Building a New Narrative With the Gamaliel Foundation

I was asked why The Arc of California uses the Gamaliel Foundation for community organizing training and consultation. Besides having a great track record in Chicago where Former President Barack Obama learned how to be a community organizer from them, Gamaliel founders Mary Gonzales and Greg Galluzzo were asked by The Arc US National Conference of Executives to give trainings. Over 12 years ago our former Executive Director, Tony Anderson, asked them to come to Sacramento for trainings. The workshop goals focused on defining power and getting more power. Skills were explained about how you find your own self-interest, and especially the self-interests of others to get them to join your cause. How do you tell your story (including self-advocates, families, and professionals)? How do you get out of the developmental disability ‘silo’ and get other organizations to join your efforts at fighting for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities?

Does community organizing work? You be the judge. I was still the Executive Director for The Arc of San Francisco when I heard on the TV news that 12 adults with developmental disabilities had been tasered at the Sonoma Developmental Center. Not only was the news shocking, but the actual incidences had happened over a year prior, only coming to light because of outside investigative reporting. I attended a meeting at the Developmental Center along with our client and self-advocate, Joseph Flanagan, who used to live there. Representatives also attended from DDS, the North Bay Regional Center, the local union, the family association and The Arc California. For all we knew, the perpetrator could still be employed!

Was this large silo of disability organizations able to even get a meeting with the local district attorney or the sheriff to investigate? No, the response was that these were incidences for the Developmental Center’s Security to investigate. The Arc’s Tony Anderson was quoted as saying “that was like the fox in the hen house being in charge!”

The Arc decided to reach out to the North Bay Organizing Project, the local Gamaliel affiliate. They represented over 12 other non-profit organizations and local congregations. We released a press release and held a rally at the Court House in Santa Rosa. Together we demanded a meeting with the elected District Attorney and the Sheriff. One of the speakers at the rally was the minister from the largest African American Church in the area. His self interest were his two adult children with developmental disabilities. The self-interests of both the DA and the Sheriff was that they are elected, and these 12 groups represented more voters in their area than The Arc or the Developmental Center parents. Whereas I had tried for 3-4 weeks to unsuccessfully get a meeting with these elected officials, we were able to get a meeting with both that same week!

The outcome was that the FBI was brought-in and the Sheriff’s Department assisted with the investigation. The person who was the prime suspect had been working in a local nursing home since being terminated for an unrelated charge of having a gun on the DC campus, but now had fled to the Philippines.

Because of working with the Gamaliel network, The Arc California has been able to get other organizations to join our human and civil rights efforts, especially the Taser Torture case. Other campaigns have included the “Ten Campaign” for 2 years, 4 new pieces of criminal justice legislation signed by Governor Brown to protect individuals with I/DD and seniors, and improved bus transportation for people with disabilities and seniors in both Sacramento and Oakland.

Tim Hornbecker, Director of Advocacy, The Arc of California