GA Minutes Sat June 16 2012

Minutes for 16 June 2012

Details

Location: Boston Commons
Time: 5pm --
Note taker: Steve

Summary

Around 30 people present. We discussed three proposals related to S17.

Announcments

Dana. A few people have gotten messages from our mailing lists that say "please click here to unsubscribe from <name-of-mailing-list>". Here's what we think is happening: each @lists.occupyboston.org message has a footer with a user-specific unsubscribe link. Most of the time, people leave these unsubscribe links in when replying to messages. We think that people are just clicking on each other's unsubscribe links. It's most likely accidental, not malicious.

You can ignore the "please click here to unsubscribe messages"; if you don't do anything, you stay subscribed. And please try to tell your working groups about this.

Murph. We're having a whiffle ball game tomorrow. Copley sq at 1pm. Last week it was Anonymous vs Black block, and a couple of non-ob people joined the game. We had a good time.

Eden. There's an Occupy Monstanto event this week, at the International Bio Tech conference in boston. Several groups are behind this. We'll protest from 8am - 1pm outside the world trade center on Summer Street. At 2pm we'll be at the Hynes Convention center (where a Student Job fair is being held).

Monday 8am - 1pm is the big event. We're working on some skits and street theatre. If you'd like to be part of that, come to SAA tomorrow (Sunday). We'll start preparing early, at 4pm

Michelle (From Occupy NH). There'a a 9/1/2012 action, protesting a tar sands pipeline that will cut across New England, from Canada to Maine. This will me more of a retreat. You'll get to meet people from other Occupys, and from different environmental groups. See http://facebook.com/HandsAcrossNH or http://handsacrossnh.wordpress.com, or @handsacrossnh.

Linda. The Bank Action working group meets Wednesdays 6:30pm at Copley Square. We're planning two actions: one on July 2nd, and one on July 9th. These will most likely take place during rush hour. Please come to our meetings if you're interested in taking part.

Allie. In November, there will be an Anarchists Book fair @ Simmons College. We need help organizing this. Email allie @ occupyboston.org if you're interested.

Proposals

There are three S17 proposals on stack. Two will use the traditional proposal process. The third is a discussion proposal.

Consent Bucket

We place two proposals in the consent bucket:

1. Solidarity proposal for S17
2. A funding proposal for S17

Summary of funding proposal: to allocate $7k for S17 transportation and outreach. Tess presents.

Two groups will do S17 planning: the S17 working group, and a spokes council.

Question: What's the relationship between funding and the spokescouncil?

Tess: there's no relationshp. The S17 working group will handle money. Spokes council will not.

Question: Has the S17 working group met yet?

Tess: No, the S17 WG hasn't met yet. So far, we've just discussed it at SAA.

Question: What is the purpose of the S17 WG?

Tess: The S17 working group will receive funding for transit and outreach.

Question: Who should I talk to if I want to go to NYC for S17?

Tess: There will be lots of outlets. The S17 WG hasn't started meeting yet. Right now, SAA is the best place to go.

Faciliator: does anyone want to take either proposal out of the consent bucket.

Linda wishes to discuss the funding proposal. Two others agree.

Funding proposal comes out of the consent bucket.

Solidarity proposal stays in the consent bucket.

Solidarity proposal passes!

Funding Proposal

Tess re-reads the funding proposal.

Linda: The proposal asks for $7k for transportation and outreach. Informally, I know what this is about. Can you elaborate on where we are going, and what we're going to do when we get there?

Tess: S17 is the one-year anniversary of Occupy Wall St. OWS called for a solidarity action. There will be lots of wall-street related actions happening in NYC. Our goal is to shut down Wall Street.

Linda: It seems odd to ask for transit funding before we know what we're going to do.

Tess: I don't know how much of the 7k will actually be spent. For now, I want to make sure that funds are available. We can also seek additional sources of funding.

Dana: OWS's 1-year anniversary is probably a big publicity event. It'll be a great opportunity to do stuff. The action isn't detailed because it hasn't been planned yet.

Carolyn: Will the working group fundraise?

Tess: Yes, I hope so. I'd like to get some outside sources of funding.

Rich: Is the working group open? What is the relationship between the S17 WG and SNACKS.

Tess: Yes the working group will be open, once it starts meeting. SNACKS has no control over funding. (SNACKS just happens to be the group that's been discussing S17.)

Brett: What is the relationship between the S17 WG and the spokes council?

Tess: The spokes council is not an Occupy Boston thing. We're trying to bring in lots of different groups. The spokes council may ask the S17 working group for money. Depending on what spokes asks for, S17 WG may have to go back to GA for approval (i.e., if spokes requests money for something other than transit or outreach).

Carolyn: People who know that they're going can buy tickets now, for cheap.

Tess: Some people won't be able to afford transit. We'd like to have transit money as a backup.

Ariel: Have you considered other sources of transit, like carpooling?

Tess: Yes.

Steve: Will any money be earmarked for legal support?

Tess: No. We're requesting funds for transit and outreach. I'd want to go back to GA before using those funds for legal support.

Noah: (something, something) funding?

Tess: A group could spend $100 making flyers, and be reimbursed for that. The flyers would be considered outreach. The funds are only for transit and outreach. We'd go back to GA before using the money for any other purpose.

Dana: The way the proposal is worded, there aren't very many restrictions on how the funds can be used. I liked that aspect of it. You should be able to spend the money on anything that's related to S17.

Tess: That'd be great. But our first priority is getting people there.

Linda: I still have some issues about doing funding without a surrounding context. I'd prefer to deal with context before funding. I'd like to participate in the planning.

Tess: I share your concern. For now, we want to make sure the money is set aside; we want that resource to be there. This also gives us a budget to work from.

Joshua: As I understand, there is a plan: mobilize, do outreach, and get people to NYC for S17. This proposal empowers a working group to plan how it gets done.

Tess: Spokes won't do planning. Individual groups will do planning, and bring their ideas to spokes. The spokes council is a way for groups to collaborate.

Michelle (?): So, you're concerned with getting people there and back again.

Tess: yes.

Ariel: Would "transportation" include transportation around the NYC during the event?

Tess: Yes, I assume that would be included.

Carolyn: How did you arrive at the figure of $7k?

Tess: It's a guess. If we don't spend all the money, we'll return what's left.

Joshua: OB already has a separate legal fund.

Carolyn: Will you ask people to pay for transport, if they can afford to do so.

Tess: I'd hope that people who can afford to pay their own transportation will do so.

(?): Do you have a sign-up date?

Tess: We'd like to have most of the planning (including attendance?) nailed down by mid-August.

Linda: The proposal talks about outreach. We have between $5k and $7k in the legal fund. OB has a total of $22k unencumbered. Fall is coming. I'm not advocating that we sit on our unencumbered funds. I just wanted to point this out.

Rich: Who will do outreach to? What groups?

Tess: We have time to make the general public aware of this event. Lots of non-occupy people might be interested, if they knew this was going on. We'd like to do outreach to the general public.

Regarding spokes, anyone who wants to plan can participate in the spokes council. We don't plan to exclude any group that wants to be involved.

(The assembly breaks out into small groups to discuss the proposal).

(Note taker had to leave during the small group discussions. Reportedly, all three proposals passed.)