How to Petition in Front of a Store
In the United States of America, the right to petition is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. When petitioning on private property you must follow a different set of guidelines than if you were on public property. Demonstrating or petitioning on public property is regulated by the local government. Petitioning on private property is regulated by the owner.
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Instructions
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Determine your cause. Be specific and informative when attempting to ask a citizen to sign or join for your cause. Being unorganized can cause you to loose members, helping to sabotage your own movement.
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Gather a following. Teaming up with other like-minded citizens to bolster your member count is alway beneficial and may lead to an exponential increase in membership.
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Contact and obtain permission from the owner of the business you wish to petition in front of. Describe your cause and be specific. Tell the owner how many members will be participating in the event. If the owner agrees to your petition set up a date and inform all who will be involved. In the case of a corporation, you may have to contact corporate offices to obtain permission.
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Set up a date for the petition and inform all who will be involved. Consider certain holidays and weekends when people are more likely to be out of their houses.
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Prepare your petitioning materials. Any signs or signature sheets should be prepared before the date of your petition.
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Devise a plan to provide food and water for all who will be participating in the event. Consider asking local businesses for donations.
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Respect the rights of everyone approached with the petition.
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Tips & Warnings
Petition in front of a locally owned store. This will allow you to dodge corporate red tape. It is recommended that you be kind to everyone you approach on the day of the event.
Petitioning for reasons perceived to be of malicious or hateful origins may cause citizens and business owners to react negatively.
References
- Photo Credit demonstration image by Richard Hebstreit from Fotolia.com
