Post by kim on Jan 1, 2012 22:23:49 GMT -7
Notes to General Assembly Potluck of 01/01/2012
This GA was attended as a discussion forum and potluck, rather than a formal GA. Everyone enjoyed a bountiful, healthful, delicious potluck followed by check-ins/announcements and then discussion points.
Check-ins & Announcements
- Preliminary Survey results were circulated for everyone to review.
- Move to Amend: organizing rally and march for January 20, to end at the courthouse. Next meeting on Monday, 1:30pm at the Break. Walter coordinating. Fliers being distributed online, everyone invited to please print & distribute those, two sizes, full page and 4-per page
- Discussion of a strategy for the year
- First night went well, good support & turnout. However, county commissioners are about to pass an ordinance against camping anywhere in the city. A press release is drafted & was read to the group. The commissioners public meeting is to be held Wednesday 1:30 at the courthouse in room 201, confirm details online at the county commissions website as it may be moved to room 212.
- Things going on around the country.
- Occupy Olympia calling for a gathering of occupations from around the country, might happen Feb 18 or 19. Opportunity to come together and learn from each other, to coordinate how different workgroups etc operate. Will bring more info to future GA.
- Occupy & the economy: talk about the economic system & analyze the idea of the commons.
- Increase publicity of the movement, reach out & invite people in.
Discussion Topics Identified:
1. County Commissioners proposed ordinance
2. Move to Amend: Education in our group as well as how to do public outreach
3. Working Group Strategy & Meeting Times
Discussion
1. County Commissioners proposed ordinance and upcoming public meeting.
County proposed an ordinance; a copy of it is posted on the OM Facebook page. Makes it illegal to camp on any county land with or without tents, and covers the courthouse as well as all county land. Reserve Street areas, canals, & fairgrounds would all be included. Homelessness occurring in more towns & smaller towns (Kalispell, Cor d’Alene, etc). “Selective enforcement.” These kinds of laws are happening around the country with the idea of preventing encampments from returning in the spring.
Communication/outreach: value of a bathroom downtown, number of areas affected by this, unintended consequences of the action. Counter safety & security issues that they impose.
How to remedy camping e.g. hide the homeless. Unintended partnership with the houseless/homeless, however an ordinance to remove us will affect them too. Major issue for weeks, looks terrible down there until last week when it was cleaned up for First Night. Foreclosures & rising houselessness is a symptom, need to look at more symptoms. Two work groups: one for chronically homeless, another is Foreclosure defense (Rebecca). The encampment if a working group for the homeless (Todd & Laura). Tent is coming to end, several houseless people will remain whether or not the big tent is taken down.
With growing number of foreclosure which is only going to go up, it will affect more people acutely to make camping off limits. Awareness is raised about the problem, within Occupy and elsewhere. People are available and the canvas is dry, so good time to remove the tent if we take it down now, and it will stay usable for future actions. Taking the tent down not likely to work for stopping the ordinance. Bring awareness to what the county is doing: closing commons. “We are taking the tent down so that the new ordinance is not about us, it’s not about Occupy, it will affect houseless and those most affected by foreclosures.” Commons thus it is ours, they are closing the commons to us. Synthesis: remove our tent so it can’t be used as an excuse to pass this ordinance. Take the initiative; show the tent is not the impetus for the law. But don’t bargain with them. Decide if we will take the tent down or leave it up. It’s a resolution now; it can be changed/amended before it is passed. Can it be removed tomorrow? Can we tell Laura and the others that it will be taken down? Not an official GA.
Other camping concerns: Cyclists pass through, some camp while they are here, some camp on courthouse lawns around the country. City & county considered finding a place where people can camp, a safe place is needed for people to stay.
Camp is prepared to leave because they expect to be evicted sometime after Wednesday. Only two people are staying there, one is committed to getting arrested if necessary to protect freedom and constitutional rights. How will we reach out to them, support them, and decide what’s next? Ordinances are systemic response to Occupy, but here we have connection to the county, might not pass the same laws. What about bailing her out? What about the tent? Keep working relationship with the county. Make sure that is someone is going to get arrested, it is a planned out event, with key figures in place so the action is not silenced. Press release will be shared with comm. group, will be revised tonight & sent out to press tomorrow. Camp keeps us in the public eye. Casey, Vicki & John will talk to the camp about when is the right time to take down the tent.
2. Move to Amend
Suggestion: Mall run, Reserve Street, & downtown to hand out Move to Amend pamphlets.
Monday at 1pm meeting at Break Espresso.
Move to Amend not a one time thing, but the birth of a movement which will require an educated public and grassroots movement in every state. There is an existing website for move the amend: MissoulaMovestoAmend.com. Resolution passed in Missoula needs to go statewide. Must be ratified by ¾ of the states to pass nationwide. Chris Hedges on Move to Amend, called a corporate person a slave since owned by people.
Rough format for Jan 20: Meet near river, 11:30 march to federal courthouse, have music going there, then have an hour of presentations by speakers until 1:30, tables & people with info afterwards. Follow up this summer with a 4th of July Move to Amend Parade.
Letters to the editor leading up to the event and other outreach will help spread the word.
3. Work group regroup/strategy discussion
The workgroups will regroup by doing a work group report at next Sunday’s GA.
The meeting was closed after a circle go-round to get each person’s vision for Occupy in 2012, captured in a Word Cloud via scribe, which will be posted during the next GA.
Adjourned.
This GA was attended as a discussion forum and potluck, rather than a formal GA. Everyone enjoyed a bountiful, healthful, delicious potluck followed by check-ins/announcements and then discussion points.
Check-ins & Announcements
- Preliminary Survey results were circulated for everyone to review.
- Move to Amend: organizing rally and march for January 20, to end at the courthouse. Next meeting on Monday, 1:30pm at the Break. Walter coordinating. Fliers being distributed online, everyone invited to please print & distribute those, two sizes, full page and 4-per page
- Discussion of a strategy for the year
- First night went well, good support & turnout. However, county commissioners are about to pass an ordinance against camping anywhere in the city. A press release is drafted & was read to the group. The commissioners public meeting is to be held Wednesday 1:30 at the courthouse in room 201, confirm details online at the county commissions website as it may be moved to room 212.
- Things going on around the country.
- Occupy Olympia calling for a gathering of occupations from around the country, might happen Feb 18 or 19. Opportunity to come together and learn from each other, to coordinate how different workgroups etc operate. Will bring more info to future GA.
- Occupy & the economy: talk about the economic system & analyze the idea of the commons.
- Increase publicity of the movement, reach out & invite people in.
Discussion Topics Identified:
1. County Commissioners proposed ordinance
2. Move to Amend: Education in our group as well as how to do public outreach
3. Working Group Strategy & Meeting Times
Discussion
1. County Commissioners proposed ordinance and upcoming public meeting.
County proposed an ordinance; a copy of it is posted on the OM Facebook page. Makes it illegal to camp on any county land with or without tents, and covers the courthouse as well as all county land. Reserve Street areas, canals, & fairgrounds would all be included. Homelessness occurring in more towns & smaller towns (Kalispell, Cor d’Alene, etc). “Selective enforcement.” These kinds of laws are happening around the country with the idea of preventing encampments from returning in the spring.
Communication/outreach: value of a bathroom downtown, number of areas affected by this, unintended consequences of the action. Counter safety & security issues that they impose.
How to remedy camping e.g. hide the homeless. Unintended partnership with the houseless/homeless, however an ordinance to remove us will affect them too. Major issue for weeks, looks terrible down there until last week when it was cleaned up for First Night. Foreclosures & rising houselessness is a symptom, need to look at more symptoms. Two work groups: one for chronically homeless, another is Foreclosure defense (Rebecca). The encampment if a working group for the homeless (Todd & Laura). Tent is coming to end, several houseless people will remain whether or not the big tent is taken down.
With growing number of foreclosure which is only going to go up, it will affect more people acutely to make camping off limits. Awareness is raised about the problem, within Occupy and elsewhere. People are available and the canvas is dry, so good time to remove the tent if we take it down now, and it will stay usable for future actions. Taking the tent down not likely to work for stopping the ordinance. Bring awareness to what the county is doing: closing commons. “We are taking the tent down so that the new ordinance is not about us, it’s not about Occupy, it will affect houseless and those most affected by foreclosures.” Commons thus it is ours, they are closing the commons to us. Synthesis: remove our tent so it can’t be used as an excuse to pass this ordinance. Take the initiative; show the tent is not the impetus for the law. But don’t bargain with them. Decide if we will take the tent down or leave it up. It’s a resolution now; it can be changed/amended before it is passed. Can it be removed tomorrow? Can we tell Laura and the others that it will be taken down? Not an official GA.
Other camping concerns: Cyclists pass through, some camp while they are here, some camp on courthouse lawns around the country. City & county considered finding a place where people can camp, a safe place is needed for people to stay.
Camp is prepared to leave because they expect to be evicted sometime after Wednesday. Only two people are staying there, one is committed to getting arrested if necessary to protect freedom and constitutional rights. How will we reach out to them, support them, and decide what’s next? Ordinances are systemic response to Occupy, but here we have connection to the county, might not pass the same laws. What about bailing her out? What about the tent? Keep working relationship with the county. Make sure that is someone is going to get arrested, it is a planned out event, with key figures in place so the action is not silenced. Press release will be shared with comm. group, will be revised tonight & sent out to press tomorrow. Camp keeps us in the public eye. Casey, Vicki & John will talk to the camp about when is the right time to take down the tent.
2. Move to Amend
Suggestion: Mall run, Reserve Street, & downtown to hand out Move to Amend pamphlets.
Monday at 1pm meeting at Break Espresso.
Move to Amend not a one time thing, but the birth of a movement which will require an educated public and grassroots movement in every state. There is an existing website for move the amend: MissoulaMovestoAmend.com. Resolution passed in Missoula needs to go statewide. Must be ratified by ¾ of the states to pass nationwide. Chris Hedges on Move to Amend, called a corporate person a slave since owned by people.
Rough format for Jan 20: Meet near river, 11:30 march to federal courthouse, have music going there, then have an hour of presentations by speakers until 1:30, tables & people with info afterwards. Follow up this summer with a 4th of July Move to Amend Parade.
Letters to the editor leading up to the event and other outreach will help spread the word.
3. Work group regroup/strategy discussion
The workgroups will regroup by doing a work group report at next Sunday’s GA.
The meeting was closed after a circle go-round to get each person’s vision for Occupy in 2012, captured in a Word Cloud via scribe, which will be posted during the next GA.
Adjourned.
i'm glad, really glad, that these minutes are here and a bonus because it wasn't a GA and here they are anyway. i'll get back into the swing of things now, starting tomorrow. yeah! the new year promises to be a lot of hard work, and full of rewards.