WG/Strategies/Anti-Oppression/Minutes/Oct 30 2011

Anti-Oppression Working Group

Meeting Notes - October 30, 2011 Agenda Check-in (10) -Chose scribe, note taker, time watcher, etc -Go around: name, oops & ouch moment

   Cathy, Michelle, Irene, Carolina, Stecia, Zoe, Nicole, Mezk, Maureen, Chris, Ester, Susie H, Bobyn, Michael M.

Ground rules & discussion (30) 1. Step up, Step back

   -Facilitators can help w/ this
   -Its hard work

2. Active listening

   -Actively engaging with speaker: nodding, affirmative gestures
   -Don’t multi-task while someone else is speaking
   -Possible: not raising hand until someone else is finished speaking

3. Allow Space for disagreement 4. Don’t blame/ shame/ attack 5. Speak for yourself, Use I statements 6. Progressive Stack & Diversity of facilitation techniques

   -Have people who self-identify with marginalized groups put higher on the stack
   -EX: people of color, woman, trans, queer, …
   -ALSO, can put people who have talked a lot lower on stack … Facilitators
   -Discuss this ahead of time so it is not on facilitator to decide how to manage

7. Practice ‘both/ and’ thinking not just ‘either/ or’

   -more than 1 reality exists

 EX-should we go to gov. and beg/ ask for stuff or create our own world…  actually both are possible
   -be mindful of ‘neither/ nor’ possibility
      EX: glass half full, half empty?  One could also say: glass is partly full of water and partly full of air
  

8. Oops, Ouch, What’s up with that? (& positive hand gestures)

   -What’s up with that?:  if something may be an ouch, this is an option that asks for clarification and can open up discussion

Create toolbox: -ethics of groundrules -specific practices and ideas that we have used/ going to use to diversify facilitation techniques ---WHO WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON THIS?

Not going to include Assume best intentions

   -might not leave room for disscussion

Working Group Updates (15) Women’s Caucus -currently a space for females -purpose -creating a process: discussion about how we are going to decide things -100 listening; 15-40 in meetings -being visible at camp & accountable in decision making

Occupy the Hood -No update on internal discussion -In email: Occupy the Hood would like to ask people to endorse electoral candidates -Questions about relationship between Occupy Boston and Occupy the Hood

   -is it an event or a working group?
   -it looks like it is an ongoing group

-Centrally controlled group, mainly around Jamal Crawford -Term has roots in NY (Malcolm X … Center)

Anarchist Caucus -Concern expressed over people always wearing masks…

   -it is a tactic that may loose its effectiveness
   -people wearing masks may not identify as anarchists

-hierarchies in media group -Moving to other spaces

   -privately owned or foreclosed spaces
   -legality of these things

People of Color -to ally with Occupy the Hood or not? -have had 4 meetings -working towards statement of purpose -homelessness issue

Community Organization group -Monday meetings in the past -Next meeting Tuesday November 1 -Purpose of group: possibly moving in direction of becoming more action-oriented --Still being discussed

Statements of purpose -formed to be the group to work on an Anti-Oppression statement of purpose -take ‘skeleton’ of ideas they have come up with, and discuss them with other groups. -have Saturday and Sunday meetings in the future -once Statement of Purpose is completed, the group plans to dissolve Transparency Group -from emails: having meeting Tuesday (we think) -trying to figure out regular meeting times for groups and possibly posting them somewhere else

Queer/ Trans Caucus -working on putting up Anti-Oppression signs up around camp -this group is meeting now… Can anyone fill in?

Allies against racism, White Allies -Question over the existence of group

Occupy Racism conference call -anti-racism work at occupations -messy at most other occupations … but everyone is doing work! -developing email/ resource sharing page -wants to stay connected to Anti-Oppression group

National conference call: Action about Foreclosures -Occupy folks and community groups -Two calls so far -City Life has been on this call -Seems that people are using City Life model without talking to City Life first -Possible Day of Action Nov. 21, 22, 23 -national calls about coordinating actions…

   -possibility of elite group arising that
   -how do people find out about these calls?

Youth Group

Choosing Direction (30) -4 broad categories of what this group could be …. ?? -Network group -increase transparency of anti-oppression group -increase visibility of work being done (by many groups) around anti-oppression -empower accountability at camp -offer AO training & facilitation -offer a safe space -Coordinate between AO working groups (internal) and reach out to other groups (external) -what can we do for anti-oppression now?

   -doing actions we think are needed

-posting anti-oppression ground rules on your tent -there is a Protest-Chaplan group -are we going to ‘put out fires’ at camp? -hopes that Safety group does not mirror oppressive ways of this country’s police force -leadership in dealing with urgent issues as well as developing long term strategy... as a group, we want to do both -we are meeting people and creating relationships throughout this process

Message for Reps (20) Choosing Reps (5)

Closing Out (10) Go-Round of thoughts -there are real emotions at stake -learning from these meetings and shaping interactions -here to contribute b/c I cannot be on the ground that much -questions about if groups will stay together after this; not feeling excited about doing task-oriented stuff at occupy, but want to work towards it -made a lot of connections, hope to keep them over time -oil-can with dynamite flying through space… will not last forever in this form -grateful for this group as a space for reflection; movement moment: need to deal with fast-paced work here -commitment to this, very involved in on the ground work and it is tiring but I am going to continue -urgency.. need to not worry about outcomes and just do my work -we have won so much already! Claim our victories, reflection time, and take care of each other -I appreciate that this group exists. ?s over long term strategy -Learning space, want to contribute -gentle entry into this movement

Next meeting: Saturday 10/5