Statement of Area Solidarity
We affirm the right of our sister Occupations to fight economic injustice using methods of peaceful protest. We make this Declaration of Solidarity and affirm that should the police attempt to forcibly disrupt ANY Occupation within 100 miles radius: we agree to rally at a massed protest organized by the hosting Occupation. We urge all Occupations to sign this Declaration as a show of Solidarity to your area Occupation. An assault to one of us: is an assault to all of us. Power to the peaceful!
http://occupysantacruz.org/statements/statement-of-area-solidarity/
Process
The working group decided to use a relaxed concensus process.
Proposed Agenda
Art Party in San Francisco on Sun 9 Sep 2012
Be-In Kickoff on Fri 14 Sep 2012
Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park on Sat and Sun, 15-16 Sep 2012
OCCUPY 1 Year! Anniversary in San Francisco on Mon 17 Sep 2012
Transportation and Housing for S17
Agenda
- Art Party in SF on S9
OSF is having a sign and protest art making party from 8AM to 2PM. This is a party where people drop by for all or part of the day to make signs, banners, and art for protest in the upcoming S17 event. Supplies are provided. For location contact George or http://occupysantacruz.org/contact/
- Be-In Kickoff on Fri S14
Hayes Valley Farm, the Free Farm, and Kezar Gardens are all facing eviction.
A San Francisco based organizing collective known as Space TranSFormers invites the public to the Human Be-In 2012. The event is free of charge and will begin w/ live music at 3 PM on Friday, September 14th in Kezar Gardens at 780 Frederick Street.
- Human Be-In in Golden Gate Park, Sat and Sun, S15 and S16
The Human Be-In features a series of workshops and live music. Organizers call it a protest against private concerts on public land, which is why everything is free. It is a gathering to transform space, cultivate community, and to simply ‘be’.
Find the growing schedule of events at http://humanbein.org/
- S17 — OCCUPY 1 Year! – San Francisco
All Day – OCCUPY THE BANKS - http://occupyactionsf.org/
5PM – Convergence 555 California St at Kearny
5:30PM — March
6PM — Debt Burning
– Action Reports
– Festival
8PM — Guerrilla Movie
- S17 — Transportation and Housing
Three people are going Friday to the Be-In Kickoff and intend to spend the entire weekend and Monday.
Two people need housing for Saturday night.
Four people need housing for Monday night.
George volunteered to work with Occupy San Francisco to find housing.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned after deciding to communicate by email and call for further meetings on an ad-hoc basis.
10 Responses to “Area Solidarity Working Group Notes for Thu 6Sep2012”
CORRECTION: Art Party SF is from Noon to 8PM, Sun 9Sep2012
HERE/UNITE Local 2
209 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA
While this is awesome and all.. it actually has zero to do with Occupy Santa Cruz.
There never has been a vote on anything about this other than a working group convened
and did some stuff organizing rides etc.
People will be heading up to this anyway..
Unless there is some actual coordinated action by OSC folks to do SOMETHING, it will just be
more spectatorism. Just a bunch of people in a crowd of more people.
The question I have is.. What Are You DOING There?
I’d like to see and hear some creative answers to that question.
We still need to plan what we do there. I know, it’s all talk, until it isn’t.
I know of, but am not part of, one affinity group that is working together, and they will take charge of their own planning–what level of risk they want to engage in, whatever.
When we meet, we are just talking. I sincerely want to help make it easier for us to think as a group to make decisions together, however much we all may disagree about which tactics are meaningful and who is able to do what. I greatly admire those who are willing to take more risks than I am, and folks who have more energy than I have to DO all that they do. I ‘d also like to see and hear creative answers to your question.
Although the notes seem to have been lost from the Sunday GA when it occurred (I did not take them), the GA did consense to “endorse” regional actions in SF on September 17. The next big date will be October 4, and I hope the creative answers we’ve already brainstormed, or new ones, will have folks volunteering to put some legs under them. Otherwise, as you imply, we will be DOING NOTHING as Occupy Santa Cruz.
What am I doing there? Whatever I want to. Everybody else. Whatever they want to. You. Whatever you want to. BE!
Its a rhetorical question, of course..
As activism, things that have a good focus, have some planning ect. are the hallmarks of a great action.
Sure, 1000 people coming together and yelling at a building or standing facing in the same direction and listening to speaker after speaker blather on about stuff most have heard before is … good.
But when remembering all of the hundred gatherings like this back through the decades, .. the potent elements were coordinated by affinity groups who had a vision and worked to manifest something beautiful, cool, hard-hitting, mind-blowing.. etc.
I just raise this as a thought sparker to encourage us to use our imaginations here.. rather than to not.
As a member of Art & Revolution, we always tried to bring an added element to a large gathering of people to raise the collective experience a notch or two. For this is takes a little effort.
Mark is right, Do whatever you want. Be whatever you want… But we’re a core group of activists now. We have big potential to use this to our advantage to do some cool ass shit.
Don’t we wanna do some cool ass shit? .. or are we content to BE! in a crowd packed with 1000 people being completely undistinguishable from the others? .. Why drive all the way there.. put up with the pain in the ass elements that it will entail to not do some cool shit.
Just a spark.
In my opinion the anniversery of OWS and OSF is cool ass shit. There will be actions all day before the gathering at 555 California by many affinity groups. One such action is a sit in to denounce the criminalization of homelessness at Harvey Milk Plaza at 3pm. Perhaps this is worthwhile? Perhaps feeding the poor in Golden Gate park is worthwhile? I have great respect for all my comrades on the Action Council. I have learned so much from them and they are powerful allies. Trust me, I won’t just be standing around.
On another note: We in Monterey will be having a really, really free market on Oct. 7th at Friendly plaza. We will be using this event to generate interest in setting up a Food not Bombs chapter here in our town. Do you approve?
As I see it. Not all people are identified with BEING an activist. Others are into BEING artists, craftspeople, mothers, fathers, bus drivers, farm workers, students, philosophers, meditators… whatever they set focus on that occupy their lives and meets their survival needs.
And while BEING whatever they have chosen for their lives, hearing how their lives and choices are valued by the self-identified activists as compassionless and insignificant result in little support for the activists goals. Yes, Occupy Santa Cruz does seem to BE left to the activists, because the people have gone home and hang with people who have a wider and shared sense of empathy and integrity for lives of others.
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on another note – Language Is a Virus. How it’s used is passed from one to another.
“Forced Teaming. This is when a person tries to pretend that he has something in common with a person and that they are in the same predicament when that isn’t really true.”
People who engage in forced teaming speak using the word “we” rather then the “I” word. It’s a subtle manipulation technique that makes people think “I must be wrong, because I think/feel differently”.
When people use the “we” word, it sets up a false impression that the speaker has all these invisible people who agree and support the speakers opinion when it may not be true that there are others in agreement.
People who speak with the “I” word tend to feel a greater sense of responsibility to own their opinions without relying on others to share the responsibility. When people use the “I” word, it’s easier for others to hear and give respect and tolerance for opinions they do not hold or share.
Expressions that are not forced teaming include variations of: I think – I feel – I thought – What I observed – What I imagined – What I envision – My impression is – My desire for … is -
Language is important. More on describing forced teaming.
http://womeninwetlands.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-spot-con-artist-part-1.html
I may choose to go to the “non-violent communication” workshop at the Be-in. Although I remember taking part in a similar workshop that I found to be draining and tedious, I recognize that I have been using bullying language lately, and I want to re-awaken my “self-empathy” so that I can curb that in the future. Look up Marshall Rosenberg for that particular language style.
If I find that to be a positive experience, I may choose to share the skills I re-awaken with any folks who would like that.
Cool, maybe i will see you there, Leslie. Sharing skills is a great thing! I admit, I could use better communication skills myself.