broken

• You are trying to fundamentally change society
  and dont forget it.
• POWER CONCEDES NOTHING WITHOUT DEMAND. IT NEVER
  HAS AND IT NEVER WILL.-Frederick Douglas, US
  civil rights pioneer
• Never sit at a table, never go to a meeting
  without knowing that your organization will grow
  as a result.
• Never do for someone us what they can do on
  their own.-Industrial Areas Foundation, Iron
  Rule
• Everyone has to be asked three times, personally,
  before they will commit to taking action.
• Organize around the issues that affect the lives
  of your constituency-I.e. access to housing,
  entry level access to healthcare before going
  after the big win.
• Make sure you win something fairly regularly and
  celebrate your victories.
• There are basically two ways to bring about
  policy change-have a lot of money or have a lot
  of people (media attention, etc.)
• Build fundraising into all aspects of your
  organization. It promotes buy-in (literally)
  educates the public, gives new members something
  useful, but easy to do and helps your capacity.
  Collect membership dues, sell newsletters,
  t-shirts