[Street] [Ideas] proposal to table GA until Friday (in lieu of community forum on immediate problems)

Joseph Ramsey jgramsey at gmail.com
Wed Dec 14 17:29:31 EST 2011


BIG +1 to what Jorge said:  both in his praise of Katie's work, and in his
critique of this particular proposal.

I hope to contribute more concerning the bigger issues on the table here,
soon.

In the meantime, I would merely offer that I think it would be a good thing
if our GA process itself were rendered somewhat more flexible and
responsive to immediate group demands, in the following way: The
facilitating team should make the first item of the agenda--after the
articulation of their proposed process for the night--a "temperature check"
on the proposed process itself. Alternatively or additionally, the
facilitators could ask if there are any proposed ammendments to the
"standard" process/agenda, in light current concerns. This would allow for
a period (a brief one--we might cap it at 15 minutes) for priority issues
like Katie is raising to be moved to the TOP of an agenda, provided such a
proposal has consensus.  (I think it should take consensus to revise the
pre-set process for the night.)

Frankly, I do believe that if we had had such an ability to revise the
process and agenda in light of pressing concerns then we might have made
more of the opportunity we had, for example, at the first GA post-eviction,
where there more than 500 people present.  We had a "mass moment" here, as
well as a media moment, and our structured agenda--with announcement first
and so on--didn't allow us to make the most of it, at least not in my
view.  For example, I believe that many people present would have been up
for something like a march or rally to protest the eviction and publicly
signal our continuance as a movement.  But by the time we got to proposals,
most people's feet were frozen.

A bit of flexifying of GA agenda processes could also help to sure up the
legitimacy of the facilitation group, which in some folks eyes has been
lagging at times, despite what I respect as the very hard work these folks
are putting in.

What do people think of my proposed process flexifying?

Perhaps something to be discussed at THURSDAY's GA?  Or else at Friday's
ADDITIONAL community meeting, if it happens?

Now it's off to the first GA for Occupy Somerville.  7pm in Davis Square!

Best,
Joe

On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 5:00 PM, rita sebastian <rita at brandeis.edu> wrote:

> Thanks Jorge!  I agree.  We can have both, GA tomorrow and a special
> session n Friday.
> What time is the GA tomorrow (Thursday)?
> Thanks,
> Rita
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 4:50 PM, Jorge Alvarez <eghm627 at mac.com> wrote:
>
>> Hola Katie.
>>
>> I've yet to read the entire thread, I'm starting from this cornerstone
>> email, but please allow me to reiterate what I said yesterday at FWG:
>>
>> We have no reason to cancel GA tomorrow, none.
>>
>> Friday's meeting should be done autonomously. Only the GA can consent to
>> canceling and moving the GA outside of an emergency -- and while these
>> issues are pressing, this is not an emergency.
>>
>> Sorry, to get "processy" here, but the ideal opportunity to have your
>> proposal consented to was last night at GA. Why didn't you bring it up as
>> you did at FWG?
>>
>> I will be the first to attend the Friday meeting, I think it is utterly
>> important, but there are other proposals to be heard, e.g., Brian K's
>> proposal last night and others in that vein. I know someone in facilitation
>> is working on one, and I suspect one of the proposals we heard last night
>> will be re-presented in a different manner tomorrow night.
>>
>> There is absolutely no reason why we can't have a GA Thursday, the
>> special assembly Friday, GA's on Saturday and Sunday, and another special
>> assembly on Monday.
>>
>> We don't have to consent to special assemblies on Friday or any other
>> non-GA night. You can do this autonomously and still have a spectacular
>> turnout. I know I'll be there and so will many others that are searching
>> for any chance to get together in the absence of our encampment at Dewey.
>>
>> There is just no reason to squelch the voice of the people or stop the
>> business of horizontal democracy (arguably what we do best and model for
>> the rest of the world) on Thursday night. And we have a new space we'd like
>> to try out (although this is not a critical reason to hold our GA).
>>
>> 6 weeks ago we canceled 3 GA's in the span of 10 days and it was an
>> outrage. We vowed, or at least FWG vowed to never do this unilaterally
>> again, there is no precedent for this nor the justifiable rationale.
>>
>> We can have both.
>>
>> We should have both.
>>
>> People will show. We can't consent to something like this via email
>> anyway -- and even if we experimented with it this time, think of all the
>> people who lack access.
>>
>> I love everything you do for OB, sometimes I think you're the glue that
>> is keeping us together, but this is not such a good proposal.
>>
>> Please consider having GA on Thursday and our special assembly on Friday.
>> We can do both.
>>
>> With peace and great admiration for all your Herculean work,
>>
>> Jorge
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Dec 14, 2011, at 1:35 AM, Katie Gradowski <katie.gradowski at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> I'm forwarding this email widely because it seems pressing.  The past two
>> GAs following eviction have felt very out of place -- I feel like we, as a
>> community, have not yet dealt with the eviction from Dewey Square, which
>> has resulted in a creeping sense of sprawl and dysfunction.   This email is
>> a tentative call for a reset!
>>
>> *A brief overview of my concerns:  *
>>
>> Over the past two days, we have seen hours worth of working group
>> announcements, in many cases for working groups whose purpose and identity
>> has irrevocably shifted.    We have seen "message" proposals, even as we
>> have houseless occupiers who have gone days without a place to stay.    We
>> have had a proliferation of hastily planned actions, with no thought or
>> coordination of how we, as a community, want to respond to eviction, or of
>> coordinated actions between working groups in response to eviction from
>> Dewey Square. Reports so far on tonight's GA (contentious issues of
>> storage, personal attacks, a proposal to send homeless occupiers to DC?)
>> suggests that things are not getting better.
>>
>> While this is all happening, there are pressing issues that have not yet
>> been resolved.    I feel deeply uncomfortable moving forward in any sense
>> until we can take time, as a group, can resolve the question of space and
>> housing.   I would like to propose tabling Thursday's GA, and in its place
>> scheduling an open community forum this Friday, at St. Paul's Cathedral,
>> from 6-8:30 p.m. to find immediate, community-wide solutions to the
>> following three concerns:
>>
>>
>> ******************************************************************************************************************************************
>>
>> IMMEDIATE ISSUES  (to be resolved in the next few days)
>>
>> *1)   Permanent space for GA + reassessment of working groups *---
>> Without a site, we have sprawl on all sides.   Working groups that no
>> longer have space, GAs are tentatively planned, lots of options on the
>> table for sites but no solid choices, defunct groups consolidating with
>> other groups.   We need to sit down and map out the new terrain.   What is
>> the new "site" for OB, in the absence of Dewey Square?  (don't outsource
>> this to a working group!  let's solve it together)   Do we want a central
>> space for everything or several diffuse spaces?   Do we want roving GAs in
>> JP, Chinatown, Dorchester, and elsewhere? (and is it important for Gas and
>> working groups to be in the same space?)   Do we want to rent or borrow?
>> Do we want a food truck and a caravan of tiny houses?   And if so, how do
>> we make that happen?
>>
>> *Between now and Friday, I propose that *everyone* who has an idea or
>> plan about permanent space take this week (facilitation, logistics,
>> outreach, Eric, Greg, Brian, myself) write it up as a proposal, and bring
>> it with actionable items to Friday's community forum*.   In line with
>> that, I propose that as many working groups as possible check in with
>> updated information about where you are meeting and how you are situated,
>> post-eviction. *This is a top priority at the moment*.   Without a space
>> to assemble and a concrete proposal for what space we want to inhabit,
>> post-Dewey, we will not be able to settle long enough to accomplish
>> anything of substance.   We'll split up, peter out, start meeting
>> separately, stop checking in, and that will be the end of Occupy Boston.
>>
>> *2)   Long term winter solution for houseless occupiers * --  At the
>> moment, we have up to 10 people remaining who are active occupiers who need
>> a place to stay.   At least 4 are couples and cannot go into the shelter
>> system.   *We cannot rely on occupiers who have stepped up to offer
>> short-term housing as a long-term solution to this issue.  * Those of us
>> who have offered space are already stretched thin and are trying hard to
>> fill in the gaps.   Many of these people have stuck it out after eviction,
>> helping to coordinate space logistics and participating in GAs and working
>> groups, in spite of the very real possibility of spending the night in a
>> bus station.The occupiers who remain are part of our community, and we need
>> a community solution to this issue.
>>
>> *We need an immediate solution to the question fo where they will be
>> housed. *  Possible short term solutions: rotating couch space, church
>> space, others?  long-term solution:  outreach to places that will allow us
>> to pitch tents (not a good option over winter)?  large indoor spaces with
>> housing?   renting an apartment for houseless occupiers over winter?
>> Sending people to other occupations is not an option -- nor is farming this
>> out to a working group or a dedicated set of individuals.   If we are truly
>> a community, we need a community solution to this issue.   Most of these
>> people have arrangements that are expiring by the end of the week.  This
>> issue must be dealt with, before any broader questions of message and
>> direction are considered.
>>
>> *3)  OB actions this week, next week, and moving forward.  * I had a
>> conversation with some folks in media a few days ago about message, and
>> someone remarked (quite rightly) that the way we make statements now is not
>> with words, but with actions.   There are a number of very exciting actions
>> coming out of the community organization meetings, as well as a
>> proliferation of exciting, small-scale actions (tiny tents, anyone?) that
>> are in progress.   Let's coordinate TOGETHER, plan across working groups,
>> and approach these actions in a really intentional way!
>>
>> This week has seen more sprawl than usual, with a proliferation of
>> actions, many reactionary, quickly planned with little coordination or
>> thought of execution.  Autonomous action is fine, but too easily becomes an
>> excuse to throw things together at the last minute -- let's NOT use GA
>> announcements as a place to plan actions in the hopes that people will just
>> show up -- let's actually sit down and plan them together!   *There are
>> two meetings taking place this weekend -- an OB action summit (Sunday at 1)
>> and a community-wide spokescouncil meeting to plan for a mass day of action
>> sometime in January or February.*   Let's prioritize these meetings, and
>> use that space as a jumping-off point for a larger discussion of what we,
>> as a community, want to prioritize going forward.
>>
>>
>>
>> *********************************************************************************************************
>>
>> WIDER POST-EVICTION THOUGHTS - on GA, facilitation, and the need for open
>> community spaces
>>
>> (this is less urgent - feel free to skip it if you like -- they deal with
>> my broader concerns about GA, and how we can move forward as a community in
>> the wake of eviction from Dewey Square
>>
>> *Reclaiming GAs as a public space* -- the past two GAs have felt very
>> closed at a time when they need to be radically open -- they have carried
>> on with "business as usual," instead of reclaiming GAs as an open forum
>> (which they initially were).   In the wake of eviction, we need SOME spaces
>> for "loose" facilitation, for town hall stye forum, similar to what we had
>> in the beginning --->  perhaps reviving the PROPOSAL FOR COMMUNITY NIGHTS?
>>   how to deal with the sprawl of announcements??   replacing WG
>> announcements with print copies to circulate -- info desk at GA? -- all of
>> these and more. now, more than ever, we need to make it a radically open
>> space, and be proactive about inviting new people in
>>
>> In the days and weeks leading up to eviction, many people remarked
>> privately to me that they felt OB becoming a closed community, with people
>> onsite "taking care of their own," and offsite working groups operating in
>> total isolation of each other.   Post-eviction, we have followed "business
>> as usual" -- continuing meetings, highly procedural GAs, prioritizing an
>> hour of working group announcements, and dragging on for hours.
>>
>> We need to respond to GA specifically -- but we also need to actively
>> create spaces for people to meet and socialize, building in time for social
>> events, community forums  (like the one I'm proposing right now),
>> discussion meetings, teach-ins, and debate -- planning them in advance and
>> publicizing them widely, so that people outside the mailing lists will know
>> about them and can come.    In line with this, we need to actively make use
>> of the website, wiki, facebook, and twitter make sure we are publicizing
>> our events, keeping people up to date, and coordinating within Occupy
>> Boston in order to get the word out in a timely manner.
>>
>> *Taking care of our own*.   When occupied, Dewey Square was in a
>> constant state of crisis.   It was impossible to respond, react, or slow
>> down long enough to deal with the myriad issues  -- chief among them, the
>> marginalization of houseless occupiers and people of color.  Their needs
>> need to be addressed and put front and center in any discussion of how we
>> as a community move forward as a community  (whether they be clothing,
>> shelter, living assistance, a place to take showers, etc)
>>
>> *Prioritizing people over process:*   David made a proposal at
>> Saturday's facilitation meeting to go back to loose process and allow
>> people to speak openly at the post-eviction GA.   This didn't happen, and
>> to date, no space for this kind of open conversation has been made.
>> Post-eviction, we need to reintroduce a sense of radical openness to GA,
>> even if it slows things down or breaks process.  *We need spaces for
>> loose facilitation, even at the expense of efficiency, both to take into
>> account (and deal with) our radically changed circumstances, and to make
>> space for new people to have a place in the dialogue.*   Strong
>> facilitation is comforting to some and profoundly alienating to others --
>> at this juncture, I feel pretty strongly that we need spaces for both
>> strong facilitation and open, spontaneous dialogue -- and that if this
>> isn't currently happening in GA, we need to make it so.
>>
>> *Collaboration across working groups.  * For anyone who was at last
>> night's community orgs meeting, it was an amazing example of coordination
>> across groups -- we had four solid proposals on the table for upcoming
>> actions (from January through March) and left with actionable items on each
>> one.   For the first time in the history of that meeting, there were
>> representatives from media,outreach, facilitation, and community
>> organizations from across Boston.   At the facilitation meeting last
>> Saturday,likewise,  there were representatives from almost all of the major
>> working groups.    It felt amazing, to see and begin to plan large-scale
>> collaborative actions as a group, with thoughtful, intentional buy-in from
>> everyone in the room.
>>
>> Too often, we farm out difficult decisions to working groups or create
>> new ones on the spot, rather than do the workto have these conversations.
>> We need to create spaces where we can collaborate TOGETHER to solve
>> pressing issues across working groups, marshal our existing resources and
>> work together, across working groups, to plan actions, solutions,
>> discussions, and next steps.     More conversations like this = more work
>> that can immediately get done (and can get done together!), which is what's
>> going to keep us together in the long run.
>>
>>
>> *********************************************************************************************************************************
>>
>> Everything that's outlined above is hard.   We need to be thoughtful,
>> intentional, and have the courage to take things slowly rather than rush to
>> keep up with press coverage and the post-eviction spotlight.   We also need
>> to try, as best we can, not to trash each other by email as we work through
>> these difficult issues.
>>
>> Without a space -- and in particular, without concrete accommodations
>> made for our most marginalized members -- I feel it will be very hard to
>> move forward on any of the rest of it in a meaningful way.   I propose that
>> we start this conversation Friday at 6 p.m. at St. Paul's Cathedral.
>>
>> Those are my thoughts!   Please let me know yours.
>>
>> All best,
>>
>> Katie
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Rita Monestersky- Sebastian
> Brandeis, MA SID' 2009
>
> "If you cannot change yourself, how can you change the world?"
> Gandhi
>
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