Over the past fifteen years, it has not been unusual for me the walk down my residential street with flyers that I drop off at each house and apartment. What do you suppose is the reaction to this?
The reaction, at first, was that I could see people moving away. The next neighbor over would suddenly go from their lawn care activity to inside the house. The person in the car would rush to the house. The people inside the house would turn off the light. People reacted appropriately to the threat. They assumed I was trying to change their religion and wouldn't go away when when requested.
The reaction Wednesday was different. It is a sunny winter day with snow on the ground. Some are outside enjoying relative warmth. I approach a house. I slide a flyer inside the door. I walk away. The door opens. A man reads the flyer and asks questions. "Where is this planned?"
"Just across the street from us and next to the apartment building going up. It will adjoin the church parking lot."
"It would be nice if they put something there. No one likes an undeveloped area. Playground equipment would also be nice."
"Email the people on the flyer and they will invite you to the meeting in a couple of weeks."
Up and down the street, instead of fleeing us (it is a pandemic), people walk toward us and tell us their opinions. All are in support of development. All prefer someone in charge of the area rather than continued neglect of the vacant lot.
We walk to the corner where the apartment caretaker is often having a cigarette or drinking a beer. A man we don't recognize takes our last flyer. "You should post another flyer downstairs through that back entrance," he says.
Democracy can work in the United States. The key is that people listen to people. In person works best.
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