Friends of marsy’s law – vote yes on prop 9 is a voluntary, non-aligned, victim - citizen movement.

Prop 9 will not pass without victims and survivors of violent crime taking an active part.

Friends of Marsy’s Law provides victims and survivors an umbrella group to show voters and the media that the victim base is large and has strength, we are vocal, we are active and we will work hard to pass marsy’s law.

You don’t need to be a member of Friends of Marsy’s Law – vote yes on prop 9 to take any of the actions described below. Regardless if you join or not, please act.

The voters will put prop 9 over the top but only if we educate and inform them.

We will become key “go-to” contacts for the public, the media, law enforcement, civic groups and other influential groups – a key contact to provide the straight story without the double talk, specious arguments and distortions of our opponents.

Educate yourself: read marsy’s law and/or the summaries of victim benefits in the pamphlets and brochures distributed by marsy’s law support groups and the one in this website. Understand in detail how the benefits will help victims and survivors. Be a highly knowledgeable source on the law from the victims standpoint.

The Marsy’s Law text, and the summaries, can be very dull and confusing to an uninformed or misinformed public and media. When any proposition hits a voter's emotional chord or hot-button or appeals to common sense, then the voters swing to support in big numbers.

We can expect huge support; we have the victim’s and survivor’s to appeal to emotion and common sense. Don’t underestimate yourself!

Identify how Marsy’s Law could have, or will, help you and other victims, future victims, through the criminal justice maze.

Adding your personal stories – specific examples – provides depth and context. Personal stories make it easy for voters to identify, to connect the dots … to understand … the fairness and justice that Marsy’s Law provides.

Marsy’s Law will have strong opposition from those who support criminal rights. They will be bankrolled. What they won’t have is our determination and passion to pass prop 9. We have beaten our opposition many times before, we will do it again!

What the opposition will offer are lame arguments about criminal rights and personal attack against victims. Their purpose is to lock victims out of the justice system. The voters are not in the mood to grant criminals more rights, more benefits, more wiggle room to escape punishment.

The action described below can be performed individually. It is recommended that you form informal groups or committees to assign tasks and to keep each other appraised of your actions.

Please send your success stories to the Friends of Marsy’s Law website so we can share with others and help coordinate the effort and shout-out your success.

Remember, we are individuals banded together to exercise our constitutional right to assembly, petition and speech. We will be heard!

Talk:
This is still the best and effective form of communication: talking charges your batteries. Talking gets you and your listeners involved emotionally, builds energy, drives passion and heightens enthusiasm – all working to the utmost degree of persuasion.

         Talk to:

• Friends, neighbors, family
• Work associates, union members
• Social and charitable club members
• Religious groups
• Political and civic organizations
• Politicians and law enforcement
• Talk to all the victims you know or can reach

         Silent talk:

• Wear a vote yes on prop 9 button wherever you are Allowed.
• Distribute pamphlets and brochure wherever
• Permitted and legal
• Silent talk creates questions – your invitation to talk!

Write:

          Write to: (repeatedly to get an answer)

• Editors and columnists of newspapers – the big circulation papers, the local papers, the small town free papers, the alternative papers
• Write to columnists who reported you’re tragic story. Rekindle their interests, ask them to talk to their journalist co-workers and friends.                        
• Editors and writers of local business journals, union and professional newsletters
• Letters to the editors – particularly if prop 9 attacked or a no vote is urged – fight back, strike back hard and fast
• Write opinion pieces or guest editorial – submit to editors or the editorial board
• Request interviews with editors, columnists and writers. Provide background briefings from the victims viewpoint – human interest
  

            It is extremely important that opinion shapers know
            that victims are fighting for prop 9 as individuals and
            as members of a voluntary association of equally
            enthused victims and survivors

            We are not an interest group, nor paid protagonists
            with little or no personal or emotional ties to
            Marsy’s Law. We don’t have politically correct
            talking points; we have our stories. We are the real
            deal!

Contact:

• Write or phone local tv and radio station managers or programmers. Let them know you want an opportunity to talk about marsy’s law
• Contact or phone on-air personalities
• Contact every tv and radio station in your area, regardless of size.
• Call in whenever there is a discussion of the law, particularly when the opposition is on-air. Fight back!
• Ask for equal time to rebut the station or on-air personality when a vote no is recommended by the station

Download Sample Media Letter  |  Download Sample Member Letter

You lose only when you quit