Block Government 2013 Thoughts
Mike Adamz
Local internal store?
Solar panels for power.
School and like.
Based on 1998 or earlier ideas:
LOCAL BLOCK GOVERNMENT:
The ideas, reasons for and how to for a local block/neighbourhood government.
The idea of a block or neighbourhood governmental body is not new, going
back to before the days of the manor and tun and like bodies. Some more
democratic than others, and some having more powers than others.
After all what is a self-sufficient community? A local
neighbourhood/apartment complex or hi-rise can be just as a community
and government as a small colony in Virginia or Massachusetts was.
The basic idea of a local block government is:
To give local people a say in the day to day government of their local
community.
To see how the wheels of power work from a local perspective.
To bring the city government closer to home, more responsive to the
local peoples needs and saying.
A feeling of self/local control over how things are done.
Common defense against a wide variety of criminal elements.
To bring about community ownership of their dwellings and bring about
changes as needed and not as some absent landlord wishes it to be.
How this is done:
First off is to have communications between members of a community
block and this means to be safe from fear. Or driven by fear, a need to
so something, hopefully not violent.
Forming a Neighbourhood watch is a major step along a long road, but the
end results will be wonderful.
Local Neighbourhood Watch (NW) acts as a local block element of defense
and law enforcement, local law as well as city, borough, county, state,
an federal law. But first off local law. Basically the neighbourhood
watch is a local police auxiliary and fits with in the traditional
Militia/Fyrd ideals. The NW is the members of the community doing what
ever they can do for the community to fight against any form of invasion
of the community, to bring to justice those in the community or from
outside the community that need to be brought to justice.
To stop being a lamb to slaughter and to take an active part in the
communities protection, safety and freedom to do what the community
people wish to do. Namely the freedom from fear.
The NW in the new government structure will become the
communities law enforcement and the militia arm of the local
block/complex government.
Any law enforcement and militia/military structure must be under civil
control, and for this NW, a local block/neighbourhood government is
necessary to make sure the NW does not become as bad as the elements
they are supposed to protect the community from.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE:
In a hi-rise for example, each floor would have a Floor Manager/Reeve,
who in concert with other Floor Reeves and the Building Manager/Reeve
would do the day to day governing (with comments and review by the
citizenry of the building). Normally I like the idea of each floor
electing its representative. And the building manager being elected
by the people of the building enmass.
The Building Council:
Made up of the Building Reeve and the Floor Reeves.
Supported by select personnel who though not part of the building
council do play a part in the councils business and the maintenance and
upkeep of the building of which they are empowered to govern.
The Building Clerk: Charged to maintain the building records.
The Building Treasurer: Charged to maintain the building finances.
The Chief of the Fyrd: Charged to keep the peace as well as law and
order, leading the security forces and fyrd of the building as needed
and directed by the laws of the building.
Chief Judge of the Building: Charged to judge those who need to be
judged in matters relating to the health, safety and welfare of the
building.
BASIC GOALS:
Bring about local government by locals getting involved and forcing
city government to recognise the local block gov as a viable tier of
city government, better able to deal with and collect local taxes
and provide police and local more responsive justice.
HOW TO INCORPORATE THE GOV:
First major step is to thru legal means, acquire the apartments/lands
that make up the local neighbourhood, to include declaring the land
abandoned by its "owners" and therefore open for local
purchase/eminent domain, salvage laws and like laws.
Once the first apartment complex is taken over by its one time tenants,
they are to form a governing body, to control the cash flow, rents,
utilities and like, similar to a condo association. But with each
tenant (lease holder) having a share in the incorporated building
tenants associations Inc. The governing body is to use the money
collected from rents and other means, to pay for the
upkeep/maintenance of the building complex, the utilities, contractors
and wages for workers (possible money off rent for work done is
possible). Each tenant household has voting stock shares of the
InCorporated body of the Building Association, and as such as the
power to vote on issues such as:
Election of, removal of the Reeves.
Changes in the relationship between the tenants and their elected
officials.
Expelling unwanted members, namely to throw out the criminal elements of
the community.
The Council has the below powers:
To negotiate contracts with outside government,
the collect fees, to expel members, and to act for all purposes as a local city government to include local civil/criminal court (minor offences).
One part of the tenant contract is the giving over to the building council the right to expel unruly/criminal tenants with due cause and trial.
Also one part is also that tenants can not sell their shares unless the sale is approved by the building council (to keep unwanted external elements out of the complex).
Tenants who are of legal age are voting members of the corporate body called the Block Government and as such are eligible to vote, serve the community, militia service and other tasks as needed.
GOALS:
The Governing Body is to make the apartment complex a safe and livable place to live. To form a Neighbourhood/Block Watch from the tenants to act as a auxiliary to the local police force. To provide for equitable treatment of all tenants. To screen new tenants. To act as the tenants representatives to the City Government. Also to bring into the apartment complex those services directed by the tenant membership, include possible conviance store and like businesses on the first floor.. Also to remove unwanted tenants or unwanted elements (criminal namely).
Delingiating powers, how to get the powers (directors) in, and how to get them out, what powers they have, and what powers does the body politic have to remove, change, override them.
Board of Directors:
In a hi-rise apartment complex it maybe different, one Director per floor (Floor Manager), who job is to maintain the peace, maintenance and well being of the floor and the people on it, and to work with the other floor managers as well as the building manager to provide what is necessary for a efficient and fair/just house management.
Floor Reeve: Individual elected by the voting members of the floor the Reeve represents, to act as their representative to the building council.
Responsibilities: To give the members of their floor good and fair representation in the tun/building council.
Tun Reeve: Individuals elected by the floor reeves to represent the building/tun to the either block council or the city council.
Building Fyrd: A combined law enforcement and also in times of emergency a militia, styled for the protection of the building and its inhabitants. All residents are members of the fyrd in what ever compacity they can be used in.
Officers and NCOs having to be voting members.
Head of the Fyrd acts as the Sergeant at Arms of the Building Council meetings.
Building Council:
Made up of the Building Reeve and the Floor Reeves, it controls (or delinitates) the representation to the city council and its representative. Also provides for quick and just law and court cases of building members (members do not have to go to the Building Council if they do not wish to).
To find cash sources, to collect building fees/rents and debts/charges (taxes?).
To act as the organiser of the building Fyrd.
To keep the building maintained and utilities paid.
To provide safe law enforcement/security of members.
To expel any unwanted tenants and to find wanted tenants.
To give fair and just government to the members of the building.
To provide services that the individual tenants could not do themselves.
Voting members of the community are the final court of local appeals. If a majority of the voting tenants vote for expulsion of an unwanted tenants, then the tenant is evicted as per local laws.
Maintenance: Would be directed by the local government, and contracts given out as need of members, money and time becomes available. Possible is to have people work off their rent for maintenance and new works.
(Also have ideas on how to form a Civil Action Group > precursor to a political party or a guerilla movement?)
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Mike Adams
Mike