Occupy Chapel Hill General Assembly Minutes
Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 @6 p.m.
Facilitator: Steve
Note taker: Sam
Stack: Rob
Timekeeper: ??
Greeter: Michal
Agenda Items
Visioning - What have you done and what energizes you most; how does it apply to occupy?
Visioning Report Backs
(Group 1) – marches energize us, outreach, connecting with community, solidarity with other occupies, get more people energized, organic nature of movement, seeds germinate in water and sprout in spring
(Group 2) – visioning sessions, outreach, men transitioning out of prison, children’s involvement and their truthful speech
(Group 3) – energizing space occupy has provided, listening to others, personal stories about individual experiences with fighting back
(Group 4) – intergenerationality, political discourse, connection with others and community, getting young generations to care, actually doing things e.g. marching, learning
(Steve, summarizes) – more people want to talk about these things and build our community
Tabled/Agenda items-
occupy argument
outreach document
meetings other than GA – how to do them, process, working report, announcements, attendance
Working Group Report backs
Direct Action: Part 1 (Alanna)
-Art Walk – occupy artwalk, anyone can contribute to walk
-Online petition
-Weaver contacted
-Report from NBC NY posted to website
-Speaker response from guest speakers connected
Events (Heather)
Art Walk – drawings from Abbey Court kids, 3 other professional artists, Art walk is monthly in CH/Carrboro, David is bottom lining Occupy Artwalk effort
Zombie walk – next Friday, without being destructive, intended to impact people mindlessly buying things
Sunday at 11: house hunting for the Human Rights Center (NOTE: this event has been canceled)
Direct Action: Part 2 (David)
CVS Developers Meeting Event on 12/7: inclement weather and lack of people prevented last night’s march against the new CVS building from being convincing and effective so it was cancelled
-The artwalk, Seagrove Pottery, 5:15-5:30, runs 6-9, open to the public, two outlets on sites, David will bring light cannon, display art using clothes lines or on fences, need tables
Direct Action: Part 3 (Amanda) – CVS – Occupiers at presentation, architectural “show and tell”, more misinformation, 60% of the interaction was architectural/engineering, why it is imposing on the community, under pressure on Dev. Office, putting security fences around 2 properties, Security fence at Weaver Street to prevent vandalism, concerned about disruptions by occupy, willing to take over space by occupiers to protect space, CVS open to pass info up, town hall meeting “cancellation” rumor, mayor afraid of occupiers disrupting meeting?
Media (Michal)
Meeting 5pm Sunday after GA, working groups should announce meetings and put them up on website, discussion proactive about press releases, show we have a solution about abandoned building(s?), PR directed to media outlets
Other Report Backs:
(Diane) – Occu-pie Saturday @ 9 am, 10 am Chapel Hill holiday parade, have pies cut unequally showing various proportions relevant to $ and justice, people handing out slices of pie
(Ann) – still working on foreclosures in Orange County, planning an event/meeting Saturday January 21 from 11-1, University United Methodist Church, 200 people, Fellowship Hall, Press, attorneys giving free consultation for people facing foreclosure, foreclosure strategies.
Direct Action: Part 4 (David)
Saturday march, tent monsters, (like Occupy Melbourne did: when police came forward, 4 tents jumped up and walked toward them and police don’t know what to do), how to factor into parade, follow parade, sneak in to end of parade, contact direct action group or David
Outreach (Steve)
A few people will meet w/ NAACP, re: MLK event planned at plaza, how is occupy related?, 9am at Hargraves Center, MLK day normally a ceremony, dedication plaque at Peace and Justice Plaza
Sunday @12, about 6 Occupiers will meet w/ United Church of Chapel Hill, all invited, speak a few minutes about why you joined Occupy, similar to the event w/ Chapel Hill Friends group
Food and Sanitation Group (Sonia)
Concerned about bathroom use (the ones in the parking deck), someone is messing up toilets, customers are telling merchants, Amanda reported that women’s room has “clean bathrooms”, Ron said men’s rooms are “OK”
Solidarity Economy (Candace)
Meet after GA
Question: how to check in on agenda points and not shut down questions during meeting? issue to facilitation group to find a solution
Agenda Items:
Outreach Document
People who had concerns the last time the outreach document went before the GA got together and worked on a new version that they all agreed on!
(Bert) Would like to use this document to do outreach this weekend. Purpose, explain to Chapel Hill, as generic as possible, not about specific goals, “living document” which can be modified
Concern about document lay out being hard to read, include website and facebook, explains increasing dialogue, open to editing, adopted till next week (changes will be minor)
Proposal to use this outreach document in its current form, just integrating minor changes that came up during the meeting.
Consensus reached!
Michal: Issue of events over break, students leaving for break Dec. 19-26, put on holiday agenda, can be discussed at Sunday’s GA.
Camp
Tent City Working Group and Finance Working Group met to discuss on-site needs for winter, no consensus as to what form it would take
(Bert) – security concerns, video of an assault this past week was put on youtube, people threatening, people taking advantage of occupy
(Amanda) – 2 opposing dynamics, what it takes to run a mini-city, principles and ideas, lack of bodies, *heads up*, needs to be talked about further, situation unmanageable
(Steve) – that’s what the working group is for
(Michal) – Proposal: Sun/Tues/Thurs make this a major item and dedicate a GA to it
-gather “I hate this camp” and “I like this camp” people together to talk
-homeless get protection from Occupy movement, noone helps them
(David) propose discuss issue at GA
-3 assaults in less than one week, police response, no mechanism to deal with difficult situations with people
Proposal:
“Devote Sunday’s GA to how to proceed with the onsite camp and a definitive, positive step/plan.”
Consensus reached!!
Announcements
(Ann) – had concerns about zombie walk being at University Mall, which has a lot of locally-owned businesses (including hers).
Heather clarified that the event will take place at Southpoint Mall. (Ann was ok with this)
A Catholic group did a Zombie Walk last week, it’s described in the Independent
Food tonight was brought by Pluto, who has a Carrboro business, and is on the board of the Human Rights Center
(Heather) 2-3 Sunday Guided Metta Meditation: Human Justice and Respect for Nature.
(Diane) 50 Occupy Chapel Hill T-shirts were given away. If you want more let Diane know and she can place an order (or you can probably place an order yourself with Ben Harper in Carrboro, located right next to The Station and across from the Cradle)
(Miriam) Triangle AFLCIO, will make $75 food delivery next Friday 3-4pm then go to Raleigh Occupy, would like a list of needs from us
Reminder that there is a rotating dishwashing system in place, and that there is always a need for people to take the “dirty” bin home and wash the dishes
(Harry) Introduced Minister Robert L. Campbell of the Faith Tabernacle Oasis of Love Church and Co-Founder of the Rogers Eubanks Neighborhood Association (RENA), also involved with NAACP. Looking forward to productive relationship with NAACP.
(Harry) NC WARN – waste reduction network, annual meeting Saturday 10am-2pm at a Durham Church, Info is online
Next Tuesday at 7 p.m., community teach-in on Art Pope: http://occupychapelhill.org/ai1ec_event/community-teach-in-art-pope-exposed
Can carpool to event.
Reminder – Local entertainment (Beat Report) related to Occupy will be playing a set tonight at the nightlight, begins ~9-9:30, all profits from the Beat Report will be donated back to Occupy Chapel Hill.
David: encouraged use of 5 gallon tanks for the camp stove at the site (16.4 ounce tanks are wasteful)
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