General Assembly Minutes 12/1/2011

We will no longer remain silent We are the 99% Strength in Solidarity

OccupySacramento General Assembly Minutes – DAY 57

Thursday, December 1, 2011 5:40 p.m. PST
Location: Cesar Chavez Plaza

Facilitator: Tiffany
Stack Taker: Sean Thompson
Time Keeper: NA
Minutes: Michele

OS = OccupySacramento
F = Facilitator
P = Proposer
R = Reporter (for report back from committee or working group)
PoP = Point of Process
PoI = Point of Information
CQ = Clarifying Question

1. Facilitation

1.1 Welcome

1.2 Introductions

1.3 Explanation of Hand Signals

1.4 Introduction of Agenda – report backs, old business (none), new business (one item), announcements, adjournment, soapbox

2. Report Backs

2.1 Sean Thomspon – Legal Committee

Sean reported: Today a lot of multiple arrestees and their attorneys met and are all standing in solidarity, agreeing not to take the sweet plea deal of $100 fine and no misdemeanor on record – it’s sweeter to continue to fight for the revolution. The first pretrial is tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the City court, Dept. D.

CQ: What is the charge?

R: Loitering. Everyone with a single offense had their charges dropped; those with multiple offenses had some charges dropped. Of my five charges, only three are going through.

CQ: How many people?

Cres: 16 people total – 9 on December 13.

2.2 Tiffany – Nonviolent Communication Committee

Tiffany reported: There is a teach-in every Saturday at 3 pm. Please join us.

3. Old Business – None.

4. New Business

Cat: REQUEST TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING EMERGENCY PROPOSAL PUT ON AGENDA FOR TOMORROW NIGHT’S GA (Friday, December 2, 2011, 5:30 p.m.):

Background: Safe Ground Sacramento (safegroundsac.org) is an organization of homeless campers who maintain a self-governed and illegal camp in Sacramento, currently on the American River. SafeGround has been working for five years to acquire land and gain City approval for a self-governing, violence-, drug-, and alcohol-free community. Safe Ground activists have supported the Occupy movement and shared in the arrests resulting from the Occupation.

A large police action against current homeless camps (including safe ground camp) is as of today’s date planned by the City. Eviction notices have been given to campers.

Safe Ground (with the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee) is organizing for community support to “stand their ground” and suffer arrest rather than being forced to move. There is nowhere to go, since the City Ordinance bans all camping on any public or private land throughout the City.

At the GA, we would like to call upon the Occupy Movement for support, including the following:

1. A resolution in support of the Safe Ground movement and against the camping ordinance arrests.

2. Coordinated action (TBD) with the Occupy Movement in support of homeless campers in the event arrests occur. Ideas for action have included (a) a public guided tour of the camping areas; (b) a joint march in support of the safe ground movement; (c) assistance with social media.

Cathleen Williams, Tracie Rice Bailey, Safe Ground Elders, and others on behalf of the homeless safe ground movement.

CQ: Who is the proposer?

P: An attorney for Safe Ground.

CQ: How many are there?

PoI: 125 tents, approximately 215 people.

Comment: They are being kicked out because of drug use. You have to police yourselves.

PoI: The real problem is freedom of assembly. People see the homeless campers and are afraid and call the police. It is paranoia, not necessarily drugs.

F: This is just a vote on whether to agendize this as an emergency item.

Temp check: Consensus.

Vote: 14 for the request, 0 against.

REQUEST APPROVED TO AGENDIZE PROPOSAL FOR TOMORROW, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011.

CQ: Why aren’t we hitting the colleges?

F: You may want to bring this up on soapbox and then maybe make an announcement or a proposal.

PoI: Kirk, Matt, April, Autumn, and Monet have already started a working group (the Occupy Youth Working Group) to get colleges involved. There was nothing to report back yet because it is midterms now.

5. Announcements

5.1 Frank said he posted a shorter version of this on the OS Facebook page. He announced that he was riding the bus this morning on this important day. Today is the day in 1955 (December 1, 1955), when Rosa Parks disobeyed an order to vacate a seat on the bus for a white passenger, and started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. All the buses he has seen today have had a seat reserved for her.

Acts of peaceful civil disobedience can lead to changes of discussion and consciousness. The Occupy movement has started that wave of change in America.

5.2 Sean Thompson announced that the police are now enforcing arrests on the homeless for having sleeping bags. That’s despicable. They are doing that so that it does not appear to be selective enforcement when they take away our sleeping bags. At the City Council meeting, he went up to speak and turned his back on the Council and talked to the audience about that (with some cursing). The police said he could be arrested for that (he thinks it was Chief Martindale). He checked the procedures and they say you have to go to the podium but not which way you have to stand or how loudly you speak (although you probably shouldn’t curse). Does anyone else want to do that?

PoI (Dee): This evening I filed an official complaint with the Sacramento Police Department against Officer Mark Tyndale, the President of the police department union (the Sacramento Police Officers Association), for comments he made on the Sacramento News & Review blog: “Went to City Council last night and can’t help but notice how stupid and offensive the Occupy Sacramento people are getting. They are total losers and anyone would have to be a fool to want to be associated with that movement.” On his picture accompanying his post, he’s wearing his police uniform. He’s stepped out of bounds. It is a blog, but it is public media.

PoI (Sean): So he’s speaking for the police. I’ve been out here 60 days or so and every time I talk to the police (the nice ones), they almost always say they’re not allowed to discuss political opinions in uniform.

PoI (Dee): I would like to discuss having a protest at the police union office. He used the word “fools” to describe us. How about a media campaign – “fools for democracy” – jesters’ hats. I talked to Cres about a press release. The couple of police I talked to are not so happy to be represented that way.

PoI (Sean): See me for the Direct Action Working Group.

5.3 Kirk announced that Governor Jerry Brown has announced an initiative for the 2012 ballot that would propose higher income taxes on individuals making $250,000 per year (increase by 1 percentage point); $300,000 to $500,000 (increase by 1.5 percentage points), and above $500,000 (2 percentage points). This would make enough a difference that our $7 billion deficit would turn into a $3 billion surplus.

CQ: Over what time period?

Kirk: One year. It will expire in 2016 unless there is a vote to keep the increases. Anyone who likes this might want to write the Governor.

5.4 Chris from Media announced that there is a big dance party at Occupy Davis tonight at 10:00 p.m. in Central Park. They have been served an eviction notice.

PoI: The last dance party they had was great.

CQ: Until when?

PoI: All night.

CQ: Is alcohol allowed?

PoI: You can drink alcohol in Central Park in Davis (like at the Farmer’s Market).

5.5 (Name anonymous) announced that it his birthday tomorrow.

GA: Happy Birthday!

6. Adjournment – 6:15 p.m.

Read more at Occupy Sacramento