44 Person Head Count at beginning of GA, 36 at end
Facilitator: Ilse, Stacker: Dmitri, Notetaker: Erica
Camp Agreements, Declaration of Occupation from OWS
Hand Signals/Consensus review
Agenda:
* Relocation Discussion and initial Proposals
* Amendment to the Constitution
* Website Discussion: how and when to deal with proposals from 11.3.11
Announcements
* A representative from The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty spoke to us regarding the work they are doing to fight for Medicaid. She explained that Gov. Susana Martinez is working in small chunks to mess with Medicaid. There will be a Community Meeting for Medicaid, November 9th, 6pm, at UNM Continuing Education with speakers from Healthcare for the Homeless, lawyers and more. There will be food, music and Spanish translation. http://salud4nm.nationbuilder.com/medicaid_community_meeting for more information.
* Albuquerque Solidarity Network is coming together to fight injustices. The meeting regarding a woman who was refused pay and got no calls back from her employer was this morning at 10am. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Albuquerque-Solidarity-Network/127261864010371 for more action meetings. There will also be a meeting 12-7 today on how to organize both Public and Private sector unions.
* A reminder for the Marigold Parade, dress in layers for cold weather and all-day events. http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=230100770387696, http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=280178835344755
* November 16: Credit Card Application Party. A comical, community-building event. More info to come.
* UNM Teach-ins on New Mexico-related economic issues needs informative fliers to hand out to students. Teach-ins happening Wed/Thurs 11:30-2, Zimmerman Plaza weather permitting, The SUB weather forbidding. Maddie, Desi, Sarita Cargas for more information.
* Don’t forget the Nov.5th Event happening today in uptown. MOVE YOUR MONEY.
* A Forum on Police Brutality is being held Nov. 7, at Taylor Ranch Community Center at 6pm. The goal is to launch a federal investigation into APD police violence.
* An affinity group is putting on a Solidarity with the World event 11.11.11 in response to the international call to action. There will be music, dancers, poets, and speakers in Robinson Park. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Albuquerque-Solidarity-Network/127261864010371#!/event.php?eid=133774476729259
* Chile affinity group will meet at Satellite, 5pm
Working Group Reports.
* The Action Working Groups should come together some time in the next week to get on the same page.
* Digital media Working Group needs content uploaders
Agenda Items:
1. Relocation Discussion
* The lot across from Presbyterian is owned by a seeder real estate company and is broken into a number of owners
* There is something to be said about holding our space in Yale Park, it’s a feeling
* We should re(un)Occupy Yale Park, this space, sacred ground
* It is good to hold on to this space, but another site may be a good idea in the meantime.
* Since there is an affinity group planning for people to come together for an event on 11.11.11, I propose we just set up an occupation there.
* Before we consider proposals, I’d like to there to be more discussion. I’d like to hear from the people who haven’t spoken yet about their ideas of where and what an encampment should be.
* This is where it got started (Yale Park), we’ve given and given to this space, a city park is where we can actually make a stand. Public space vs. semi-public space.
* This is the first place, it is our park, we could be here 8am-10pm if they’d give in to that.
* Mayor Berry has made a statement that demonstrators can stay in parks until curfew
* If we need to get back to a 24-hour space, we need to move
* As long as we’re here, it is going to be us vs. UNM
* Out of respect for Sebastian and Kristen’s fast, we should hold this space
* Holding this space is important, but Albuquerque is a large space with a lot of people very spread out. We should hold as many spaces as we can, occupy everywhere, get GAs started everywhere, diversify our efforts.
* This is our mother, our planet, we can hold whatever space we want. This is our birthplace, we need to cohese in a way that we can be heard. This is a good place to be. WE need more people, more belief. We all need to be together.
* It’s almost winter. We should start thinking about occupying inside.
* If we were to stay here, we have ASUNM and GPSA on our side, student support is building, plus it would be kind of cool if they arrested their own students. CLARIFICATION: GPSA is holding a special session Monday Re: our right to be here. They will be voting on their Resolution in Support of (un)Occupy Albuquerque.
* Occupy Santa Fe has 25 camping tents, a food tent, an event tent. If you get collaboration with your politicians, it will be helpful.
* I don’t want to fight over the space.
* Whether we stay or go, we’re going to eventually have to make a stand. We can’t just keep asking nicely.
* We need a new home.
* The UNM community needs an occupy location and we need to set up GAs throughout the city. “I’m ready to do whatever necessary to maintain a GA here.”
* We need to maintain a presence at UNM to give this community a voice. Letters to student clubs are being drafted.
* We need to have enough people to hold a space
* We need a space we can stay in tents, in sleeping bags. We haven’t been allowed to do that at UNM in weeks.
* Reiteration: If we do decide to leave, it’s good to do it now. We have a temporary win, we can leave on our own terms, it makes it so that we do what we want, not what they allow us to do. Wells Fargo, banks, government buildings are all downtown. It gives us access to protests in these areas. Those are the places we need to occupy with our bodies.
* It was really cool being in Civic Plaza last weekend. It was huge, beautiful. I recommend we go there.
* I’m a visitor from New York. When I arrived, I expected to see something downtown, and then I came up here and barely saw any people up here. The mixed messages about the location are confusing from the outside.
* There are several areas in Albuquerque we could be, we’re going to have to fight at some point, we need to consider where our best chances will be
* I’m visiting from Socorro and I expected to find you at Central/University where there used to be banners, but there was nothing. Then I came here and saw a few people gathered.
* There are at least three times as many people out there in support of what we’re doing, looking for us. You need flyers with your location on it.
* Recommendation for Digital Media group to work on a map to go on fliers and literature. Bus action people too.
* What would happen if we go to Federal land, ie. Pete Dominici building? CLARIFICATION: we’d have to deal with Homeland Security instead of UNMPD
* Our 11.11.11 affinity has a well-planned event with known local bands. We can build our numbers, bring people in from around the area and use this time and space to set up an occupation at Robinson Park and have our own GA. It can be a testing ground.
* Will the city require a permit there? CLARIFICATION: No permit needed between 7a-10p. Mayor has said there will be no overnight occupation
* Are you planning on getting arrested at Robinson Park? CLARIFICATION: We are not worrying about that until it becomes a worry. We can expect a warning before arrests.
* This is confusing. Are you (the 11.11.11 affinity group) here to discuss that we all relocate to Robinson Park or have you already decided to occupy Robinson Park as part of your Friday’s event and you’re here to announce that? CLARIFICATION: We are relocating to Robinson Park, but you are all welcome to join us.
* Follow up QUESTION: And you are starting your own GA there? CLARIFICATION: Yes.
* This is not how we’ve ever made big decisions. We’ve discussed as a whole group where we want to go and then we’ve all moved together. We’re not that big of a group yet. Our strength is in numbers and in being together. I think separating is premature.
* I am feeling disheartened. There’s nothing we can do if an affinity group decides to split off into its own encampment, on the other hand, I don’t want to see a separation.
* There are two ways to look at this stay or go debate: we have tactics and we have our aim. This is a matter of more publicity vs. consistency. Being comfortable inside doesn’t serve getting our voices out. We’re working towards having autonomous zones communicated through twitter, text, and the website. Inside homebase, more effective for GAs. Having a 24/7 thing makes us dependable, consistent.
* This is a spread out city, we have spread out communities. Downtown is a huge neighborhood with lots of people. There are homes, apartments. We could rock that park!
* A general discussion on GA locations should be had at some point.
* In order for us to be more organized, we need a mass text list
* We are working against forces in Washington that are way beyond any of us. Every lobbyist in DC signs a contract with the Republican Party. Our message has to remain against the madmen, we need to have a label like the golden arches. We need to have a single message.
* If we can’t have people working hard during the day, holding signs, working the info booth, then why we would waste our energy in the cold outside. We should be putting our efforts into artistic actions, Old Town, Downtown, no need to be near the banks in a small town like this. We can have a base camp where we work really hard, but we need this assembly as our core thing. We need to have strong working groups. “If you are not working inside of a working group, like myself, you are wasting time.” What good is it if we don’t have anything to show for it?
* It is unrealistic to think that a whole city will turn out to one event. How do we progress? I like the idea of weekly GA – moving towards a spokes council model. There has been a lot of talk regarding this. We already consensed to get GAs going in other parts of the city. CLARIFICATION: We discussed holding GAs in other parts of the city but we did not reach consensus.
* We should use caution in discussing and deciding whether we will move the General Assembly.
Facilitator PROPOSAL: Table the discussion until Sunday. CONSENSUS.
END OF GA
