How to pass out flyers:

Some of the articles posted in this forum are suitable to be downloaded, printed up, and widely distributed. Every American needs to know these things! (Some articles are clearly intended for the general public, while others would be better suited for specific audiences, like church people, or people who are already aware of the threats against us.)

Now that these articles are available for distribution, here are some ways you could go about passing them out:

Door to door: A bit tedious, but it is the most thorough way to get the info to the most people. Besides, walking is good exercise! Do not put anything in anyone's mailbox! Only U.S. Mail is allowed there! Nobody except the resident and the postal carrier is allowed to touch anyone's mailbox! Roll up the paper and stick it in the door handle (if there is one), wedge the paper into the crack, or toss it inside the screen door (if there is one).

Rural areas: Mailboxes are still off limits, but in many cases, there are receptacles for newspapers near the mailbox. Those are fair game. If none is present, you could tape the flyer to a fence post.

(By the way, you might want to take a bag of doggie treats with you to make friends with potential biters.)

Apartment complexes: Some have security patrols, some don't. You can leave flyers on doors or on cars. If a guard orders you to leave, just go somewhere else.

Gated communities are virtually impenetrable. If you have to pass through a gate to enter a community, you might as well not even try to enter. Some trailer parks are also posted, "No Trespassing." To reach places like those, about all you can do is buy a mailing list from the post office and cough up the money to buy stamps and mail flyers to them.

Parking lots: More efficient (less walking per flyer), and spreads the flyers more widely, as drivers go home. Caution: Most parking lots are private property. The owner has the right to order you off the property, and even permanantly bar you from the premises if he chooses.

Shopping malls almost always have security roving the parking lot, and tend to be very strict about any activity other than shopping. Don't even think of trying to pass out flyers at a mall. The same goes for factories. You might get away with it at an office park.

Strip shopping centers have the same rights as a mall, but tend to be a bit more lenient about enforcing them. The more upscale a center is, the more strict they tend to be. If they have signs posted forbidding distibuting literature, definitely go somewhere else.

Stand alone stores also have the same rights. They tend to order people to stop passing out literature.

Sometimes little league teams and such like have a table near the door, selling candy bars, raffle tickets, etc. to raise money. They do that only with the permission of the store manager (which they usually don't give to political groups.)

Municipal parking lots and curbside parking are usually fair game for passing out flyers. Parking lots at public parks are also the same. Just leave the flyer under the windshield wiper, or toss it in any open window.

Special events (like Independence Day fireworks) tend to be the best opportunities to pass out flyers. Shopping center parking lots are okay if the parking that day is for a special event.

Churches also have the right to order you away from their parking lots, but rarely have anyone monitoring them (large churches sometimes have security). "A PARABLE (a la Matthew 25:14-30)" might be good to distribute at a church parking lot.

Bus stops and public sidewalks are fair game for distributing flyers. Any place that is a public right of way is a place where you have the RIGHT to pass out flyers. As long as you are not blocking traffic or creating a hazard, it is illegal for anyone (including police) to order you to stop passing out flyers in a public right of way. If they do, you have solid ground for a lawsuit (which you should do, to protect this right for all of us).

Schools are also a place where you have the RIGHT to pass out flyers (as long as you stay on the sidewalk by the street, where it is a public right of way). If the school tries to stop you, the "forbidden fruit" psychology will make the students intensely want what you're passing out.

Some areas have kiosks in the middle of the sidewalk. Those are great places to post flyers.

One really great way to pass out flyers is to arrange a special event (like a seminar or a rally)(at a church or a park) and advertise the event on the flyer. Most grocery stores have a bulletin board near the entrance where you can post flyers for upcoming events. You can post multiple copies of a flyer (a good pair of thumbtacks will hold about fifteen of them) so people can take it home with them.

Or rent a booth at a county fair or state fair. They usually have an area for advocacy groups to set up displays. Follow whatever regulations the fair imposes.

You can also keep some flyers with you (in your car or in a coat pocket) at all times and leave them at "targets of opportunity." Flyers can be left anyplace where people spend time waiting, such as:

laundromats
barber shops
beauty parlors
doctor, dentist offices
bus, train stations
airports
buses and trains (on the seat)
airplanes (in the pouch, with the in-flight magazine)
fast food restaurants (on the seat)
libraries (tucked inside a book)
phone booths
and rest rooms.

Sheets of "sticky dots" (press apply labels, from any office supply store) are easy to carry, and convenient for sticking flyers up on the back of the stall door in public rest rooms, or many other places.


General tips:

Be careful to not get in anyone's way. If you block anyone's access to anything, you can expect to be arrested.

If anyone tells you they don't want a flyer, don't argue. Just move on.

If a car alarm goes off on you, calmly move away. Don't panic or run. That would make you look guilty. Stay calm, and it will be obvious to anyone watching that you're only passing out flyers, and not out to steal anything.


If you're ever ordered to stop:

If you're on private property, leave. Don't argue. You have no basis for any argument.

If you're on public property (specifically, a public right of way) (as long as you're not making traffic back up) tell the officer, "It is illegal for you to give that order. If you enforce it, you will lose a lawsuit." If he arrests you, do not resist arrest. Just tell him, "I guess you're just going to have to find out the hard way."

Note: Some public property is not a public right of way. For example, a county fair has the legal right to expel you if you walk the aisles passing out flyers.

Legal help is available to those wrongfully arrested while passing out flyers. Often, a call from a lawyer is enough to get any charges dropped. Several organizations that provide such help are listed at:

http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/About/Allies

Another such organization is the Rutherford Institute - www.rutherford.org