Well, maybe “hiring” isn’t the right word, since we can’t pay anyone. But we have a very great need for volunteers. At our Zoom meeting last night, this topic repeatedly came up, and I was urged to make clear exactly what sort of things we need help with. So here’s a list of “jobs” that are currently open.
Please consider volunteering for anything you think you could be good at, and would enjoy. We need these things desperately: we can’t succeed without you. But I would add this: Please don’t volunteer if you’re not prepared to follow through. These things take time and effort!
City Council Monitor
We need someone who will keep an eye on the Oakland City Council. Mostly, this involves watching their schedule. When is their next meeting? What is the agenda? This also involves finding out how the public can make comments at meetings in real time, via Zoom. You would then communicate this information to me, on a regular basis; I would let everyone else know, through the blog and blast emails. The reason this is important is because the City Council needs to hear from us. The opposition has been doing this for years. They’re very well-represented at these meetings. For instance, police defunders regularly outnumber police supporters by a factor of ten to one in public comments, even though they’re a minority in the city. Who wants to be the Coalition’s City Council Monitor?
Tracking Individual Council Members
Related to the above is this: It would be great to have people tracking each City Council member. What are they voting on? What are they saying in public speeches and on social media? Where are they getting their funding? This is real sleuth work, and it can be hard, but fun. And the payoff is invaluable. Who wants to track individual council members?
Police Commission Monitor
We need someone to keep an eye on the Oakland Police Commission. The job description is identical to that of City Council Monitor. The Police Commission runs the Police Department. They can fire the Chief at will. The Police Commission is not entirely bad; although there are defunders and even abolitionists on it, it’s generally viewed as wanting a strong OPD and a safe Oakland. However, we know that even some Commissioners themselves understand that they live in a bubble: they hear a lot, during public testimony, from police haters, but they almost never hear from police supporters. We can change that. Who wants to be the Coalition’s Police Commission Monitor?
Legal Help
We were lucky to get a generous contribution that enabled us to hire an attorney to get us incorporated and help us open a bank account. While this process is ongoing, it’s getting very near the end. After that, we no longer have a lawyer. But we’ll continue to need one, on an occasional basis. Are there any lawyers out there?
Neighborhood Organizers
We are going to need people to organize street activities in Oakland’s various neighborhoods. These activities can range from distributing flyers or doorhangers, to representing the Coalition at neighborhood public safety meetings, and to recruiting new members. Ideally, we would have a team of 3-4 people in each of Oakland’s 7 City Council Districts. I always think of President Obama in this respect: he started as a neighborhood organizer in Chicago. This is hard work, but vital. Who wants to be a neighborhood organizer?
Outreach to Important Community Organizations
Someone last night said we should reach out to the Rotary Club. That’s a good idea—but the person who thought it up should be the person who does it! Ditto for the Fire Department and any other important group in Oakland, including the Mayor’s office and the City Manager. We already have strong relationships with the Police Department, the Oakland Police Officers’ Association, the Police Commission and the Chamber of Commerce, so we’re all set there. We also have emerging relationships with some, but not all, City Council members. I’m sure there are other organizations we could connect with that I’m not even aware of. Who wants to be involved in outreach to community organizations?
Fundraising
This is crucial. Soon (I hope and pray) we’ll have our bank account (at California Bank & Trust) and will begin to raise funds through a “Donate” button on our website. But we need someone who has some expertise in fundraising. I know nothing about this; I don’t know anyone who knows anything about it, but I know that there are people who do understand it. Todd is our Treasurer, but I don’t think fundraising is in his wheelhouse. I’ll be blunt: we need people who know how to rake in money. Who wants to be on the fundraising team?
Graphic Designer
As we grow, our need for high-class printed materials will grow. We really need a longterm volunteer who knows how to design and reproduce flyers, brochures, posters and other educational materials. This person would work with the Board of Directors (Jack, Todd and me). Who wants to be our graphic designer?
Media Relations
We have to do a better job cultivating our relationships with local media: print and digital. I’ve been doing it all myself, but it’s hard, and I’m not really good at it. Most communications to the media would go out under my name, or Jack’s, but we need someone who can manage a database of all local news organizations. I have a listing of about 20 organizations to get you started. Who wants to be our director of media relations?
Believe me, if we can get effective volunteers in these areas, it will not only be a huge relief to the handful of us who have been trying to do everything, it will advance the Coalition tremendously. We’re poised to be important players in next year’s elections (Mayor, City Council, District Attorney, etc.). But we’re only as good as the collective effort we put into this.
Thank you. I’m really looking forward to hearing from you!
Steve Heimoff