Our Progress and Strategies

1. Our Progress and Strategies San Diego County Community Coalition Introductions, Overview, Tactics and Strategies, Television Production, Funding

2. Overview Our single issue is unity We see to unify various groups for more effective action

3. Introductions Each group will get an opportunity to introduce themselves State their mission Make important announcements Distribute schedules and Membership Forms

4. Members Activist San DiegoVeterans for PeaceA New PATHDrug Policy AllianceAll of US or NoneCenter for Policy InitiativesWomen's Caucus for Art San DiegoSan Diegans for 911 Truth Bi-Lateral Safety Corridor Coalition

5. Issues The EnvironmentHuman RightsPeace911 InvestigationsPovertyUnityCitizen EmpowermentPrison and Drug PolicyVeteransGender NeutralityBlackwaterPolitical CorruptionHealth Care

6. Television Shows Why each organization needs their own show on Public Access and how they can do it.

7. Producer Training 2-3 October 2009Reservations must be made on 22 September 2009 by calling 619-596-3292

8. Our Shows Community IssuesProgress in San DiegoCommunity Artist ConnectionTruth to PowerCitizens' Internet TV Network

9. The Present Situation Small gatherings all over county Small victories Underdeveloped National Movement Conservative Political Victories in County Grant money not being claimed Young people under represented

10. Development up to present Development made up to the current situation Important background information Original forecasts which turned out to be wrong Original forecasts which turned out to be true

11. Long-term goal Reverse policies of ruling class Obtain Universal Health Care Divert funding from military/prison industrial complex and into community investment Combat poverty/outsourcing/slave trade Stop false flag attacks/Support Veterans Focus on Human Rights Environmental Concerns

12. Strategy Concerns Public Service Announcements Boycott procedures Who should be targeted for boycotts How do we select targets Information sources Common adversaries and how we can coordinate

13. OpenSecrets.org

14. Top Contributors

15. Health Care Industry Money

16. Brian Bilbray $1,474,872 From the Medical Industry

17. Darrell Issa $829,025 From Medical Industry

18. Susan Davis $520,008 From Medical Industry

19. Bob Filner $1,045,083 From Medical Industry

20. Potential Alternatives Discuss alternative strategies What are pros and cons of each strategy Give a forecast of costs

21. Recommendation Develop own media outlets Identify common adversaries Target vulnerable financial institutions Gather Information

22. Boycotts  The Strategy has been around for centuries  Charles Stewart Parnell coined the actual term "boycott" in 1880 when describing the ostracism of Captain Charles Cunningham Boycott by his Irish neighbors.

23.  Such tactics were effective in the struggle of Irish peasants against English landlords.  Tenants faced barriers to ownership and paid increasingly high rents that left them destitute.  One year earlier, Parnell and Michael Davitt had founded the Land League to fight for just treatment in housing and land.  The League began Ireland's first peaceful widespread peasant rebellion.

24. Success in South Africa The highly successful strategies of India's Mahatma Gandhi and America's Martin Luther King, Jr., were employed to bring change to South Africa. Boycotts of white-owned businesses, legal actions challenging racist laws, rent boycotts, and mass demonstrations became commonplace.

25. Apartheid Regime Failed  International boycotts by governments and corporations alike, including an end to foreign investment, were unquestionably too much for the apartheid regime to bear.

26. Successful Economic Boycotts  Nuclear Weapons Infact, a group that uses the slogan "Challenging Corporate Abuse, Building Grassroots Power," boycotted General Electric for its involvement in making nuclear weapons.  The Human Rights Campaign called for a boycott of ExxonMobil because the company refused to offer domestic partner benefits and include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policies.

27. Success Against Daishowa  A boycott against Daishowa began when the paper company started logging on land claimed by Canada's Lubicon Cree natives. Companies using Daishowa products were asked to change suppliers and 48 did so, costing the boycott target $14 million.

28. Success Against Monsanto  Consumer, animal welfare, and environmental groups joined The Foundation on Economic Trends in a boycott of Monsanto because it manufactured the Bovine Growth Hormone. Several supermarket chains were convinced to not sell milk from cows that received the hormone supplement. Other corporations such as Kraft USA, Borden's, and Ben & Jerry's Homemade, agreed to not use it in their dairy products.

29. Success In Arizona  People of Arizona called for a boycott of the state after voters decided against making Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday a paid state holiday. Voters quickly relented after charges of racism.  The AFL-CIO boycotted Wells Fargo to protest the bank lending money to Oregon Steel for "union busting activities."

30. Success Against Verizon  Naral Pro-Choice forced Verizon to drop censorship of pro-choice text messages.

31. Success Against United Airlines  United Airlines was boycotted after it challenged a San Francisco law that requires the city to contract only with companies that offer domestic partner benefits. A federal court upheld the ordinance and forced the airline to comply.

32. Do Boycotts Work?  "Economic boycotts have a long tradition," reads an article in South Coast Today. "There were those who argued that the many economic boycotts of South Africa would never work--until apartheid was toppled and the boycotts were given much of the credit."

33. Why They Work  Boycotting can bring about two of the most detrimental problems that any corporate executive would prefer to avoid:  Bad publicity and loss of revenue (in that order).  Boycotts succeed in part by "putting a corporation on a defensive footing, generating potentially damaging publicity, and giving its competitors an unearned opportunity," writes Dale D. Buss in "Ethics and Economics: Holding Corporate America Accountable."

34. Percent of Success  One poll showed that 78 percent of consumers avoided or refused to buy from certain companies because of negative perceptions.  In another survey 48 percent said unethical or unlawful business practices played a role in those decisions, reports Buss in Christianity Today.

35. More Effective Than Class Action  Marshall Glickman writes that, "A nationwide survey of business executives indicated that they consider boycotts more effective than class-action suits, lobbying and standalone letter writing campaigns. Companies hate the loss of sales and negative publicity these campaigns bring--an image problem that...can dog them for decades, even after they've reformed."

36. A Boycott will Fail When:  It has unfocused leadership  Employs inconsistent pressure  Has insufficient organization and planning  Makes unreasonable demands  Or when those who support the cause behind the boycott will not participate.

37. Corporate Leaders Expect  Corporate leaders expect consumers to be apathetic and they believe any boycott will be a short-term irritation at the very worst.  Corporate leaders also may count on human weakness and they far too often are not disappointed.  But when a boycott is done well, their initial hopes fade and they begin to pay attention to the boycotters.

38. Just the Threat of a Boycott is Enough  Activists need to think twice before calling for a boycott.  "A boycott should not be utilized on a whim," said Douglas R. Scott, who as president of Life Decisions International (LDI) has managed a boycott of Planned Parenthood's corporate supporters for more than 14 years.  "It should also not be the tool of first resort.  A boycott needs to be well-thought-out and corporate leaders must have been given ample information and opportunity to change the offensive practice" before an economic sanction commences.

39. Other Problems  Another key problem that can greatly hinder the success of a boycott is second-guessing by participants.  Boycott leaders must be trusted to decide when the economic action should cease and what demands the offending corporation must meet before this can occur. \  If every individual decides what sufficient grounds to end the action are, the corporation may ignore boycott leaders.  Unity is essential.  If boycott leaders are ignored, corporations can effectively disregard the economic action itself.  This is only possible if the corporation is able to undermine boycott leaders and divide the loyalty of those who should naturally support the effort.

40. The Center for Responsive PoliticsOpenSecrets.org  Databases of where the money comes from and goes to  Corporate lobbying information  Largest Campaign Contributors

41. Summary Summary of meeting and important points Final inputs Development of next immediate actions Conclusion of meeting

42. San Diego Can Become the Model