By: Anthony Reeves
A good friend of mine found himself in a very tough situation. His daughter is attending a charter school. He recently found out that his daughter’s charter school is among the many that are being considered for closure by the school board. As a result, he found himself in the unique position of trying to figure out what to do to save her school. He contacted me and the only things we could think of was going to the school board, alerting the media, or starting a letter writing campaign. I’m not sure how this will work out but I really felt bad that I couldn’t do more.
Which brings me to my point of discussion. SO many times, when things get “ON AND POPPIN”, people run to try and hire an attorney. Now, don’t get me wrong, as an attorney, I like it when it’s “ON AND POPPIN” because that means I’m working. However, there are some times when going a route OTHER than the legal system is not only a BETTER option but the ONLY option:
1) Go to your ELECTED OFFICIAL!! So many time people get MAD because they say that their elected officials don’t do anything. My comment is “Have you ASKED them to do anything??” Check their websites. Find those officials who are committed to supporting certain causes. Most people don’t stop and think about the fact that their elected officials are there to serve. Think about it like this, if you’re in a restaurant and you’re hungry, your waiter is NOT going to know what to get you if you don’t order off the menu.
2) KNOW what you want but be REALISTIC about what you want! So many times, people want the sky when all they really need is about 12 feet off the ground. When you find yourself in a situation where you need to turn for services, be mindful of specifically what you want to achieve.
3) THE MEDIA can be your FRIEND! Most people think about writing letters to the editors or calling the newspaper when something goes down. However, be smart. Alot of news stations have consumer advocates or consumer programs designed to bring unwanted attention to people or things that are running DIRTY!
4) KNOW THE PROCESS! Another big problem you run across is that they want to go AROUND the process in order to get something accomplished. It’s important to understand that it may not be possible to get everything you need accomplished without going through the proper channels!
5) THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS! As silly as it may seem, GET ORGANIZED! If one of you complains to someone, you may get blown off. However, if 100 of you make noise, someone is going to RECOGNIZE QUICKLY!
6) WORK YOUR CONNECTIONS! Sometimes, we don’t think outside of your circle but you may have connections outside of your circle. Don’t be afraid to reach out.
7) BE PREPARED FOR A STINK RESPONSE! At some point, somebody is going to give you a response that you were not expecting. Be prepared for it and accept it as a necessary consequence!
8) DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT! DOCUMENT! Keep track of everyone you talk to, their responses and their response time. Don’t rely on word of mouth. Write letters (certified mail). Use e-mails (Return receipt). Make copies and keep it handy. If you write 100 letters to various officials and they don’t respond, these documents become very helpful when election time comes around for those officials or when those administrators reach out to the community.
9) DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR LOCAL PITBULLS! It’s amazing how people fail to use the resources in their communities. There are hundreds of NON-PROFITS out there and you can find a non-profit specifically to address the issue you need to have addressed.
10) KEEP YOUR BIG GUNS IN THE BACK! Now, here’s where having an attorney is helpful. You’ve got your numbers together. You’re organized. You’ve gone through the process. You’ve contacted your elected officials. You’ve gone to the media. You’ve done everything you’re supposed to do. Now BOOM, right in the MOUTH! AT this point, depending on the situation, legal action may be necessary because you have exhausted all other remedies (remember, there may not be a legal recourse). What’s more important is that attorneys typically are extremely connected so once you’ve done everything possible to make the problem visual, vocal, and verified for everyone, the attorneys can step in and show why the system broke down.
Now, don’t get me wrong. In some situations, unfortunately, you have no other recourse and despite all of your efforts, you can’t do anything else. However, if you put a big enough fight this time, you will be amazed how quickly people will jump the NEXT TIME you come to the RING!
