Please take this as very constructive and friendly criticism from a friend on the other side of the country watching what's happening via the Internet.

If you are going to a protest, whether its LA or another place on another day, stop and think for just a second about what it is you want to say with your protest.

Part of the idea of a protest is to get attention to a cause. So when that works, when we get the attention of the press, media, or citizens who happen to be watching, be ready with something to say.

Such opportunities come and pass quickly. You are marching or sitting or standing in a protest, and suddenly a reporter walks up and asks for your views. Personally, I am not a natural speaker. Some people are. Some people can speak off the cuff quickly and effectively. Personally, I tend to stop and stutter and say something really stupid and incoherent.

But if you stop and think for just a minute before you go to the protest, or while you are on the way to the protest, and phrase in your head just a few sentences that express what you feel and why it is important to you to be out in the streets protesting, then you will find that you have those sentences ready when one of those moments arise when you get a chance to communicate your beliefs to a reporter, a politician, or just an interested citizen who is curious as to why these people are marching in the street.

One last note, and then I'll shut up. If you are a group organizing a protest, take a minute at the time when you are getting everyone together, and talk for just a minute about what the message you want to get across from the protest. And remind everyone one of this. Then, again should one of those rare opportunities arise when anyone in a group gets a chance to communicate that message, there's a better chance that the message that comes out is the one that reflects the goals and ideals of the protest.

I'll shut up now, and end by saying that I have the deepest respect for those who are out in the streets of LA this week. You are doing fantastic.

There should be a standard corporate media ready statement available for all direct action / civil disobedient participants that in sixty words or less could provide useful information about the protestors cause and perceived injustices. Something you could download and print out so as to keep at the ready in case approached by corporate pig journalists interested in obtaining sound bites deemed appropriate for broadcast. Kind of like those "if arrested" cards that the ACLU provides. There's a lot of disorganization out there amongst the many groups competing for attention. This could serve as part of a unification effort to provide a single cohesive prolific voice so that every activist out there on the streets of LA would be able to unite under one banner of solidarity in a public way. That's what the man fears most. All these disjointed groups uniting, organizing and wrecking shit in a big public way.

That's it. The 100 little groups have to speak with one voice, and since this is the year 2000 it has to be a media friendly voice. Not selling out - just the way it is.

And there has to be a buzzword hot-button name for it all. Now, I hate these with a passion, all artists do, but unfortunately that's how it has to be. "Anti-globalization" is too long. Gotta come up with some little zinger like "pro-choice" or "anti-war." Just the way it is. This movement is so creative that I'm sure one will come. I love all of you. I was lost, now I'm not. You are my people.

I work as a secretary in downtown Los Angeles and one thing that I've noticed over the past couple of days during the protests is that even though LA has been crawling with protestors this week, almost none seem to be taking the time to engage, talk with and distribute literature, handbills and propaganda to downtown office workers. I've asked some of you for literature. You did't have any to distribute. Now, I'm a progressive and keep informed on the issues, but not everyone takes (or has) the sorts of time it takes to keep abreast of the many issues that are being addressed this week by the demonstrators.

It is a critical mistake to be afraid to, or uninterested in, approaching people downtown -- we're not all elite corporate chieftains, you know -- most of us are secretaries, mailroom clerks, word processors, bicycle messengers and the like, and I think you would be pleasantly suprised to find out how many of them have a fairly progressive mindset, especially when they've been informed of the issues and facts as to why the demonstrations are happening. (And they're not being informed. One young woman at the bus stop on Monday evening -- and, mind you, she wasn't a clueless type either -- asked me [I kid you not] "Who is Ralph Nader?")

I don't know how many times over the past few days that someone has said to me (on the bus stop, at lunch, just standing around smoking a cigarette outside an office building -- and we're talking complete strangers, here) "But what is it that they're protesting? -- I don't understand", even though they've been witness to the marches and general disruption that has happened here. And here, I've been the one to try to explain. And I don't necessarily belong to your affinity group. You'd probably prefer that I wasn't the one trying to do the explaining.

The issues are both varied and complex, and are all linked to the central theme of corporate domination of our lives -- and this needs to be discussed one-on-one with the folks. It's a grave mistake to assume that people will be able to understand the message(s) the movement is trying to express in the twenty-second soundbite a television news report gives, or through slogans chanted during a march. They can understand, however, (and you might just make an ally) if people would just take the time to chat about why they are here and what the issues are, and why they are important.

Just standing on streetcorners and distributing handbills during rush hours and lunchtimes would be better that what's happening now: Protestors only talking to each other (isn't this called "preaching to the choir"?) at Pershing square or the official "protest pit" at Staples (both areas surrounded by scary police in riot gear -- very intimidating for people to approach, especially given the seriously nasty reputation the LAPD has with most Angelenos, and the Rampart Police Scandal so fresh in everyone's memory).

Folks, I can't stress how vital it is to do some one-to-one outreach and get some propaganda distributed to people who will read it, become informed, talk about it with their friends and families, and pass the word along. The mainstream media is NOT going to do the work for us. No offense, and not to sound like I'm criticizing all the hard work that has gone into making the past few days happen (and I've been a progressive activist locally for some twenty years, for both environmental issues and gay/lesbian issues, so believe me when I tell you that I know how hard the work of activism really is), but honestly, folks, coming to a demo without some propaganda on paper to hand out and not being ready to dialogue with people on the issues is just being plain unprepared.

Try it -- You'll be surprised at how many sympathetic individuals there are out there (yes, really -- in Corporate Amerika!) who just don't have much (or any information on these issues. After all, those of us who work as corporate drones are more familiar with the injustices corporate America visits upon its own workers (and the world in general).

Please, please, make the most of the time you have in Los Angeles -- demonstrations of this size don't happen very often around here.

Love and peace,

--The progressive secretary on the 23rd floor

I work as a secretary in downtown Los Angeles and one thing that I've noticed over the past couple of days during the protests is that even though LA has been crawling with protestors this week, almost none seem to be taking the time to engage, talk with and distribute literature, handbills and propaganda to downtown office workers. I've asked some of you for literature. You did't have any to distribute. Now, I'm a progressive and keep informed on the issues, but not everyone takes (or has) the sorts of time it takes to keep abreast of the many issues that are being addressed this week by the demonstrators.

It is a critical mistake to be afraid to, or uninterested in, approaching people downtown -- we're not all elite corporate chieftains, you know -- most of us are secretaries, mailroom clerks, word processors, bicycle messengers and the like, and I think you would be pleasantly suprised to find out how many of them have a fairly progressive mindset, especially when they've been informed of the issues and facts as to why the demonstrations are happening. (And they're not being informed. One young woman at the bus stop on Monday evening -- and, mind you, she wasn't a clueless type either -- asked me [I kid you not] "Who is Ralph Nader?")

I don't know how many times over the past few days that someone has said to me (on the bus stop, at lunch, just standing around smoking a cigarette outside an office building -- and we're talking complete strangers, here) "But what is it that they're protesting? -- I don't understand", even though they've been witness to the marches and general disruption that has happened here. And here, I've been the one to try to explain. And I don't necessarily belong to your affinity group. You'd probably prefer that I wasn't the one trying to do the explaining.

The issues are both varied and complex, and are all linked to the central theme of corporate domination of our lives -- and this needs to be discussed one-on-one with the folks. It's a grave mistake to assume that people will be able to understand the message(s) the movement is trying to express in the twenty-second soundbite a television news report gives, or through slogans chanted during a march. They can understand, however, (and you might just make an ally) if people would just take the time to chat about why they are here and what the issues are, and why they are important.

Just standing on streetcorners and distributing handbills during rush hours and lunchtimes would be better that what's happening now: Protestors only talking to each other (isn't this called "preaching to the choir"?) at Pershing square or the official "protest pit" at Staples (both areas surrounded by scary police in riot gear -- very intimidating for people to approach, especially given the seriously nasty reputation the LAPD has with most Angelenos, and the Rampart Police Scandal so fresh in everyone's memory).

Folks, I can't stress how vital it is to do some one-to-one outreach and get some propaganda distributed to people who will read it, become informed, talk about it with their friends and families, and pass the word along. The mainstream media is NOT going to do the work for us. No offense, and not to sound like I'm criticizing all the hard work that has gone into making the past few days happen (and I've been a progressive activist locally for some twenty years, for both environmental issues and gay/lesbian issues, so believe me when I tell you that I know how hard the work of activism really is), but honestly, folks, coming to a demo without some propaganda on paper to hand out and not being ready to dialogue with people on the issues is just being plain unprepared.

Try it -- You'll be surprised at how many sympathetic individuals there are out there (yes, really -- in Corporate Amerika!) who just don't have much (or any information on these issues. After all, those of us who work as corporate drones are more familiar with the injustices corporate America visits upon its own workers (and the world in general).

Please, please, make the most of the time you have in Los Angeles -- demonstrations of this size don't happen very often around here.

Love and peace,

--The progressive secretary on the 23rd floor