Mintues from April 23, 2012
April 23, 2012 Meeting
Chris, Johnny, Dubii, Paige, Frank, Rosie, John, John, Al, Ellen, Judy, Dana, Ant Buddy, Neil, Jasmine, Tess, Carolyn, Jesse, Larraine, Danielle

BIG DECISIONS RE: MAY 1 and Meetings Summary:
1. Ideally, for May 1 march, have a large contingent marching behind the Legalize Sleep Banners.
2. At some point at rally at Julliard, we will do a mike check and call on the group to go over with us to City Hall, where Sam Jones Shelter is on the agenda. Our goal is for a lot of people to speak, and for people who are without permanent shelter with dignity can speak to their stories, if they so choose. Will include a Rescind 11.22 banner, also (Carolyn), Danielle, Jas and Carolyn will be going into shelters to recruit people to come and for petition signatures
3. Tandava, Tess, Jesse and Carolyn – will plan a flashnap for around 12 p.m. on May 1 and inform everyone of where to meet. Final details will likely be made known at the event
4. We need to have a short intro at the beginning of each meeting for newcomers to inform them of the campaign and to let people know we have spent a fair bit of time discussing the campaign, and coming up with initial goals. We should familiarize folks with the three prongs and encourage people to ask if an idea they have is part of the plans before assuming it is or isn’t. It would also help to orient at the beginning of a meeting of where we’re at in a process, i.e., before an action, planning a function, etc. and how that fits into larger work.
5. Continue to work on self-facilitation and constructive, building of the work collectively

The conversation, as it unfolded
Mediation WG announcement: conflict resolution process is being developed.
Came up with a list of things groups should do to keep the meeting flowing better: self-facilitation, allyship in the face of oppression – gently calling people on patriarchy; staying on topic; reinforce community agreements – back of agenda.
Mediation meets every Monday four to six

Self-facilitation: not repeating ourselves; group on same page, integrate in the community agreements; We need to work on compassion and decrease reactivity; how to integrate a way to socialize new members and ourselves in the frame of mind and heart to start off with optimism, and that although we’re different, we can practice being good to each other. Do different activities that help the group to bond.
Ideas to bring in optimism to the group more – read aloud the community agreements.
- How do we deal with these: caution that these do not become politically correct, and make clear that we need to do the best we can, so that we don’t feel silenced
- Concern too that when people come who are new and don’t understand nature of the group that we need to help them out
- Self-facilitation – come to the meeting calm and focused; at start of meeting have a minute of silence.
- Dana volunteers to talk with folks who are called on issues in a meeting.

Agenda change
Start by talking about Flashnap
- Amazing time – good gathering at PJC, Jas did spontaneous limerick, good flyering, went to all corners, waded into the traffic, PD press coverage not the best, people who took the flyers were excited and wanted to see us again
- Do it at rush hour next time to get more people there; long conversations with folks who were without shelter
- Less discussion of outreach and just do the flashnap
- Ant Buddy and Dubii were at DSLC and we could do more outreach to them re: flashnaps. Meet with Disability Advocacy group – willing to help us out.
- Idea to give short notice and make sure we continue to keep that on the list of ideas
- Good we were out in the open but also ignorable – put ourselves in the larger discourse that disrupts
- OSR has not done enough, and we need to be more in the face. Flashnap was just a protest and some flyering and what does that change?
- Better publicity for flashnap

Question of where to go in the discussion: do we go further with flashnap building longterm or do we go to May 1?

May 1:

Johnny King: Order from the judge on issue of rights to rest during travel and make repair and is one of the most basic constitutional practices
National Federation of the Blind: We need to be careful of what we say about disability issues
Add legal action to the longterm, and move on to short term focus.
Who is willing to be arrested and who is not?
Steady, stable process that has been evolving – we don’t have to jump and respond to ideas, nor do we have to derail with a new idea.

Talk about the campaign as part of the process and let’s give the history at beginning of every meeting

Three prongs: direct action prong; immediate improvement of conditions; dealing with antihomeless stigma and outreach

Homeless contingent in march:
Carolyn, Danielle, Jasmine – flyers and petitions in shelters

More ideas:
Sleep in/outside of City Hall; Speak out in City Hall simultaneously

A suggested direction:
Action in City Hall
- Arrested in City Hall – give speech and then fall asleep on dias in front
- Organize people in shelters and go to City Council and get in a lot of people and keep City Council there for a long time
- Who are the homeless – give education on how this happens and could happen to everybody and educate lawmakers
- Let’s use residentially challenged instead of homeless; go in with the legislative backing
- Others prefer homeless
- Frank and Rosie to get a soup kitchen and homeless place – talk about what they want to do for the community and buy a building
- Dana will be glad to do math to show that it’s more cost effective to house people off the streets

City Council, direct action, recruitment/outreach
specific demands, legislation, soup kitchen

Direct Action ideas:
Massive flash nap on May 1st
Sleep Strike – stay awake for a long time
Flash Nap at Courthouse – Rosie has friend with TV camera who can film us
Have a visible presence – converge at Courthouse Square
Take extra people from march and go into courthouse

City Council agenda will include Sam Jones

Have a contingent in the march and then toward end of the march do a flashnap and then let people know we’re going to do something in City Hall.
Meeting with staff so the police are not expecting a flashnap
Go to Julliard Park and wait for other people to come.

Get people to go to City Hall lawn and while others go into City Hal chambers
- but concern that you get a whole lot of people getting arrested

But how are we going to speak? What is the time for public speaking?
If we’re not on the agenda then we speak at the end of the meeting

But why do we have to play the City Council game?

Are we on the agenda or not?

A proposal to go in on the issue of the Sam Jones shelter; we have to be creative, and get there on time.

Concern about doing a flashnap – doing an event in Julliard Park – concern about what our perception is and get out a positive message. Avoid looking chaotic

Look for permanent solutions:

Proposal: May 1 go to Julliard then to City Hall
Check with coordinators of May 1 to see if they’re down with us going over to City Hall
Another perspective: if we are on agenda, then let’s use that

Could we fit in with direct actions earlier in the day? Yes.
Just avoid bringing in police to the march.

Proposal reiterated: Large contingent in march and then go to City Council chambers with a large number of people.
Good b/c it would bring in people, and stay on sidewalk.
- Concern about us going into City Council and occupying

Proposal: contingent in march and then get folks from march to go to City Council and have them go to City Council and do it as peacefully as possible. Passes

Proposal: Allow a group to plan a direct action during part of the 12 noon event.
Concerns: Don’t take away from the Immigrants Rights Day; concern about media being too scattered;

Amend proposal to have direct action during the 12 noon actions
Concern we need a strong focus

More concerns re: How the day is seen? A day of a lot of protests –
Framing: People are coming together, acting together for justice – economic, immigration, and a lot of groups acting together on this day. May 1st is not only about immigration rights and it should not be to the exclusion of others.

The purpose is to continue the momentum of the D. Day

Stand aside for flashnap

Consense on people to do flashnap.

Tess, Tandava, Jesse, and Carolyn will plan flashnap.