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ProgressMom68 t1_jddq97q wrote

Sadly, yes, you are naive. I’ve lived here for 16 years and I’ve learned a few things about trying to organize in this city.

First, the liberal/progressive community is tiny and full of cliques and infighting.

Second, the Chamber of Commerce owns the City Council. You will never be able to get them to do anything for anyone except businesses. I’m serious. The CoC hand picks and funds the majority of candidates.

Third, there is a ton of duplication of effort in organizing. Everyone has their own project and a lot of times people are working at cross-purposes.

Fourth, you run a high chance of being slandered, fired, having your property vandalized, experiencing harassment, etc., if you piss off the wrong people and you have to be ready for that.

I wish it was different but that’s the way it is. The only hope for this city is massive demographic change but that kind of thing takes a long time. I noped out of community organizing a year ago. I still help with some small projects but I learned my lesson about trying to make change in this town a long time ago.

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PossibleReporter6873 OP t1_jddsdof wrote

Well, I definitely appreciate your honesty about this. Your first point is something I've thought about a lot recently. I honestly think people just need a reframing of the issue between others. I don't think we should focus so much on the left v. right aspect of the common people, it should more fall on the us v. them mentally in regards to class. Working class as opposed to ruling class. Maybe that's the first step that's needed for a more effective change

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Anna-Belly t1_jdfweah wrote

Good luck on that "demographic change" when y'all ran Black people out in the early 1900s to the point they fled to the Bootheel and never came back.

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