Speaking on Record at Local City Council Meeting Action Playbook

Use When

Council pushes no-bid contracts, rushed rezonings, or pay-to-play favors.

Surveillance tech or policing changes advance without transparency.

Federal/state funds are misused, reports hidden, or audits ignored.

Discriminatory ordinances, fee hikes, or closures harm specific neighborhoods.

1
Confirm the meeting agenda, sign-up procedures, and exact time limits for public comment.
2
Collect relevant evidence through public-records requests, audits, impact data, and neighborhood testimonies.
3
Identify one specific solution with a clear deadline for the council to act upon.
4
Write a concise script (roughly 350 words) that focuses on your primary ask.
5
Practice your delivery until you can consistently present the material in under three minutes.
6
Prepare a one-page fact sheet, exhibit links, and a written ask for the clerk.
7
Coordinate speakers to cover different facets—budget, ethics, or impact—while reinforcing a single solution.
8
Record your remarks, then promptly send your clip, materials, and next steps to council members and reporters.

Los Angeles, CA, 2019, public comments against random student searches, policy ended district-wide.
Oakland, CA, 2020, sustained testimonies on school policing and safety, district police department abolished.
Denver, CO, 2020, community testimony urging removal of school resource officers, board voted to end SRO contracts.

Coordinated residents deliver 3-minute remarks with a single clear “ask” and a QR to evidence
Experts and impacted workers tag-team testimony across meetings, then post clips on social and Nextdoor.
Coalitions submit written remarks, visuals, and petitions while live-tweeting votes and member quotes.

Individual

Yes

For a team size of 2-10: Coordinate roles to cover data, personal impact, and the specific ask.

Use of Action Playbook educational materials must adhere with Unruled Masses’ Terms of Service.

Stay Nonviolent. Coordinate Strategically. Take Back Your Power.