GA/Minutes/29

Jorge introduction to GA

Proposals Passed:


 * Legal team will be preparing an injunction on our behalf to prevent BPD from evicting us from Dewey Square.
 * Winterization will be purchasing one large tent to replace our current kitchen tent, more tents to follow if this one works out.
 * Financial Accountability WG will license a DBA in the name of Occupy Boston.
 * Paul Carnes & Sydney Sherrell are officially banned from speaking for Occupy Boston and are Removed from the camp.

WG announcements       winterization:     we've been authorized of last week up to 5000 to purchase 4 tents, we've found them and are ready order --   but we've found new info need revisions; want to repropose to get feedback  greenway requirements; there is a limit of 10'x10' footprint for any tent, anything larger will be taken down  all we were going to order were too large; we've been thinking of ordering the kitchen tent anyway   this would be a risk  we could order all, which would be unlikely  we could order a number of smaller ones and stitch them together somehow   this would be more expensive  come talk to us during the next half an hour or so  asks for a temperature check;   no on buying all 4   some support on buying the kitchen tent  we want your feedback in the next half an hour; we need your permission before we risk your money   a little more support for buying the smaller tents        financial accountability WG:     want to clarify any ambiguity of section 3 from the agreement (about Paul's request to do fundraising)  had some flowery language, we want to be really clear  Paul can ONLY do fundraising w/ the approval of the GA  furthermore, fundraising w/o our approval is a violation of the agreement   this would have severe consequences        food:     pls donate, we need cooked food  we're still finding food around camp pls bring bowls to kitchen  we need dishwashers  ppl are taking food after midnight, not fair; we are a COMMUNITY we have to work together  no food after midnight, sorry, we open at 8a for breakfast  we will be open all winter we need volunteers we need your help        indiv announcements        Bill:     tank you for not disc I feel very welcome here  invite you to join w/ eldery and ppl w disabilities on 11/9 we are saying to Fed Gov KEEP OUR SOC SEC AND MEDICARE/AID  the committee of 12 inc sen Kerry are planning on cutting this  not our fault, fault of the corporations! we'd like a march after 11a at the wang center wed 11/9       (cut to WG annouc)        Outreach:     we're restruct to cons int and ext comm  if you're part of union, non profit, faith group, come to our mtg  prb sat @ 6p we will announce  come talk to me we need volunteers, chk website for details        (back to Indiv Announc)        Cowboy     from Occ Worcester  on saturday we're going to try and take city and the commons  if we get enough support the mayor says we can have them  need ppl to come to Wor for a couple days to get even more support and less resistance  let me know if you're interested  I'll be leaving like halfway through‚Ä¶thank you! Michael    Michael Caine tenant organizer for the past 40 yrs w/ mass alliance of HUD tenants  we're affected by the supercommittee; Kerry is on the verge of selling us all out! we are sending a message to Kerry and Brown, no cuts, raise taxes on 1%, cut the military and create jobs brown is opposes to any increase in taxes on the rich and any cuts to military budget  we will send them a message on election day tuesday 11/8  45,000 ppl will be showing up at polling places acc city  tent comma leaders and peace activists will be showing up, hopefully you too  this is a chance to send your message, Occupy Polling Places across the city  if we had 80 ppl for 12 hours we could reach 30,000 ppl in one day! we need vol in early am and evening passes out pamphlets, pls come talk to me     Rita     more clarification, we need to make sure that everyone is clear on the agreement  Paul Carnes and Sydney are NOT on the FAWG, not dealing w/ any money  they cannot do any business in our name w/o GA     Phillip     everyone that lives here know who I am  want to remind everyone that the GA of the Occupiers (ppl who live here)  is tmrw at 1p           On to the Proposal Process! (explanation of consensus)       first up: LEGAL     ursula, from NLG  made the announce on Tuesday from Legal;  NLG and Legal have been worried about future of this camp and OB movement  therefore we've been con legal action to make sure camp is safe and eveyron'e sconstituiontal rights are protected  today we are proposing:     Legal proposes OB and any indiv be press by NLG and ACLU and others in a lawsuit to obtain injection to protect our 1A rights  and prevent our removal from the site. putting this proposal to your vote! (breakup into groups)       (on to Qs)     Q: some of us have been working w/ City Hall and drafted a letter for Menino. do you have a copy of that? have you considered asking him to sign instead of suing? A: no problem; we want to be prepared. it takes a long time to prepare a lawsuit, we want to be ready for that when it's absolutely necessary, to be used when all other methods have failed. if you have this letter-- (Q agrees to email letter)     Q: if there is a blizzard and a state of emergency is declared, would this prevent us from being evicted? A: it might, we don't know. these details would be addressed in court. Q: if this suit happens and if it not successful does that put us at greater risk for them coming and saying there's no protection, let's get rid of them? A: if we lose, we would be in the same situation, no difference. Q: will you in addition protect the homeless seeking housing who cannot have-- clarification -- if you cannot be addressed b/c you cannot have a query (sp?) against you and you're also homeless, would this action help protect you? A: this lawsuit is asking for injunction, protection; we might get a court order that the city would not raid camp, do mass arrests, remove ppl from camp. else we go to sq 1. Q: are you looking for specific ppl who will come forward to be part of the lawsuit? if so what are some of the characteristics that you're hoping for, and how do I volunteer? A: yes, we are looking for individuals to be plaintiffs. best are ppl who stay on the camp and sleep here, but even those who are here during days or those who are afraid to be here b/c of possible raids. best are those whose backgrounds will not be questioned by those on the other side. those who want to be plaintiffs pls after this we could talk after the vote. Q: are you asking for this with the understanding that we're giving you the authority to decide when to use it? A: we are not asking for that kind of authority, just to be ready for whenever we all think it is time to file. Q again: so why not wait until that time? A: we are; it takes a really long time to prepare a lawsuit, don't want to wait and not be ready if there is a situation that requires some action. if we started preparing a lawsuit then it might be too late. idea to have everything ready and when it's time we file. Q: what would this require from us in terms of resources of the camp? A: none. done by volunteer attorneys, law students, paralegals who are researching this around the country and here the local laws. the volunteer legal professionals will do on their own and pro boon, absolutely no cost. Q: have you considered ways for the plaintiffs to be chosen by consensus? A: they will represent themselves. we want to list OB as a movement to be protected. but we're not a legal entity so cannot be a plaintiff. any indiv who is an activist and a part of the move who wants their rights protected and be allowed to stay at ANY Occupy site they will be able to go to court to ask to have their right to stay in a place and express their political opinions, don't need consensus for individuals; anyone can go and be a plaintiff. Q: so you won't be choosing plaintiffs as the legal team, you'll just let anybody represent OB the movement? A: these indiv will not be on behalf of OB just there to represent themselves as members of the movement. Q: would we be stronger in court if we were a legal entity? A: not sure, to become a LE is a long process. we don't know what would happen until that happens. Q: is there any legal action that the NLG can do to prevent the city from enacting a raid w/ very short notice? like to offer a window of 24 to 48 hrs before a raid? A: we have lawyers in the NLG, most don't want to have lawsuits! we don't want to be forced to file a lawsuit. to show that we are good ppl we want to talk in good faith we talk to the city we call them on monday and ask if it would be possible for the city to notify us of any potential raid, and if it would be possible to notify 72 hrs before the raid. today they responded "No, b/c the mayor doesn't want to have his hands tied." Q: what is this potential raid stuff? are they saying they're going to take an action? A: no they're not saying it but a month ago they raided the second camp and didn't tell us they were planning to. (Info)    none        (concerns)     none        (supports)     S: originally I was dubious, b/c I thought it was going to be started now, and if we lost, we might be in a worst position -- but the clarification that this is preparatory and it wouldn't be filled at a time at which we couldn't be worse off, I think it's a really good proposal. S: I think it's imp to defend the camp in any way, inc legal, we should prepared for anything and this is an important step for that. we should vote for this. S: I met w/ Legal last wk they asked for volunteers of ppl who lived here; I was the only person so I volunteered that the condition that it not be unilateral w/o consensus, so Ursula personally came down to make this proposal. S: I don't live here (wish I did) and I strongly support this proposal b/c we need to use every means necessary to protect this camp. S: I was arrested last month, and I really wish this had been in place then. S: I believe it would contribute not only to the long term safety of OB but also offer a way for other cities to implement similar proposes that would contribute to the long term existence of the movement as a whole. (amends)    A: add explicit language to the proposal regarding states of emergency. A: we should raise money if you get arrested so that you can be bailed out. A: we should not include language about states of emergency, that should be a separate proposal b/c that is very detailed. (break to discuss)       Legal: we choose to present as is. (Qs)    Q: just wondering, what's the timescale? A: we don't know, we'd like as soon as possible, but we don't know. (Info) (Concerns)  (Supports)     S: it's really awesome that they're willing to do this for us so we should pass this, it seems like a really obvious, awesome gift that they're willing to give us. (chk for quorum)    (chk for blocks)     (chk for consensus)     Consensus Achieved! Proposal passes. next up: Winterization    propose to order the one large tent; the restriction comes from the Greenway who have been somewhat agreeable. we think that they would understand the foodtent. also it's already there and in a ramshackle state, so we're improving its sanitation. limiting to the one tent costing $825+shipping, probably $1000; max limit is $1250 again, not spending extra money just warning you that this isn't guaranteed to stand and may be taken away  proposal is to buy this one tent and hope it doesn't get taken down. Qs: if the Greenway has been so amenable to working with us already, does it make sense to ask them if we can put a smaller tent where the food tent is now? A: well the food tent needs enough room to be functional; we did consider asking them but decided it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Q: didn't you say the tent you're ordering is smaller than the current food tent? A: it is but not by much. it's 16'x32', this one is 20'x32'. Q: what will happen regarding the remainder of the money that was previously allotted? A: winterization group is also frustrated and under a lot of pressure, so we know we need to get on this. but this is a new hangup and the rest of the money -- we're going to wait and see how this tent flies. if there's no problem with this one we'll use the money to buy the rest of the tents. Q: what function would the other tents have during the day when they're not being used? A: the other tents are full time WG tents (media logistics medical)    Q: since there's a likelihood of the tent being taken away do we think it's a good idea to have numbers on the ground to provide some sort of social defense if it happens to be in danger of being taken away. A: the city gave us notice when the info tent was taken down. we would have time to deal with it. Q: to clarify I am willing to defend this tent b/c food is really important.if they're really going to take away a tent that facilitates how we give away food I will defend that and so will others. A: winterization will not stop you from defending it. I: Food is very important. (no concerns)       S: I almost personally would be willing risk arrest to defend something that is sheltering food. that is really important. we're feeding ppl that can't get food by any other means. I'd like to see them try and take it away w/ ppl here to defend it. I don't think they'll take it away. S: I'm on winterization. I feel we discussed this thoroughly and this is the best choice. A: add that if the camp is given notice that the tent need sot come down then either winterization or logistics will make sure that everyone gets this info as quick as possible to give the communitiy the pop to defend the tent. (break to discuss)       Winterization:  we accept the amend. (restate amended proposal)    Q; if this passes when will the tent be ordered? A: possible tonight; we already had a purchase order ready. tonight or tmrw, shipping means it would probably arrive tuesday. (no info)       S: Strong support! C: could we let legal know in case we need backup? (chk for blocks)    (chk for quorum)     (chk for consensus)     Consensus achieved! Proposal has passed. This is, in fact, what democracy looks like. Financial Accountability Working Group Proposal    we were authorized to mediate w/ good ol' Paul. he was supposed to dissolve the employer ID number, the DBA Occupy Boston he had, and transfer funds to our acct. he has done all three. am bringing this to you now b/c the agreement says the mediator will hold on to the DBA passes consensus on what to do with it. again, I'm from FAWG; this DBA has not been dissolved, so here's my Prop    Be that ther e is a signed DBA w/ OB, and b that there is a signed and notarized withdrawal of DBA w/ OB, OB's FAWG that this withdrawal of DBA be filed and registered w/ city hall. furthermore we propose that once said DBA is filed, on behalf of OB, members of FAWG file and sign a new DBA in the name of OB to hold and protect said name from this point forward. Q: whose name will go on the new DBA? A: FAWG suggests that several members put their names on. exact number TBD. Q: will you bring forth (srsly?) the names of the ppl who will be on it? A: yes we'll scan the document and post it to the wiki. (clarifying Q on how money will be distributed; explanation of a DBA and unrelatedness to the credit union)       I: You can propose large expenditures to the GA to spend everyone's money. I: The cash disbursement policy passed a few weeks ago said how WG get $100/wk; also said any individual can request funds and come before the GA. there is a form to fill out. (no concerns)       S: I agree that this proposal seems kind of moot, but is in the interest of transparency; that's why I support it. S: I very strongly agree with this proposal b/c it actually blocks anyone else from assuming our identity. S: we fought a long way to get here, we need the name of the DBA in OB and for OB to own the trademark Occupy Boston (‚Ñ¢) so it's back to the ppl. A: amend that members of other working groups also be included on the DBA. (proposal is restated; amended that the DBA will include as many names from ppl in WGs as possible)       (no Qs)        (no Info)        C: I hear a rumor that we're about to be closed down‚Ä¶(interrupted by PoP; moved to indiv stack)        S: I strongly support this. (chk for blocks)    (chk for consensus)     Consensus achieved! Proposal has passed! (The crowd is abuzz at having passed 3 proposals‚Ä¶)          Ad Hoc Citizens WG     Proposal to ban Paul and Sydney from speaking for OB. whereas they've been doing this, and mediation has tried to stop him, and he's been representing us at Cleveland; and he passed out a flyer yesterday that was not approved by anyone; (see www.paulcarnes.com)  whereas they've been setting up fraudulent fundraisers, and removing their bad publicity, and are still etc. etc. really bad ppl  so we don't want him to represent us or speak for us or handle any supplies or finances in anyway. if they seek to do so we will continue to yell about them. temp check on declaration of grievances; ADCWG reads them out. it takes a while. receipts on his fraudulent activities are available. Q: can you repeat the punitive portion of this proposals? A: he cannot represent/spk for us or handle any supplies or finances or so on etc. Q: I'm from food, if this passes that means I would not take any food from Paul? A: doesn't say food. his food he brought would probably be poisoned. I: Paul is in New York right now at OWS claiming to represent us    I: I have a contact on the NY finance committee, I'm in process of contacting. 2nd, at no point during the mediation did FAWG allow Paul or Syd back in the WG. that statement is false. I: ther's a pile of info and evidence here, but if you need more, I have the cached versions of the website that he has since taken down here on my laptop if anyone needs to see him. I: last I looked at paulfetch.com it was under the control of Anonymous. I: there are lots of ways to disseminate this info to other occupies. C: I am concerned that we accuse his website of being fraudulent. C: I am concerned that this isn't punitive enough. S: wooooooh! A: add that all WG and indiv are enc not to accept any donations from Paul or Syd    A: I think he just not be allowed here. A: prop that the language state that his websites misrepresent themselves. A: prop that w continue to dissem this info about P&S to other Occupies       (break to discuss)        Announcements  Sherry:  I have this Good Neighbor agreement; I feel that not everyone is adhering to this rule. we have to! doesn't matter legal consequences, it gives someone an excuse to shut us down. take your personal convictions of why you might partake, but consider the movement and those who would use it against OB. Carlos: there are these incidents, situations that everyone think s they're in control of but are really not. no matter ho much process we couldn't defuse these situations. those entrusted w/ the process use it to their agenda. knowledge of violence w/o action is a prob, allowing a person w/ violent tendencies is a problem. knowledge of a potentially violent situation is a problem. we invite others into the camp so we have to ensure it's safe. to enable and ignore the problems is bad. achieving solidarity is a good thing. in the short term, maintaining peace and creating a functional community so that we can comm w/ the powers that be. it is apparent that we have not taken the camp from the problems that plague the streets, communities, etc. every night there is a new incident and they are darkening our camp. we may be loyal to the movement but loyalty to those who have trusted us w/ donations is utmost importance. there are those who want to discredit us. doing nothing discredits us. our process is imperfect, but is what we agreed to. we must be united and enforce this unity. there is no other way. (resounding applause)       (restatement of proposal; amend that we will comm w/ other Occupies and evict P&S)     Q: is there anyway to find out if either of these two have a criminal history involving fraud? A: possibly but we're focusing on this here    Q: would this stop those two from coming to GA getting on stack and speaking to the GA like everyone else? A: I guess we'd have to look into the eviction (correction: removal) process. (short answer: yes)    Q: I heard that P&S were they to do more business on our behalf would be reported as not representing OB, but they have already misrepresented OB, and should that not be noted? A: It is. I: New York is already aware, we will take legal action. I: FAWG has a lawyer acting as a consultant and has prepared legal action specifically for 2 main thing. first, P&S closed the acct through mediation. also he's prepared in case Paul says he represents us. so if needed, we could file that. C: it doesn't really say that Paul can't get on stack. I don't think he should be able to and waste our time. C: is this is a precedent we're setting, barring someone from speaking on stack? that's a serious consideration. C: the removal process was voted on at another GA, this is not setting that precedent except by invoking the previous consensus. S: I could not possibly support this than I am doing right now. by not doing this we're actually setting precedent to let anybody do whatever they want and use our own process against us. (no amendments)    (chk for quorum)     (chk for consensus)     Consensus has been achieved! Proposal passed! Who's belocco cookie? Our belocco cookie! Ilana (individual proposal) am looking for finances. I have bumper stickers, previously donated $175 worth of "we are the 99%" stickers. I asked for donations and gave it to the fun, they went quickly. I could get more for $220 and we could ask for donations. it would all go to the fund. would have slogan + website. Q: is that the best price? A: I've looked around, best I could find. happy if someone finds better. Q: where from? A: small shop in Union Sq. (no info)       (no concerns)        (no support)        A: I'd like to see www.occupywallst.org on the sticker as well, or perhaps in place of www.occupyboston.org     (Concern: if we start giving way goods in exchange for money that'd be commerce, and we previously decided at a GA that wouldn't be condoned.)     A: I suggest we use Occupy Together instead of the other two. A: You should make posters up that represent OWS and OB. That's fair. A: I propose that this amend ^^ be a diff proposal. (break for discuss)       Announcement: this is Occupation Baby, she went into labor and he water broke onsite. he name is Darius Lee, 7lb 5oz, and he is the Baby of the REVOLUTION. (restatement of proposal)       C: sometimes ppl drive like assholes‚Ä¶they may be poor advocates for us‚Ä¶        A: can we put both cities on the bumper stickers? (chk for quorum)    Quorum has been lost. on to individual stack. the proposal will be presented again saturday. Individual Stack    John: we have a trash situation. we need to start buying garbage bags and picking up trash. I strongly encourage a solution. safety announcement from carlos is TBD. Marty: love and gratitude! thx for sticking around. wanted to tell you about indigenous peoples' outreach. mtg tmrw night @ 6p upstairs South Station; decolonizeboston@gmail.com we've been invited to national day of mourning at Plymouth, happens every year at thanksgiving. check the wiki. peace. Forest: working w someone who wants to propose a family day some time in the near future. would involve hula hoops‚Ä¶just wanted to throw it out there. stay tuned. Angela: Props to Jorge, props. Ilana: temp chk on is this worth pursuing? thank you.