INTRODUCTION
Municipalities host many public meetings each year. While most happen without an incident, sometimes external factors like protests can create challenging situations. Being prepared, especially via communication, is essential.
Here are ways to prepare for protests at your municipal meeting.
ESTABLISH AN INTERNAL COMMUNICATION PLAN
Prior to any protests, develop a detailed communication plan that includes clear roles and responsibilities for all staff members.
Select a primary spokesperson, which is typically the mayor/board chair, city administrator or communications director, who will be responsible for all official statements. Then assign specific staff members to monitor social media channels and answer public inquiries.
Create a phone tree that can be activated when needed. This ensures all staff and elected officials receive critical information quickly during these developing scenarios.
If your municipality gets word about a potential protest, schedule briefings/all-staff meetings. These should cover potential scenarios, appropriate responses and communication protocols. This would be the time to also distribute talking points to all staff who might interact with the public to ensure everyone has the same set of messages.
Also, train staff to recognize the difference between protected speech and what is truly disruptive behavior at public meetings. This should be done quarterly for all staff who may be involved. The training can include topics like First Amendment limitations and protections, de-escalation techniques and proper documentation of disruptive behavior. In addition, staff should know the (legal) difference between protests in public areas vs. during official meetings and how to react appropriately.
Save this communication plan on a shared drive to make it easily accessible.
PREPARE EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS
As soon as your municipality becomes aware of potential protests, you should proactively develop external messaging related to the situation. It should maintain a neutral tone instead of taking a particular side. For example, “[MUNICIPALITY] is aware of a potential protest taking place at the upcoming meeting on [DATE]. Our goal, as always, will be to ensure a safe and civil meeting for all attendees.”
Have your communication department provide real-time updates on meeting status, such as “Tonight’s council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. as scheduled. Security screenings are in place, so please arrive 15 min. early. We appreciate your cooperation.”
While advance notice of protests is helpful, municipalities should also be prepared for unexpected demonstrations (e.g., pop-up protests). This could happen when controversial topics are on upcoming agendas. Create protocols that can be activated quickly, including designated staff roles for managing unexpected disruptions and using pre-established communication templates.
It’s also important that if your residents don’t feel comfortable attending in person, they are provided other opportunities to participate, which not only include virtual links but also methods for submitting comments electronically.
COMMUNICATE AFTER THE MEETING, TOO
After the public meeting ends, sometimes it warrants a statement on social media and/or a press release to local media summarizing key decisions and next steps. This statement or press release should acknowledge the protest in a neutral manner and outline the action items discussed at the meeting.
Also, scheduling a communication team debrief meeting within 24 hours of the event can be beneficial to learn what went well and what could be improved.