Understanding Groups & Public Meetings – Part I

We generally recommend that our assisted living clients avoid public meetings if possible. How can you do that? One of the best ways is to view a request to vary a rule or requirement as a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act, rather than as a request for variance or special use permit. But there are times when public meetings are unavoidable.

The reason we try to avoid public meetings is because, unfortunately, they seem to become a forum for people to voice discriminatory generalizations or to voice the “not in my backyard” justifications, rather than a chance to engage in a productive public dialog.

In this post, we discuss why this is so that you can understand it and put it in context. Our previous posts The Joy of Public Meetings and 6 Ways to Counter Public Opposition to Your Assisted Living Project provide specific tools that you can employ during public meetings.

If they would just listen to my story . . .

No matter how brilliant your speech to the planning commission may be, don’t expect it to change the minds of your neighbors.

Don’t get us wrong. Your charts, graphs, and compelling arguments about the importance of caring for our elderly are very important to the planning commission and provide the basis for a positive decision.

It won’t, however, tame a fiery crowd, so don’t expect it to do so. Why is this? Firstly, individuals think. Groups react.

The psychology of groups has been the subject of intense study since the early 1800’s.  Gustaf Le Bon is credited with providing the early foundations for handling groups from a marketing and political strategy in his 1841 book, The Crowd: Study of the Popular Mind.

“The improbable does not exist for a crowd, and it is necessary to bear this circumstance well in mind to understand the facility with which are created and propagated the most improbable legends and stories.”

Neighborhood trouble makers seem to understand this and use it to stir up images of lines of cars parked on the street, endless streams of deliveries from semi-trucks, property values dropping, and imaginary predators loosed upon the neighborhood. Understand that it is fear, and not a native mean-spiritedness that drives the imagination of many opposition groups.

Our clients have regularly been surprised at the bizarre dangers postulated by an opposition group, and the depth of the irrational vitriol from their intended neighbors. Regardless of the educational background of the neighbors, and your favorable impressions of them in individual conversations, once they have been stirred into an opposition group you are no longer dealing with rational educated people, and you will hear the most astonishing things regarding the imaginary dangers to the neighborhood.

“Given to exaggeration in its feelings, a crowd is only impressed by excessive sentiments. An orator wishing to move a crowd must make an abusive use of violent affirmations. To exaggerate, to affirm, to resort to repetitions, and never to attempt to prove anything by reasoning are methods of argument well known to speakers at public meetings.”

This is hard advice to implement for most people in assisted living. You are in the business of caring for people. You conduct yourself truth, fairness, and caring. So how should you react to comments that may seem over-the-top?

The answer: DON’T. When faced with fear-based or discriminatory comments, DO NOT ADDRESS THEM. Period. Keep your comments focused on the legal rules that must be applied by the decision-makers.

If a planning commission member asks you to address some bizarre fear, you should address it. Otherwise, it is best to generally ignore the irrational comments and stay focused on the legal criteria.

If the commission rules against you to appease the crowd, understand that you are now postured to appeal their decision.

We offer a few other points that may help you in your presentation here.

Understand also that once the dust settles and your project is approved, that same neighbor that objected during a public meeting may become a customer after you’ve opened.

It is our obligation at this point to tell you that nothing we’ve said here is legal advice as to your specific project. Consult an attorney that understands assisted living. Or reach out to us to discuss your specific issue.