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How to Start a Rush-hour Resistance Rally in Your Neighborhood

Thank you for your interest in starting a Rush-hour Resistance Rally in your neighborhood. We're in this for the long haul, and hope you will be too.
Here are some lessons from our experience to help your rallies succeed. Considering these points now can save you challenges later. Thinking ahead about these things is the key to keeping RhRRs sustainable week after week. Please research the following:

Location

Be purposeful in your selection. We suggest choosing a location with heavy rush-hour traffic, near your center of influence, and convenient for you and your attendees to reach.
Our first location was at the Melrose Curve on 7th Ave, north of Indian School. We made arrangements with a local independent coffee shop to gather there for 15-20 minutes before heading a half a block away to stage the rally. The Melrose Curve is right in the middle of the Gayborhood, well known to locals, where the first Rainbow Crosswalk was painted. We had studied the traffic patterns and figured at least 10,000 cars with 20,000 eyes pass through that curve every Wednesday morning between 7:15 and 8:30 A.M. There was parking at the coffee shop, or a side street where our rally was located. This location also had the city's first Crosswalk Signal System, so we could push a button to stop cars when needed. It has been the perfect location.

Time

Most of our locations find that 7:30–8:30 A.M. and 4:00–5:30 P.M. are peak traffic times, though not all do. Some have a rush that starts earlier or later.

You Need a Friend

Identify a friend or neighbor who'll share the responsibility if needed. Life happens, and you can't be out there every week. Having a trusted person who will show up when you can't is crucial, especially in the first few weeks, until you have attracted some stalwart resistors who are totally committed. Once people at your event get to know one another, it's pretty self-sustaining.

Sociality

You may be crazy enough not to think of it as work, but this takes effort. Doing it right involves planning. Volunteer groups work best when they have downtime together. Think about pre- and post-event activities to build camaraderie. Our Wednesday morning coffee gathering has worked well. We also get together at a nearby restaurant after our Monday rally at 7th Ave/Osborn. This is a perfect time to plan and discuss the challenges we face now. Being mentally strong is hard work, and your fellow resisters can offer friendship and support. It makes a big difference over time. Some of our folks look forward to gathering before or after the event to chat and socialize. We're a very social group! If there's an independent coffee shop or other gathering place within easy walking distance, that's great!

Parking

Most of our events take place near large shopping centers or other areas with ample semi-public parking. You’d be surprised at how finding easy places to park makes a difference in who and how many show up. It just does. Be sure to investigate this so parking is not a problem.

Weather

Consider the summer months in our city, especially. We didn't start afternoon rush hour events until October, and this year it was still pretty hot, especially for our “inflatable” guys/gals! And even the morning events can get toasty. Think about shade and relief. Keeping it to an hour helps, but it's nice to be able to direct someone to a cool place if needed. An added tip, so simple, watch how people hold their signs and make sure they take into account where the sun is. Just a quarter-turn here and there can shield your upper body from harmful rays. Duh! (It took Bobby quite a while to figure that one out!)
Ready to host your own Rush-Hour Resistance Rally?