GA Minutes Sun Dec 4, 2011

12/14/2011 GA Minutes

Copied from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ciK7rV3E5qjohTV19ekI8A3dWp38hz6JU45q5RP15MM/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

“Wiggle your fingers down and make little squids” -B

Announcements:

Working Groups:

Signs: Tent moved to Gandhi way. Needs volunteers, see someone from signs

Winterization: 50 fire alarms donated. Police tried to stop fire alarms. Recorded police while bringing in fire alarms. We now have fire alarms. Inviting police chief and media and mayor tomorrow to bring in 16x16 military tent. Tomorrow at noon (monday 12/5). Need witnesses to bring in tent. Let injustice of city speak for self

occupy tv: meeting wed 9 at gandhi for local acess channel, also need a host for the show auditions on wed

men and father WG: starting it up. Contact thru fatherhoodcoalion.org. Working to overturn abuse prevention law.

FAWG: being sued by paul carnes, entirety of FAWG. A few FAWG members and mediator got sued two weeks ago and nothing happened, hurt mediator most. Suit added all of FAWG and dropped mediator. Paul trying to do business as Occupies without permission. Starting to announce financials and transactions at GAs. More volunteers needed for FAWG. Post finances of group every week on Friday in library. Paul seeking 2 million dollars for character destruction and emotional damage. In savings: 45000. second savings: 20. Checking: ? General fund:5000 Total about 70000

Food: Need volunteers! Need more nutritional, hot meals. Encourage people to bring food. Bring food in coolers to keep temp hot/cold. Encourage all kinds of food at this point. Meeting tomorrow at food tent at 6pm

Street: meeting tues 5pm location NA more at info tent ASAP. Planning new actions also.

Facilitation: Weekend GAs now at 5. In case of eviction: 8:15AM at new chardon. Nighttime at 7 at bandstand on common

Nonviolence: Every week at gandhi then mezzanine at 1 on wednesday. Nonviolence experts coming thursday december 8th RSVP email: bostonactiontrainings@riseup.net phone:

Radio: tomorrow at 4-6pm meet at gandhi. Everyone invited! On internet radio

CupA: Meet neighbors over a Cup A' at UDG meet at gandhi at 5PM Monday

DA: civil dis training every monday wed fri at . one tonight after GA

Women's Caucus: dispelling rumor: You do not need to be a member of caucus or go to meetings to sleep in Women's tent. Tent does have rules though! 6 spaces. Sign up at logistics

Media: need more volunteers! Need to talk to media or blogs and work on online things.

Safety: got radios in. go to john if you want to sign up for safety overnights. Daily safety meetings at 6:30. Come to tent party! Pick up trash tomorrow

Individual announcements

B (male): about repayal of $100 ticket to skateboarder- now in limbo- but family wants to pay it

Harry: tomorrow at 645 am trip leaving to DC. Going to be 5000 ppl. Protest all invited. Pickup at 645 am on atlantic ave. all expenses paid. Come back on friday. There will be a camp of everythat goes. Every staying in heatted miliatry tent. Food off camp. Dorm option for disabled first then others may apply. Occupy DC much about ending foreclosure.

B (female): representing thise whio plead not guilty, about 20, on mass arrests. Giving OB ownership. Want to get media and others involved. December 16, 9AM Prelim hearing at new chardon courthouse to see if charges go forward. Meeting tomorrw night 630 at gandhi

Jeff: organizing singalongs fridays at noon. Caroling this coming friday. A play being done tonight at plaza, if you want to be involved ask jeff.

Proposals

First from Fawg: new process to acquirefunds for authorized WGs.

the WG completes a request for OB working group funding authorization form, which includes at a minimum

• name of wg
• mission and goals
• wg email
• names and email of wg members (dropped off proposal)
• names and email of 3 (originally 2) FAWG liaisons who are responsible for acquring funds
• weekly meeting schedule of wg
• proposed or typical expenses of wg
• fawg reviews form for completeness
• then uses consensus to approve funds

a wg can bring it up a second time if denied funds. If denied a second time, can go to GA

We suggest that wg members come to FAWG meetings once a month

Clarifying questions:

Why this form includes a list of core members? Why is it necessary for funding?

Each wg has a group of core members, while many ppl are in multiple, but they have core members. A little safety check to see that people are really involved and that it is actually happening. Transparency mechanism

Have you basically been approving all requests until now?

Safety check right now is two signatures

how many groups have availed themselves of the disbursements? Whgen do you meet?

Meetings: monday and wednesday: 6-8 mezzanine at SS thurs: at 3pm 470 atlantic ave

weekend stipends have cost around 3 thousand. Maybe 15 to 20 wgs have requested money

Does this that only ppl who's names who nare on the form at fawg liaisons can sign off on funding requests?

For accountability and consistency and cash dispersal policy. Also needs receipts back and change. Is policy isnt followed wg needs a new liaisons

what was your intention in requiring wg members to come to at least one fawg meeting a month?

Accountability and transparency

Concerns:

• how will fawg decide? If the form is filled out.
• Let's just wing it
• it seems kind of restricting for groups that don't really don't need to spend
• groups that do need money quickly, won't be able to get it quickly
• unnecessary bureaucracy
• authorized liasons would create de facto hierarchy
• not enough time to go to a monthly fawg meeting

Statements of support

• addresses potential problem
• concerned about “googling the cost of items grou”
• better than what comes before
• accountability goes with our feeling and mission
• propose “I need 100 a week group”

Amendments

• possible liasons rotated
• only reject requests in case of serious concern
• medical to have absolute priority
• not be core members but members willing to communicate
• try to raise the money you really need/if not come to GA
• merge core members list with the liasons list, rotate people, simplify this
• too much to stay through one fawg meeting a month—every working group will designate a core working group to meet with fawg and stay in touch with fawg
• merge two lists but do not put a limit on the number of people—no upper or lower limit
• abolish both lists, ask that at least two members of a group sign off on request
• propose ground for rejection that fawg doesn't understand how proposals relate to the mission of the group

Individual stack

Uma, San Diego—they're not allowed to have anything there, a voter registration was removed from site there last week, there's always police occupying everywhere, people in the city are threatening to impeach the mayor because he's spent 2.6 million

public health and safety festival—noon Monday December 5—invitation to mayor, fire department, police and health department

priority proposal coming up on Saturday for march on Washington in March, need to lead the country on this

humbly request NO SMOKING done on site

Mike—I love you all

Jeff- sings the song is called “Sit Down”

Poem

Justin: Let's discuss what's going to everything we have here if we get raided

FAWG Proposal

Not intended to set up hierarchy of liaisons, more for convenience and establish relationships. Liaisons should have no monetary decisions. Transparency should filter out corruption of liaisons.

Addressing too much restriction: needs some restriction

regarding increasing budgets: it should be separate

FAWG keeping eyes on all working groups

No questions, points of info, concerns

Statements of support:

-if this works best for you, good

-appreciate accommodation of concerns

Amendments: None

Vote:

No blocks

FAWG Proposal on restructuring budget request process: PASSED

Signs Proposal: Signs WG will be able to withdraw money from FAWG if we are raided and the signs group loses everything. The goal is to get our message back into the street after a raid with immediacy. Signs is asking for a potential $500 after a raid.

Concerns:

Is it possible that we can get donations?

Maybe, but we may need to replace everything that has built up over 2 months

Would it be confiscated as building materials?

Signs material no building materials as deemed by police

People should look for cardboard being thrown out

Support:

He did a lot of homework and I like making signs

I appreciate being proactive

The point of being here is getting message out and this is directly related.

Then we don't have to scavenge

it will allow a continuance of our message deliverance

Amendment:

have a meeting after a raid where all this material will be brought

Two individuals can collect a shit ton of cardboard if not arrested

EMERGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT:

Two kids ran away from home: MAYBE LAYING LOW HERE. 5'7” thin wearing black hoodie with with thing on front 13 (conor) 5'6” dirty blonde hair 14 (laura)

RETURN TO SCHEDULED PROGRAM

Addressing Amendments:

probably couldn't have money until after court solidarity. NEED SHIT TON OF CARDBOARD ALWAYS

NO questions, info, concerns, support

Proposal will not be read again

No blocks

We can live with this

Quorum Check:

No quorum

Temperature check: IT VERY IS COLD

Medical Research Proposal:

We believe the gov't should spend at least as much money on medical research as they do on military research.

We spoke no longer on this proposal

Daniel says alex has something to say

Alex is speaking