WG/Facilitation/Proposals/Priority Process

Priority Process Proposal

consented to by Occupy Boston’s General Assembly, on 11/8/11

For Occupy Boston proposals to: reflect more voices and broader ownership; to strive for an inclusive process; to allow the Assembly to be more informed about and better prepared for hearing and voting on proposals; to help Occupy Boston participants plan to attend specific General Assemblies so they can vote on proposals of interest; to help those making proposals gain practice presenting; and to better the likelihood of passage; the Facilitator Working Group recommends a Priority Proposal process.

We strongly encourage everyone to make proposals, particularly those from historically oppressed communities. We think this process helps to ensure that your voice will be heard. Please note:


 * Emergency proposals, e.g., from Safety, Medics, Legal, etc., will continue to get immediate attention.


 * Working Groups and individuals may still bring proposals to the GA, without submitting to this new process, they simply will not have priority status on the agenda.


 * On non-GA evenings, facilitators will be available (at the 5:00 PM FWG meeting) to assist with all of the below steps, including helping you with writing the proposal, typing it, posting it online, and printing copies, to the best of our ability.

We propose the following steps to achieve priority status for a proposal:

 post the proposal on the OccupyBoston wiki and utilize other appropriate technology, and make physical copies available at the camp Library and Info tent; schedule and post online and at camp Library and Info tent, the date of a public meeting at which the proposal will be reviewed and taken through the consensus process. (Individuals can host meetings) This public meeting must be held at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled GA; do outreach to all WGs to let them know you have a proposal in the pipeline and would like their input; schedule and post online, and at the camp Library and Info tent, the date of the GA at which the proposal will be presented.  
 * 1) Decide if you want your proposal to receive priority status. Anyone, whether a group or an individual, can make proposals and gain priority status. Pre-announced, pre-posted, pre-scheduled proposals which have had publicly announced meetings and passed consensus at the public meeting, will be considered prior to other proposals at General Assemblies.
 * 2) First Steps (at least 4 days prior to presenting at GA):

 that you are preparing a proposal; the subject of the proposal and that it is posted online, and that copies are available at the Library and Info tent; the date of the public meeting;</li> the date the proposal will be presented to the GA.</li> </ol>
 * 1) Announce at the earliest possible evening GA,

<ol style="list-style-type:lower-alpha;"> state the need the proposal is addressing;</li> assess whether the idea, action, or process under consideration is deemed to be a proposal, rather than an announcement, and if so;</li> document all objections and amendments;</li> explain how objections were addressed; (Objections must remain on a public list so that, if the proposal cannot address them and is still consented to, the community knows that there are outstanding concerns/objections to address.)</li> explain whether or why not amendments were adopted.</li> Aal documentation is posted online and at the camp Library and Info tent.s</li> </ol>
 * 1) Conduct a full consensus WG meeting where you


 * 1) If the proposal has reached consensus at the public meeting, present it, as previously announced, at the pre-scheduled GA.
 * 2) If the proposal did not reach consensus at the public meeting, post that result online, and at the camp Library and Info tent, and announce at the next available GA that the proposal will not be presented on the previously scheduled GA date, OR that you will still bring the proposal to the GA, but it will not be given priority status.
 * 3) Only 2 Priority Proposals can be scheduled at any one General Assembly.