Facilitator – Michal
Stack – Rob (not H.)
Timekeeper – Rob H.
Minutes – Maria
Agenda
William’s Tent
Ongoing Present at the Plaza Visioning: what would we like to see OCH/C do?
Group One
-take on the banks
-concerns about what we do with space – gather here but look elsewhere – long term project of space for an autonomous university – teach ins and education
- networking with other Occupy and other organizations
- consensus training – showing others how this works and how to use it
- general assembly – bringing more community action to it northside
Group Two
– teach ins bringing OCH to organizations in struggle – especially the piece about the corporate greed – more study groups – informing political work
– Study Groups - ongoing groups collectively coming together to become more informed so we’re more effective — awareness , dialogue and action – more opportunities to talk – more education about struggles in the immediate community – emergency food assistance, etc. – how do we build an anti-corporate movement – broad, anti racist, anti militarist
- Einstein – you cannot solve a problem with the level of consciousness that created it – protect our level of consciousness – not just another protest movement – win/win based thinking – thinking outside the box – values based – NVC – find more creative ways to communicate
Tactics needs to be strategic … resonate with a broader constituency
Study Group – history of movements, historic consciousness, on the shoulders of giants
Conversations with key faith leaders
Group Three
- Broader community like IFC – reaching out to community not represented – invite leaders to General assembly – support other groups doing Direct Action – how can we be an ally and asset
- Not compromising our values as we work with other groups
Group Four
- Community outreach – amazing brand built in 90 days – don’t lose our brand – media presence Need for Direct Action – don’t want power to become part of the environment
- Supporting boycotts – stop using credit cards, start using cash
- Support actions against foreclosures
- – let’s do a super pact – fight fire with fire
- Direct action
- Regroup over winter, come out wide open in Spring
- DNC !!!!!
Group Five
- Occupy consciousness – the idea that people in Occupy have different levels of interests, take advantage of interests to reach out and educate others – teach ourselves about financial crisis—no market that works by itself – granted the market too much power
- Need for Empowerment in community and ourselves
Working Group Report Backs
Harry – Outreach Working Group
Met with Binkley Baptist Sunday
Ann Shy’s foreclosure information forum – Jan 21 – needs 10 Occupiers to help – need 6 more
TRACTION – LGBT group – interested in Occupy
Maria – Direct Action Working Group
Nomadic Occupy – 4:30 set up Tomorrow Night – Wednesday 1/11/12 at Hargraves Community Center for the Community Policing Advisory Committee meeting-, we will have tents, banners and soup.
Miriam – trying to get more than 30 minutes of public comment time inside the meeting – beauty of this movement – we will be inside and outside – we have friends on the committee and want to bring in experts – Miriam – we want participants to be there physically not only people who are making comments
Amanda – Ad Hoc Publicity Working group
working on radio piece for Pacifica – will have another week to complete
Becca – website — needs a blogger to blog about today – preferably more
Bert – Outreach – incidental outreach w veterans for peace – 3 other occupiers – proposal by 86 yo W2 veteran will ride bike from Raleigh to DC and wants people to join him – will be there may 26 – 40 miles a day – asking Obama to meet him to talk about how to end the wars – talked to society for ethical culture with Michal and Heather – Henderson
Michal – facilitation working group – if you want to get involved see one of us
Stephanie – Nightwatch – pointless as of today – shut down mailing list
AGENDA
Ongoing Presence
Bert: sign up sheet to Occupy outside and have hand outs at P&J Plaza – 7 days a week 10-6pm someone suggested pamphlet w list of direct actions and positive effect of direct actions
Outreach Group will bottomline
Miriam – we need literature out in the community and wide berth of conversations
Michal as facilitator – consensus that we like this idea – temperature check
WILLIAM TENT
Amanda – we agreed with NAACP to remove the tents and vacate the plaza so it can be cleaned for MLK Day and for MLK Day to happen – the plaza will be cleaned Thursday or friday
Stephanie – on one hand it is disappointing the wishes of the group weren’t held, but it’s not consensus when the group can compel the action of an individual, Will stands on his own, it’s an autonomous action
Ron – it becomes moot when the plaza gets cleaned
Michal – explaining to William where we are in meeting as regards MLK Day
William – he is going to take care of the working people and will let them clean around it- we can take care of the (twinkling) – he’s still going to have signs and communication and put the word out and have grievances as long as everything isn’t equal
Ron – part of working group that met with NAACP, we consensed, it was not blocked, any tent that remains here after tonight is not an Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro tent
Geoff – torn and surprised he’s torn, we are a broach church bringing together people who care about inequality, pretty sure his ideas are weird, but he’s here because he cares and William is someone he cares about because he is what about Occupy is about, and he can do what he likes, and I respect him.
Amanda – this is kind of the reverse of Chrysler – it happened before it came to GA, this came to GA before it happened – if William put a tent up he would get arrested as a private citizen he would get arrested – either we stand by or stand away from – I would like to support him in hopscotching and getting around MLK Day – do we abandon him? Or do we support him?
Michal – the idea of consensus is the consensus can be changed, and it can change with changing conditions, what I see before us is a possibility of talking with and working with the MLK committee – would any of us not support someone who wanted to do this except for that day
Barbara – is there any opening to move it so it can be cleaned? And have it be an Occupy thing?
Miriam – it was to respect an event that we agreed to move, we didn’t know we were going to disencamp,
Brian – we have consensus meetings to decide what we’re going to do together, we can go talk to William
Ron – We have signed a contract w NAACP, what does it say to future partners if we change our mind now? I would be wary of dealing with an organization that does that.
Rob – Also torn. Devil’s Advocate: concerned if we have a tent here, we may be entangled in issues that lead us to take down the encampment
Kevin – it’s easy to say he should leave, when I have a place to go home
Michal as facilitator – getting us to a decision – can we get him to move for MLK and can we consense about
Ruby – agree with Rob’s points, Williams decision is Williams decision, in name of Occupy are not, we want to embrace and support him for so many reasons, obvious question is that he’s not even in here while we’re working through this decision, also PR questions
Becca – kind of agrees, we could use Yates … he is a member of OCH but this is not consensed by Occupy GA
Kevin – speaking for NAACP, as far as what is done – they will embrace it
Louis – concerned about how William talks to people at night, are we going to allow him to stay and represent us?
Geoff – is less confused, separate into steps, are we going to do anything about William ? no that’s his business to stay, we consense or not to support him and have him represent us?
Occupy doesn’t sign contracts, that’s not who we are.
Michal – are we saying something new? Can we come up with strategic action?
Eduarda – not a part of this occupation, but from Providence, for me movement is about solidarity, homeless have no place at all to do no basic human needs, don’t know what he says or if he’s violence, but the violence in our society is much bigger, one great thing about Occupy is people’s ability to be autonomous and there are people not here who are part of this, we can’t say someone is or is not part of Occupy
Katie – good conversation, NAACP would likely work with us, and part of what Occupy 2.0 is broadening what Occupy is and for William that may mean staying here.
Stephanie – any action to compel William is off the table – violate points of unity – we respond he is acting outside the group, but we are watching and encourage interested parties to be respectful and engage in respectful dialogue wiith him
Kathy – a bigger danger is violence that could happen to one single person being here at night, he is responsible for himself, but we could ask for help and support for him
Becca – proposal – we consensed on dismantling the tents, GA consensed and William is autonomous, he’s a member and he is making his own decision
Ron – does this include the six or seven other people that are staying here tonight?
Barbara from OWS – amendment – that we talk to MLK committee and the police, this is what is transpiring and we hope you continue to deal with him fairly
Gal – press release combination of what Becca said and what Barbara said: press release saying: We consensed, William is a member who decided to leave his tent, we ask MLK committee and others to respectfully negotiate with William
Stephanie – point of process – can we boil this down to single proposal
Katie – amend second part requesting MLK committee treatment – that’s also none of our business – and whoever is talking to MLK talk to them tonight so they don’t find out in press release
Lila – William is homeless but he has lived here a long time. He has his own voice, we do not want to step between William and the community, he is perfectly capable of speaking for himself.
Diane – We do have a sense that we want to let the people we made arrangements with know.
Rob (not H) – clarification – where are we proposal wise ?
Michal – summarizing – we shouldn’t be making a press release, we should communicate with NAACP as fellow activists, we can talk to William about moving tent aside.
Colin – William will move tent to side
Dylan – worried about the police harassing if he is not OCH – we can say we are watching
William – (returning to room) asking about what day is MLK and about cleaning Thursday and Friday – tent will be gone then
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Gal – leaving town and is unsubscribing, still available on personal email
Mini free market giveaway
Diane – staffing post office sign up list is in her hand, who wants it? Harry took it for Outreach.
new shipment of t-shirts coming and IBooks will sell them – made $400
Sonia has photographs of Muhammad Ali at gallery next to Driade
Ruby – reminder about OrangePolitics - orangepolitics.org
Lila – 1/17 is Occupy Congress, OccupyCharlotte has bus, look at their website
Brian – new design printing of Breaking and Entering the New World
Amanda – moving into the HRC and needs pick-up truck – one run
Michael – Occupy Raleigh – doing 99 plus 1 rally – anniversary of Citizens United – OccupyRaleigh.Org
Kathy – teach in at United Church on NVC – beyond strategies to core values
Lila – Crystal needs a place to stay tonight with her cat.
Crystal – honored to be part of this community, in every state met with no support from law enforcement
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