General Assembly Notes Full 10-21-2011

We are publishing the full notes.

PDF and Text versions can be found here. Please refer to the Live Stream for specific information that may not have been captured in the notes. Note-taking is a best-effort undertaking. Please direct all discussion to  the new forums.

Ga notes

introductions

justin

jordan facilitation

ilona michelle

matt on stack

rachelle facilitating

 

who’s occupying? Who’s on a committee?

 

Run through of process

changing the dominant paradigm. Consensus. Put your truths together. Building something together. Conflict is part of consensus. Remember we are respecting each other. Baby crying.

 

Modified consensus. 90%. Evolve an idea.

 

Hand signals. Agreement. Disagreement. Clarifying question. Direct response. POP. Volume. Wrap it up.

 

Proposal process. 10 mins clarifying questions. 10 for Concerns. Evolutionary phase. Temp check.

 

Jordan. Outline of agenda.

 

Committee anncmts, safety discussion, gen ancts. First proposal about budget. Proposal anncts. Second prop, joint rally with environmental concerns.

 

Com ancts.

 

Reed: finance com. Non-profit status is happening. POCs interested in budget process meet at terry shrunk at 5 pm tomorrow. It ensures our credibility as a grp that people who say they are on finance are actually on finance. Check at info before doing money dealings with someone who says they are from finance. POCs are on the website, old Forum.

 

Clarification. As a group, did we ever have a consensus on whether or not we wanted a charity started in our names? Did we vote on this, or did you just tell us?

 

Let’s not have a long discussion. Direct response – the group has to become a nonprofit agency in order to do money things without getting assets frozen.

 

Missed the name. Debate club. If you are interested in having intellectual convos via debate format, terry shrunk 6 pm monday. Occupy pdx debate club. Topic: drafting a list of demands. Debate rather than consensus. A fun way of testing your ideas.

 

Simon. Action com. Brief speech about march tomorrow and bus to location. Joe, jobs with justice. Time to hit the streets. How many know about this? Jantzen beach to vancouver.  Union workers rights advocates. Starts at 11. Bus at OP at 10.15 4^th and madison. The vancouver people had 700 people. They plan to greet us with signs welcoming us. Have a banner saying hi to vancouver. Bus comes back at 2, leaves vancouver at 1. They have flyers.

 

Facilitation anncmt. Tomorrow 2 pm at the library. Facilitation and consensus training. Monday from 6.30 – 7, facilitator coming in to do a restorative listening process. Concerns, etc.

 

Introduction of alejandro. Safety and peacekeeping. Sunday at 12 by the food tent, Camp meeting.

 

One more committee anncmt: ilona: OP news team. Media tent tomorrow morning, from 9 am. News, blog to the outside world.

 

Back to Alejandro. Worked this weekend, discussion, guidelines for safety. We are facing safety concerns. Take 20 minutes or so to have a discussion about concerns. Our occupation space opens up a space for safety and kindness and openness that many people don’t get elsewhere. How to cohabitate? Responses needed. Hopefully along the lines of the things we are working for. Yet we need to deal with certain realities. Should I mention the things that have ome up? This is a political movement. Many people are here and not directly engaged, yet the fact that they are occupying is in itself a statement. Many people not actively involved, do we have the resources to feed them? Mental health issues. Certain behaviors we cannot deal with. We have been, but may not be able to. There are so many good things happening here, but if we have somebody die in this space, what does that mean for the movement? Police involvement? 0-10. When things reach an 8, need police involvement. This is for debate. Divide the camp? Political people in one camp, non political in another. This may replicate the divide in larger society. This is complex. Meeting sunday at noon is super important. Engage people who usually dont come.

 

Thanks Alejandro. Context to this: something I notice when I try to create something new: what is my intention? What’s my vision? Hold that vision. Work on what I’m trying to create. Action-oriented solution. Creation is about moving forward. Have an eye and a mind to this spirit. We think that everybody involved has good things to say.

 

Safety concern: a lot of convo. Needs to happen. Discuss with neighbors. 15 minutes, come back and discuss.

 

POP. What else is on the agenda? 2 props, and General Anncments. Temp check. 10 minutes, come back and talk.

 

Jordan. It’s been 10 mins. Discussion now.

 

Allan. I ask that as a body we affirm together tonight to facilitate pease strength understanding safety freedom from harm good health and healing where its needed. as a body we affirm this. Was mic checked.

 

A few things that came up. One person mentioned that the problems come from the same people over and over. A small minority. I mentioned that this is all about love. No profiling. It’s about love. Doing things that arent popular with eevrybody.

 

In order to have peace there needs to be a recognition of value of every being. Having space is conducive to peace. Too close: conducive to friction. Possibly we could take over more parks. Also there are earplugs available at medic tent.

 

Zeke. Past few days been working on preventative measure. Crisis. But you can do prevention. Developing a working group: the inclusion team. Inreach to people on the borderline. This movement works on two fronts. Political social thing, and groundwork of healing the immediate concerns.

 

Meredith. Fairly new people in our group. Recognition that mental health issues and poverty issues are overwhelming camps in the northwest. Its hard everywhere. Social workers relying on our movement to provide resources on us. Observation. Communication. There are a lot of new people. Use peer pressure to get people to volunteer. More of us: observing and talking to people.

 

Bethann. My first timehere. We discussed alcoholism and people being drunk in the camp. How could we help those people and deescalate those situtations. Cheers. A non profit that helps when there are drunk people: they pcik them up and take them to a detox place. Help with withdrawal. Safely detox. Resources. The police sometimes use cheers so people don’t have to go to jail. Could we have classes on deescalation. I am a nurse. My hospital has classes like this.

 

Response. We talked to cheers and they need a police report for them to come.

 

Also there’s deescalation for everybody with Safety.

 

Jamie. We talked about the police scale kind of thing. Splitting up camps wouldnt be beneficial. Get people involved in camp activities to make them feel part of the movement. They belong here too. They’re part of the 99 and they belong here too.

 

Short term: everyone involved should take deescalation training. And also when media is around and when they want some undesirable—tell the media this is happening because of the reasons that we are here. Long term: we have leeway: moving the soup kitchen to another place. Last thing: dream sitch: have the whole place nice.

 

Charles robertson. We talked about the number of mental issues that are being dropped off at the parks. Needs to be more support training coming to help. More outside community support systems. We need to make allies. Work as a community rather than one movement.

 

Temp check. How did that feel? Pretty good. We are learning to be self-governing. Sunday 12 at the food tent. Big discussion about this.

 

First General announcements

 

Ilona- clarification on earlier annct. CC: bus coming back at 2. Be here at 10.15.

 

CC – when are safety deescalation trainings. Classes every day 2 pm, usually. Here at terry shrunk.

 

Anncment. Antiauthoritarian work group. People concerned about consolidation of power in the committees. Concerns about building institutions here that mirror.

 

Troy – Engineering: computer stolen. Keep an eye out for a black laptop bag.

 

My anncment.

 

I heard a lot of talk about righteous anger. Our ssystem is based on love. There is nothing righteous about anger. This is the paradigm we want to change.

 

Seth. Message of solidarity from lincoln city OR. Meeting every saturday. You will get tired, but we’re with you. Mic check. Oregon. Who is with us? Lincoln city. Astoria. Medford. Oregon is with you stay strong friends.

 

Annce: sunday 2 ISO meeting at psu smith building.

 

Anyone here gonna ride bikes to VC? Lets meet at 9.30 and cruise together.

 

Hannah. Charles wpoke earlier. We’re talking about community engagement and outreach right after this at the workshop space. Detail: anti authoritarian workgroup at the obelisk.

 

Glen. Corvallis. Started last sat. 120 people participated. Working on networking. Keep everyone in supply.

 

Gina. Special guest tomorrow morning: Sister hellen Prezheen. Dead man walking? That nun. She’s coming. Guided walk through here.

 

Clarifying time for we the community outreach meeting: 20 minutes.

 

Time for proposals. Proposal process.

 

First.

 

Budget committee. Mike. Formation of budget committee

 

1. A committee be formed that will consist of one person appointed by each existing committee.
2. Budget committee shall have sole authority in the distribution of all monies donated to the Occupy Portland movement.
3. All monies received and all monies distributed shall be transparent and readily available to view.

 

POP. Do we have quorum to make any decisions? Do we have enough people to make decision that represent the group.

 

Response. We’re moving on from that. CCs. Stacks.

 

1. Isn’t there already a committee that handles finances?

We have a finance committee that handles finances. Hope to create this committee so that the committees will have the power to get together to decide amongst themselves where to distribute that money.

 

1. So the way you’re gonna distribute this: there are so many committees popping up, how do we discern who is eligible?

C

 

Clarify: existing committees. One member from each.

 

1. Would anybody be able to attend to listen in?

 

Clarify: this doesnt meant you can attend. Amendements will come. I don’t know the comm would want it to be an open forum.

 

1. we have so much funds, to delegate all of it to the individuals that are needing it, why dont we set up a special needs trust?

 

Answer: If we get locked up, who will pay?

 

1. What would this budget comm do that the finance comm doesnt already do And what would finance do with this new budget comm?

 

Answer: finance does this: raise money and dole it out. Budget would have time to decide where it should go.

 

1. This man just said finance is income budget is outgoing. Is that reasonable?

 

1. Do the comms already go to the finance comm and communicate already?

 

Answer. I think a lot of people would like to take the burden from finance so they can bring in funds.

 

1. Is there gonna be a process for comms formed in the future to petition to join budget comm?

 

Answer: There are two dozen comms. How many comms can we develop? They should propose it to the GA. They would have to go through the process.

 

Ccs over.

 

Objections.

 

First. I have a CC. Will the general pub of OP have any way to be involved in the funds comm?

 

Answer: Join a comm.

 

Second. Language about sole authority of budget comm. Issue of whether or not people can be involved. How to get new comms on and how to make it more transparent.

 

Third. We don’t know how finance comm works. Why start a new one to do what we dont understand.

 

Fourth. This is on a path to create needless beaurocracy and consolidate power. This is a bad road to go down. We should clarify the workings of the finance committee.

 

Fifth. I like the idea of people in comms to do this. But needs come up and disappear. Are these an accurate rep of what we need in the future.

 

Sixth. The system that we’re fighting now has a closed door. We should not perpetuate.

 

Seventh. The GA must be the seat of power. The comms make recommendations to the GA.

 

Eighth. A solution: get over this consolidation of power thing by writing into this prop that the GA can override or request funds from budget com without any say from the budg com.

 

Ninth. Someone said about a nonprofit which was a huge decision that I personally wouldnt want to do and it really relates to any discussion of finance com and budget and I havent heard anyone from finance comm talk about what was said would happen with them dividing. I’d like to know if anyone from finance com?

 

Now temp check. Are we interest in moving prop to evolutionary phase? Not looking too great in favor. Many against. Stand asides. A few. Looks like there is some support? Prop tabled. Mike will annc time for people to work.

 

Mike: I know this a touchy subject. Money is always an issue. All the money goes to finance com. Let that be more of our decision. Finance is not very transparent. Budget would give some transparency. Next prop will include all worries. Will resubmit. Contact: I am here, come talk to me.

 

8:50. break.

 

Resuming. Many people have left.

 

Prop annc. Day of action. In support of wall st tax. 29^th. Already been done. He has gone.

 

Second prop. Join rally with environmental groups.

 

Rachel and emma. Sierra club. Just released a statement of support for occupy. Propose joint action. Calling for big oil and big coal, corporate polluters. We should be making a statement against this. Locally: coal export terminals, federal: keystone pipeline, close to passing. We hope to pass mercury rule. Make clear that corporate greeds takes advantage of us. Actions: join together in rally. Create a joint statement: in solidarity with sierra club and as many environmental groups as we can get. Rally next week firday oct 28^th. Come meet me after this.

 

Text of prop:

 

We would like to propose these actions

1. Join together in a rally to make a visual display of the issues at hand—mainly the KeystoneXL pipeline, coal exports in the NW, and the mercury rule-to speak out against corporate polluters.
2. Create a brief joint statement based on these specific issues and Occupy Portland’s concerns regarding them—this statement is not to be framed as Occupy’s general demands or statement on corporate polluters, but rather in solidarity with Sierra Club and to address the time sensitivity of these pressing issues.

 

CCs.

 

First. Are there any other rallies that might be held that same day where there is a conflict of time?

 

Answer. Nothing on the board.

 

More rallies the better.

 

Second. Withdrawn.

 

Concerns? Objections?

 

First. Will you guys be standing with other actions other than the tar sands? Could we make it a priority to address issues we know of globally and stand in solidarity with them?

 

Ans. This can be brought to the evolution process.

 

Temp check. Looks good. Moving on

 

CC – recap of prop. Other environmental groups are interested: we want joint rally and joint statement. Our concerns: Keystone exel pipeline, mercurly rule. Which is: based on health issues and environ issues. Coal plants, emissions, etc. Rule will make it so 20 percent of coal plants will have to shut down. 1 in 12 women have enough mercury that any child will be born with defects. Utility cos are trying to not let it pass. It may pass. We want to use the media so they know occupiers arent cool with this.

 

Evol process. Stack.

 

First. Sean. My mom lives in australia. Australia exports a lot of coal. She is starting Occupy rockhampton. They are building a coal export dock. Corps rule the gvt. I would like to piggyback some language in solidarity with “Occupy Rockhampton”

 

Rachel who brought the prop: It makes total sense to state solidarity with this.

 

Temp check. Looks good. Language of this will be incorporated.

 

Second. We know causes are going to come here. Have you thought bout what would happen if everyone came? Individuals from occupy say it rather than OP itself. No pass.

 

Third amendment. In the spirit of solidarity, there is a mining project being proposed in alaska where I just moved back from. It’s called the pebble mine project. It’s fucked up. Gold mine. It will destroy salmon habitats.

 

Clarify. The mine got shut down. Applause. No pass.

 

Any more amendments?

 

Rachel: Weeks ago we had discussed having it near the camp.

 

How to put this into practice?

 

Question. Can you make sure that the info is available at the info booth when it becomes available?

 

Someone in the back: Locations? BofA is a primary funder of the tar sands, not to mention an evil beast and they’re close by.

 

Direct response. BofA is also the largest funder of coal plants in america.

 

Amendment: Be held at B of A? Temp check. Looks good. Added to the prop.

 

Rachel. BofA would be a good place, but, unfortunately Sierra club has rules about endorsing parts of their campaign. There are complications. Can sierra club put their name on it? Can we make that still tentative and ill talk?

 

POP. As a POP that should have been clarified before you brought this to the GA because we are not the Sierra Club.

 

Someone else. Could we say that you as an autonomous person also affiliated with the sierra club brought this here?

 

Ans. Yes. I would love to confirm this.  But I cannot use the sierra club name if they are in disagreement.

 

POP. Would you prefer to pull the prop off the table or to get rid of that amendment?

 

Ans. I can take it off the table, or we can confirm it and have some group talk.

 

DR. Do we need legitimization from Sierra Club or does SC need legitimization from us?

 

Jordan. We can table it for now, they can contact sierra club, see if BofA is an okay rally point. We can push it forward then.

 

1. Instead of the amendment saying thats where the rally point will be, the amendment will state that if everything is good with sierra club and occupy then that’s where well have it.

 

1. This process is making me really uncomfortable. The GA chose where the rally will be. It seems like the question is whether or not Sierra Club will endorse it and not whether the rally will be at BofA.

 

This is ours, not rachels. Sierra club could withdraw and we would have to change language.

 

Waiting for SC permission to go forward feels strange to me.

 

So it seems to me that this group is ready to move forward on this prop. What remains to be seen is if the SC signs on. So why dont we just move forward? Action comm will take this on and then if the SC decides that BofA is too big of a funder then they can pull their name off.

 

Reread amendments.

 

1. Sierra club brought a proposed march to us, we responded by saying how bout we have a march and you join us? IS there a procedure to see if SC says where they have it, rather than make the decision now before they know what they want to do.

 

New Amendment. I propose that we change the language so that OP marches on BofA to protest the coal and other such issues and then if the sierra club wants to endorse, they may do so on their own.

 

Rachel: A rally with occupiers somewhere else, so that occupiers may move on to BofA if SC isn’t cool with that.

 

Temp.

 

Someone wants to add: I’ve been to BofA demonstrationg twice this week its at 2^nd and morisson, not a lot of space, it’s private prop, they have their eye on us. No matter what we do, we should rally somewhere else and march to BofA and then if we have enough people

 

POP. There is also a bofa on either 5^th or 6^th over here.

 

DR. They close at 2.

 

Moving on into agreement. Looks okay.

 

Can I add a amendment? Language for a goal, like shutting them down for 2 hours.

 

Disagree? Not many. Standing aside? A few.

 

Prop approved.

 

Rachel: right now, if you want to give me contact info, or if you are part of an environmental org, come meet me right there. Also ill be meeting at terry shrunk at 12.30 on monday.

 

Jordan. One General annc.

 

Mark. You excited about this? Every movement ever has been successful. Comission meeting in city hall?

 

Mark P. Allen

S/V Recluse

DRAFT

 

Citty Commissioners

City of Portland

City Hall

 

–Comprehensive balance sheet to be reviewed

 

–To: Director of Finance:

 

Proposal for 2012 budget to be submitted for review & modified to included current political forums & public hearings. Including but not limited to symbiotic communication between Occupy Portland, * the city commissioners within the county limits.

 

[Signed]

 

 

 

Comission meeting. Get involved with your politics.

 

Facilitator. Its 9.30. Concluding 30 mins early. Good work.

 

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