Organizer Field Manual

I. Your Mission

Decentralize the movement. A single online community can be shut down, captured, or ignored. A thousand local cells attending a thousand local meetings cannot be. You create the distributed network that makes the framework impossible to suppress.

You don't need permission to start. Find two other people who share the principles. That's a cell. Get to work.

II. Starting a Local Cell

Minimum Viable Cell

Three people. That's enough to divide labor, maintain momentum, and hold each other accountable. Don't wait for a crowd—start small and grow organically.

Finding Members

• Start with people you already know who share frustration with accountability failures
• Approach based on shared principles, not partisan alignment
• Look for people already attending local government meetings—they're pre-qualified
• Post in local subreddits, community boards, or Nextdoor (carefully, without revealing too much)

First Meeting

• Review the five principles together
• Discuss local accountability gaps you've each observed
• Choose one issue to focus on first
• Assign roles: who researches, who attends meetings, who documents
• Set next meeting date

III. Local Targets

National politics gets attention. Local politics gets results. Here's where accountability gaps hide in plain sight:

City and County Government

• Contract awards—who wins bids and why
• Zoning variances—whose property gets special treatment
• Economic development deals—public money, private benefit
• Police oversight—or lack thereof

School Boards

• Vendor contracts—textbooks, technology, construction
• Administrative spending vs. classroom spending
• Hiring decisions and nepotism

Special Districts

• Water, sewer, transit authorities—often overlooked, poorly attended
• Hospital districts—major budgets, minimal scrutiny
• These boards wield real power with almost no public attention

State Legislature

• Committee hearings—most bills die or pass here, not floor votes
• Lobbying disclosure—who's paying for access
• Campaign finance—follow the money

IV. Tactics

Show Up

Attendance alone changes behavior. Officials act differently when the public is watching. Make your presence consistent—they should expect you at every meeting.

Document Everything

• Record meetings (check local laws—most allow it for public meetings)
• Take detailed notes: who said what, how votes went
• Track patterns over time—the same names, the same beneficiaries
• Share documentation with the broader community

Ask Questions

Public comment periods exist. Use them. Ask specific, uncomfortable questions:

• "Can you name the individuals who approved this contract?"
• "What is the personal liability if this project fails?"
• "Why was this meeting scheduled with 24 hours notice?"
• "How many members of this board have received contributions from the applicant?"

File Requests

Coordinate with researchers. When you spot something suspicious in a meeting, file a public records request for the underlying documents. Local agencies often respond faster than federal.

Publicize Findings

Work with amplifiers. When you uncover something, get it out. Local news outlets are often hungry for stories—feed them documented evidence.

V. Cell Operations

Meeting Rhythm

• Meet at least monthly in person or via secure video
• Review what each member observed since last meeting
• Plan attendance at upcoming public meetings
• Assign research and documentation tasks
• Discuss what's working and what isn't

Communication

• Use Signal or Matrix for cell coordination
• Avoid discussing sensitive findings on regular SMS or email
• Connect with the broader movement through the main Matrix community

Autonomy

Your cell doesn't need approval from anyone. The five principles are your guide. If your actions advance accountability, you're doing it right. Share what you learn so other cells can benefit.

VI. Growing the Network

Cell Division

When a cell grows past 8-10 people, split into two cells covering different focus areas or geographic regions. This maintains intimacy and increases coverage.

Cross-Cell Coordination

• Share findings in the #organizers channel
• Coordinate on issues that span jurisdictions
• Learn from what works in other localities
• Build relationships without creating hierarchy

Recruitment

The best recruitment is visible results. When your cell exposes something, publishes findings, or forces a change—people notice. Let your work attract new members.

VII. Operational Security

Local organizing means local visibility. Consider your risk tolerance:

• You can operate openly—attending meetings as a known citizen is your right
• You can maintain partial anonymity—known locally, not connected to Junius publicly
• You can coordinate anonymously—supporting researchers and amplifiers without public presence

Discuss opsec expectations within your cell. Different members may have different constraints based on employment, family, or other factors. Respect those limits.

VIII. What Success Looks Like

• Officials know they're being watched
• Meeting attendance by the public increases
• Journalists have reliable sources for local accountability stories
• Public records requests become routine, not exceptional
• Decisions that would have passed quietly get scrutiny
• Other citizens start showing up and asking questions

You may never get credit. The framework spreads through results, not recognition. If accountability improves, you succeeded.

IX. First Mission

This month, attend one local government meeting you've never attended before.

City council, school board, planning commission, water district—pick one. Just show up. Observe. Take notes. See who's there, who speaks, how decisions get made.

Report back to #organizers what you observed. That's your first step toward building a cell.

The framework lives or dies in local implementation. Make it live where you are.