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How to Get Attention for Your Cause: Keep Making Noise

  • Mar 6
  • 4 min read

A reporter named Jorden Hampton recently published a piece on OpGov.ai covering ICE's presence in Woodstock and Cherokee County, and the lack of response from local government. Read it here: https://opgov.ai/articles/woodstock-community-action-network-founder-takes-a-stand-against-ice


We want to talk about how that article happened, because it didn't happen by accident, and anyone can do what we did. Below is a full toolkit for anyone who wants to take action — locally and beyond.



Show up to public meetings. Bring signs. Wear shirts. Speak.


We have been going to Woodstock city council meetings and asking them to take a stand on ICE enforcement for over a year. Not once. Not twice. Many times. That kind of consistency gets you known. It builds a record. It makes it impossible for officials to claim they haven't heard from their community.


City council meetings, county commission meetings, and school board meetings are all open to the public. You can show up, sit in the room, make them see you, and sign up to speak during public comment. Wear a shirt that says something. Bring a sign. Make the room look different than it did before you walked in. And you do not have to live inside the city limits to make public comments. If a city's actions affect you or people you care about, you can show up and get on the record.


Here are the local meetings to know about:


  • Woodstock City Council meets at Woodstock City Center, 12453 Highway 92, Woodstock. Schedules at https://www.woodstockga.gov

  • Canton City Council meets at Canton City Hall, 151 Elizabeth Street, Canton. Schedules at https://www.cantonga.gov

  • Holly Springs City Council meets at Holly Springs City Hall, 3235 Holly Springs Parkway, Holly Springs. Schedules at https://www.hollyspringsga.us

  • Ball Ground City Council meets at Ball Ground City Hall, 215 Valley Street, Ball Ground. Regular meetings are the second Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. Schedules at https://cityofballground.com

  • Waleska City Council meets at Waleska City Hall, 8891 Fincher Road, Waleska, typically at 6:30 PM. Schedules at https://cityofwaleska.com

  • Nelson City Council meets at Nelson City Hall, 1985 Kennesaw Avenue, Nelson, on the first Monday of each month. Schedules at https://nelsongeorgia.com

  • Cherokee County Board of Commissioners meets at the Cherokee County Administrative Complex, 1130 Bluffs Parkway, Canton, on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:00 PM. Schedules at https://www.cherokeecountyga.gov

  • Cherokee County Board of Education meets at 110 Academy Street, Canton. Schedules at https://www.cherokee.k12.ga.us



Carry materials with you everywhere.


Know Your Rights cards — also called red cards — tell people what to do and say if ICE stops them. They are bilingual, legal, and designed to be handed directly to an officer. Carry a stack. Hand them out. Leave them places. Print them for free at: https://www.ilrc.org/redcards


Whistle kits are a community alert system that started in Chicago and has spread across the country. Three short whistles means ICE is nearby. One long whistle means someone is being detained. The sound brings neighbors out to witness and document. Print the zines and find whistle resources at: https://www.pilsenartscommunityhouse.org



Put materials in little free libraries. Leave fliers wherever you go.


Little free libraries are one of the best distribution points you have. Drop whistle kits, red cards, and fliers in every one you walk past. Leave materials at laundromats, coffee shops, community boards, waiting rooms, churches, anywhere people sit and read. Stickers go on surfaces. Fliers go on bulletin boards. You do not need permission to inform your neighbors.



Contact reporters. Don't wait for them to find you.


You can reach out directly. Here are the outlets covering Cherokee County and North Georgia you should know about:




Call, write, and bug your representatives until they respond.


Phone calls are the single most effective way to influence elected officials. Staffers tally them in real time. Emails can be ignored. Calls cannot.


  • 5 Calls gives you scripts and connects you directly to your representatives on the issues that matter most. It takes five minutes. Use it at: https://5calls.org

  • GA Fast Track is built specifically for Georgia legislation. It tracks bills moving through the state legislature, gives you plain-language explanations of what they actually do, and connects you to your Georgia representatives to call. Use it at: https://gafasttrack.com


Call your representatives. Write letters to editors. Submit public comments. Fill out every feedback form you find. Show up at every town hall. The goal is to be impossible to ignore.



Don't shut up.


Make noise. Keep making noise. Refuse to be quiet and refuse to go away. Sustained, public, unapologetic pressure is what moves people in power.


After more than a year of public comments that seemed to go nowhere, Mayor Michael Caldwell announced at the most recent city council meeting that he would be asking the city lawyer to develop a response to questions about ICE. We believe the combination of consistent community presence and public media attention contributed to that. That is how this works.


Be the squeaky wheel. Be the person they're tired of seeing. Be the name they recognize when you walk through the door. The cause gets attention when people refuse to let it be ignored. Annoy people into doing the right thing if you have to, because sometimes that is exactly what it takes.

 
 
 

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