[Peace] CALL FOR HELP from WICD/Sinclair picket organizer

[Randall Cotton]

I'm passing this on from Jean Stoia. She now has an itemized list of things
folks can do to help out with the organization of the upcoming WICD/Sinclair
picket on Saturday (after the Unity March).

REMINDER: The petition-signing, picket-info, sign-making open house is
TODAY, Wed. Oct 20 from 5PM to 8PM at 1017 Hadley, Savoy ( S on Prospect, R
on Harrington, L on Noel, SE corner of Noel/Hadley). This might actually be
a Champaign address  - for a map, see:

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&countryid=US&addtohistory=&searchtype=address&cat=&address=Hadley%20Dr%20%26%20Noel%20Dr&city=Champaign&state=IL&zipcode=61821&search=%20%20Search%20%20&searchtab=address

Or just type in "Noel and Hadley" "champaign" and "il" in mapquest.com.

R
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Dear Friends,

Thank you for your incredibly positive support of the WICD picket and
petition effort.

And, yes, we intend to picket despite Sinclair's last minute airing time
slot change.

Sinclair shareholders have lost $70million in one week since this issue
was publicized.

We will present 2 petitions to WICD at the picket.  Attached is a press
release with details.

If Ch 15 refuses, we will march on the grassy easement N on Mattis to a
mailbox drop and do a "ceremonial" mailing.  Someone has generously
offered to videotape our picket.

With all the volunteers busy with the election, few are available to
help.  One group is going to St. Louis over the weekend to work in MO,
a swing state.

The picket was my brain child, so I am organizing with only one other
person who doesn't have much time.

So, I could really use some help.  I'm leaving town on Thrs. (6hr) to
pick up my daughter from school for an important Dr's appointment.

Below is a preliminary list of things needing to be done Before the
Picket and After the Picket:

Please consider picking one and getting a friend to help you out.

Before the Picket:

1)  develop flyer target list - think of different places in town to
deliver flyers

2)  post flyers( I have 550 flyers at my house: 110 S. Cottage Grove
Ave., Urbana (6blocks E Lincoln Sq. between Main/Springfield and Green;
small blue house with rose trim) call me to arrange pick up

3)  collect petition signatures (perhaps while posting flyers); get
signed petitions to me for Xeroxing by Fri. 5 pm

4)  send flyers and petitions out to your friends and invite them to
picket

5)  distribute flyers at Farmer's Market Sat. during Unity March until
10:30

6)  collect petition signatures at Farmer's Market until 10:30

7)  deliver petition signatures to West Side Park by 11 am or
immediately following the march whichever comes first at fountain to me.
I will be wearing a name tag and carrying a megaphone.

8)  make extra signs to bring to West Side for others who join late to
carry

9) buy sign-making materials and bring to West Side by 11 am.
Re-imbursement up to $20.

10) come to petition-signing, picket-info, sign-making open house
tomorrow, Wed. Oct 20 at 1017 Hadley, Savoy ( S on Prospect, R on
Harrington, L on Noel, SE corner of Noel/Hadley (5PM to 8PM)

11)  acquire multiple clip-boards with pens attached for collecting
petition signatures and bring to West Side meet-up at fountain

12) could someone try to find a Vietnam vet named Joe Miller.  He has
been a local activist. Was a teacher at UI in poly sci department
333-3881; he's an acquaintance of Francis Boyle; He would provide an
excellent contact for other vets.  Ask him to recruit.

13)  make other efforts to recruit veterans; they have a unique position
from which to respond; try Colonel Dan: ColonelDan at worldnet.att.net and
send an email to supportourtroops at usa.net.  Write a sensitive,
thoughtful letter inviting participation; be sure and mention that in
April Sinclair preempted Nightline's showing of a special episode in
which only the pictures and names of soldiers killed in Iraq were to be
shown and named to honor them.  Use the attached press release for more
info.  I have already talked with Gary Early who gave me these contacts.

At the March Before the Picket Meet-Up

1) collect signatures on the 2 petitions; deliver to me at meet-up at
fountain at 11 or immediately following the march

2)  hand out picket flyers to marchers and tell them the picket follows
the march and where to meet.  Give brief explanation of why we're doing
this if necessary

3)  Hand out picket flyers to others at march.  We will re-enforce the
picket with an announcement

4)  bring sign-making supplies to picket meet-up and be on hand to make
signs for latecomers

5) drive people who might not have cars to the picket sites. =20

6)  drive a vehicle that we can put all signs  in to be delivered to the
NE corner of Country Fair Drive and Springfield

7) leave march early to wait at above corner to greet some who may show
up there first

8) take new petition signatures collected at march to Kinkos on Mattis
to be Xeroxed and brought to picket site (above corner) We must have a
copy for our records of all petitions signatures in case Ch 15 "loses"
them.

9) help keep picketers on the public right-of way at picket.  We are
legally allowed on the sidewalk running E/W on Springfield from Mattis
to Country Fair Drive;  the police will paint the grass defining the
area for us to walk in front of WICD;If ch 15 refuses to accept our
petitions, we will walk N along the grassy easement running N/S parallel
to Mattis toward the post office mail drop box behind Taffie's
restaurant.

10) someone made a suggestion that we flood channel 15 with mail by
taking multiple copies of petitions or copies of single pages of
petition and mail them in different looking envelopes.  That way many
picketers could drop an envelope themselves in the box.  Cool idea, but
would need someone to take charge of: getting envelopes; addressing,
posting, probably for 1 -2 ounces, and Xeroxing petition copies. =20

11) Try and get donations to pay for some of this stuff. There are no
funds for all of these activities. So I an another person have been
paying

12) would love another point person to work with me strategizing and
dealing with last minute details

Thank you so much for your generous and kind support.

Peace, Grace and Blessings,


Jean Stoia: 369-2092 367-3537; flwriter at pdnt.com; Please don't call
Colleen. Thanks

PS. am offering my first-born in exchange for help!