11-07-2011 GA Minutes

[Solus Hospes]

docs.google.com/document/d/1WddYw2IoyowyZFacQNIRSWhVV7xB60tSRjyAiIOesPE/edit?authkey=COeL4pgK

Occupy Melbourne 11-07-11 GA Minutes

“Occupy Melbourne Florida’s (OMF) fifth General Assembly met successfully, with twenty-nine people in attendance, on November 7th at 7pm at the Sun Shoppe and Cafe in downtown Melbourne. Three Occupy Events were passed and now being worked on by our working groups to include Occupying A1A and 520 on 11-11-11 at 11am in tandem with a Veterans for Peace march, a Mic Check at the Brevard County Commissioners meeting on November 15th at 11am, and a “We are the 99% day” event on November 17th, location and time to be decided. Additionally we will have a new group page on FaceBook for easier sharing of information and our website is up and available now at www.occupymelbournefl.wordpress.com. A press release will be making its way to the public soon to update on these and other events and issues Occupy Melbourne is working on.”

Date: 11-07-11
Time: 7pm-10pm
Location: The Sun Shoppe Café (540 E New Haven –aka 192- in Downtown Melbourne, FL)
Facilitator: James
Attendance: 29

Introduction to the GA:
(Review of the GA process -see hand out, select minute takers and moderators)
Minute Takers: 2 (Mandy and Gary)
Moderators: 2 (Bruce and Jeff)
Stack Mod: 1 (Felix)

Announcements [7:17pm-7:34pm]

• Tuesday November 15th at 11 am, The Brevard County Commissioners are set to vote on their Consent Agenda to include a president: Limiting where demonstrators can demonstrate by determining what is “county property” and what isn’t.
  Is there anything we can do? Is it a public meeting? Is it a vote? (It is open to the public but the only ones voting are the commissioners.) If people show up to contest, the commissioner’s office will allow the public to speak and have to set it aside for a debate and delay any affirmative votes that would have passed this into effect. (Public Servants like the commissioners have to take a pledge to protect the constitution and this directly affects the first amendment right. It is treason to go against the constitution and we should speak up for ourselves.) Agreed, but this should be a proposal of what we can do about it.
  
  
• Occupy A1A and 520 on 11-11-11 at 11am event posted on the events page on FaceBook.
  
  
• March planned for Veterans For Peace in several locations on the same day (11-11-11).
  
  
• Novemeber 17th mass eviction of OWS, do we want to help/can we help?
  (There is a proposal in the box to address an event on the same day, we can make this apart of it.)
  
  
• We have new shirts offered at cost for $5 that show “99%” ask through Facebook
  (Darin Lassiter- is the creator of these shirts and again, he is doing them at cost)
  
  
• If you’ve been stuffing your pre-paid credit card envelopes but ran out of stuff to send back to the banks, we have extra materials for anyone who wants some.
  (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlxbKtBkGM&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1)
  
  
• David Warren PH.D. is Teacher of Compassionate Communications who has a flyer for how to protest without violence and how to maintain effective non-violent conflict resolutions.
  (He is willing to do a teach-in on the topic.)
  occupymelbournefl.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=peacekeepers&thread=60
  
  
• Every Friday we do the Peace Corner (which is Hollywood-Evans and 192-NewHaven) Please propose some alternate times so we can vote on what is best for everyone due to the time change and how it gets darker sooner.

Old Business [7:34pm-7:51pm]
Old Proposals:

1. Tabled last meeting: “Should we have a representative communicate with the Police Department (PD)?”
We are in communication with the legal team on this and for now, they will be the point of contact for the Police department unless someone else would like to volunteer on an as needed basis.

2. Tabled last meeting : “Web Team will find a list of guidelines used by other sites and offer it at the next GA for consensus and implementation for all to follow on FB and the MB.”
Guidelines for dealing with harassers, but not the other guidelines yet. Web team will look into this.

3. Tabled last meeting: “Have the next sign wave on the corner of Minton and Palm Bay Road.”
Proposal in the box, so we can wait for that.

4. Tabled last meeting: “Let the courts know that we are aware of the conflict of interest of the judges presiding over foreclosure cases as they have a financial interest in the case’s outcome as it will affect their retirements which are funded by the same banks in these cases.”
Still working on getting the facts to confirm if this is the case here and what we can legally do about it via the legal team and then it will be passed to the Direct Actions work group to make a plan of action.

5. Tabled last meeting: “OMF should establish a routine procedure for sending weekly updates to other groups via e-mail.”
Proposal in the box for Occupy Groups to meet once a month for a GA collectively.

6. Tabled last meeting: “Defund the banks by everyone filing for loan modifications on the same day; then open an escrow account in a local credit union. Send a letter to your bank that your mortgage payments will be made to the escrow account until the modification is approved. Instead of sending a check, send them a copy of the deposit slip.”
Legal team is still researching the legality of this though again it may solely depend on your loan. If someone has an example loan contract they’d be willing to provide the legal team (feel free to black out any personal information) we could have a better idea of where to start asking some questions and what questions to ask.

Local Occupy Updates:

1. Getmoneyout.com –a petition to get money out of politics.
2. Others covered in Announcements



Working Group Reports/Updates:

1. Media is going to do another press release on topics we’re discussing, meeting minutes, plans of action we have in the works, etc

• Can we all agree on it before it goes out? (Time sensitive, most news requires 10 days heads up on press-releases for events and such.) Right now let’s put one out, and we’ll discuss the future releases another time.

2. Some issues getting into the working group forums.

• That is being worked on, keep in touch with the forum admins to trouble shoot.

3. Web group has been working on things through the website the forum and facebook.

• www.occupymelbournefl.wordpress.com (website-static info)
  
• www.occupymelbournefl.proboards.com (forum- discussions)
  
• www.facebook.com/groups/occupymelbournefl (FBgroup page- sharing)

4. The Forum is the best way to communicate with the group aside from the GA which we only do once a week.


New Business [7:51pm-9:25pm]
Proposal: “Petition FL Attorney General Pam Bondi to join a Class Action Lawsuit to sue the banks along with DE, NV, and NY”
Concerns: Floridalegal.com, click on complaints or comments and say we want to join. This goes along with the MA Supreme Court ruling to overturn all foreclosures in the last five years. (Should we be going by individuals or as a group and is there a different effect if we do it as a group or individuals? Are we signing for OccupyMelbourne or our individual selves?) The more clear we make our intentions to the AG, the more clear our impact will be but obviously anyone who doesn’t want to speak up doesn’t have to.
Consensus: This is not a proposal but a general announcement that people can choose to do or not do. Most agree we want to participate. Still offering to the Issues Working Group to get fact sheets and detailed information for those who do want to participate.

Proposal: “The Next Sign wave to be at the corner of Minton and Palm Bay Road because it is the busiest.”
Concerns: This is the most heavily traveled intersection in this part of the county with 45,720 cars in 2010 vrs the 32,820 cars passing Evans-Hollywood and 192 in 2010. In addition, we have the influx of cars coming from i-95 and we want the entire country to hear our message, not just the same people week after week. (When would we go? On the same Friday or maybe a weekend?) We could go the Saturday after our Peace Corner Friday. (We don’t want to give up the peace corner.) We don’t have to. (Where is this intersection?) We will provide a picture with the next proposal. (Between 7am and 9am traffic drops off at the peace corner.)
Consensus:TABLED-Yes, we like the location, no we’re not sure when to do it and we’d like to see a complete proposal with this information from the direct action work group.

Proposal: “Move the GA from a business to a public space like a park or just outside”
Concerns: This will cut down on the noise and prevent us from interrupting their business as well as allowing us to be more focused without their business’ distractions. (Where? We understand the potential benefits but we need a location.) A public park. (What if it rains? The GA would be cancelled.) Does anyone have a house they would be willing to host in? (What about a library?) They close at 8pm. (Can you move the GA’s time?) People work. (There is a community room at the mall but we’d have to check the times.) Outside attracts people and is more open, friendly, and welcoming. (Parks close at dark and what about the chill coming in or the mosquitoes? We have a different community than the large cities and larger occupation sites and this location –Sun Shoppe and Café- works for us.) The proposal is to consider a location change, if it passes we can forward it to a Work Group to find the preferred location and other details. (Why not get that first, and then decide if we want to move from here to there?)
Consensus: TABLED- 50/50 get more info and resubmit.

Proposal: “The Facebook Fan Page is too hard to find and keep track of, can we make a group page on facebook?”
Concerns: A group page allows us to tag the group in images, share other FB posts on the group without leaving the page we’re on. It also allows us to have the group on the left side of our FB home pages for one-click-to-Occupy Melbourne FL FB group page to see updates and notifications. (Can we have both?) Yes. (We shouldn’t get too many pages, other groups are struggling with too many places to get information.) We have facebook for sharing, message boards for discussion and hashing our plans, and the website for promoting our work, keeping static information that doesn’t change, etc.
Consensus: PASSED- Web team will open a Facebook Group with the same name “Occupy Melbourne Fl.” And post the link on the current page so we can all join and start posting! (www.facebook.com/groups/occupymelbournefl)


Proposal: “There is not enough productivity in the work groups, can we have volunteers/elect working group facilitators?”
Concerns: The Facilitators would be like coordinators that just help organize projects for the group to work on, serve as a point of contact for other groups or individuals to ensure more definitive and organized actions. (What about just submitting questions on the message board like we have been?) Yes, still do that and anyone with the answer can answer, what the facilitators would be for is to coordinate the actions of each individual in the group to ensure progress. Just someone to help keep things on point, to offer themselves as a point of contact for those interested in joining the group, etc. (But they’re not a leader, right?) Right, just a coordinator if you will. The more organized we are, the more confident the public will be in our abilities to make progress through this movement.
Consensus: PASSED- Those willing to volunteer their time as a facilitator please sign-up on the message board under that group and make note of your willingness to facilitate.

Proposal: “The Super Committee is making budget cut decisions to reduce our deficit; MoveOn is helping to coordinate OWS and other Occupy sites nation wide as well as support groups through the US for a “We are the 99%” Day on November 17th. Would we like to do an event in solidarity?”
Concerns: The call is to occupy bridges and schools to draw attention to our broken economy. MoveOn will be helping with coordinating efforts, providing media and materials and we will decide where and when and what specifically we want to say. (Maybe we should be independent and not with any group like MoveOn.) MoveOn isn’t leading this event, just helping to coordinate via e-mail and texting multiple occupy sites, unions, and other support groups to take similar actions in tandem with each other for greater impact. (Some say MoveOn is run by the establishment.) True or not, we are the ones going to be out there and we all have free will so we can make these messages what we want them to be. (No matter what party you are, or who you’re ‘with’ you can choose to support the cause or not.) Support the cause, the issue, not the group. (Ultimately the choice is ours every step of the way.)
Consensus: PASSED- Direct Action will coordinate with Education, Issues, and Media to get fact sheets on the economy, appropriate signs, a location and time. Transportation will help with making sure everyone gets there and knows where to park.

Proposal: “Mic Check at the County Commissioners meeting on November 15th at 11am as noted in the announcements to protect our right to assemble.”
Concerns: The Commissioners don’t have the right to change the law or go against the Constitution. (Just because they are voting on it doesn’t mean it will pass. There are those who speak up for us and wouldn’t pass this on the board.) If we show up, we don’t have to chance it. They have to let us speak and table the item for debate later. (What if we call them before hand to protest?) We must show up at the time of the meeting and speak up against the item. We should pass in support and the details can be worked out by the Direct Action work group.
Consensus: PASSED- Issues and Direct Action work group will get facts and details on the event to share with The People.

Proposal: “Suggesting Apple Bees meeting room at no charge for the next GA”
Concerns: How is that different from staying here? (Proposal author not in attendance)
Consensus: TABLED- Direct Action work group will be working on alternate locations/times.

Proposal: “We prohibit political signs at our events, i.e. endorsing one or more candidates. In addition, we prohibit signs from any other organization that is not keeping with the spirit of the occupy movement.”
Concerns: We are a politically neutral movement, it’s inappropriate for people to express their preferences for a candidate during our events as it makes it look like “our” occupy movement is endorsing one candidate or another, one organization or another. As it gets closer to the elections, more signs may present themselves thus clouding the message our movement is trying to send to the public. (What about the 1st amendment right to freedom of speech?) When people see political signs they may be turned away if they don’t also support that politician. (The 99% is really the 100%, we all have different ideas and views and that’s part of the point we’re trying to make; The People have a voice. We can’t start censoring it.) If it really bothers you, try having an opposing sign rather than banning it. (Do we really want people to see us opposing each other in our events?) If we accept association with MoveOn, we have to accept association with other groups and politicians like Ron Paul. (If we start excluding, where do we stop?) We’re not excluding, we’re trying to keep our message clear. (Perhaps amend using a website rather than a politician or group slogan.) Support the issues, not the politics.
Consensus: TABLED- One block against “not passing” with strong convictions this SHOULD pass and our events should be clean of politicians names/slogans, etc. For now, open a thread on the message board to discuss options and possible compromise.

Proposal: “Meeting of multiple Occupy groups for a community GA to help organize a greater occupy community and collaborate and coordinate work groups in each occupy group to plan events together.”
Concerns: Is this just to coordinate with other local Occupy Groups? (Yes.) Is it one rep from each group? (No, anyone who wants to come, can and anyone can submit proposals, etc.) When? (Once a month, details can be hashed out if we can agree to commit to a community GA.) Should we create a work group to facilitate this specifically? (Occupy Space Coast did.) Is it open or is there a specific agenda? (Open, let’s just talk.)
Consensus: PASSED- Direct Action work group can see about the details or propose a new work group specific to collaborating with other Occupy groups.


Recess [9:14pm-9:29pm]


Announcements [9:29pm-9:32pm]

• Wyoming is the home of Dick Cheney and oil companies “We are not a democracy, we are bought and paid for by the Major Oil companies.” As an example to the point: Get Occupy Candidates to prevent candidates from buying their way in.
  
• We have someone, Jonathan Antonio Trapani, who is running for congress 2014. So yes, anyone can do this. (Opposed to having Occupy Candidates because this is a contradiction to our “no one speaks for the Group” ) Having a candidate would depend on how we handled it, because it could be they are speaking for our interests and being our collective voice in congress. (Political involvement is necessary, why shouldn’t we have a candidate? ) No candidate could umbrella us and all of our ideas/opinions
  
• Put it on the MB in the politics section for further discussion. This could be a proposal later with more details
  
• Thank the Host!
  
• Clean-up after ourselves.
  
  
  
  Open General Stack [9:32pm-10:00pm]
  • Former Proposal of political signage…what happens if we have one sign for a politician and one sign against it and people driving by see that, wouldn’t they see that as a fight within the group and think us not organized or unified.
    

    The minute we censor, we will have to tell people who show up with a sign that is banned, we’ll have to tell them they cannot use that sign right now and that might turn them away when they could be a good contributor. We are the 99% and part of our mission is to let the voices be heard, even the ones we don’t agree with.
    We already covered this. Why are we still talking about it? Put it on the forum and lets hash it out there.

    
    
    
  • We don’t know when the next sign wave is, or when, what did we accomplish today?
    

    Part of the GA isn’t necessarily making choices immediately but working together with people and learning to interact with one another even though we don’t agree. (We already talked about the sign wave last week and we cannot do it on Friday because of daylight savings time. We don’t even know when it is and people have left and don’t know what we’re doing next. -Speaker left) We will meet at the same time, same date unless otherwise decided as stated in the last GA and perhaps the one before it. (A lot of things were accomplished today, at least three new events this month, progress on getting facilitators for the working groups and cooperating with other Occupy Groups. That’s a lot of progress.)

    
    
  • Tensions were high, we took it outside and individuals spoke with individuals but the minute takers had to depart.
    
  
  
  
  
  

[rwparkinson]

I commend those who have taken, transcribed, and posted the GA meeting minutes. I'm using these to help me draft our next OMF press release; great job. That said, it is likely the next PR won't come out until after the next GA meeting cuz most of our actionable items have been tabled.

[Solus Hospes]

Thank you.