Post by kim on Jan 15, 2012 18:02:18 GMT -7
Agenda & Minutes to GA of 01//2012
~ 25 people in attendance
Agenda
Review of Process.
I. Announcements
II. Working group reports
1. May Day
2. Union Working Group
3. Communication
3. Direct Action
4. Foreclosure Defense
5. Move to Amend
6. Facilitation
7. Finance
8. Consensus Teach-in
9. New Groups?
III. Proposals
1. State aloud/Scribe
2. Clarifications/questions
3. Concerns
4. Resolution
IV. Other Business
V. Confirm date/time/place of next meetings
VI. Evaluation of Meeting
VII. Adjournment: Discussion & Soapbox
Minutes
I. Announcements
a. Buttons made, sparking conversations. Brought buttons today, $1 each to recoup costs of button maker, donate the remainder to OM. Encourage those wearing button to act with awareness. Button making competition is ON.
b. An issue consensed around is local ownership if Missoula water. Group organizing in Missoula around it. Listening event on the 30th at the library. Working to bring Paul Cienfuegos, a rights activist, to Missoula, for presentation first steps in dismantling Corporation Rule.”
c. Martin Luther King event 5-6pm at Caras Park on Monday.
d. Calendar events: write on the paper by the door.
e. Occupy Strategic planning day. In place of GA, hold a day of planning. In development. Ideas are being worked on, sign up sheet for helping organize it passed around.
f. Names for organizing May Day, working group getting started around that, discuss after this meeting with Jay.
g. Union working g
II. Working Group Reports
1. May Day: See Jay after today’s GA to plan
2. Union Working Group: Meeting on Thursdays at the union hall basement. Focus is on finding ways to Occupy to understand labor and labor to understand Occupy.
3. Communications group: Letter for Occupy Congress posted on the proboards and sent to listserve. Meetings on Monday at 5:30 pm at the Break.
4. Direct Action: Meet at 4 Saturdays at the Break. Working on First Friday actions, ways to talk about coming from strength. Focus on MLK and January 20 Move to Amend Event. Brandon went to Washington, will have a banner here in Missoula on January 17 in support of that. Check calendar for events.
5. Foreclosure Defense Group: Meetings Sundays at 12:00 noon at the Break. Bringing a proposal to the GA today. Passing a flier around with the proposal outlined on it, to discuss further in proposals.
6. Move to Amend working group: Friday January 20th need all people possible. Panel of speakers: Jason Weiner mc-ing, Paul Haber Prof of Poly-science, Cynthia Walken, Dick Barrett, Mark Anderlik, & small business woman Amy McQuilkin. Tuesday article in Missoulian expected & op-ed piece later in week. On events calendars around town. Letters to the editor by others welcome, to help raise awareness & attention. Posters distributed downtown. Various media contacted. Arrive at 11:30 at Caras park near pavilion, leave in a march at 11:45 to Federal Courthouse, set up Rally, and speakers start at noon. Will wrap up the program at 1pm sharp. Bring enthusiasm, noisemakers, signs, etc for the march! Ostentatious and creative signs labeling ourselves as “people” encouraged! Logistics: 1. Raised speaker platform (soapbox) jay and Steven will locate it; Amplification: Bullhorn as back-up, Casey has access to mic; information sign-up forms made up to be sent around; post event clean-up. Rally not panel discussion.
7. Facilitation: Meeting at 1:00pm on Sundays prior to each GA. Everyone welcome, more facilitators needs to keep the process democratic! Working on the strategic planning event, will have more next time. Need more facilitators! Consensus working group and facilitation working together on the process.
8. Finance: Meeting at 6pm on Fridays, Break Espresso. Ongoing plans to find a way to incorporate Occupy Missoula for legal and financial protection. 501(c) configurations, 501(c)8 of interest. In process of comparison now. Shutting down the Wepay account for now, liability too great for the person named on the bank account receiving the money. Approx $19 in the account will converted to cash and held for OM use. Donated items being held for a sale or auction at a later date. Donations in cash accepted, but no bank account behind it. Will contact the owners of items and let them know how those items are held.
9. Consensus Group: Meets on Wednesdays at 7pm in Union Hall basement. Finished the CT Butler book. Will put together a synopsis of the book to present to the GA, teach more people, and work to consense on a proposal around this model.
10. Strategic Planning Working Group: Vibe check/plan strategic meeting here in town or elsewhere? Concern: Internal education of the group ready for strategic planning meeting? Need groundwork, but planning vital. Combine both? NOTE: Scribed/Added to discussion points.
11. Educational Working Group: Broader educational group needed. Free school class essentially just a transition town class now, no longer free school. “Common sense” should be challenged, and constant rigorous education needed. Proposed Occupy-wide group class. Revisit forum (previously we had discussion periods or open discussion time prior to GAs, but was moved to Tuesday evenings). Anyone can propose a topic of study, we look into it and then discuss it in depth.
II. Proposals
A. Statement of Proposals – Scribed:
a. Proposal: Separation from the encampment.
b. Proposal: Proposal to consolidate direct action working groups and direct our actions in a unified sustainable way. Foreclosures in particular.
B. Other:
a. P
b. Propose a Fundraising committee/start fundraising working group
C. Prioritization of Proposals: Go through in current order, since first ones should be handled through the process relatively quickly, last one may need more time. –Consensed order of address.
Discussion of Proposals:
Proposal 1: Proposal to consolidate direct action working groups and direct our actions in a unified sustainable way. Foreclosures in particular.
Description: Worried about the gap between what has been accomplished and More commitment to one action or campaign so we can build on a process, we’ve avoided the debate of how to do that in order to not “hurt feelings.” Small fragmented actions by well-meaning people but not well developed. Foreclosures are a concrete action. With concerted actiona dn unity around this action, we can reenergize and reunify the movement. Merge our direct action groups and come up with a really good proposal.
1. Questions/Clarifications (e.g. “Did you mean…?”)
i. Why monolithic? Why not different projects? Not every one is passionate about the same issues. /Not care about one thing but problem is the disbursal of ideas there is no discussion of what will bring people in. WE don’t have the numbers to support so many actions. Do one thing well, gain energy, and then see what else we can take on.
ii. Basically asking that the thing we do is a little non-specific. Commit to focus on things we are already doing (education, Move to Amend)./ After focus on thing on 20th, then focus on next big thing.
iii. Consolidate and get those who are working on other actions to join, and are those working on other things aware?/ With consolidation action groups consolidated, I would argue that foreclosure are the way to go, but if the larger group doesn’t agree I will put it behind another cohesive action that comes out of that group. / Direct action group relatively small group. No major focus seems to be coming up immediately. As a new person, feels there is not a lot of coordination between groups.
iv. Can you put it into a written structure of how that group will work?/Yes, will need to talk more about that though.
v. Can the decision on this wait for strategic planning meeting?/
vi. Made a decision at a GA that direct actions don’t have to come through the GA, are we bringing Direct Actions back into the GA? Are we revisiting this decision now?/Yes
2. Concerns (“I like/dislike it because…”)
i. Springboard for discussion. Struggling with 1) Lack of a plan: We don’t have a real sense of where to go from here, a tactic determined overall course, and 2) Have not develop skills of organizing, which requires our focus and attention. Strategic planning more than vision, we need long term goals to get there. Judge opportunities per our strategic plan. Once approaching this way, we gain a better understanding of how to pull an action off. Guided by a plan.
ii. Returned to GA about a month ago with a very specific issue, became leader of a work group that had formed but not met yet. Future beyond this action is a 5-year horizon around this one action, what’s required might be more energy than some of us have. Can’t shift around to other things, or be part of a central group. Seems more natural for a group passionate about one thing move forward with continuity.
iii. Number of things right: revisiting decision of letting direct action do whatever it wants, and set aside our own personal focuses and join with the group. Consense to a strategic plan, and act on it collectively. All show up to collective actions. Commit ourselves to doing something.
iv. Because we lack a strategic plan we lack direct action, but it’s more than that. Lacking foundation education before we can plan strategically. Look at the bigger structural issues. Occupy created a space for discussion that is not co-opted by power (money). Disbursed direct actions attractive to people because they can do what interests them, but not achieving critical mass. Zapatistas spent 11 years planning before they took their first visible “direct action,” spent that time in planning & learning. Occupy allows it and has changed the political landscape allowing democratic discussion. Education key.
v. Enacting part of proposal: like idea of focus and education, but they can happen together. Need strategic planning and education before we can focus our whole group. For the interim, start by going to the direct action working group, other groups can call on the main direct action working group./Concern, or resolution?/Sorry, amendment or follow-up.
vi. POP: Concerns only for now, propose(r)can respond later. Speak through the proposal first before addressing amendments or resolutions.
vii. One trick pony group. So much to work on, some of these things will take years to resolve.
viii. POP: Need a signal for withdrawing a comment from stack
ix. Move to amend a way to move away from consistently focusing on the encampment. Strategic planning can be an effort to form short term goals, while we learn about structural issues. Allows us opportunity to work on local issues that bring in people. Those who want to do something may drift away, don’t feel like developing process is a form of “doing.” How can we best allocate our time as a group and individually so we can move forward and those in the community can see what we are doing. Number one goal is getting people in a community to talk, and that’s exciting, but not everyone thinks that way. Incorporate both direct actions and alliances as well as process development. How do we want to incorporate DI into the greater scheme of things. Foreclosure defense a symptom, how much energy to put to each item?
x. Concerned that this proposal limits us, more direct actions better. Reminds people they can do something.
3. Resolutions: Education and DI dynamic is dialectic. Acting can teach us as much as reading. Book knowledge important, but more dynamic than one or the other. The two need to go together. Do want to limit it to some extent because it does not appear that people are coming in a result of openness and energy disbursal. Don’t know how this would be structured exactly, but get together and talk about what will be the most effective action now. May be the strategic planning meeting./At this point you may withdraw proposal, or make amendments. For example, it may be able to be combined with the strategic meeting or it could be taken back to the work group for further development. /Have an amendment to the proposal but feel it is premature to ask that is consensed upon in this GA, will join that DI meeting ./Want more cohesion but don’t want to lose focus. All groups that are DI join main group but maintain individual /Will continue this discussion in two weeks time at the Foreclosure Defense meeting, as well as online, and develop the proposal further.
---------------- 5 Minute Break------------------------
Set time and date of next: 2pm at Union Hall. Facilitation group meets at 1pm
Proposal 2: Separation from the encampment
Description: Encampment is a divisive issue. Encampemnt has gone throughanother change. M&C staying there. Happy to table or form working group around this. Email sent yesterday:
Despite a proposal passed by consensus of the GA is being blocked by individuals.
1. Questions/Clarifications (e.g. “Did you mean…?”)
i. If we do part, how can we do it respectfully and not isolate anyone?/Yes? POI: A request was made yesterday to take away signs, camp said no.
ii. What would be involved in separating from ideology? Just a proposal or statement to say we don’t identify with them?/County commissioners and general public. Public see the courthouse lawn as us. Last GA was acknowledged by County commissioner and they understand that we were going to take down the tent. POI: also reported int eh newspaper tot eh community at large that we would take down the tent.
iii. How many still camping there?/ Roughly 2-5 Occupiers right now, but need more info on that. Some houseless living there. Houseless showed up yesterday and prevented the removal of the tent. Plan to focus first on preparing the gazebo for the Occupation, but too may people staying there. Rowdy threatening behavior was occurring.
iv. Does anybody know if the people staying there have anyplace else to stay?/Three staying there do have homes, those who do not have a home don’t or can’t use the Pov. POI: Got msg from person who bought he tent, who said it is owned by Occupy Missoula, not any particular working group.
2. Concerns (“I like/dislike it because…”)
i. County passed a resolution making camping illegal, but we are not camping we are peaceably assembling for redress of grievances. County likely to enforce the resolution at some point. Face of movement and first direct action which we all supported, also consensed to take the tent down, which is being blocked. Need to publicly let the community know that we do not support what is happening down there now. Say we are not taking on this responsibility any longer,
ii. Please restate the proposal alone, without qualifying statements. Asking for separation of support. Communicate that the encampment did not respect the process of the GA, and therefore they form their own GA and form their own process. They take responsibility for their own actions.
iii. Discussion of alternatives before making conclusions. Alternative: reoccupy the tent?/very sore point!
iv. Strike the word overwhelming majority since it was consensus. Otherwise it is vital at this point to move on.
v. Addition to the proposal(?). Counseling on how to get out of an abusive realtioanship! Would like to pursue non-violent communication in terms of those in the encampment.
vi. Constraints on time, need to come to resolution ourselves so we can present information. We don’thave forever to mediate, there are facts of life to address. Do what we do with respect and non-confrontation. What they do is up to them. About setting limits, and will take discussion that we don’t have time for here.
vii. Talked about taking the tent down, nothing happened, now it’s getting out of hand. We need to just go down and take it down. Otherwise it will be taken and we won’t get it back easily. Those staying can just stay./POI: It won’t be non-violent. There is more to it than just setting limits, we are committed to non-violence, they are not. The letting go process difficult. Idea of taking it back over is good, but has been tried and is not possible at this point.
viii. Once we make an official announcement that we are severing ourselves from that group they [county] will move in and take it. POI: county offered to take the tent down and give it back to us, can we get them to honor that?
ix. Compare the separation from the encampment to “revoking citizenship:” long process that is reversible the entire way, not a simple cut.
x. Restate amendment with amendments, seems to have broad support Respectful, include plain facts, take it to the tent in a kind way, express our concerns, let them know that we want them in our group and want to hear their voice, give it to tent, to county, and community. Trying to be non-violent, non. Divorce from the encampment & actions, not the people. Core of camp is First Amendment rights. However, leave room for others on the lawn. Include language that doesn’t disavow the GA from that style of direct action, because we want to maintain that. Spell out activities we specifically object to: inebriation, violence, non-participation in wider movement. Make sure public outreach alerts people that there is a bigger Occupy movement. Mediation needed. Draft press release and other communications that let the community know we are meeting in GAs not just the camp. At all costs, avoid a battle of “who’s Occupy.”
xi. Address fact that GA consensus is not being respected, and a proposal to remove it passed by consensus, blocked from removing it. We would suggest that those who have chosen to stay on the lawn form their own GA and allow OM to move on. Mediate first, with camp before putting out press release. Were the camp to choose to take the tent down, we would not send the press release.
3. Resolutions: Empower a group of people to write the communication to the county and the encampment ASAP, for use tomorrow. Group will meet tonight after this meeting. Concerns? None. Consensed. A group will meet after this meeting to hash that out.
V. Confirm date/time/place of next assemblies
Sunday: Union Hall 2pm
Tuesday: Forum, 5:30 pm, Downstairs lobby of the Library.
Friday , Occupy the Oval: No representative present
VI. Evaluation of Meeting
Went good, like to see process growing and grateful for new facilitation team/really disheartened that others didn’t make it, feel good about being here and like everyone here a bunch/just came to visit, disappointed in a lot of things, just wanted to see/hard decision to make but all orgs come up against hard decisions, that’s the situation, will go along with it. Will stop by and help those down there still but this was a necessary thing/two important conversations today and followed an effective process, very important, everyone spoke, like process and made a hard and tough decision with everyone’s important contribution/went well, haven’t felt this good about a GA in a bit, noticed there wasn’t a lot of hotheadedness, /first meting process seemed effective/first meeting, glad to see everyone focused on the issues that matter, feel like it was a big move today, will follow/emphasize the work groups much more than we have, need a list of them on the sideboards on the website or something so we can direct people to join them/process went well and right decision was made even though it was a tough one, glad we are giving respect to those that we’ll disassociate from.
VII. Adjournment 4:48pm.
Continuation of Other Discussion (None)
~ 25 people in attendance
Agenda
Review of Process.
I. Announcements
II. Working group reports
1. May Day
2. Union Working Group
3. Communication
3. Direct Action
4. Foreclosure Defense
5. Move to Amend
6. Facilitation
7. Finance
8. Consensus Teach-in
9. New Groups?
III. Proposals
1. State aloud/Scribe
2. Clarifications/questions
3. Concerns
4. Resolution
IV. Other Business
V. Confirm date/time/place of next meetings
VI. Evaluation of Meeting
VII. Adjournment: Discussion & Soapbox
Minutes
I. Announcements
a. Buttons made, sparking conversations. Brought buttons today, $1 each to recoup costs of button maker, donate the remainder to OM. Encourage those wearing button to act with awareness. Button making competition is ON.
b. An issue consensed around is local ownership if Missoula water. Group organizing in Missoula around it. Listening event on the 30th at the library. Working to bring Paul Cienfuegos, a rights activist, to Missoula, for presentation first steps in dismantling Corporation Rule.”
c. Martin Luther King event 5-6pm at Caras Park on Monday.
d. Calendar events: write on the paper by the door.
e. Occupy Strategic planning day. In place of GA, hold a day of planning. In development. Ideas are being worked on, sign up sheet for helping organize it passed around.
f. Names for organizing May Day, working group getting started around that, discuss after this meeting with Jay.
g. Union working g
II. Working Group Reports
1. May Day: See Jay after today’s GA to plan
2. Union Working Group: Meeting on Thursdays at the union hall basement. Focus is on finding ways to Occupy to understand labor and labor to understand Occupy.
3. Communications group: Letter for Occupy Congress posted on the proboards and sent to listserve. Meetings on Monday at 5:30 pm at the Break.
4. Direct Action: Meet at 4 Saturdays at the Break. Working on First Friday actions, ways to talk about coming from strength. Focus on MLK and January 20 Move to Amend Event. Brandon went to Washington, will have a banner here in Missoula on January 17 in support of that. Check calendar for events.
5. Foreclosure Defense Group: Meetings Sundays at 12:00 noon at the Break. Bringing a proposal to the GA today. Passing a flier around with the proposal outlined on it, to discuss further in proposals.
6. Move to Amend working group: Friday January 20th need all people possible. Panel of speakers: Jason Weiner mc-ing, Paul Haber Prof of Poly-science, Cynthia Walken, Dick Barrett, Mark Anderlik, & small business woman Amy McQuilkin. Tuesday article in Missoulian expected & op-ed piece later in week. On events calendars around town. Letters to the editor by others welcome, to help raise awareness & attention. Posters distributed downtown. Various media contacted. Arrive at 11:30 at Caras park near pavilion, leave in a march at 11:45 to Federal Courthouse, set up Rally, and speakers start at noon. Will wrap up the program at 1pm sharp. Bring enthusiasm, noisemakers, signs, etc for the march! Ostentatious and creative signs labeling ourselves as “people” encouraged! Logistics: 1. Raised speaker platform (soapbox) jay and Steven will locate it; Amplification: Bullhorn as back-up, Casey has access to mic; information sign-up forms made up to be sent around; post event clean-up. Rally not panel discussion.
7. Facilitation: Meeting at 1:00pm on Sundays prior to each GA. Everyone welcome, more facilitators needs to keep the process democratic! Working on the strategic planning event, will have more next time. Need more facilitators! Consensus working group and facilitation working together on the process.
8. Finance: Meeting at 6pm on Fridays, Break Espresso. Ongoing plans to find a way to incorporate Occupy Missoula for legal and financial protection. 501(c) configurations, 501(c)8 of interest. In process of comparison now. Shutting down the Wepay account for now, liability too great for the person named on the bank account receiving the money. Approx $19 in the account will converted to cash and held for OM use. Donated items being held for a sale or auction at a later date. Donations in cash accepted, but no bank account behind it. Will contact the owners of items and let them know how those items are held.
9. Consensus Group: Meets on Wednesdays at 7pm in Union Hall basement. Finished the CT Butler book. Will put together a synopsis of the book to present to the GA, teach more people, and work to consense on a proposal around this model.
10. Strategic Planning Working Group: Vibe check/plan strategic meeting here in town or elsewhere? Concern: Internal education of the group ready for strategic planning meeting? Need groundwork, but planning vital. Combine both? NOTE: Scribed/Added to discussion points.
11. Educational Working Group: Broader educational group needed. Free school class essentially just a transition town class now, no longer free school. “Common sense” should be challenged, and constant rigorous education needed. Proposed Occupy-wide group class. Revisit forum (previously we had discussion periods or open discussion time prior to GAs, but was moved to Tuesday evenings). Anyone can propose a topic of study, we look into it and then discuss it in depth.
II. Proposals
A. Statement of Proposals – Scribed:
a. Proposal: Separation from the encampment.
b. Proposal: Proposal to consolidate direct action working groups and direct our actions in a unified sustainable way. Foreclosures in particular.
B. Other:
a. P
b. Propose a Fundraising committee/start fundraising working group
C. Prioritization of Proposals: Go through in current order, since first ones should be handled through the process relatively quickly, last one may need more time. –Consensed order of address.
Discussion of Proposals:
Proposal 1: Proposal to consolidate direct action working groups and direct our actions in a unified sustainable way. Foreclosures in particular.
Description: Worried about the gap between what has been accomplished and More commitment to one action or campaign so we can build on a process, we’ve avoided the debate of how to do that in order to not “hurt feelings.” Small fragmented actions by well-meaning people but not well developed. Foreclosures are a concrete action. With concerted actiona dn unity around this action, we can reenergize and reunify the movement. Merge our direct action groups and come up with a really good proposal.
1. Questions/Clarifications (e.g. “Did you mean…?”)
i. Why monolithic? Why not different projects? Not every one is passionate about the same issues. /Not care about one thing but problem is the disbursal of ideas there is no discussion of what will bring people in. WE don’t have the numbers to support so many actions. Do one thing well, gain energy, and then see what else we can take on.
ii. Basically asking that the thing we do is a little non-specific. Commit to focus on things we are already doing (education, Move to Amend)./ After focus on thing on 20th, then focus on next big thing.
iii. Consolidate and get those who are working on other actions to join, and are those working on other things aware?/ With consolidation action groups consolidated, I would argue that foreclosure are the way to go, but if the larger group doesn’t agree I will put it behind another cohesive action that comes out of that group. / Direct action group relatively small group. No major focus seems to be coming up immediately. As a new person, feels there is not a lot of coordination between groups.
iv. Can you put it into a written structure of how that group will work?/Yes, will need to talk more about that though.
v. Can the decision on this wait for strategic planning meeting?/
vi. Made a decision at a GA that direct actions don’t have to come through the GA, are we bringing Direct Actions back into the GA? Are we revisiting this decision now?/Yes
2. Concerns (“I like/dislike it because…”)
i. Springboard for discussion. Struggling with 1) Lack of a plan: We don’t have a real sense of where to go from here, a tactic determined overall course, and 2) Have not develop skills of organizing, which requires our focus and attention. Strategic planning more than vision, we need long term goals to get there. Judge opportunities per our strategic plan. Once approaching this way, we gain a better understanding of how to pull an action off. Guided by a plan.
ii. Returned to GA about a month ago with a very specific issue, became leader of a work group that had formed but not met yet. Future beyond this action is a 5-year horizon around this one action, what’s required might be more energy than some of us have. Can’t shift around to other things, or be part of a central group. Seems more natural for a group passionate about one thing move forward with continuity.
iii. Number of things right: revisiting decision of letting direct action do whatever it wants, and set aside our own personal focuses and join with the group. Consense to a strategic plan, and act on it collectively. All show up to collective actions. Commit ourselves to doing something.
iv. Because we lack a strategic plan we lack direct action, but it’s more than that. Lacking foundation education before we can plan strategically. Look at the bigger structural issues. Occupy created a space for discussion that is not co-opted by power (money). Disbursed direct actions attractive to people because they can do what interests them, but not achieving critical mass. Zapatistas spent 11 years planning before they took their first visible “direct action,” spent that time in planning & learning. Occupy allows it and has changed the political landscape allowing democratic discussion. Education key.
v. Enacting part of proposal: like idea of focus and education, but they can happen together. Need strategic planning and education before we can focus our whole group. For the interim, start by going to the direct action working group, other groups can call on the main direct action working group./Concern, or resolution?/Sorry, amendment or follow-up.
vi. POP: Concerns only for now, propose(r)can respond later. Speak through the proposal first before addressing amendments or resolutions.
vii. One trick pony group. So much to work on, some of these things will take years to resolve.
viii. POP: Need a signal for withdrawing a comment from stack
ix. Move to amend a way to move away from consistently focusing on the encampment. Strategic planning can be an effort to form short term goals, while we learn about structural issues. Allows us opportunity to work on local issues that bring in people. Those who want to do something may drift away, don’t feel like developing process is a form of “doing.” How can we best allocate our time as a group and individually so we can move forward and those in the community can see what we are doing. Number one goal is getting people in a community to talk, and that’s exciting, but not everyone thinks that way. Incorporate both direct actions and alliances as well as process development. How do we want to incorporate DI into the greater scheme of things. Foreclosure defense a symptom, how much energy to put to each item?
x. Concerned that this proposal limits us, more direct actions better. Reminds people they can do something.
3. Resolutions: Education and DI dynamic is dialectic. Acting can teach us as much as reading. Book knowledge important, but more dynamic than one or the other. The two need to go together. Do want to limit it to some extent because it does not appear that people are coming in a result of openness and energy disbursal. Don’t know how this would be structured exactly, but get together and talk about what will be the most effective action now. May be the strategic planning meeting./At this point you may withdraw proposal, or make amendments. For example, it may be able to be combined with the strategic meeting or it could be taken back to the work group for further development. /Have an amendment to the proposal but feel it is premature to ask that is consensed upon in this GA, will join that DI meeting ./Want more cohesion but don’t want to lose focus. All groups that are DI join main group but maintain individual /Will continue this discussion in two weeks time at the Foreclosure Defense meeting, as well as online, and develop the proposal further.
---------------- 5 Minute Break------------------------
Set time and date of next: 2pm at Union Hall. Facilitation group meets at 1pm
Proposal 2: Separation from the encampment
Description: Encampment is a divisive issue. Encampemnt has gone throughanother change. M&C staying there. Happy to table or form working group around this. Email sent yesterday:
Despite a proposal passed by consensus of the GA is being blocked by individuals.
1. Questions/Clarifications (e.g. “Did you mean…?”)
i. If we do part, how can we do it respectfully and not isolate anyone?/Yes? POI: A request was made yesterday to take away signs, camp said no.
ii. What would be involved in separating from ideology? Just a proposal or statement to say we don’t identify with them?/County commissioners and general public. Public see the courthouse lawn as us. Last GA was acknowledged by County commissioner and they understand that we were going to take down the tent. POI: also reported int eh newspaper tot eh community at large that we would take down the tent.
iii. How many still camping there?/ Roughly 2-5 Occupiers right now, but need more info on that. Some houseless living there. Houseless showed up yesterday and prevented the removal of the tent. Plan to focus first on preparing the gazebo for the Occupation, but too may people staying there. Rowdy threatening behavior was occurring.
iv. Does anybody know if the people staying there have anyplace else to stay?/Three staying there do have homes, those who do not have a home don’t or can’t use the Pov. POI: Got msg from person who bought he tent, who said it is owned by Occupy Missoula, not any particular working group.
2. Concerns (“I like/dislike it because…”)
i. County passed a resolution making camping illegal, but we are not camping we are peaceably assembling for redress of grievances. County likely to enforce the resolution at some point. Face of movement and first direct action which we all supported, also consensed to take the tent down, which is being blocked. Need to publicly let the community know that we do not support what is happening down there now. Say we are not taking on this responsibility any longer,
ii. Please restate the proposal alone, without qualifying statements. Asking for separation of support. Communicate that the encampment did not respect the process of the GA, and therefore they form their own GA and form their own process. They take responsibility for their own actions.
iii. Discussion of alternatives before making conclusions. Alternative: reoccupy the tent?/very sore point!
iv. Strike the word overwhelming majority since it was consensus. Otherwise it is vital at this point to move on.
v. Addition to the proposal(?). Counseling on how to get out of an abusive realtioanship! Would like to pursue non-violent communication in terms of those in the encampment.
vi. Constraints on time, need to come to resolution ourselves so we can present information. We don’thave forever to mediate, there are facts of life to address. Do what we do with respect and non-confrontation. What they do is up to them. About setting limits, and will take discussion that we don’t have time for here.
vii. Talked about taking the tent down, nothing happened, now it’s getting out of hand. We need to just go down and take it down. Otherwise it will be taken and we won’t get it back easily. Those staying can just stay./POI: It won’t be non-violent. There is more to it than just setting limits, we are committed to non-violence, they are not. The letting go process difficult. Idea of taking it back over is good, but has been tried and is not possible at this point.
viii. Once we make an official announcement that we are severing ourselves from that group they [county] will move in and take it. POI: county offered to take the tent down and give it back to us, can we get them to honor that?
ix. Compare the separation from the encampment to “revoking citizenship:” long process that is reversible the entire way, not a simple cut.
x. Restate amendment with amendments, seems to have broad support Respectful, include plain facts, take it to the tent in a kind way, express our concerns, let them know that we want them in our group and want to hear their voice, give it to tent, to county, and community. Trying to be non-violent, non. Divorce from the encampment & actions, not the people. Core of camp is First Amendment rights. However, leave room for others on the lawn. Include language that doesn’t disavow the GA from that style of direct action, because we want to maintain that. Spell out activities we specifically object to: inebriation, violence, non-participation in wider movement. Make sure public outreach alerts people that there is a bigger Occupy movement. Mediation needed. Draft press release and other communications that let the community know we are meeting in GAs not just the camp. At all costs, avoid a battle of “who’s Occupy.”
xi. Address fact that GA consensus is not being respected, and a proposal to remove it passed by consensus, blocked from removing it. We would suggest that those who have chosen to stay on the lawn form their own GA and allow OM to move on. Mediate first, with camp before putting out press release. Were the camp to choose to take the tent down, we would not send the press release.
3. Resolutions: Empower a group of people to write the communication to the county and the encampment ASAP, for use tomorrow. Group will meet tonight after this meeting. Concerns? None. Consensed. A group will meet after this meeting to hash that out.
V. Confirm date/time/place of next assemblies
Sunday: Union Hall 2pm
Tuesday: Forum, 5:30 pm, Downstairs lobby of the Library.
Friday , Occupy the Oval: No representative present
VI. Evaluation of Meeting
Went good, like to see process growing and grateful for new facilitation team/really disheartened that others didn’t make it, feel good about being here and like everyone here a bunch/just came to visit, disappointed in a lot of things, just wanted to see/hard decision to make but all orgs come up against hard decisions, that’s the situation, will go along with it. Will stop by and help those down there still but this was a necessary thing/two important conversations today and followed an effective process, very important, everyone spoke, like process and made a hard and tough decision with everyone’s important contribution/went well, haven’t felt this good about a GA in a bit, noticed there wasn’t a lot of hotheadedness, /first meting process seemed effective/first meeting, glad to see everyone focused on the issues that matter, feel like it was a big move today, will follow/emphasize the work groups much more than we have, need a list of them on the sideboards on the website or something so we can direct people to join them/process went well and right decision was made even though it was a tough one, glad we are giving respect to those that we’ll disassociate from.
VII. Adjournment 4:48pm.
Continuation of Other Discussion (None)