We had a dozen people handing out leaflets in Royal Oak today. All four corners at 4th and main were covered, and one person spent considerable time on Washington, two blocks over. We had the full-page leaflet and the simpler 1/4 sheet handout, in two colors on white paper or B & W on yellow card stock, to pass out. Something over 500 of all types were distributed. Most people were either very mildly interested or politely disinterested. Some were very receptive. A few were sort of hostile to the whole idea, in a smug "I'm part of the 1%" sort of way.
Some people left early, with other things to do. Some showed up late, because that's just the way we do things. Most of us were dressed a little to heavily for the perfect, sunny weather. Those who were there at the end of our tour decided on the nearby National Coney Island for a very pleasant lunch.
My sense is that the effort was as successful as could be expected. In an election campaign, it's a rule of thumb that a given voter needs to see a candidate's name roughly seven times before they begin to think "this is a real candidate" for whom they might vote. I think something similar is at work here.
A random person in the street has probably heard of the Occupy movement, but they've never heard of Occupy in Royal Oak because, before today's two-hour leafleting, there's never been any noticeable public activity in Royal Oak. There are a few yard signs, and there have been meetings in the Coffee Beanery, but those are not noticeable like a bunch of people handing out leaflets. We are going to need a persistent public presence before people in general take us seriously.
The literature we handed out included several Occupy web sites. The ORO calendar (click on the link at the top right of occupyro.blogspot.com) has been updated with information on the next meetings for Occupy Metro Detroit and Occupy Royal Oak. We'll see if anyone who got a leaflet on St. Patrick's Day shows up.
Art Myatt
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