General Assembly Notes
Sunday, November 6, 2011, 3pm
Facilitator: Steve
Note Taker: Candace
Stack: Miranda and John
Time: David Young
Agenda:
- Review Process
- Review Agenda
- Review Previous Meeting Minutes (See General Assembly: Nov. 5 Minutes)
- Work-Group Report-Backs
- Tabled Items: None
- New Items: Religious Society of Friends Announcement, Connect the Triangle 11/11/11 Event, Overnight Shift/Security, Reinbursments, GA Experiment
- General Discussion and Announcements
WORK GROUP REPORT BACKS:
DIRECT ACTION
Direct Action is planning to do a Guerilla Teach-In about the Occupy Movement and movements similar to it, this Friday, 11/11/11. This action will involve setting up a projector at a spontaneously chosen place on Franklin Street in order to spread awareness to the weekend bar-fairing crowd. A megaphone will be needed. If you have access to a megaphone, or are interested to assisting with the teach-in, please contact occupychapelhill-directaction@lists.riseup.net. Tonight, an e-mail to the general Occupy Chapel Hill/Carrboro listserv (OCH listserv) will be sent out regarding this event.
The 11/5/11 Bank Tour went well. About 14 individuals attended. 2 to 3 people closed accounts at Wells Fargo in Chapel Hill. There was a rent-a-cop present, and no one at the bank would comment on whether or not this was standard procedure. Filming was not allowed. 2 people attempted to close accounts at Bank of America in Carrboro; one woman did successfully, another man was told that he needed to have his debit card in order to close his account. There was a rent-a-cop at Bank of America as well. The tour ended at the Really Really Free Market in Carrboro.
FACILITATION
Peter sent a message to the OCH listserv detailing what needs to be done in order to make Facilitation work more efficiently at our Occupation. People need to “step up… improve their focus during General Assembly…use peoples’ mic…have proposals be submitted to the facilitation working group at least a day in advance…[and] step back” to see if they are contributing meaningfully. There will be a Facilitation Training tomorrow, 11/7/11 from 7 to 8pm.
EDUCATION
There will be a Teach-In titled (Un)Occupy Wall Street: Indigenous Perspectives on Occupation on Tuesday, 11/8/11 before the GA, from 5 to 6pm. Follow the link for more details!!!
NEW ITEMS
THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS ANNOUNCEMENT
The Chapel Hill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends came by to make the following statement:
The Chapel Hill Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends wishes to express our support for the Occupy Chapel Hill movement insofar as it exemplifies our values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community and equality.Approved at Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business, Thursday, November 3, 2011.
We suggested that the Friends check out our donation list and join our work-groups. Our sincere thanks go out to the CH Friends!!!
CONNECT THE TRIANGLE 11/11/11 EVENT
David Young, an individual who identifies with not just one NC Occupy, but all, came to talk to the GA about the Connect the Triangle event for 11/11/11, which he has been diligently planning. He has some permission to hold this event from Chief Hunter of Raleigh, but awaits permit verification from one last source, and will be speaking to the Veterans who will be at the Capitol building tomorrow. If the permit falls through, David plans on moving the event to the sidewalk; if the Vets do not wish for the event to occur, David will cancel the event. In terms of attendance, Raleigh has 16 maybes and 20 definites, Durham has 27 maybes and 10 definites, and Chapel Hill has at least 4 definites. David feels this will be a great opportunity for the Triangle Occupies to share information and compare strategy. For more info, please e-mail daveneilyoung@gmail.com.
Comments:
Bert suggested people encourage any Veterans they know to attend, there are at least 4 or 5 Vets among the CH Occupiers.
Katya requested that David keep us informed on the listserv so that we may know that the actions on 11/11/11 are appropriate. It was mentioned that Raleigh had tabled discussion of the event until permit is issued and Veterans consented.
Kassandra asked if there was an alternative location for the event.
OVERNIGHT SHIFT/SECURITY
Stephanie sent a long diatribe to the general listserv which she summarized to the GA, alerting us to the fact that all that stands between the campers and danger is a thin nylon sheet; it is unacceptable that there are nights where security is not accounted for. There are provisions in place that should prevent this: 3 hour security shifts, Occupier check-ins, and nightly meetings for overnight Occupiers at 11pm. If you are on nightwatch and your relief does not come, wake up the entire camp to get someone, and responsibility for nightwatch is sure to follow.
Comments:
Gal noted that she had stayed overnight once, and when Steph was resting, no one had called the meeting. Gal felt uncomfortable calling the meeting, but recognized that someone should call the meeting because we are all in charge of safety.
Kassandra noted that not all people at the camp have a way of knowing the time; she suggested we set the donated alarm clock for 11pm to call the meeting.
Michal? noted the NYCGA has people who stay up all night; our problem is that the same people are up every night. If people took full shifts, it would help.
Maria suggested that we schedule who is responsible for shifts a few days in advance, this way others can get involved. She recommended we not use the whiteboard for the schedule for privacy/security reasons, but instead keep the schedule somewhere online, accessible, but safe.
David M. reminded us that those who do not stay overnight can still do security, and to please step up to the responsibility.
Katya recommended we use an on call system similar to the one Red Cross volunteers use – this would involve Occupiers off-site.
? Random list of numbers would be good to have as reference.
Point of Process: We have 2 lists of numbers, one which is emergency contact for security hazards and actual emergencies.
Liz noted that those who are on the list only share info with others who are on the list.
Steve suggested we work on the list.
David M. recommended we internalize the list and keep it offline.
Stephanie noted the amount of time this issue was taking and reminded us that there is a clipboard available to people at the GA, this is a possible temporary solution.
Maria wanted clarification of what it means to agree to be here and to be on call.
Bert thought a sign-up calendar would be a good idea.
Gal had a problem with passing the clipboard around at the GA since she can not always make it to the GA, but can do security more often.
Katya will help coordinate overnight security support. Please contact her to get involved!!!
Michal thought having both the clipboard at the GA and a predetermined schedule were good ideas and that a few people should be coordinating – inviting participation is impowering.
Vincent felt the security safe would be a good place to keep numbers because we would always know who has it and the info will always be on site.
Stephanie suggested we schedule a nightwatch captain to hold 11 pm meetings.
Those on the emergency list will be contacted to see if they are okay with being on the safe list.
REINBURSMENTS
David and Bert were doing laundry for OCH tonight (thank you!!!) and wanted to get permission from the GA on how much cash they can spend.
Comments:
Someone noted that Occupy DC requests cash in advance.
Charles noted the laundry mat on Airport Road was cheap, about $5 for oversized wash.
Someone volunteered to do a load of laundry at home. (thank you!!!)
David asked the camp to please keep the clean laundry neat and tidy in the new containers because many of the supplies had become unusable due to the way they were being kept.
COMMUNITY TENT
The discussion of supplies opened up a related discussion – Kassandra wanted to create a Community Tent where some supplies could be kept and used for comfort and warmth, to create a space where Occupiers could play board games. This space would be open to the public – since the tent has two doorways, one could always be open to the public.
Comments:
David had a concern that those conditions could create the same situation we are facing with the supply tent.
Vincent thought supplies could be rotated from the community tent to the supplies tent to keep them fresh.
Liz felt this would be an easy way to disengage the public. She is all for a community place, but is concerned about the barrier.
Maria reminded us that many are living in the space and we need somewhere to store things and hang out, and that we need a place to keep things besides using the space beneath the information table.
Steve recommended that a tent village working group be formed.
Heather asked if this was an issue of logistics.
David wondered if this would define a purpose for logistics.
Michal felt this task would be more on par with what Food and Sanitation does.
There is now a Tent City Work Group. More details will be available in the near future!!!
GA EXPERIMENT
Casey, a woman attending our GA for the second time, informed us that she was not comfortable being at the GA because she didn’t know how she could get involved and was hoping for a day where people can learn about how to get involved. Michal asked the GA what the purpose of our GA is and pointed out that we are missing a huge opportunity to engage the public with our focus on logistical issues; this is a good time to talk about purpose, and logistics should be relegated to working groups. In general, the GA is not inviting to outsiders, and we should talk about answers, other Occupies, and news. Outreach to the people helps our process.
Comments:
David M. felt we should have a time for current events at the GA; DC, NY and Stop the Machine have scheduled discussions and workgroup meetings – our discussions are all abstract and only online and this is a disservice to what this is about. Saturday, Sunday, and after the GA, there should be more discussion.
Kassandra thought there should be one day for logistics and the rest should be discussion.
Gal finds the GAs tedious, boring, and uninspiring – her vision of the GA was that it was a place to share ideas and knowledge and to plan actions. She supports David’s idea and feels we need a greeter on the edges of our GAs.
Liz thought we should let facilitation discuss how we can shift to the newly proposed ideas.
David Young noted that Raleigh has a greeter and offered to post GA notes from other Triangle Occupations in our forum.
Steve noted that outreach has discussed greeters, and felt we need to provide more hooks for people and that we should set times for people to meet.
Vicki felt issues and education should be presented at GA – she hoped the GA would be a place to discuss broader topics.
Point of Clarification: There are teach-ins for this purpose and many events are planned.
Ryan mentioned that the Quakers have drudgery at their meetings and this helps keep the process transparent.
Alanna reminded us that Outreach is constructing a document which explains who OCH is, our GA process, and possibly upcoming events. She likes the business aspect of the GAs.
Michal made a PROPOSAL TO STRUCTURALLY INCORPORATE A GREETER INTO OUR MEETINGS. CONSENSUS REACHED!!!!!
She also recommended we have a slot for current events, pressing issues, and saw utility in having a visioning meeting where we can all get on the same page and check in with our vision.
Maria, with direct action experience exclaimed that we are loosing momentum, support, and we need vision.
Heather reminded us that we are getting a blackboard for public announcements.
Michal felt that Education and Outreach involve things all group members do, and everyone can get involved with making an agenda.
Gal felt the GA is an issue of vision, not just for Outreach – we need to all talk about this reform together.
Kassandra thought we should have a time where everyone can propose issues for discussion.
Gal also noted that she can not always be at the GA to vote on what she wants.
Candace mentioned that people have mentioned incorporating a way to vote for or submit proposals online but it hasn’t been discussed since.
David M. felt that no one seems to be working on issues brought to the GA.
Maria made a PROPOSAL TO MOVE LOGISTICS TO THE BACK OF THE GA AND USE THE NEXT 3 DAYS FOR VISIONING. CONSENSUS REACHED!!!!! Steve, John, David, Liz, and Kassandra will be working on structuring this discussion. Please contact the general listserv or one of these individuals if interested!
William mentioned that we are sparking the interest of many people and that we are getting people to listen to us, but doesn’t feel his viewpoints are included or respected by what many say and he wants to give imput.
Michal asked how do we talk about outreach when we all feel differently.
Stevie, who has been to a few meetings, wants to see more fun come out of this in the form of plays, skits, and entertainment.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
TRASH PICK-UP Becca noted there are bags of trash and recycling that need to be taken off-site, please step up and do your part to keep the occupation clean!
USTREAM If you want your Smart Phone or I-Phone to be able to Ustream, please see or contact Becca so she can set it up for you.
COMMUNITY BIKES John has taken security measures for our donated bikes. He has the info for the combination lock and a sign-up sheet. Please see John for more information!!!
NEW AGENDA ITEM TOMORROW Stephanie wants to discuss Peter’s idea of proposals coming from workgroups.
THANKSGIVING FOR OCCUPIERS Charles offered to have any interested Occupiers at his Thanksgiving dinner. Please contact Charles if interested so he can plan accordingly!!!
SECOND VETERAN ATTACKED David M. announced that there was another violent action taken against a Veteran during the protest. Here is an article related to the event, or see David for more details.
INCIDENT AT OAKLAND David M. mentioned that there was an incident at an Oakland protest where protesters smashed windows at a Whole Foods Market and other protesters called the cops on these protesters. See David for more details.
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