Grassroots Empowerment in Tallahassee. I studied, taught, researched, and wrote about international politics and economics throughout my professional career. This was the first time that I had participated in a local grassroots empowerment process and, quite frankly, was not sure what to expect.
Despite the massive thunderstorm, they all showed up. Jew. Catholic. Protestant. Secular. White. Black. Brown. Female. Male. LGBQT. Married. Single. Hispanic. Asian. Poor. Working class. Middle Class. Wealthy. Young. Middle aged. Elderly. Lay persons. Lay Leaders. Preachers. People from more than 20 different congregations. All these voters were there, all united to create a family friendly Tallahassee, and all united in the pursuit of social justice. More than 600 activists filled the Old West Florida Enrichment Center for what the Capital Area Justice Ministry (CAJM) called its Nehemiah Action Assembly on Tuesday evening April 5. Another 200 to 300 watched the assembly via social media. The excitement and electricity of the opening hymn that pulsed through the participants reminded me of an old-time religious revival. One preacher looked out at the crowd and shouted, “This must be what heaven looks like!”
For almost a year the members/participants of the CAJM had worked to understand and develop solutions to the problems of gun violence and the lack of affordable rental units in the city and county by interviewing local and national experts and relevant local government officials and agencies. In the end it presented 3 resolutions to local authorities to address these issues. Local authorities were interviewed and given copies of the proposed resolutions in advance of their participation. Each local authority was brought to the stage and asked whether or not he/she would support the proposed resolution in front of this very diverse audience of activist voters. Several local television stations and WFSU were there as well. The audience cheered each one of the participating authorities who stated a clear YES in support of the resolutions and remained completely silent when any of the invited authorities either stated NO or did not respond with an unambiguous YES.
Mayor John Dailey, Mayor Pro-Tem Curtis Richardson, and City Commissioners Jeremy Matlow, Jack Porter, and Dianne Williams-Cox all agreed to champion a resolution in which the city would invest $1 million a year over the next 5 years in evidence-based programs to prevent gun violence. City Commissioners Matlow and Porter agreed to champion the creation of a trust fund that would target the production of rental units for very low and extremely low income households. The trust fund would initially be created with $12 million from American Rescue Plan Funds and in the future it would be supported by developing revenue streams that would contribute $5 million per year to the fund. Mayor Dailey, Mayor Pro-Tem Richardson, and Commissioner Williams-Cox did not support this resolution. State Attorney Jack Campbell refused to champion the development of a new screening program that would ensure that juveniles who are eligible are offered a civil citation rather than being arrested.
Did this grassroots empowerment movement get everything it wanted this year? No, but it did receive complete support on one resolution and partial support for another. The CAJM will continue its efforts by monitoring those who stated they would champion the resolutions. It will continue its efforts to either gain support for or modify the proposed trust fund for affordable rental housing units. It was suggested that the resolution to support the development of a new screening program that would ensure that juveniles who are eligible are offered a civil citation rather than being arrested would be better addressed by the city police department and county sheriff. The CAJM will attempt to increase the number of city and county commissioners who agree to participate in the Nehemiah Assembly next year. To put it simply, the agenda for the upcoming year is now partially established and the 600 or so current CAJM activists will begin to expand its membership to empower more voters. Imagine a Nehemiah Assembly next year with 3 thousand participants in the audience. The face-to-face, somewhat tension-filled process in front of so many voters certainly sends a signal to elected officials that the people are now organized, united, and empowered and they expect elected officials to listen and act.
I would like to thank all the local leaders of the CAJM, but in particular, Leah Wiley, who played the primary role in organizing the CAJM in this grassroots empowerment process. We all learned, we are all better off, we are all more united, and we are better prepared for next year because of her guidance. I also would like to thank Tracy Rose from my church, Good Samaritan United Methodist, who encouraged my wife and I to participate in this empowerment process.
As an fyi, the Nehemiah Action is named after the Prophet Nehemiah who in a large assembly stood before the nobles and officials of his community and challenged them to stop charging the unjust and unfair interests on loans given to the people — and gained a promise from the nobles to stop.
For more information on the research or the proposed resolutions or if you would like to participate or if your church, synagogue, or mosque has members who are focused on social justice issues please see the CAJM website at https://www.capitalareajustice.org/
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