POLICY MEETING 01 - MINUTES - OCT 23 2011 4pm

[JUDGE]

POLICY GROUP MEETING
MEETING 01
SUN OCT 23, 2011 4 - 5pm

**NOTE: I was unable to catch everything said and/or write fast enough
and may have missed some items.

------ (meeting begins)-----

List of those who attended plus brief info/bg/skills.

ENKI
Background in system administration. Full Time photographer. Some IT,
arduino and database skills.

JASON HARRIS
Social justice work. Founder of organization in Western MA called
CRUSH (governance by consent, 1500 members). Organization dealt with
the revitalization of small city. Policy major.

GRAY
Last 3 years focused on Media Criticism. Worked with local alderman
(? I missed this). Drafting copy. Speech writer. Worked with Jan
Shankowsi (sp?).

HAN
Web developer. Specifically in ASP.net language but willing to work
in any language to help.

BRIAN
Student at NYU. Organizing at school hosting discussions for at school
for OWS.

CRIMSON
Writer. Blog (womenagainstbloomberg.com). Small business owner.
Involved with the burlesque community. Was involved in boycotts in
the 70’s. Focus is on boycotts.

TONYE
Organizer, political action committees. International law. Interested
in policy. Looking at problem with structure here. People
participating in GA, and people who support from afar. How do you
bridge the gap? Wants to find solution.Universal policy and benefits
and welfare of world. Bridge the gap between here (nyc) and the world.
What does it look like? Put ideas through fire.

SCOTT
Works at the info desk at OWS.

VINCE
From Denver CO & the Bronx. In finance. Communication media. Morgan
Stanley and other companies. See’s flaws in system. Seeks to make it
more equitable. Skills: analytical,insiders view, organizing.

KATHLEEN
From Chicago. Artist in print and video.

-----DISCUSSION BEGINS----

GRAY:
Worldwide idea for living wage targeted to human needs. NY living
wage is not the same as Chicago. Certain principles applied
universally.

ENKI:
What is it we want this meeting to achieve overall? What is the agenda
and time frame to be spent on each item?

TONYE:
A horizontal structure. Who would like to lead up the structure?
(SCOTT, JAY and TONYE volunteer to head up horizontal structure). Next
meeting is Mon. Oct 24th at 5:30.

CRIMSON:
trying to focus on a solution.

TONYE:
Methodology. UNIVERSAL POLICY, single issues people identify with,
bridge, synthesize with people abroad, ability their life course,
economic policy.

BRIAN:
What does everybody desire? Space for conversation with the movement.


GRAY:
Techniques (or tech?) are important (twitter, facebook). Model of
communication so that other OWS are able to be here and to
participate.

TONYE:
We don’t think that exists if we’re talking about universal policy.

ENKI:
There are many issues. What will be helpful in this meeting is to
identify issues. Identify the goals.

HAN:
E-mail chain, google groups.

VINCE:
Some sort of way to vote as a group.Then there’s authorship.

SCOTT:
Good idea. Points of process that are breaking down.

TONYE:
General principles which bring us together:
- being our brothers keeper
- well being of those around us
- congress is not paying respect to past, present or future
- congress are marionettes for wall street
- singualr unity

JAY:
Scope of this group - to connect different OWS groups into a system
with policy in order to communicate what’s coming out of the different
occupations. Into a pool of information. People coming to same
conclusions.

BRIAN:
OWS is a flagship.


SCOTT:
Congress not taking in the past, HISTORICAL CONTEXT. Whats already
happened, account of revolutions, guidance.

TONYE:
Agrees. Put in the perspective of history. Development of movements.

VINCE:
Things we can agree on. Items that were populist. Draw consistencies
between constitution/(I missed rest of comment)

PAM (joins group):
Works with PLATYPUS. Organization which invites people to have
conversations at universities. to engage. There will be an event at
NYU this Friday. Theme is ‘What are the ends of OWS?’

BRIAN:
Also a member of PLATYPUS. Works with different worldwide chapters.

SCOTT/GRAY/CRIMSON agree to organize HISTORY segment of this group.

JAY:
Very interested in PLATYPUS but feels it may be premature to go speak
at an outreach group.

TONYE:
MISSION STATEMENT (see statement in google doc’s). Wants group to
tear down statement, comment. It is in progress. Group will also meet
a week from today (SUN.) 4pm at the same bench we spoke at.

ENKI:
Has all e-mail addresses and will set up google group.

HAN:
We should communicate a lot online.

TONYE:
Cautions. To be able to organize google groups so as to keep it clean
so people can follow discussions. Tony (person not at today’s meeting)
has said many of the google groups have been getting messy.

JAY:
Asks that everyone read ENTIRE google posts.

TONYE:
Creatively find ways to organize.

KATHLEEN:
Suggest Edward Tufte may be good resource for ideas on organizing
information.

JAY:
What is the purpose of the group. Create underlying procedure of
ideas so all/ (I missed rest of comment)

ENKI:
What is the issue of this group:
- economic
- communication
- policy
- research to be assigned
- assign people actions

TONYE:
working list of, credit, tarif policy, to read original source
documents. People bring what is a need to the process, to bring to
the fore. Versatility. Give us a sense we are moving. To feel
overwhelmed is ok.

SCOTT:
Suggests three areas within group:
- General Policy for GA
- Lines of communication between other OWS & outside
communities
- Political Policy, what do we want movement to move towards.

---------END DISCUSSION----

----END MEETING---