Occupy Central Vermont

Check-ins:  Colin, Heather, Steven, John, Emma, Yeshua 

Standing business:

• Space/Location: Pop-Up Location, Montpelier
• Agenda for the GA: (two hour):
• Intro – 30 min
• Hand signals, agreements, process
• Context — Occupy Central Vermont has been doing this every week since the big rally in Montpelier last fall. National/international connection. What we’re doing and why (grounding exercise).
• Grounding exercise – story object sharing. Personalizing the economic, political, and social crisis. ~2 minutes each – first 4 or 5 with flexibility.
• Pop-Up Plus/Delta/Insight – not all about us, also about folks who have come for first time
• Working Group (WG) Reports Back – 30 min
• E&E (JH), DAWG (Sue?Brian? – HP), FWG (Colin or Heather)… Finance/fundraising (Sue? – HP), Feminist Caucus (KW?, – JH), Arts (David Klein can’t stay for the GA), Basic Needs (Irvin will not be in town), Strategy (David Kreindler? – HP), Tech (Yeshua or John? – Heather) Outreach (???)
• Include descriptions of each group – aims and what they have done, then what they are doing
• Solicit issues that people are concerned about. Feedback on what WGs are working on.
• Gets good ideas, but doesn’t always get across the fact that they need to organize to make them happen. A chance to see if people want to work with OCV. Or complain about what WGs have dropped, get issues back on the radar, join us to organize around them.
• WG Proposals – 40 min
• Facilitation WG (Steven proposing): Occupy Central Vermont will hold General Assemblies once each month. Activities of Occupy Central Vermont will be driven by Working Groups and affinity groups. The next General Assembly will be on Saturday, 7/7, followed by General Assemblies on the first Saturday of each month. Working Groups can contact Facilitation to call for a General Assembly at anytime when necessary. Per Occupy Central Vermont process, proposals to change this schedule can be made at any time. The schedule will come up for review at the September General Assembly.
• 4-week monthly Schedule (In June (a 5-Saturday month) the extra Saturday (6/23 is the Village Gathering, so no OCV-related events will be scheduled. The next 5-Saturday month is September, when we will be reviewing this schedule during the General Assembly)
• First Saturday: General Assembly (Decision making)/ Facilitation Working Group facilitates
• Second Saturday: Working Group time/ Direct Action Working Group facilitates
• Third Saturday: Educational/Discussion or workshop based assembly/ E&E facilitates
• Fourth Saturday: Working Group time/ alt. social gathering
• Announcements – 20 min
• Village Building Convergence, Village Gathering
• July 3 Parade
• Philly gathering
• People’s convention / social forum
• Energetic End [Soapbox/Open--People’s--Mic]… Lea’s poem.

• Roles for the GA:

• speaking facilitator: Colin and Emma
• stack: John
• time-keeper: Colin
• notes: Heather
• props (big paper/white boards, banner, markers): Heather
• signage/hand signals/outreach materials/agenda: Heather and Colin
• posting the FWG meeting notes to the blog/announcement: Colin
• greeter/welcomer/de-escalator: Kelly? Dell?

Proposals / Feedback on Upcoming Proposals:

• John — 3 problems – declining attendance, working groups not bringing enough to warrant General Assemblies, Facilitation WG burnt out

• Jay’s Concerns — There might be loss of continuity, prefer having every other week, “non-public” GA, one in addition to the pop-up, didn’t understand amendments, process rushed
• John — Second every other week
• Heather — Will continue to be a burden on Facilitation. We as a working group  should discuss how to divvy responsibilities to make them happen. Would be glad if others are willing to make calls, develop agenda, conduct process, etc.
• Sue’s Concerns — Also wants 2/month, but wanting to find happy place. Per email today – OK with Brian’s amendment from Saturday but more clarity. With Direct Action-focused public session in addition to E&E, and something else (not sure, either general WG coordination, social event, etc). Also wants the proposal to include built-in review at end of summer, in September.
• Yeshua — RE: evaluate in September. Seems over-thinking. Isn’t it implicit? Fear that things are going to fall apart. Combined with frustration that doing too much. Needs aren’t being discussed. Solutions are getting partially discussed. Not taking care of specific solutions to specific needs.
• Colin — There’s a hole where people are taking responsibility for getting word out, developing agenda, doing the other events, reporting out, etc. during the “off-weeks.” People need to take that on. Other groups being asked to step up to take that on, but are individuals in the WGs willing?
• Steven — Make part of the proposal that specific groups facilitate assemblies/meetings on the “off-weeks” for purposes that they deem appropriate (i.e. Direct Action facilitates a meeting for planning for the next pop-up, Education facilitates a 2-hour discussion.)
• 5-week months – next includes VBC, next after that is far off.
• John — part of the proposal to get WGs functional
• Heather — WGs are feeling burned out. Capacity issue. Left is fear-based as much as the right but in different ways. Turns on each other. Part of the issue here is that there’s the notion that the process is being co-opted by a small group. These fears have played out in other Occupy groups with VWC, ISO. Here around BSB – almost comical. I’m really tired and frustrated. Complicated for the left to get our shit together and thought that OCV could be the moment where that happens. Saddened that this factionalism is happening here.
• John — Have to undo paranoid tendency. FWG not a cabal.
• Emma — Wouldn’t call it a paranoid tendency. Legitimate worry of power of a collective and affinity group. Recognizing that BSB people are well-practiced in radical political practice. Others have not had that support recently. Can see where people are coming from.
• John — Occupy is supposed to be open to broader public. People feeling deprived into entree into broader movement.
• Colin — bringing back to the proposal. Interested in having wider conversations around things that are coming up, but back to proposal.
• Brian’s amendment – 1 GA, alternate week of WGs or social gathering, 1 E&E Teach-In, alternate week of WGs or social gathering.
• Sue’s amendment — 1 GA (FWG), 1 DA (DAWG), 1 E&E (E&EWG), and 1 ???
• Can we get commitments from the other working groups to facilitate each of those other weeks? Needs to be a chance for working groups to figure out who can carry that load. Focuses and spreads the load. (Heather and John will discuss with DAWG and E&E)
• Margaret’s Concerns — Decision-making was going to be happening by working/affinity groups. Clarified that working groups and affinity groups are carrying out the work, but decisions in General Assemblies. Had been concerned about affinity groups, but resolved (maybe). Request for information about affinity groups.