Thread by @DavidForbes

So I've covered Asheville city hall for most of 20 years. They are already scrambling to try to make sure they change *nothing* in the face of the massive public outrage about the water. 🧵 about their tactics and some ways to stop them... #avlgov #avlnews

Asheville city gov, like many others, has three main tactics to tamp down public outrage: deflect/delay, co-opt and outright repression.

They've already started deflect/delay, blaming the water crisis on the weather... #avlgov #avlnews

...when the crisis was caused by Asheville gov incompetence, arrogance and nearly 20 years of letting the system crumble by charging big business ridiculously low water fees.

In addition to excuses, they're deflecting/delaying by promising to form a committee... #avlgov #avlnews

City gov committees are a joke. Their purpose isn't actually to change anything, it's to bury change and delay/deflect public outrage by promising that a "committee's working on it." If the committee proposes any actual changes #avlgov will ignore them. #avlnews

Ironically the far-right's helping them in this by putting the blame for the water crisis on #avlgov supposedly pouring millions into reparations and removing the vance monument. This is racist garbage, and false. #avlnews

Asheville's government didn't even want to remove the vance monument until public forced their hand, and they have spent a minimal amount on "reparations," mostly on outside consultants, and have already said Black communities will not get land or direct cash #avlgov #avlnews

All the things Asheville's government is actually pouring cash into to the detriment of the water system, like cops and handouts to the wealthy, are all things the far-right likes and wants even more of... #avlgov #avlnews

The way around Asheville gov's delay/deflect tactics is just to refuse to play along with them. Ignore the committee idea. If you're going to meetings make them miserable, laugh when the mayor says some bs. Prevent them from pretending everything's moving along #avlgov #avlnews

One of the things that really scares Asheville gov about the water crisis is that people aren't buying their spin, are directly talking about their own experiences and are not holding back their anger. Keep doing that. If they don't like it they can always quit #avlgov #avlnews

Speaking of, if anyone in charge at @CityofAsheville was actually sorry about the water crisis the mayor, city manager, water director and literally every p.r. hack would have quit. They haven't? Keep making staying in office miserable for them as #avlgov has made you... #avlnews

Same with the water rates. Bring up that Raytheon pays less than half what a school teacher does for a gallon ofcity water.

Since deflect/delay isn't exactly working for Asheville gov, expect them to shift to co-option... #avlgov #avlnews

When Asheville city gov does co-option they lean hard on their friends in the non-profit complex. So expect more establishment orgs to put together moderated forums focused on "solutions" (i.e. keeping everything the same) #avlgov #avlnews

They will try to split off some of an enraged public into long processes that #avlgov controls and that accomplish absolutely nothing. Ignore them. If Asheville's non-profit complex solved anything this wouldn't be one of the least livable places in the u.s. #avlnews

Yet again, you and your neighbors' justified anger at what was done to your communities is a surer guide to what to do. Insist on organizing and deciding on action yourselves, outside of #avlgov and non-profit complex. #avlnews

Lastly, Asheville government will turn to repression. When people get angry at tomorrow's council meeting, for example, expect the mayor to invoke some made-up rules of decorum ("no clapping" is her favorite, only ever applied to critics of #avlgov) and demand compliance #avlnews

Locals will then be threatened with arrest for not following the bs rules the mayor made up.

Do the opposite of what they say. If they say don't clap, do. If they say silence, be loud. They don't have the cops to arrest a crowd and they don't want the headlines #avlnews #avlgov

Outside of Asheville city meetings, expect #avlgov to threaten any independent organizing around the water crisis. They've done it with those helping defend the unhoused (and even the journalists who covered them). #avlnews

Remember when Asheville city hall wanted to ban food aid? That stopped because people refused to play their games, got angry and didn't back down.

The nice way always fails. Rage and relentlessness work. #avlgov #avlnews

P.S. If demands are something you want to organize around, they need to be things that will do actual disruption to these systems, like mass firings/resignations, ending water shutoffs, major hikes to water fees on big business (and lowering them on residents) #avlgov #avlnews