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This weekend, Uber announced that it would be giving free rides to LGBTQ establishments as a response to the Orlando shooting and a celebration of pride.
However, the company’s initial list left off many clubs and locations that primarily serve LGBTQ people of color.
To help correct the omission, add the clubs and bars designed for people of color you’d want to see on the list.
Target: Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Emanuel’s previous statements meant he was already on record and we knew that the Governor wasn’t going to change his mind, so we needed to find someone who would stand up to him instead.
Demand: Do not allow Governor Rauner’s fearmongering to impact Chicago. Pledge to maintain a welcoming city and stay open to refugees from Syria and anywhere people are fleeing for safety.
Frame: We framed the campaign as upholding Chicago’s values, acting on the Mayor’s pledge to be what he called a “welcoming city” and standing up to the very unpopular Governor.
In the early Fall of 2015, images of drowned child refugees caused a wave of sympathy and statements from elected officials, including Chicago’s Mayor. But months later, Republican officials reacted to an unrelated attack in Paris by scapegoating refugees and symbolically pledging to deny them settlement in their states.
Opportunity: When asked about the Governor’s position, Mayor Emanuel said that Chicago would have to follow his lead. That’s when we knew we had to do something. We had an opportunity to interrupt the national story of states closing their doors and push for Chicago to stand up to the fearmongering, or we would see the anti-refugee beliefs of the Governor come to define our city too.
Tactics:
Partners:
Working with groups already engaged on the issue and who had an authentic connection to the result of the campaign is what gave the effort legitimacy, had spokespeople ready to champion the issue, and even relationships inside government as well as the press to move it forward.
Breakthrough Moment:
Deciding to target Mayor Emanuel was a crucial decision. In other states, people launched petitions for the Republican Governors to change their minds but that was highly unlikely. By putting the mayor in between his city and the Governor, we created a dilemma that he had to respond to.
The other key moment was when we saw how quickly the petition grew. We knew we were on to something and the momentum of the petition became a news story itself.
Chronology of Press Follows Below:
Campaign Name: Holiday Inn, Don’t Be a #HostForHate
Target: Holiday Inn Conference Center in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Demand: Cancel the Trump rally. Don’t be a host for hate.
Frame: During Donald Trump’s campaign for President, he announced racist and sexist views. When people protested, his supporters often turned violent and his campaign racially profiled attendees, kicking out anyone they suspected of being a protester.
We framed his views and events as toxic for any company to be connected to and dangerous to the company’s clientele and anyone attending.
Opportunity: The events could only happen if companies agreed to host them. The hotel made sense as a corporate and local target who has an image and business to maintain.
Tactics:
Partners:
We partnered with local activists who were looking for a way to protest Trump’s hate.
Breakthrough Moment:
We didn’t succeed in cancelling the event but we did succeed in painting Trump as dangerous, demonstrating opposition in Wisconsin to his views, and creating negative press for the company after it decided to host the candidate’s hate.
The night before the rally, protesters wore t-shirts saying “first they came for the immigrants,” and “first they came for the Muslims” to allude to the need for people not directly attacked by Trump’s views to take action to stop them.
Background and Sample Material:
Campaign Name: Stop the Trump Effect in Arizona, No More SB1070s
Target: Governor Ducey
Demand: Veto new anti-immigrant proposals
Frame: When Arizona legislators started proposing a new round of anti-immigrant bills in 2015, Puente Human Rights Network labeled them “Trump bills” and tied them to the famous racial profiling law from 2010, SB1070, that cost the state millions of dollars.
Opportunity: Unlike the extremist he replaced, Arizona’s Governor Ducey positions himself as more reasonable. Arizona politics have the potential to be changing but they won’t if the legislature and the governor go back to the anti-immigrant days of the past.
Tactics:
Partners:
Puente worked with a broad coalition to plan the big events and also moved other pieces on its own. That way everyone interested had a way to plug-in but they were also able to stay nimble and respond however the moment called for.
Breakthrough Moment:
By painting the bills as part of Trumps’ hate and racism and tying them to past efforts that were extremely damaging, the campaign made them toxic. By mobilizing en masse and taking dramatic action, groups demonstrated support and also foreshadowed the opposition and even chaos that officials could expect if they made the bills into law.
Not every bill got blocked, but the majority did and groups on the ground showed strength that should make proponents think twice before re-introducing them.
