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How did it turn out? We'd be interested to hear from anyone who was at the event.
I tried tuning into the webcast, but unfortunately they use a single-platform streaming media format, so I couldn't view the live stream.
Scott
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A few of us had breakfast at the "Pantry" where we met a gentleman and his wife who are interested in doing a T.V. show. They wanted to find out more about the issues that NCFMLA is involved in. I could tell you more but I don't want to give anything away. They were a very nice couple and came with us to the protest and later testified along with other members of our group before the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.
Everyone who testified requested that the B.O.S. create a Commission for Men to address men's issues.
We arrived outside the Bldg. about 8:00 a.m. set up our table and flyer pass out, and started picketing. One of the signs read, "FALSE FEMINIST STATISTICS CREATE HATE LAWS," another read, "GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME," another merely said, "MEN'S COMMISSION NOW" in big letters.
It was an educational day for myself and for a lot of people that we talked with. We made contact with over a dozen or two new men (lost count) who most commonly would say something to the effect, "It's about time." An older officer at the bldg. was one of them. Three other officers that who were in the bldg. came out to our table, not to shake us down, but they were curious about our information and even liked some of our bumper stickers so we gave them a few.
We had about twelve picketers and signs street side at our peak. We recieved numerous positive comments from passers by including car horns, thumbs up, shouts of support. No one was openly condemnatory.
...then there was the media. Mark A. had a very busy day giving interviews. Another member of our group was also interviewed and at one point a couple of journalist started asking me questions. I looked for Marc, but he was nowhere to be found so I did my best along with Stanley who was nearby and helped immensely. What will actually wind up on the news or in print is anyones guess.
I think it was early afternoon when we went inside and about a dozen of us spoke to the BOS requesting a Men's Commission. In the three minutes they gave us I told my tale of woe as a male victim of d.v.
At the end of the session one of the board members spoke into the mike, "meeting adjourned." A loud voice immediately came back from our group, filling the chambers, and saying, "We'll be back." I was as surprised as anyone to find it had come from me so I just got up and walked out.
After the meeting we went to "Phillipis" on Olivera St. and had lunch. I drove my black truck with the 7ft. bed that had a 4X8 foot sign mounted in the back. On one side it said, "GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME" and on the other it said, "EQUAL JUSTICE FOR MEN." I covered the entire tailgate with a sign that said "NCFMLA.ORG."
As we left "Phillipies," where we had just relaxing and dining, a guy came up to us as we were leaving and said how can I get one of your bumper stickers? Which one we said? The one that says, "STOP MALE BASHING." The stop portion of the bumper sticker is a stop sign. I gave him a bumper sticker, and Marc gave him a flyer with our web site address, etc. The guy thanked us and said he had two or three friends who felt the same way he did, and that he was really tired of all the "crap" that men have been getting. We invited him to check out the info and join us.
After leaving "Phillipis" and dropping a couple of our guys off at their cars it was a 15 mile drive on the freeway to get home. I hit traffic and it was very slow, but I really didn't mind. I just relaxed and watched the people reading the big sign in the back of my truck. It gets a lot more attention than the bumper stickers and judging by what I observed today I would recommend this form of advertising for the men's movement.
Well that's it in a nutshell. I'm sure Marc, Warble and the others can fill in other details. My personal assessment is that it was not only a good day, it was a great day for NCFM. I look forward to the days ahead to see the fruits of this day, but I'm not going to rest on my laurels to just wait and see what pops up on the news. My Supervisor wasn't at the meeting today so tommorrow or the next day I'm driving my truck/sign to his local office, parking it in front of his door, if I can and picketing his office with the picket signs that say MEN'S COMMISSION NOW and GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME (one in each hand). After that it's off to other government sites. We have a list. I'd rather make news than watch the news.
In as much as I was accepted into the VFW yesterday and received my membership card. I will close by saying.
We too are a "Band of Brothers." and likewise
"We Stand Alone Together."
Regards,
Ray
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Ray - Many thanks for keeping us informed about the events and for your important work with NCFM.
I think your message brings the point home that one of our strengths will growing from a grass roots level. This means we need to get out in the public just like you all did. Excellent job.
Great to hear the interest from other men and from passers-by. Your truck sign sounds wonderful! Any pictures?
Stand Your Ground
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I think your message brings the point home that one of our strengths will growing from a grass roots level. This means we need to get out in the public just like you all did. Excellent job.
Thanks. We are of course learning the hard way that there is no substituted for tabling. There is no easy way to build this movement. They way to build this movement is by hard work that includes educating the public, explaining who we are, where we come from, answering questions, and signing people up.
Numbers are everything! It's the only thing that counts when it is necessary to make a public appearance or going before the legislature.
Finally, the big surprise of the day was the interest in us by the police officers. It turns out that many of them are feeling the impact of false allegations when they get into a divorce.
The result is that they are loosing their guns and jobs without any physical evidence or proof of wrong doing. We will be looking forward to helping the Los Angeles Police department grapple with this difficult issue.
Warble
Disclaimer: My statements are intended to be personal opinion, belief, sarcasm, or allegation.
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by Anonymous User on Wednesday November 20, @01:10PM EST (#4)
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It was an incredible day. We were interviewed by CNN and all sorts of media and had lots of support, even from alot of bus drivers who honked and raised fists and gave thumbs up. I'll be on the John and Ken show on KFI tonight at 6pm, which is huge, and I'll be sure to talk all about government sponsored feminist propaganda, etc. It was such a long and crazy day that I slept in my truck. Everyone's testimony was excellent. We had two paternity fraud victims, a male DV victim, two male victims of false accusations, a criminal justice college instructor who testified about the discrimination in the selective service and its affect on males, and others. The amount of support out there, and the number of people silently waiting for some action on these issues, is really incredible, and how we men suffer in silence on these issues for so long is just mindblowing. The police were even telling us, after talking with them for about 15 minutes, that police officers have a constant threat hanging over them, that being that if their spouse calls the police department and accuses them of DV, that's it for them, they're through. And their wives know this, so any time there's conflict or tension, they're seriously threatened. And these officers can't speak out about it, they just have to take it. Somebody has got to do something about this.
At the end of the day we had a great dinner with Carnell Smith of Citizens Against Paternity Fraud. He is one of the sharpest people I've ever met. We strategized on paternity fraud issues with him and a deputy attorney general who came down from Sacramento to help us with the event. If any of you ever want to strategize on paternity fraud in your state, Carnell is the one to go to. He has some absolutely brilliant ideas of how to fight back even apart from legislation or the initiative process. I won't reveal them here, but I wanted to note that.
Overall we feel we definitely had impact, and best of all we're getting media coverage and will finally get the word out on a major radio station tonight. And I'm completely exhausted.
Marc
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And I'm completely exhausted.
Yes Marc. We know! Take a few days off and regroup!
You are hereby relieved of all duties for the next few days by order of the board!
There is no question that the last few days have been extremely intense. Its time to let the impact settle-in for a few days; let the efforts gel in the minds of the public. :)
Warble
Disclaimer: My statements are intended to be personal opinion, belief, sarcasm, or allegation.
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Friends:
Marc A. was on a local talk radio station tonight for an hour. The two announcers really weren't up to speed on the issues, but Marc did well fending off the distractions these two sometimes created.
I even called in and spoke at one point as a male victim of d.v. concuring with the statements of Mr. Angelucci.
This interview came about I am told as a result of yesterday's activism before The County Board of Supervisors.
I was still so energized this morning that I went out and found the valley office of Supervisor Yaroslavsky in Van Nuys. I drove there early this afternoon and parked my moving billboard truck right in front of his office (American flags hanging out of each window of the cab). The 4X8 sheet of plywood in the bed says on one side, in 6" and 8" letters, "GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME" (HATE is in red) and the other side says "EQUAL JUSTICE FOR MEN" The tailgate says NCFMLA.ORG.
I took the two hand held picket signs MEN'S COMMISSION NOW and GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME" and picketed the government center for 2 1/2 hours in a shirt tie and Panama hat, dress slacks, etc. It was at least 90 degrees in the San Fernando Valley today. I had a lot of good postive interaction. I picketed the police station, the Superior Court, The County Supervisors Office, Civil Court, City Hall, (the place where domestic violence hearings are held). I even picketed the police garage and parking structure since they were along the route.
I saw a lot of cops. When they would drive by in their car or motorcycle and look I would stop and swing the sign so as to keep it visible to them as long as possible. I did this service for about 15 to 20 police officers. A couple gave me thumbs up, one smiled politely, some wouldn't even look at me, some just read the signs, but one motorcycle officer said patronizingly "really?" to which I replied "Yes, police are a part of the problem."
I talked to a lot of people and handed out a lot of flyers. I personally handed out more today than yesterday, but the group yesterday handed out many more collectively. A number of guys I met today reacted positively so when I handed them the flyer I said, "Join Us (NCFMLA)." One young lady thanked me for what I was doing so I thanked her for her sense of fairness and openmindedness as I handed her a flyer. I got mostly postive interaction from the men and women of ever back ground or group imagineable. It was a real pleasure.
I talked to another young lady who stopped me after she read the flyer I'd given to her friend on one of my earlier loops around and through the Gov't Center. I made about 8 or 10 circles of the Gov't center in the 2 1/2 hours I was out. In a nutshell she didn't get it so I kindly spoke to her as a father might to his daughter. I stopped speaking after awhile expecting her to say something, but she was so absorbed in thought that she remained silent so I wished her a nice day and walked on. I have no idea what she was thinking, but I don't think anyone had ever presented the men's perspective on men's issues to her. I ended the day in front of the Supv's. office. Some people from inside the bldg. waved as I approached my truck so I said, "I'll be back." They actually started up a conversation so I spoke with them also. That flyer is a great backup for anyone with a lack of something to say. Whenever I'm straining for an answer I reach for it to bail me out. Anyway, maybe we'll let the dust settle a day or two, and plan out next move.
Active in L.A. and lovin it,
Ray
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(("Yes, police are a part of the problem."))
BURN!!!!
Good shot, Ray!
(^_^)
By the way, what, if anything, was that officer's response?
TC.
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Thundercloud:
He displayed to me a big patronizing, toothy grin as he said "O really" then drove off. He had read my sign so I had accomplished my intent, therefore I walked on with my signs after telling him, "Yes, police are a part of the problem."
When you walk a picket and drive around for hours in a big city with a big sign that says "GENDER PROFILING IS HATE CRIME" and "EQUAL JUSTICE FOR MEN" you don't waste your time on the few slow learners, when so many are responding in an enlightened manner.
Regards,
Ray
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(("Yes, police are a part of the problem."))
While this is true, we are now establishing a forum whereby they can become a part of the solution. All they have to do is sign our guest book at NCFM, LA with an anonymous handle, and there they can tell of their horrific mandatory false-arrest stories. In turn, NCFM, LA will provide them with an outlet where their stories are taken before the respective legislative bodies, and there they will be heard in a forum that cannot be ignored. In this way the police become part of the solution. It has already begun!
Warble
Disclaimer: My statements are intended to be personal opinion, belief, sarcasm, or allegation.
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by Anonymous User on Thursday November 21, @06:00PM EST (#11)
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Ray, is there any way you can get a photo of that truck onto this site? People really should see it. I've never seen anything like it.
Marc
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Friends:
I took pictures of the truck today in my backyard as Marc suggested on mensactivism in a post. I'll try to get a better shot over the weekend, when the gov't center is idle, with the truck parked in front of notable landmarks, such as Supervisor Yaroslavsky's office sign.
The last thing I did, putting the NCFMLA.ORG sign on the tailgate might have been the best piece of P.R. of this whole truck idea/project. The flags fluttering out the cab windows always gets people's attention, but then it's the tailgate that tells them who we are. The big signs in the bed tell them what it's about, and a clean flashy black vehicle is always appealing to the eye. I've added a few of our bumper stickers just for decoration.
After yesterdays picket I was doing a left at one intersection where I had to wait and I saw one woman staring and straining her neck as she was waiting with a "What the heck is that look on her face."
When I went out 1st thing on Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. just to i.d. the Supervisor's address, one lady on one of the little streets close to my home turned her whole body around as I went by and at that point the only thing left to read was NCFMLA.ORG. I honestly get so many reactions I can't begin to write them all down. I personally think this may even be better than one of those $900.00 a month truck side advertising signs because this is original, one of a kind and deep, and deep from the heart of sincerity. I think the plan is in place and working, now the best thing to do appears to me to be to "work the plan" as an old master craftsman once told me. Stay focused on the good plan and milk it for all its worth, then go on to the next one in this target rich environment of valid male issues.
I'll work on getting something out to someone who knows how to get this thing on the net by weekend or latest next weekend.
Ray
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