Post by Emma on Nov 9, 2011 19:47:35 GMT -5
facil: Matthew & Luigi
stack: Dennis & Mary
Vibes: Colin
Minutes: Emma
Review signs for new attendees
No caucus report-backs
Working group report-backs:
Direct Action:
Veterans Day parade on Friday. Central Ave & Washington Ave will be shut down. Vets for Peace will be assembling at 11am at Partridge & Central. Group leaving from Academy Park at 10:30.
Suggestion to have a presence at the park for when parade ends right nearby.
Question (Mary): Is it appropriate to carry Occupy signs.
Answer: Yes, and suggestion for thematic signs ("Money for jobs, not for war")
DA working group meeting 11/9 1:30pm at the park
Food working group announcing schedule confusion - meeting is 11/8 not 11/9, after GA
Facilitation WG: meeting every night 20 mins after end of GA. Also FYI there are trainings and you can come learn, ask.
Q: What color bandana does facil wear?
A: none
"Boycott Walmart" WG: We just formed yesterday, meeting after GA tonight.
PR (Hezzie): New working group "correspondence" to participate in national conference calls among occupy groups from all over. Last night (Mon) was first call, over 200 groups participating. Related website forming at interoccupy.org. For more info, PR WG and soon also talking with Coordination WG.
Nov 17th national action, we should consider w/ direct action doing something that day.
Working Group Proposals:
none
Other Business:
- New working group proposed for smokers "anyone who likes to smoke plants - to make that safe and legal"
- Concern raised about $$ missing, responded to by Matthew from Finance that there will be a bolted-down lock box and only finance ppl will have keys.
- Someone's friend offered to do a fundraiser & he wanted to know if he needed permission. GA said no. His friend wanted ppl from Occupy to come talk about their experience, and a couple people went over to talk to him about this. Q: What kind of fundraiser? A: Something like wine & cheese.
- Bringing attention to positive letters to the editor in TU.
- (Mary) Bringing attention to two resolutions passed Monday evening by Albany Common Council in support of Occupy Albany.
- Proposal for internet access in park (Josh/"joshred" for full text). Some details: Verizon, 6 months of fees set aside, can support up to 5 devices at a time, 10GB bandwidth limit but we don't have a plan for how to ration that and the overage charges are $10/1GB. Proposal included language making it easy to override by a better proposal within 4 days. Total cost of proposal $898.80.
This proposal was discussed at length. Upshot:
- There have been many attempts at other ways of getting internet to the park, and there may be a better way but it actually needs to happen so if we pass this and say "better proposal within 4 days wins" then maybe the other folks will actually get their proposal together.
- Much concern over Verizon being on strike, esp because the landline union is trying to organize the wireless side. Suggestion to talk to union folks at Verizon first, and/or to fundraise the difference between the cost of doing it with Verizon vs another carrier.
Other concerns/ideas/questions raised:
- Teachers and others can get a 18% discount so we should take advantage of that.
- Is this a financial priority?
(Finance point of information: We have $6200 currently.)
- If working groups aren't meeting on-site anyway recently, internet access here isn't an issue.
Colin suggested an ammendment, Josh got overwhelmingly positive response to temp check & decided it was friendly: Table this for four days rather than passing it now and then implementing in 4 days. Colin knows the person who's been talking about offering internet service and will try to get that to come together before the 4-days deadline.
- There's an "accountability" system being developed by food and operations whereby people who work at the camp and contribute to daily upkeep earn some kind of ticket/badge/etc to exchange for food. To be discussed more at food meeting after GA.
- People Safety wants to know who's sleeping in tents, and attempts at keeping active lists have not succeeded so they're requesting taking down the tent if you'll be gone for a few days. Also requesting keeping them informed whether someone can borrow your tent.
Point of Information: Someone from the state is getting us a good map of the park and we can plot tents on that.
- Dylan expressed frustration at "big decisions" such as the decision to meet a 2nd time with the City, being proposed, discussed, and consensed upon within the course of one General Assembly. Wants more time for more people to know about the issue being discussed and attend if they want to vote. Proposed 48 hour waiting period for "big decision" proposals - bring it up at GA, post it online and info table and get to caucuses w/in 12 hours (someone would have to volunteer to do this for each item), then it can be voted on 48 hours after initial proposal. [this summary includes some proposed and accepted amendments]
Discussion:
- Confusion over what constitutes a "big decision"; Dylan wants to trust people in attendance at teh GA to notice if something's a big decision. Wants one person to have the power to table items based on this criteria and require consensus to override that block (to be able to continue discussion & vote w/o 48 hour wait). A guide for what might be a big decision: Think about the controversy about meeting with the city - anything that has that level of controversy would qualify.
- What about urgent needs? Dylan: Emergencies could override it.
- Mike R: One person would have the power to block, to do this.
- Proposal to table *this* issue for 48 hours, which initially Dylan accepted but then said it wasn't such a big decision and we should discuss it now.
- Question about whether it could be tabled again after 48 hours, if it came back with lots of changes from working groups and other feedback. Answer: no, it's the same issue, people were aware of it and had the opportunity to participate.
Attempt at consensus:
Two blocks. First "This will be used to prevent discussions with the City." Second "Too much hullabaloo." 2nd blocker said he'd only remove his block if Dylan accepted a different plan: All agenda items should be posted at the info table and online 24 hours ahead. Nothing else. Dylan did not accept changed plan.
Blockers decided to join forces and were not willing to further discuss removing the blocks.
Override was considered, but crowd size estimation put us at possibly less than 40 (though we were never actually counted) and 38:2 would be the required 95% ratio for block override. The group was asked if we wanted to override and most did not respond, a few responded with down-wigglies, but then later said there was confusion about what was being asked. Override was not attempted.
(note: after GA ended, blockers & Dylan talked & worked out thoughts about how to address issue - will be discussed in working groups.)
- Announcement, Luigi, "Viva La Diferance" Sunday 11am, mediation/conflict resolution meeting.
- Emma & Shanna: Sunday 5pm Community Building forum
- Luigi: Argentina Horizontalism teach in tabled for another day.
GA ended 7:25pm.
stack: Dennis & Mary
Vibes: Colin
Minutes: Emma
Review signs for new attendees
No caucus report-backs
Working group report-backs:
Direct Action:
Veterans Day parade on Friday. Central Ave & Washington Ave will be shut down. Vets for Peace will be assembling at 11am at Partridge & Central. Group leaving from Academy Park at 10:30.
Suggestion to have a presence at the park for when parade ends right nearby.
Question (Mary): Is it appropriate to carry Occupy signs.
Answer: Yes, and suggestion for thematic signs ("Money for jobs, not for war")
DA working group meeting 11/9 1:30pm at the park
Food working group announcing schedule confusion - meeting is 11/8 not 11/9, after GA
Facilitation WG: meeting every night 20 mins after end of GA. Also FYI there are trainings and you can come learn, ask.
Q: What color bandana does facil wear?
A: none
"Boycott Walmart" WG: We just formed yesterday, meeting after GA tonight.
PR (Hezzie): New working group "correspondence" to participate in national conference calls among occupy groups from all over. Last night (Mon) was first call, over 200 groups participating. Related website forming at interoccupy.org. For more info, PR WG and soon also talking with Coordination WG.
Nov 17th national action, we should consider w/ direct action doing something that day.
Working Group Proposals:
none
Other Business:
- New working group proposed for smokers "anyone who likes to smoke plants - to make that safe and legal"
- Concern raised about $$ missing, responded to by Matthew from Finance that there will be a bolted-down lock box and only finance ppl will have keys.
- Someone's friend offered to do a fundraiser & he wanted to know if he needed permission. GA said no. His friend wanted ppl from Occupy to come talk about their experience, and a couple people went over to talk to him about this. Q: What kind of fundraiser? A: Something like wine & cheese.
- Bringing attention to positive letters to the editor in TU.
- (Mary) Bringing attention to two resolutions passed Monday evening by Albany Common Council in support of Occupy Albany.
- Proposal for internet access in park (Josh/"joshred" for full text). Some details: Verizon, 6 months of fees set aside, can support up to 5 devices at a time, 10GB bandwidth limit but we don't have a plan for how to ration that and the overage charges are $10/1GB. Proposal included language making it easy to override by a better proposal within 4 days. Total cost of proposal $898.80.
This proposal was discussed at length. Upshot:
- There have been many attempts at other ways of getting internet to the park, and there may be a better way but it actually needs to happen so if we pass this and say "better proposal within 4 days wins" then maybe the other folks will actually get their proposal together.
- Much concern over Verizon being on strike, esp because the landline union is trying to organize the wireless side. Suggestion to talk to union folks at Verizon first, and/or to fundraise the difference between the cost of doing it with Verizon vs another carrier.
Other concerns/ideas/questions raised:
- Teachers and others can get a 18% discount so we should take advantage of that.
- Is this a financial priority?
(Finance point of information: We have $6200 currently.)
- If working groups aren't meeting on-site anyway recently, internet access here isn't an issue.
Colin suggested an ammendment, Josh got overwhelmingly positive response to temp check & decided it was friendly: Table this for four days rather than passing it now and then implementing in 4 days. Colin knows the person who's been talking about offering internet service and will try to get that to come together before the 4-days deadline.
- There's an "accountability" system being developed by food and operations whereby people who work at the camp and contribute to daily upkeep earn some kind of ticket/badge/etc to exchange for food. To be discussed more at food meeting after GA.
- People Safety wants to know who's sleeping in tents, and attempts at keeping active lists have not succeeded so they're requesting taking down the tent if you'll be gone for a few days. Also requesting keeping them informed whether someone can borrow your tent.
Point of Information: Someone from the state is getting us a good map of the park and we can plot tents on that.
- Dylan expressed frustration at "big decisions" such as the decision to meet a 2nd time with the City, being proposed, discussed, and consensed upon within the course of one General Assembly. Wants more time for more people to know about the issue being discussed and attend if they want to vote. Proposed 48 hour waiting period for "big decision" proposals - bring it up at GA, post it online and info table and get to caucuses w/in 12 hours (someone would have to volunteer to do this for each item), then it can be voted on 48 hours after initial proposal. [this summary includes some proposed and accepted amendments]
Discussion:
- Confusion over what constitutes a "big decision"; Dylan wants to trust people in attendance at teh GA to notice if something's a big decision. Wants one person to have the power to table items based on this criteria and require consensus to override that block (to be able to continue discussion & vote w/o 48 hour wait). A guide for what might be a big decision: Think about the controversy about meeting with the city - anything that has that level of controversy would qualify.
- What about urgent needs? Dylan: Emergencies could override it.
- Mike R: One person would have the power to block, to do this.
- Proposal to table *this* issue for 48 hours, which initially Dylan accepted but then said it wasn't such a big decision and we should discuss it now.
- Question about whether it could be tabled again after 48 hours, if it came back with lots of changes from working groups and other feedback. Answer: no, it's the same issue, people were aware of it and had the opportunity to participate.
Attempt at consensus:
Two blocks. First "This will be used to prevent discussions with the City." Second "Too much hullabaloo." 2nd blocker said he'd only remove his block if Dylan accepted a different plan: All agenda items should be posted at the info table and online 24 hours ahead. Nothing else. Dylan did not accept changed plan.
Blockers decided to join forces and were not willing to further discuss removing the blocks.
Override was considered, but crowd size estimation put us at possibly less than 40 (though we were never actually counted) and 38:2 would be the required 95% ratio for block override. The group was asked if we wanted to override and most did not respond, a few responded with down-wigglies, but then later said there was confusion about what was being asked. Override was not attempted.
(note: after GA ended, blockers & Dylan talked & worked out thoughts about how to address issue - will be discussed in working groups.)
- Announcement, Luigi, "Viva La Diferance" Sunday 11am, mediation/conflict resolution meeting.
- Emma & Shanna: Sunday 5pm Community Building forum
- Luigi: Argentina Horizontalism teach in tabled for another day.
GA ended 7:25pm.