[Street] New Developments - Movement building + OB + community organizations
Katie Gradowski
katie.gradowski at gmail.com
Tue Dec 13 01:10:38 EST 2011
Hey all!
For those who weren't at the community organizations meeting tonight, a
quick update on things discussed. Four exciting proposals on the table.
None have been proposed to GA yet, and some are far from being a true
integration of OB and wider social justice community, but things are
definitely moving in the right direction. As an added note: there were
many more tonight's meeting, as well as OB representation from multiple
working groups (faciltiation, media, interoccupy) This all bodes very
well for the future!
Here's a quick rundown of some of the proposals that are in the works,
which will be discussed at next week's meeting.
For reference, that meeting happens next Monday at 7 p.m. at SEIU615 (23
west steet, 2nd floor)
**********************************************************************************************************************
*1. Occupy Winter (proposed by Cynthia Peters, CLVU member and long-time
Boston organizer)* - modeled on Freedom Summer, a proposal to pair
occupiers with community organizations across Boston to work on specific
campaigns or issues over the winter months. Beyond an internship or
apprenticeship, a way to share skills and build relationships, with the
idea of establishing grassroots beyond Dewey through winter and reemerging
in the spring. CLVU is a test case for this -- using this weekend's actions
as a jumping-off point for future collaboration (home occupations and
eviction defense through winter - organizing in neighborhoods beyond
Dorchester and East Boston, with CLVU's help)
*
2. Town Hall meetings (proposed by Joanie Parker, organizer at SEIU1199 --
also by Martin at OB!) *- This idea has emerged separately both in OB
(spurred by Martin) and in community orgs meetings. A proposal for mobile
public meetings, in conjunction with local community organizations and
smaller occupations (quincy, arlington, somerville, etc), linking it to
issues in specific communities. This has been proposed on a number of
fronts, and seems to be the furthest along (already happening in local
occupies beyond Dewey Square)
*3. Targeted anti-oppression work within OB / change from within (proposed
by George Lee, youth organizer, active in anti-oppression and people of
color working group) -*- to respond to racism, sexism, and deep levels of
privilege within OB -- call for a "freedom summit" among various working
groups working on anti-oppression (decolonize, white allies,
anti-oppression, womens caucus) to discuss next steps. As part of this, a
move to work with Ideas reevaluate Ob's statement of occupation, and
rewrite it with a fuller account of history and community needs (that's my
rough summary)
*
4. Mass moblization - day of action for 99% (proposed by Bryan McCormick
- OB DA - and Morrigan Phillips, organizer at Survivors Inc) * A
coordinated day of action in January or February -- combination of
collective, planned actions (permitted march, etc), along with autonomous
actions across the city, organized by community orgs along affinity group
model. Leading up to this, a spokescouncil framework for planning and
organizing the day of action, with community-wide trainings between OB and
wider organizations on non-violent direct action, facilitation, etc. Two
trainings set for this weekend, first spokescouncil meeting this Sunday at
5.
**********************************************************************************************************************
The first three proposals have been in the works for awhile -- the fourth
was new today, and generated a lot of excitement among the group. These are
all still in the works, and should not be widely circulated or established
as fact -- none have, as yet, been proposed to GA or the wider OB
community. All edging toward possible, with huge implications for
expanding OB's work in the wider Boston community
Awesome meeting! Excited to plan next steps.
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