GA Minutes 11.7.11

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Categories: GA Minutes, General Assembly

Oakland General Assembly

11/7/11

Arrival Time:  7:18

Approximate Head Count: 225

WELCOME (7:21 pm)

This is the General Assembly.  It is based on Participatory Democracy.  This is how it works (description read regarding participation, the assembly, committees, etc).  This is who will do each role tonight (reads off who will facilitate, keep time, take stack, and be crowd advocates).  This is where you may sit if you want to smoke.  Practice respect. 

COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS (7:26 pm)

  • Children’s Village: We don’t have regularly scheduled meetings, but if you want to volunteer or join and support, email us: oaktownchildrensvillage@gmail.com.  We are planning a children’s solidarity camp-out at Tilden.
  • Sanitation: We meet daily at 10pm.  Please help keep the restrooms clean.  We are working on getting them serviced more often.  Please come load compost and recycling to be taken away if you can.
  • I now represent the Rogue Electricians.  BUILD SHIT.  It’s inexpensive.
  • Slingshot Collective is doing an emergency OO edition.  The deadline for articles is Sunday at 5pm.  Email at  slingshot@tao.ca
  • Kitchen Committee: We need more help!  We need dishwashers, servers,etc.
  • Security: We are filling shifts 10pm-6am.  We meet at the flagpole each night.  Email girlarmyoakland@gmail.com if you’d like to contact us.
  • Local business Liason: We canvassed the area and targeted local businesses.  We meet tomorrow at 5:00.  local.business.liaison@gmail.com.  Support Plaza Café and Sankofa please.
  • Legal: 12 people have been arraigned.  Nine of them will probably not have charges; three will.  There were 102 arrests Thursday morning and 95 from the week prior.  We want to know if you have been brutalized – take care of yourself, document, and contact us.
  • Solidarity and Support: We do Jail support, and take care of your needs if you have been arrested.  We meet tomorrow at the SF Pizza shop at 5pm.
  • Labor: Send me an email – dickscore@hotmail.com if you want to participate in the googledoc conversation.
  • Anarchists Group: We can meet at the tree on Thursday at 5pm.
  • POC/QPOC: We meet MWF at 6pm, and Sun 4pm.  Check the info tent for the notebook if you want to contact us further or reach us through the googlegroup.
  • Finance: We meet T/TH/F at 6pm outside of Tully’s.  Cash donations are reported to camp logistics committee.  The camp decides how money is spent.  So far it has been spent on sound, portapotties, and blankets, only with camp approval.  We have raised money online under the Longhaul account ($7,500).  Contact us: finance@occupyoakland.org.
  • First Aid/Medic: We have a dispatch number for medical emergencies during actions:  510-712-8129  TEXT PREFERRED.  It will be active for a month for now.  The medic committee is not responsible for food, water, or sanitation needs.  Please step up if you are on other committees and help out in these roles.  We need a committee to address psychiatric support – we can no longer handle it because it is beyond out scope.  We are here for emergency care, first aid, massage therapy, and acupuncture. Contact occupyoaklandmedics@gmail.com
  • Jewish Contingent: We have a tent near the interfaith tent where we have had services and other things.  Email me- sustainablefred@gmail.com
  • Sound committee: We will meet at 5pm.  If you have a vehicle and can help during events that require sound, contact me.
  • LiveStream subcommittee: We livestream every night.  If you want to help, please see me or come to the stage later.  You can also go to the media tent.
  • Gardening: We received beds and we filled them with soil.  We need starter plants.
  • Media: We are currently changing our meeting times. Check at the tent for more info.  We had a great meeting today!  We want to ensure that the messages relayed to media accurately reflects consensus.
  • Web: We encourage the public to use the discussion forum.  We need volunteers to help respond to emails.
  • Supply team: We have moved next to the medical center.  Our meetings are daily at 3pm.

FORUM (8:00 pm)

If you are from a committee or a subcommittee, please line up in the pit.  Everyone, please connect with a committee so you can get involved.

PROPOSALS (8:20 pm)

  • We have cultivated a modified consensus making process. (Explains)
  • Submit proposals to occupyfacilitation@gmail.com, or submit in person on paper.  Three or more people must endorse a proposal and be present during its presentation to the GA.
  • This is how we run the GA (explains process, hand signals, vote count, etc).
  • All are welcome to do autonomous actions with or without the approval of the GA.
  1. Emergency Finance Proposal: This concerns the $20,000 OWS donation.  We propose that until we finalize the OO bank account, the lawyer, Mr. Fong, will hold it in a trust fund.  This would be accessible by 3 people on the finance team.  This money would be allocated for bail  and medical support as our capacity allows.
  • Clarifying Questions and Answers
    • When the money was first donated, what was it to be used for? – OWS specified that it be used for legal and medical aid.
    • Which bank will the trust be in? – Wells Fargo.  I understand that people aren’t comfortable with that, but this is a time sensitive issue.
    • Can other options be considered? – Yes, but it takes time to transfer funds to a credit union.  We need to help people in jail now.
    • Is there a deadline or a maximum amount of time we would allow the money to stay in the Wells Fargo trust fund account? – I had to go to Sacramento to file papers with the state to declare OO as an unincorporated association.  We are waiting for that to be finalized.  It would take no more than two weeks for this process to be finalized so that we can open an account in a credit union. (More information regarding the trust fund Mr. Fong is describing http://www.iolta.org/grants/)
    • Pros  
      • We need to go ahead and do this.
      • This is time sensitive!  People are in jail and need help!
      • OWS wants us to put this money to good use.
      • We have a priority to keep people safe.
      • Cons
        • We shouldn’t wait until arraignment.  We should get them out now, and not wait for bail to be lowered.
        • Money shouldn’t be used for medical and bail needs.  We have daily operations that need to be addressed here at the camp.

I just want to remind everyone of what the proposal says.  The money is earmarked for medical/legal use from OWS.  That is the stipulation.

  • You can only bail one person out with that money.  We need to deepen our relationship with the National Lawyers Guild.  We need to stage demonstrations and mobilize to get people out of jail…we need to be careful about just giving our money to Babylon.

VOTING RESULTS

97.7% Approval: THIS PROPOSAL HAS PASSED.

Yes: 162

No:  8

Abstain:  16

2. Poor Magazine March Endorsement: We propose that OO endorse a march we are organizing to Decolonize the Bay Area.  We will be marching this Thursday, November 10th, at 12 noon, to the OPD station, HUD, Social Services, and to the ICE station in SF.

  • Clarifying Questions and Answers
    • Will this be a nonviolent march without destruction? – Yes.  We strive for the safety of our people.  We are not asking for civil disobedience.
    • What does decolonize mean?–  It is the process of going back to your homeland and going back to your roots.  I encourage you to do your own research and find meaning.
    • How will you ensure that this remains nonviolent? – We would have the support of Occupy Legal and Occupy Medic.  We also ask, as we also do, for healing and blessings from our indigenous people who are involved with us.  We set positive intentions.
    • Is this for solidarity, organizational help, or endorsement? – We are asking for an endorsement.  We have already organized this march, and we would like people to join us as well.
    • How long will the march last? – We will be in Oakland until 2pm.  After that, we will take BART to SF and reconvene at about 2:30.
    • Are you using this opportunity to educate people in neighborhoods? – This is mainly a march directed against government agencies.  We outreach to communities often through our organization. For this march, we are organizing those same communities.
    • Pros
      • We should endorse this, for sure.  We should not organize it through the encampment.
      • We need to speak up for the people and let their voices be heard.
      • We need different faces in our movement.  We have supported other marches before, so why not support this one?
      • Cons
        • We should not organize it through the encampment.

 VOTING RESULTS

95% Approval: THIS PROPOSAL HAS PASSED.

Yes: 130

No:  3

Abstain:  12

 ACTION ANNOUNCEMENTS (9:10 pm)

  • Wednesday at 6pm, Raymond Turner will perform a song here in the amphitheater that he has written just for this movement.
  • The Gang Injunction issue will be discussed by City Council tomorrow.  Please come at 6:30 to show your support in ending the injunctions in North Oakland.
  • Food Justice National Gathering here tomorrow in the plaza: presentation 11:45-12:30.
  • Email collegetour99@gmail.com to support college students in moving their money out of the big banks and into credit unions.
  • Join us here in the plaza on Friday, November 11th at 4pm for a press conference and a march against Police Brutality – in solidarity with Iraq Veterans Against the War, and in support of the two vets who experienced police brutality here in Oakland.
  • Ban Bags in Berkeley – 6pm (I am not sure of the details).

 CLOSING

9:30 pm

*It has been noted that the Finance Committee’s figure was incorrectly recorded at $75,000.  The figure should read “$7,500.” Corrected: 11/9/11

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