We will post the notes here as we go for the OC face-to-face meeting in Detroit, March 26-28.
Decisions:
Attendees:
Jamie, ICT Alfredo Lopez, ICT Tammy Bang Luu, Outreach Louis Head, International Solidarity Sandra, Youth Tapeka Dixon, Logistics Maureen Taylor, Logistics Rocio Valerio, International, EMEAC, Centro Obrero Cindy Wiesner, Outreach, International Solidarity Alicia Garza, Program and Culture Adrienne Maree Brown, National Coordinator George, Documentation/Eval Nora Dye, Gender Justice Mayowa, Gender Justice Corina MacCarthy-Fadel, Youth Jardyn, Youth Sha Grogan-Brown, Resource Mob (Development coordinator B Loewe, Outreach/Field Akudo, Outreach/Field Kiran, Program and Culture Ahmina Maxey, Outreach Cheri Honkala, Poverty Quintin, Disability Justice Anne Grimmett, Outreach Gwen Gaines, Poverty, PMA, Logistics Fred Vitale, PMA Josue Guillen, Language Access Oya Amakisi, Culture, DLOC Rep Michael Guerrero, Resource Mob Will Copeland, Detroit Coordinator, Health Healing and EJ Adele Nieves, Communications Gillian (sp?), Communications Jackie Smith, Communications David Marquez, Communications Mallory Knodel, ICT, Tech Coordinator, International Solidarity Steph Guilloud, PMA Jen Cox, International Solidarity, Poverty Sylvia Orduno, National Coordinator Heather Milton-Lightening, Indigenous Reg McGhee, SE Mich JWJ Mark Randazzo, Resource Mob Marian Kramer, Poverty Jerome Scott, Program and Culture Walda Katz, Program and Culture Rishi Awatramani - Leftist Lounge Carlton Turner - Alternate Roots - Culture Roberto Tijerina, Language Access Rose Brewer, Gender Justice
Notes:
Detroit Political Context:
Ahmina - CDAD is bringing a plan/proposal on Rightsizing. The main idea is to move people from certain neighbors into pockets around the city. They havent engaged community at any level. They are working to get mayor, city council, etc on board. Mayor is also coming out with a plan.
Rocio - one of the reasons for this plan is that there is so much vacant land. So they need to rightsize the city planning. They are trying to do a belt around the city that has agribusiness outside of it. For folks who don't want to move, they would be off the grid - wouldn't have access to water, schools, city services. Another piece of this is that 45 schools are closing, its strategic, they are in same places as the rightsizing plan. They are gonna take away these homes as part of eminent domain. Also to touch base on immigration issue - it's been really hard. Getting calls now from folks asking R to help them find their family member. The immigration raids [not public, but moving under the water] - it feels like hunting. There's a lot of intimidation - ice police circulate into our neighborhoods, hit us at 4am in the morning. It's been hard asking folks to organize for the USSF, we can't guarantee their security.
Maureen - we're in total collapse. Because of ratcheting down of so many industries, relocation of so many businesses - folks are just in the streets. We're under total collapse. Analogy - Jurassic Park --> the caretaker says one of the dinosaurs is testing the fence to see where the weaknesses are. That's happening here - they are testing every day to see if we'll get mad enough to respond. The utility company is turning stuff off, we've had 16-17 deaths this season cause folks are having to find alternative ways of heating their homes. We're going to funerals with little pink caskets. We're going to meetings where folks are saying the way to stop this is to fine really high if folks try alternatives. We have two seniors in wheelchairs. Little children standing on the porch after ICE has taken their parents. This is the reason we need a USSF and why it needs to be here. If you a worker, you are the lowest thing on earth. You picked the wrong 'something', there's something wrong with you. As you rightsize - everyone should be able to relate to this struggle, someone wanting to move you where you don't want to go. The flip side is - what do we do with the USSF coming to us - we're so used to politicians figuring it out for us.
Anne - nobody's speaking about the conditions of how we got to be so much smaller than we were. which goes to the corporations again. eminent domain is how we got to be such a scattered city. we've been protesting DTE every thursday in front of their headquarters - the crowd gets bigger, the list of names gets longer.
Gwen - Y'all know I'm a fighter. We've seen blocks burnt out. I'm glad the USSF is coming here - we don't have to hide this stuff. I'm glad y'all are coming to help us stay in our homes and keep our utilities. I just hope y'all understand what we're feeling here. It's a lot of folks that don't have jobs or money, and I'm working to get them down to Hart Plaza - we're committed to fight and stay here after the USSF is gone.
Adele - on the rightsizing, downsizing - part of it is the right to land. Who has the right to land, who is buying it up? Who is being moved out of their homes.
Will - this strategy, these issues are circulating. I came from a meeting in Flint who was facing the same issues. In the group, there was a real feeling that folks were in the hands of the corporations and the foundations. For us to come together and address these issues, that will give us hope to address what's going on in different cities. For us to advance what's going on in realization that a lot of other folks are struggling with the same issues - i think it's gonna provide some real models. People are looking for these models.
Quintin - When we broke up, we said what do we not want to see - I do not want folks to come here and say it wasn't accessible. I grew up here - and I can speak to how it feels when people come together. We want folks to come here and leave with a real sense of Detroit.
GOALS FISHBOWL / COCKTAIL PARTY:
- Strengthen local capacity to improve social conditions, organizing and movement building in Detroit [Oya] - Create a space for social movement convergence and strategic discussion [Tammy] - Advance social movements agenda for action and transformation [Steph] - Build stronger relationships and collaboration between movements [B] - Deepen our commitment to international solidarity and common struggle [Jen]
OYA (STRENGTHENING MOVEMENT IN DETROIT): for Detroit, to strengthen the capacity of movement building to heal our communities in our region in general, detroit and metro detroit historically has had a serious problem with segregation, allowed us to be polarized. now its a matter of survival. how do we survive this? the ussf offers up an opportunity to work together in order to survive. this changes the dynamic. before, we were saying well i'm from detroit i don't need to deal with you or i'm from the suburbs i don't have to deal with you. this is an opportunity to explore what is our commonality. 50% unemployment rate, our schools are closing, prime time to talk about what are WE going to do about it. we're on track, and we're learning. we're making mistakes as we go, bringing out things that are making people uncomfortable, but that's what we need. we understand that instead of fighting for a sliver of pie, we all need to come in together.
STEPH (ACTION AND TRANSFORMATION): if we think about this in phases, phase one was about introducing the social forum process to the us movements. the ussf has a potential to strengthen and build power in the local site. phase two is a different moment. we're not going to be able to solve the myriad of problems, but we can advance from the first phase to the next phase. first phase was about proving we exist, there is a grassroots movement in the us. we've been able to advance through what happened in atlanta, what's happening in detroit, shows that this is a different moment, shows that we are excited and want to know what action are we taking. folks are saying i'm not totally sure what the PMA process is but i think that we are a fit. we need to understand how the fight for consolidation will advance our movements.
TAMMY(STRATEGIC CONVERGENCE): we need action in the streets we need to change the conditions. in order to do that, we need to function not in separate movements but figure out some way to converge. in some ways, we've done it defacto. we've asked people to think intentionally about what they will look to this process as. have we as the nc taken the responsibility to think about what is the state of our movement and how do we use the social forum to strengthen our movements and connect the work of sectors. in the 1980s there were 150,000 people in jail, now there are more than 2 million people in jail most black and latino. we need to be pulling people together to think about what can be done. we haven't had this discussion as the npc. we don't want to step on toes because we may have different strategies. we haven't thought through who are the movements who need to be thinking about this. can we find points of interest so that people can converge. there's not an overarching program where people can start to think about fighting together in the same directions.
B(RELATIONSHIPS AND COLLABORATION): an overarching platform is one of the things that's missing, but the other things that's missing is the relationships. the relationships that we're building regionally is transformative and historical. when the ability to build relationships in the midwest region transcends the feeling of the donut (movement on coasts, but not in the middle) that's when we can consider it a success. the road to detroit is literally being paved by new relationships that creates a cohesion that's going to allow for a common vision and common platform.
"mmm!"
JEN (INTERNATIONAL): the challenge is that the international relationships and solidarity that we're building is relevant to detroit. how are these international relationships that we're trying to build is not just a good idea, just that people who have the resources internationally can come, but how are we strategically engaging social movements internationally and in detroit, and ensuring that the right people are the ones having those international relationships and how those relationships are relevant to when we move towards the social forum and beyond, how are those relationships helping with the life and death that people are dealing with in detroit, across the country, how are they building something transformative and not just functioning as pen pals. the tension is as people are in the midst of life and death situations here at home, how to balance dealing with the day by day crisis that some of the organizers of the forum are involved in here in detroit and across the country, and creating a new kind of solidarity that's intentional and transformative.
STEPH: detroit came up with a sense of actions. how can you connect those actions to international struggles that will be emerging in detroit?
OYA: one of them is dealing with DTE, another is challenging the incinerator and the impact its had on our communitites, water--10K people had their water shut off in detroit last year. it's not just a local issue, its a global issue. there are people all over the world who don't have water. that's wrong. how do we discuss human rights on the local, regional, and national level. how do we use art so that we can help connect people to the struggles that we're dealing with all over the world? we're all one family.
TAMMY: what would be good is to think about some of these strategic opportunities, like let's talk about the drug war, the counterpart to NAFTA, how is that related to the drug war where three strikes you're out where people are being incarcerated not for violent crimes, but for drug possession? let's find these opportunities, and find the people who are doing work in these areas to come to the forum. we need to be looking to try and find ways to converge.
STEPH: there are differences amongst the planning committee about strategy. we don't have to agree, but we do need to think about what our role is in terms of creating those spaces and make sure that some of it is strategic opportunities and some of it is creating space to link up. using that as an organizing strategy and not a place where we have to come to agreement beforehand.
MICHAEL (STRATEGIC DISCUSSION): we talked a lot about the ussf as a vehicle to build movements, its not just about that but building the movement that we need. looking at the historical analysis about where we're at as movements. we've talked about the challenges of building the movement we need right now. in a lot of ways, we're still at the foundation building part of building the movement. what are the components that we need? within our sector, grassroots sector of people who are building in working class communities, communities of color, some sections of labor, but it still hasn't reached out to broader sectors. in some ways, it's still introductory. they may be some groups that we don't agree with, but they need to be a part of this conversations now. some of the other elements are the international sectors cause we know that we can't build a movement in isolation. how do we tie these threads together? how do we advance the models that we're building to share across the world. trans-local organizing--how do we build the strengh locally but we're connected with other communities doing the same things around the world. ussf can be a convergence point. we're not going to leave this forum with all the answers, but we will leave with something. how do we continue to strengthen and continue this on as a long term project? we're on track!
B: yesterday in our outreach meeting we talked about how a tight core leads to a broad front. if we're trying to build the world we're looking for, we need to be reaching people broadly. how do we as an NPC meet our responsibility of making sure that this gets out broadly. how do we as the NPC make sure that we're on top of our responsibility?
WILL(DETROIT): sharing resources. locally, we emphasize the local but one thing that we can work on is that we have local folks who know the national and international. we haven't talked about who locally can open that up for us? one more ask to make is to ask folks to connect with national and international connections. also, one thing that is coming up repeatedly is about moving to the third phase, i hope we can advance it even further. peopel in detroit are very aware of the difference between community and organizations. ussf is very focused on the organizations, as opposed to communities. a lot of the different folks when they talk about the USSF, they're talking about their communities. last thing is that we should really look at what we mean by expertise? Dynamic with people entering the space, telling folks in the D what to do instead of how to support -- adds to the local stress. Makes it seem that the national are the experts.
Corina (ACTION): Important locally and nationally, realize the importance of USSF for youth people. ALOT of testing to see how angry youth people will get, challenges being faced by young folks -- school closures, prisions being built to lock up more youth ppl. Direct connections across locations. Attack on youth. Need an intergenerational model. Learn from folks who have experienced these same challenges. Allowing expertise to be given while not disregarding their age.
Cheri (relationships): Relationships being built are not the traditional forms that have been built in the Delta to Detroit march. Sad thing is not any resources. The relationships that are being built are with folks who are not part of the choir. This is important. Poor indigenous folks on the reservation still don't know about the forum, concerned about that. Trying to link up with churces to figure out how to get the vans. This section of the population, folks that have lost it all, are part of the forum. They are not part of the progressive organizations across the country. Amazing opportunity with this march, the people that we could bring to the forum. There are certain experts in the room, invest in the ppl who have creditability with the communities that we want. Look at the march as an outreach opportunity.
Jerome (INTL): Detroit is right on the border with Canada. Are we doing anything special to build relationships with folks across the border. Other thing about Detroit is that it has the largest Arab community outside the Middle East. We should be putting concentration there, right here in the middle of the city. Should talk about how to put some effort there. Comments about relationships and movement building -- okay that we don't all agree -- but there are some things we should talk about. Need agreement on how we are going to act together -- who are our central enemy? Right wing pundits of the world. How many jobs did Glenn B. move out of Detroit, how many raids did he lead. He might have inspired some but he didn't lead any. If we deal with Glenn B, how does that help us with the police or the corporations who are stealing our jobs. Glenn B. is an enemy but not the primary enemy. If we are going organize our meager forces, lets point it at the real folks with the power. We are having these conversations at this party, but we should be having it at the NPC. All this attack on education, everything going on throughout the country is on steroids in Detroit. We have responsibility to raise ppl's consciousness. How in the hell can ppl eliminate public education. We can do this. We can build this movement. In the process, we can develop ppl's consciousness.
Michael: Question about how ppl are involved, are ppl in organizations or not. We need to talk about this. Organized money or organized ppl. People are getting involved in activism in different ways, been alot of mobilizations -- how are they translating into organization. Obama was a huge mobilization but it was not a movement, funneled into the democratic party. If we think this vehicle is about organizing ppl that's not the focus, we need to give social movements the tools to expand there base, bring in new orgs, and deepen the ability to make change.
Ahmina (Detroit): Difficult doing local work and the national work in build the USSF. The national is detracting from the local work. Something that I noticed and we need to address.
Cheri: Not interested in mobilizations, interested in building organizations. But non-traditional forms of organizations. Need to invest in how to bring more ppl than just the choir (more than young mobile folks with credits cards and no children). Also saying folks that don't look like that composition. Not just Amanda the leaders but also her four kids cause if we don't figure out how to get the four kids there then Amanda ain't coming.
Key Things that Came Up: Harvesting -relationships between local and national -space between organized and non traditionally organized bodies
the way we just talked about the goals is the way that we want to approach everything we do together this weekend. we need to constantly go back to is this going to meet our goals.
the next things we want to figure out is how do we make breakthroughs on some of these things we're talking about -where are we at in terms of folks that are going to be coming to the forum? what are the barriers, what are the mechanisms for peopel to get here? who are the people who need to get here and what do we need to get them here? we can incorporate the pieces about organized / unorganized--let's break that out. who are the folks who need to be here? who are the main protagonists in the struggle. -how do we understand and get clear about who are we fighting against and what are we fighting for? what is the intentional interaction? -relationship building that's happening in the NPC? how do we keep paying attention to this? we're 88 days until the forum--what do we want to resolve and how do we practice accountability? -make the connections between what's happening here in Detroit and what's happening internationally. talking about how do we weave that in? opportunity to deepen relati
Other thing - use our time together to directly raise issues that are coming up - practice what we are talking about and what we are doing and promote accountability towards building and strengthening relationships
Local people - USSF brings a lot of strengths and relationships, but also brings a lot of illness. We are not doing "OK" - folks coming here to Detroit need to hear us out, because we need it.
Cindy, Mallory and Adrienne worked out agenda and have worked to keep goals in mind, and want people to recognize those goals and stay on point to help all out
800 number for USSF (hotline) - brilliant stroke, people are calling from all over the world - in different languages - re. housing and other needs; staff here is on those phone calls every day, but it is virtually impossible to respond to the needs of everyone. A WHOLE lot more people coming to Detroit and we need people to help the USSF staff to figure things out. It is overwhelming. Additionally, social media, electronic communications email etc. coming in incessantly and our capacity to do it.
Most in this space are working at or over capacity, and no one is saying that they can take on more stuff. Crises occur every day, and we are entering space of coming period, crises will be arising every hour. We need for our organizations to step up, we need to get additional support and participation to up the level of capacity that we have in order to pull this thing off. The work level will go UP and not down. Contents [hide]
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* 4 THREE WORKING SESSIONS=
o 4.1 AFTER THE TOUR=
Contents
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Program Design Team - has had two calls so far
Logistics work brigade was in town recently
View of Day-to-day schedule displayed on screen/wall
Monday-Tuesday in April 09 local staff got contracts for Cobo Hall and Hart Plaza and at that time fireworks display was scheduled previous to timeframe that was secured. Fireworks people figured they could do whatever date they wanted and publicity was already out conflicting with USSF. We thought that we would lose the fight. They offered us vending opportunities for Monday, June 21 - 50-60K people in Hart Plaza along with hundreds of thousands for the fireworks - we will be able to charge rent for operations having at that time. Pyramid Theater and another venue - we'll have children's and other activities beginning on Monday. Fireworks start at 10:15 that night.
Programming on Tuesday 6/22 starts in the morning.
Canopies (tents) will be set up in AM. We have negotiated 20x20 tents for $225 including tables and chairs. We are suggesting that we will need 30-40. Some want 30x90 - big ones. The tent people say that they need all day to do tent set up, so that they will be set up on Monday so they are ready in time.
Children's Social Forum starting on Monday and there will be activities that day.
12pm - orientation for volunteer coordinators
Computers/wireless routers will be set up at Wayne State and Hart Plaza (Plaza set up will be on Sunday)
All registration will be inside Cobo Hall and this will be set up on Monday
Tuesday - Arrival/Registration - Propose to NPC about some workshops taking place on Tuesday, partly because a lot of people will be arriving on Monday - Convergence events for Caravans noonish-one o'clock timeframe - Opening march starts at Woodward, led by indigenous people, with feeder marches and actions (including DTE utility corp) - Groups will enter Cobo Hall and have designated seats/areas - Following opening ceremony then self-organized activities - 8-11pm - "Musical Plenary" - and every evening thru the week
Golf carts, water, etc in use and availability
Materials - markers, charts, etc - organizations need to bring them in
Weds-Fri Workshop sessions Free/Lunch/Dinner times People's Movement Assemblies First Day - Detroit/Regional Second - US-International Third - Solutions, Visions and Alternatives
Health/Healing space Vendor space Cultural/Arts spaces Various kinds of community Tours Social Forum Village Open Spaces - including in all the hotels where people will be housed
During plenaries - about a third-half of people are expected; there will be other activities going on but no workshops or PMAs will be taking place simultaneously
Transition times - approx 30 minutes between time blocks Meals - an hour a piece
World Cup is taking place during the day during the USSF - working to come up with means/space for folks to watch; Hockeytown bar has outside big screen so we are working on hooking that up.
Saturday National People's Movement Assembly primary activity of the entire day - PMA WG wants discussion about prep and flow leading into this Closing ceremony - there may be big, powerful action re. incinerator
Clean Up - we will need commitments from people - DLOC folks getting on a boat and leaving so everyone else can deal with it (that's just a joke, but gives an idea of the need for people to be consequential on this
Workshhops – four hour blocks in the afternoon
Childcare – there is a need for childcare workers, and also for integration into Children’s Social Forum. We need to ramp up our focus and effort on CSF – may be possible to get Head Start parents involved.
USSF-G8/20 – how to meet challenge/opportunity of fact that these are happening (Detroit, Ontario) at same time – people in Canada are asking this
Friday – Leftist Lounge biggest, dopest party will be going on; there will be tour of area during meeting. Fliers already available.
Youth Space – need to put attention to this and the needs to the Youth Working Group
Summation - we need to plan time for this following USSF
Translation Equipment - Language Access is on agenda tomorrow and this is definitely a need
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Finances!
We have 14 people on staff now (part-time)
Financial management is a political issue. Fiscal sponsorship transfered into Praxis Project Higher level of administration
Still have issues: contracts still need to be worked out
Political decisions this weekend: Clear about infrastructure to receive thousands and move them through the 5 days
Decentralizing = move things back to the participants. We are not event planners but organizers.
Does the USSF provide paper + markers for thousands of participants = NO
We need to put alot back out to the movement = they need to fundraise for it.
Core cost budget approved 2 months ago. Baseline as we can get. $722,000 expenses between January and now. Spent $136,000. This core cost isn't enough = expend to travel for the NPC and OC meetings. Some of the needs are not in the core cost budget.
What we have in hand = $329,000 End of March we have spent another $302,000
$160k committed -- $40K ($25K intl travel and $15K youth travel) and another $100K -- very hopeful (50/50)
Basic monthly expenses at $50K -- June will be a lot more
We have another $160,000 pending (money committed) $40,000 committed but restricted, might allevate some pressure for travel.
Basic monthly expenses is about 50k
June is not going to be $50,000 but alot more. We have to figure out how to increase core cost budget. Needs to include logistics stipends
Grant money approved are restricted but not general operating
administrative part we will come back to
key question: in order to maximize minimal resources, what parts are we investing in?
big areas are: program and logistical infrastructure; and orgnaizing strategies. Staff is split between these two main areas.
Language Access -- budget -- not included is plane tickets (approx. $10K) for interpreters who will work for free -- about 1/6 of forum will be covered
Children's Social Forum -- 5-12 yrs old and how do we cover under 5?
Organizing strategies include travel for field organizers, indigenous organizers. Potentially included are caravans, assemblies includes multiple efforts.
Each Working Group has $1.5K to spend -- PMA WG will use for travel, etc. but mostly to help make assemblies happen in June (total is $21K)
total in budget for organizing and mobilizing is $32K
travel for participants is not in this budget at all
Children are included around program and infrastructure in Children's Social Forum.
Maureen speaks about hotels and other spaces that we are holding for poor people.
We need to identify areas of concern and priorities and it has to come through Working Groups.
Oya: Youth artists contact me on a regular basis to come and need support. Should I add this to our Program/Culture WG proposal?
Steph: Excellent question. The purpose of the OC is for this kind of issue to be resolved -- Youth WG to talk to Program/Culture WG and Finance WG and come up with a combined proposal to address this issue.
OC must set priorities
Program and Logistics Infrastructure -- all components -- children's forum, equipment, language, etc.
Organizing Strategies -- increasing the numbers of organizations registered, etc.
T shirt proposal Travel money through common council restricted travel money -- WGs
T shirt proposal -- anchor organization -- Centro Obrero will print T shirts -- helps Detroit and anchor organizations -- $30,000. The bags will be provided too. Creates grassroots fundraising organization for Centro Obrero. Decide on Sunday. Ask Diana and Rocio for more details on this.
Not create Solidarity Fund that the USSF would run this time. Travel support from foundations -- Common Counsel Foundation's Global Exchange Fund -- they can use that to act kind of like a Solidarity Fund -- they asked us to send names and places and people we want -- they will cut the checks, take applications, make decisions, etc. Some other foundations may be interested in adding funds.
Youth travel we will handle internally -- through Youth WG -- and international travel through our international solidarity committee.
Common Counsel funds organizational travel only. Talk to Michael if you have any questions.
Handout of Solidarity Fund proposal.
Steph: Travel appears to be the big question of support.
Another part is bringing people here to help with USSF early.
Walda: Who now is on staff and getting paid -- List will be posted to wiki.
Tammy: What is the wish list? If we get more money, what will we do with it?
Should be included in priorities.
Post USSF -- do we break even? do we keep some money aside?
Quintin: Have we looked into local people for language access work?
Will: Do I tell the Health and Healing Local Committee how much they have?
Steph: By the end of the weekend, we will have answers to these questions.
Fundraising Strategies -- Sha -- Resource Mobilization Team
Thanks to everyone for all the fund raising they are doing.
Four acts --
1.Labor packages -- local, regional and national affiliates -- talk to Sha about labor folks we should contact
2. Donation pages -- we have capacity for individual page for fundraising around the USSF -- and we can track how much you have raised -- sample template for email blast and they can go to the page and contribute in your organization's name.
3. Need names of people for major gifts $500 or more -- do you want to make this ask or you want someone else to ask them --
4. Registration -- 300 organizations registered at $40 -- many it seems should have registered at $125 so we will go back to them. When you talk to organizations be sure to make this clear.
sha@ussf2010.org ==
THREE WORKING SESSIONS=
1. Opening March Discussion Group
who's here: maureen taylor, anchor jerome scott, program / culture walda, program / culture will, anchor, national staff lizzie george louis, international committee / people's movement assembly quentin, MWRO topeka, heather, indigenous outreach national staff
three things to talk about: a. opening day as a whole (discussion about workshops, caravans, etc.) we need to put together some paperwork to the NPC making a request for there to be workshops or minimal programming to begin on monday (limited to cobo hall) --10-12p slot (3 55 passenger buses) --1p-3p slot (3 55 passenger buses) everything after three pm is preparing for opening march --could also do tours --labor tour --church tour --environmental tour
start lining up for the march somewhere around 3pm.
sounds like registration will be happening that morning and all day, so let's put this on the agenda also, caravan convergence can imagine that would happen around 12pm; breaking in the social forum village. having the various caravans come to place from 12pm or 1pm and wrap it up by 3pm
also thinking about the work projects. if the workshops isn't feasible, can we do things like tours and work projects. let's have a menu of activity for the first day (tuesday).
not sure if they're related to the themes of the forum or not.
registration is a workshop in itself. we will be receiving tens of thousands of people. if we thought we wanted to have workshops we might consider having them be outside of the regular submission process. there's a more open space place where we have a hospitality room that is self organized and unstructured. there could be ways for people to have dialogues that are ready to make it happen. just wanted to have us realize what it actually takes. each one of us will be on call around really specific troubleshooting tasks. wanted to be mindful of what we think it will take.
in 2007, we had pre conferences or pre forum assemblies. don't know how many people have talked about it yet. but there will likely be a bunch of people who will get their own space and do it.
the other thing about the opening march and assemblies and the caravans, let's set it up so that the caravans don't have to move twice. it would be a real waste to bring them in to do something and then say ok let's go to this other place now. let's do whatever we can do.
lets think about how to coordinate with the people's freedom caravan--folks won't be in to detroit until tuesday afternoon (6/23). we just want to think about how to do it.
we might also have the hart plaza.
tours: plan would be to repeat the tours every day. can we figure out how to pre-register people? --yes, for buses and caravans we worked it out for people to have a registration person on the buses and vans, and then that one person registered everyone on their caravan.
last year, Tammy was responsible for being the person who dealt with the large delegations. it would be good to talk to her about what worked and what didn't work. meet up with the caravan with the bags and the tags.
we could create open space for something like presentation on here's how to act or here's how the process goes.
additionally, artists wanted to converge during the 10a-12pm span to discuss how to integrate culture into activism--we'd be willing to extend that to tuesday though we had planned to do it later on in the week.
question: what do you think about the work projects--should we try and do this on the first day or keep it on the other days? --keep it later in the week, so that people can participate freshly
SUMMARY: 1. tours: morning and afternoon to be finished by 3pm or so 2. workshops wouldn't be formal but self organized spaces and thinking about introductory things such as anti oppression, entering the community and introduction to the social forum process 3. artists discussion 4. possibility of events at Hart Plaza 5. pre-registration for caravans
a. where is the caravan convergence going to be; look at the map and re-evaluate things b. registration piece--is there going to be a registration liason that will specifically work with big groups? c. what times are the caravans coming in
best registration i've ever experienced in my life was the young folks at Power Surge they had conversations and stops along the way, and it took very little time.
who's gonna take this on? is there a certain working group that needs to do it? --last time, outreach working group did large delegations and handled their registration --for culture, artists discussion in the Hart Plaza, culture in the registration line, artists convergence, possible performances at Hart Plaza will be handled by Culture of Program and Culture --some committees are already set up to do these things, so let's not reinvent the wheel. we can instead support the people who are already working on it.
we will have more than enough spaces for everyone. what's the content of the programming that happens on 6/22 (tuesday?)
it seems as though there was agreemet that we won't do workshops in the formal sense. --you don't have to submit by april 20 --you won't be printed in the formal program --don't count on the NPC to do anything with that, you just come and find a space
another option is to have some large rooms and just make those available. its a political welcoming space to the social forum. maybe here in cobo, maybe in the hotels.
how to negotiate the social forum, and a big room for a welcome to detroit / i.e here's what you need to know about detroit
who's pulling that together? we'll have to pull together a welcoming committee (with detroit people and some other folks)
b. opening march warren will have traffic going, we'll put the indigenous persons on hancock, because the assessment is that that's the first folks who will march
after that will be the folks with disabilities. there will be opening march team to figure out the order. everyone will be on side streets to feed in. only anchors, security, water people, and medics will be on woodward.
march starts: spiritual blessing. each street will feed onto woodward, so the closest marchers will be only a block or two. folks on bikes will be in the march. there will be water stations all up and down.
once people are in cobo arena, there will be signs to identify the seating areas for each group. DEX will be at the front door to take pictures and videos for each group.
if the march starts at 5 pm, the first group will be in the hall by 6:30 PM. By 7:30 or 8, everyone is in the hall.
As soon as the first group gets in the door, the cultural entertainment will start and continue into Cobo arena.
What are the people doing who are waiting around on the side streets? How can we concieve of events during that time that help promote the goals of the USSF?
There will be 400 marching bands coming through, as well as the procession of species (puppets), stiltwalkers, etc.
Will there be feeder marches that can lead into the opening march? Yes, folks are organizing them. That information needs to be reported to the logistics committee. Health and healing people need to know about it as well.
There will probably be EMT's on call for the opening march, and vans following the march to pick people up if necessary. Bike medics will be there.
Priscilla is heading up water logistics with a team. There will not be bottled water, there will be water stations.
Security - there will be a private security group called Threat Management that is indigenous to the community. there will be about 75 of them. they do not carry firearms.
Will there be agreements about how to behave during the march?
National Lawyers Guild will be represented at the march and on the security team.
How can we make sure movement security is addressed during the march and all along?
c. ceremony
The controversy - often, when people enter a city the mayor will provide a welcome. the mayor expects to greet the group, or send someone. also the city council would like to greet as well. Plan is to have those two greetings, and then have the indigenous opening ceremony. People might boo.
whatever happens, people will need food.
how will it affect the energy of the space to have the mayor (which might be a negative) to speak first? maybe have the indigenous people speak first so that they can set the tone and then have the govt people speak.
will the reception be better from the municipal govt of detroit than it was in atlanta? could it be an accountability lesson for the govt reps if we start the ceremony first?
what is the benefit of having someone from the mayors office (a bureuacrat) speak, when joann watson is a progressive voice in city government and will speak.
it needs to be clear that it is our event, so it shouldn't be the mayor (or whoever) who speaks first.
Ceremony itself should not be more than 30 minutes.
Components:
Blessing from indigenous groups or person Welcome from a government representative (2 minutes for each person) Local person talking about why the social forum is in detroit (5 minutes) someone from NPC talking about why to get involved in national process someone talking about why the ussf is important internationally someone to talk about logistics and orient people to the space
What about blessings from other spiritual or faith traditions?
Logistics committee is organizing the ceremony
Question about start time - does it make sense to start at 5? would it be better to start earlier or later?
two questions: as we move to cobo arena, is there going to be time for people to have food? no. we will need to do sandwiches or carry out on the way out the door. they'll have the food lined up and then people can go and get your food. that's why we're trying to have these things end in 30 minutes.
at what time do you want culture to start? as soon as we see the first group of marchers has gotten to city hall, culture needs to start lining up whatever the acts are gonna be. by 6:30 or 7pm culture should be ready, and we're talking about a 2 hour deal.
Registration will be happening the entire day, but that process is unclear. some people may not be able to register before the opening march. People will get wrist bands.
d. what team is responsible for open space in general? logistics will until we get another team ready for this.
we need to figure out who is responsible for closing ceremony as well. we do have a resource if we want it, which is the arena. it holds 11,000 people. we will close out with a PMA, and maybe there's nothing else to that.
data policy and tech principles
(b, anne, sha, adele, lottie, david, roberto, jackie, jardyn, kiran, mallory, jamie, cheri, rishi, alfredo, tammy, sylvia; facilitator: adrienne)
why we're here? - because we need to use the tools and this data for our work - because we're excited about these tech principles being clear - because we want our folks to dominate the tech world - to clarify what aspects of our current struggle are political, and which ones are practical? - because we are the leaders of the world social forum process in these areas - want to reflect that our practice reflects the politics we've listed, and that our principles are the right ones to guide that process - because we want a greater presence on ICT in general from the working groups overall - because this the bones of the body - to find a way to shape the principles so they strengthen the process, and don't take time away from our organizing
Our tech principles: http://wiki.ussf2010.org/wiki/Technology_Principles
Questions we have: ? To what degree is a principle and principle if practice has re-influenced the principles? ? What's the difference between a principle and the manifestation of those principles? ? What is the ideal, and where are we at now? ? How were the principles created? There is not agreement around the process itself.
What this has looked like in practice: Adele: - There has been a contentious relationship between Communications and Tech. How do we move the proces forward so that it works for all of us? - ICT, in holding principles, is creating a slow down about the work Coms is trying to do. - State of the work for Coms, in relation to use of technology: feel stuck where we're constantly revisiting principles. Trying to move things forward in a prinicpled way. There's no media on the front page. We need to move. We're all political and no one person trumps. Alfredo: - Communications is in charge of the website and its content. Part of the website structure made it very difficult for people to post content. - ICT will be proposing that they no longer bring forward website content, and will instead provide resources and support. - ICT was comfortable with a proposal made a while ago, and the NPC approved a decision. Alfredo does not think there is a disagreement anymore. - Free and open sources software is a major principle of major importance. In reality, you have to use proprietary software, but we hold to the principle that free and open source is the only software that reflects the true purpose of the internet. - In the USSF, we've made compromises. - Principles shouldn't be confused with other problems we have in our work. - For ICT, this is not affecting the work. We are moving forward, we want to turn over all 5 websites to the community. Sylvia: - The meeting where the principles came up was not inclusive. It was a first attempt, that needs to be revisited. It had big significance, in terms of ICT. It meant we were going to be using open source software. - We felt stifled because we were being told by folks in ICT that this was the course we were going to take. - I have raised concerns around ICT's capacity. We're seeing that our needs are larger than the capacity of the group. We haven't been successful with this conversation. - We've either got to figure out what it is about the principles that ICT needs to do its work, and what are the parts the rest of the working groups need to have clarified so that they can get their work done.
Discussion:
* Jamie: In 2007, ICT formed with 7 months to go to the Social Forum. We put together principles and tried to stick to them. The problem was that ICT developed the principles and no one knew about them. For 2010, we wanted the full national leadership to look at them, which is why we organized a subset of the ICT, NPC, and DLOC to draft principles. It is helpful for us to revisit principles. Pulling the rug out was having the NPC approve them, then before revisiting them, say they were not valid. If they came together, reviewed and changed them, that would help us be focused.
* Alfredo: No one working on ICT is paid. We are all volunteer. The way we did it: we told techies this is a major event.
* Sylvia: I helped pull that meeting together, hoping to talk about Detroit technology needs. If there was a hope to develop technology principles, that wasn't clear. At the same time we were learning the collaborative democracy tool, so thought it was an exercise. We always said we would come back and revisit these. Now we are back here.
* Cheri: We have needed to use tech to put together large marches, and put together a tech organization. We came together as poor folks. Up to the day before the Republican convention, our stuff didn't get up there. While we were busy working on principles. We filed for our FBI files. One of the biggest places the FBI was placed was in our tech groups. SO: We need to set deadlines, stop talking about principles. Come up with workplans
* Rishi: Things have been moving slow on the Culture side of things. The culture form isn't working properly still. Right now there's been 3 submissions. As a result, Oya is inundated with Cultural submissions through her personal email daily. I am intersted in resolvign that. There is not an easy way for Culture folks to review submissions. I feel like we have to get the forms working. Don't know if the delay was political or not. If using the platform we're using has significantly held us back, then the open source principle is something we need to reconsider. Open to putting CVCRM on the chopping block.
* B: The question for me isn't about revisiting the principles. Fixing the functional pieces, complaints and useability takes priority. (big agreement around the circle. we want clarity) There are other USSF principles: security, social media, etc. There are moments when those principles will butt up against each other. Useabilty and functionality has to be part of that. What is the process for the different interpretations of these principles? How do we not allow this to create a road block, where everyone's moral is lower? As we hold the open source pole, we have options: see it as an educational opportunity, act as a gatekeeper, roll over and let those that disagree, find the process that will help us move forward.
* Mallory: There are many different goals and principles, most have been approved for this process. Aditionally, we have conflicting layers of goals. There are many decisions ICT has had to make as a group in order to implement these things. That's how we've gotten forms that are hard to work out, reg data that's hard to access. We want more participation from more working groups to help make these decisions, so we're not seen as gatekeepers. We have been trying to revisit the principles for a year, and also build data policies on top of the principles that are a product of principle and practice.
* Jamie: Common dsyfunctional dynamic between techs and non techs, and how to get around that. You're working on a project, it doesn't work for you. You say: it's broken. The tech says: It's not broken; it works perfectly. (Actually, it's not broken, one thing is not working.) For non-tech: take a dep breath, try to identify as clearly as possible what is wrong and communicate that. Or, take the info you've gotten and comunicate that as clearly as possible. For tech: Take a deep breath and say: What happened? (We can't fix: it's broken. We can fix specific issues and problems If you get a problem, do this: go to ict.ussf2010.org (click tech support). OR email online-support@ussf2010.org
* Sha: I've been hearing more "It's hard to use," not "It's broken." For reg page, finding things on the website, pulling reg data. Are there more people we can have helping with the fixes, can we help build capacity?
* Tam: What are the current road blocks that we have to discuss in this group? Then we can create a working team to fix them.
* Website: Get it to work, get all the info that vital on there to improve useability.
* Give communications a space to talk about needs to make website move work.
* Database and registration: figure out bugs, train folks
* Fix reg page to include child care adn other info that needs to be gathered as optional.
* what are our must talk abouts in this group?
* Mallory: This is not the place to talk about the bugs and bug fixes. We need more infomation collected, we need simpler forms. Those two things are in conflict. We need more information collected, while simultaneously we need simpler forms. That is the key conflict.
* Alfredo: Transparency reflects the humility of the USSF. We are not in leadership, we are organizing a space for the movement to come together. Everything we do should be in full view of the movement. Want to hear about the switch in website responsibility. It is dangerous for ICT to have control of the website.
* Kiran: I spend hours on the phone diffusing the most frantic phone calls and trying to channel it over to y'all. one thing i have noticed is that when we defined what we needed, it got translated into code in ways that shifted, and we would have said to act differently. Our top priority is to make it as SIMPLE as possible. we have 2 types of tickets we are submitting - one is large things and the second is small edits. If there was a separate thing for small things on the website that would be very helpful for us.
* David: Not quite ready to move forward. Draw perspective away from Tech principles to where the movement is. There is foundation building, and movement building. We've been foundation building. We've got 50 people, the goal is 20,000. If you put the time in building the right code structure, when you release it, it flies. Nothing is off limits in saying "we should consider this." The USSF is a place to come back and revisit the foundation. This is about saying, on a personal basis, we don't have this yet, we're still learning. We each need to become techies. We need to become fluent in each other's languages. Tech needs more help and support, Comms needs more help and support. The other things (most come back to website):
* wiki and data infrastrcuture (good)
* website (so so)
* email marketing (no go)
* social web (so so)
* multimedia (not functional-- no structure)
* propaganda nad language framing (started, but not out there. core message is not hooking)
* blog o sphere and political blogs (haven't started)
* traditional media PR
* flyers and print ads (have a flyer, don't have a web page that houses print ads)
* media, promotion and sponsorships (dont have a kit)
* Rishi: bug fixing --> the pace has not been enough to deal with the need. we need to have a capacity discussion.
* B: What is the dynamic that has created a sentiment of gatekeeping? Power is taken and also given. One person's practical, technical thing is another person's political conversation. Some political questions have not been visited: email transparency, facebook linking. How do we make a clear data policy that will guide that? What's the decision making and process?
* Sha: How do we interpret those priciples? When things go wrong, usually it's the Tech people that get blamed, and it's not ICT's fault. My frusturation is about the amount of time we had to spend talking about getting an optional phone and address field. Nowhere in these principles does it mention addresses and phone numbers, facebook and twitter. Tomorrow: Can we look at how the website is structured, and see how it will be changed.
* Roberto: If we have another USSF, a lot of this stuff is stuff that can be hased out before we come together before we start organizing the forum. We missed an opportunity for continuity from 07.
* Sylvia: Don't keep asking the same people here to join additional working groups. We need to bring in new people. Develop trainings for new people. Identify pieces we can just turn over to folks. Bring decisions to the OC, let them have email votes.
* Cheri: This goes back to composition. How do we involve people over 40? Only one person on Poverty Working Group is using wiki. If there is a disconnect on technology, that can be a working group on making the digital divide.
* Alfredo: I apologize for the tardiness of ICT dealing with Sha's request. We are limited in many ways. We seek recruitment from other working groups here.
- How do folks (from other working groups) get involved with ict, if willing? The ICT meets every other Thursday at 9:00 pm Eastern time. Conference Dial-in Number: (605) 475-4825 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (605) 475-4825 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Participant Access Code: 866209#
- The process for moving us forward --> Conflict Resolution Proposal (http://wiki.ussf2010.org/wiki/Conflict_Resolution_Proposal) Data policy principles (what data do we collect, how are we using it?, and who has access to it?) --> Tammy, B, Mallory, Adele, Sylvia, David, Cheri, Jardyn Bugs/Fixes/Website --> Mallory is the point person. Give her until lunch tomorrow.
- tabled for now: - There was a long conversation around how much information we can gather from participants. We agreed upon what is required, and what is optional. More information better eneables us to go back and communicate. - Don't see anything around how we ask for information. - Rehashing the tech principles process from last year
3. PMA Discussion Group
- Concerns/Questions
- There are actions and we want support for them here and around the country. Converge pre-Detroit Interested in post-USSF. Processes coming up. What kind of infrastructure? How it could be used in advantage with Youth. To what extent will the space be defined? How to communities plugged into PMA. Infuse more cultural into PMA. Make visible online what's happening. Big Question: How do we define and capture PMA?
- Overview Individual PMAs happening now and have been happening. What are the thoughts about after? Main Objective: Have reps from diff. components discuss what's
- Overview Organizing Kit - Documentation of this process. Have at forum. Evolve it to have some practical examples. Design of assemblies How to make it as simple as possible for folks that what to get involved, but it is a complex process. PMAs want to not only want to go but discuss after. A learning curve exists but after explained, it dissolves. Resolutions: should they be standardized? Builds process to make the movements. Health Care Now is trying to assemble something. Poor Peoples' Assembly and Gender too. An IED convention on Saturday? 3 Models: Local, Sector-Convergences, and USSF organizing model (make decisions). More to come... Calls to action.
- It is important for PMA to share their visions. Connect struggles. Filling in gaps. There is a basic agenda flow. Keep level of problem and vision of strategy. Logistics: cutting at certain number? Go through 4 hour workshop hour blocks. We will create the space that have been scheduled. Closed PMAs must be scheduled outside the program. Open PMAs should be scheduled inside the program. Coordinate like groups to work together. Saturday have a clear idea of what's been done. Come with the best possible representation.
- Is it an assembly in and of itself? Major goals: To show that the assembly process is a useful and beneficial one. Strengthening the local organizing. Day 2-4: Theres a space, we receive resolutions. Spontaneous, non-programmed PMAs. Documentation plan: Videographer and 2 note takers at each PMA. Toolkit is being informed and added to. Collects the PMA resolution. Can be a level of sentinment and call for specfic actions, but no definite synthesis with a national forum. A field of analysis. Resolutions are synthesized and caucused around them. Some level of building blocks around these fronts. Least that comes out is the committment of continuity
- Separate website for assembly. Different resolutions and calls to action can be listed out and discussed. Tool could also be used during the forum to help organize it. Declaration vs. Resolution. Confusion last time around. Documentation is a bit difficult. Best that could be expected is the declaration and resolution.
- USSF does not imply consensus, yet PMAs do. Implying consenus dilutes the force of it. Desicions are only owned by the people who make them.
- Political purpose and what we think can come out of it. Identifying the opportunities to come together. Go over what's been done instead of finalizing everything. Critical, explicit. Where do you allow to be more critical about the system? It's been integrated but being able to say where do we take it from here. What's the ask and what's the building? One of the pieces that it's interesting is getting representatives from different PMAs to discuss the synthesis. Synthesis - national awareness rather than national consensus. See opportunities and find common space. Not breaking for culture, how are we actually using the environment. It doesn't come from being preached to or spoken to, it's how we share them. Using culture as the frame. Dissociate ourselves when just listening to one after another resolutions that you don't have a part in. Resolutions are hitting people where they live. Actions going to happen. Calls to actions need to be anchored to an organization. Social media could be used to help come to resolutions. Identify what is happening and end with one unified call to action. Live and interactive, but get a picture of what's going on. People in big space but also in smaller groups to come to resolutions. For resolutions...Wordle. Visual scribes. 3 minute video on pma. People to people must be clear for tech to work.
- Lead to regional forums and sectoral pieces. What's next? a) relationship to other forums? b) the next social forum. If there's a process incorporated in the PMA, is there a level of endorsement around this process? Having forum for the sake of forum is not helpful. Build road to next one with forums and pmas. There are going to be gaps and figuring out who are the forces of motion. Tents: They did sectoral assemblies beforehand. Interesting to know if there are some of those thoughts. Utilizing that space to advance discussion. Political program came after, not declarations. Actions should be at center of discussion. People need to be able to visualize. National meetings give people a sense of unity and understanding. Faciltiators need to be there. Connection to other assembly processes. Describe struggles in really clear ways. How are we putting together resources? If you want actions to be taken place, hook up with one of Detroit's people.
AFTER THE TOUR=
- questions:
- youth want the river room for cultural events! - that may be for plenaries but we can negotiate that for the evening. also they will have a huge space in the ambassador space
- we have 87 spaces? - we gonna use 80 - we need other spaces for other things
- another flag is we need a contained health and healing space indoors
- another one is we want a PMA space where we can receive stuff or hold impromptu PMAs during the time. - we have that but we also have the arena
- language access will need an office with wall space to chart out interpreters, where we can lock stuff at night, and space for folks to hang and pick up assignments. in cobo if possible.
- we need to identify a USSF office space here which we can have access to for staff, npc meetings, etc.