By Colin Davis

America, as a culture is very goal oriented. We have a hard time getting a lot from process itself and we want to see results. It’s a cultural thing. Keeping that in mind, I think, will help Occupy related groups to keep the energy going.

I find it healthy that Occupy groups are oriented in a way which lets any and all opinions be heard and lets a group be steered by the members collectively rather than by a leader or core membership’s rule. But I have to say that I think that there is a time and a place for slower, process heavy groups and more structured, goal oriented groups. Its up to any one group where they want to be, but always shooting for goals is a good way to keep energy levels high.

I’m attending a number of working groups and Occupy affiliated groups, and I see that each of them is struggling to establish where it should go, or they have marked their goals very broadly in order to be as inclusive as possible. Again, this is great for process oriented groups which want to strengthen personal bonds, but it can be a turn off for goal oriented people who want to see more rapid results.

We all have a certain amount of time and energy, and we want to use it for the greater good, but we sometimes find ourselves going group to group looking for a place to settle, and never doing so because each group we find is unsure about what its place is, and many are not effective at reaching goals. So, here are a few ideas which may help in this regard.

Reach out to experienced members 

Many of our working groups are dealing with issues that are the specialties of career professionals, academics and individuals who focused their time on particular subjects. One problem with inviting these folks is not what they know, but how they are accustomed to using that information, and their ability to modify their work to fit into new models that Occupy is experimenting with. But I would suggest that anyone who is willing to join an Occupy group should be welcomed readily, because the very fact that they are willing to join means they may very well be capable of fitting into a new model. And if they request modification of an Occupy working group’s structure to increase effectiveness, their input could be just what is needed to tighten up a group which is in need of discipline. Keep in mind that there are a great number of non-mainstream pros and their colleagues and followers who have been developing alternative models for a long time who can be called upon.

Recruit efficiently

I think its ok for working groups to issue criteria and request qualifications from participants. One way to include everyone, but to also insure qualified participators is to allow new membership without any specific experience criteria but additionally seek to recruit those who have certain qualifications.

Example: Finance Working Group forming. Open to public. Group is additionally seeking 2-3 individuals with academic or career backgrounds in banking, finance, economics.

Group around single issues

When it’s appropriate, groups can form around a single issue. Working groups can be single issue oriented or they can form sub groups to handle their specific subjects. Many members would be relieved to know that they can join a group and see their energy manifest more directly.

Use modified consensus 

As we have experienced, 100 percent consensus can be both difficult but also very satisfying and powerful when it’s reached. The main block to efficient voting in a full consensus group is when participants, as a whole, are not linked enough by common values and goals. The more diverse group membership is, the more difficult it will be to reach consensus. Don’t be afraid to use 80 or 90 percent consensus when necessary. Holding out for 100 percent consensus can lead groups to lose key members which will damage a group’s effectiveness more than anything.  When a group moves too slowly, moral falls, and groups can be rendered ineffective and go dormant. I’ve seen it happen, and it happens fast. Efforts can and should be made for participants to understand the dissenting views held by those in a voting minority.

Working groups which have a minority of highly qualified members and a majority of newcomers to a subject matter could still work well with modified consensus. Most members will defer to the experts opinions, but will also be free to contribute openly and reject expert’s opinions when needed because they have a large majority voting block.

Focus locally

Because Occupy is a national and international movement, it’s capable of taking on national and international issues.  It has successfully organized actions which were participated in by large numbers of local Occupy’s. This is positive and will continue, but focusing nationally and internationally is more effective with demonstrations than it is for implementing actual solutions to the problems we focus on.

Just as we have found that it is difficult to get members of a single general assembly or working group to agree on propositions, it may be too difficult to implement national and international remedies at this stage in the movement’s evolution. The future may bring modifications to the movement’s functions that could change this, but for now, mostly smaller scale solutions can be put in place – but this is actually a huge positive.

One of the great tragedies of modern American culture has been the slow dissolution of the democratic process and the rise of a consumer and ego driven culture, which has effectively damaged the self-esteem of citizens badly. Material wealth has proven to be a completely inadequate replacement for self work, family work, community and civic participation.

Because of this trend, many people feel that they are incapable of actually effecting change, even on a local level. They have become disempowered to the point where they are more willing to look to clearly incapable, prevaricating Ken and Barbie dolls to lead them rather than become their own leaders.  Of course we are told by the greater culture that law and economics are subjects for braniacs and politics should be left for another strange breed of human most don’t understand. In actuality, these subjects are appropriate for many more participants, even those with no college education.

One remedy for this disempowerment is local action intended to bring people back into touch with their community, their own values and personal powers, and for their local governments to become instruments of an informed citizenry. Eventually, the goal is to have a national government which represents its people as a whole, but when people do not remember what their own values are, and do not have local models, there is no way for a government to represent the people properly. Logically, change must occur at the local level before it can happen nationally or otherwise. And equally logically, change must happen on the personal level before it can be successfully implemented within a community. I don’t think anyone wants to follow the leadership of people who have not done the personal work necessary for them to become morally, emotionally and spiritually upright.

To my mind, the future of America is local strength, local diversity, and state government obedience to the values of the people which are expressed locally. National and international government is then designed to tie together the values of the sovereigns, not to act as its own entity, which is separate from the states and the people. The identity of our country is based on what we share in values, so those values must be expressed in actual, on the ground models that we live by every day. Local solutions have a chance at becoming national, but national solutions have no chance of satisfying local problems as a whole if they are not worked out at the lower levels first.

The solutions already exist

One reason why it may be difficult for groups to solidify around a single issue is that people are inexperienced or unaware of what solutions are out there. We all can make a list of the problems, but we are often at a loss to come up with substantive responses to them. I think that is simply because we have not spent the time looking at solutions and because we are distracted by the large number of problems which society faces.

Personally, I have spent a good number of years researching alternative solutions to many well known problems. I’ve found that there are many extremely talented and qualified people, all over the world who are proposing cutting edge solutions to just about every societal problem you can think of. This ranges from energy, to health, to monetary reform, to education, to psychology, to – you name it. From what I have seen, the solutions are out there, they really are.  And for the problems where solutions do not yet exist, they will become available if energy is directed towards them.

If one wanted to develop a scientific response to a problem, the way its done is to first generate a hypothesis that explains the problem and a proposed solution. Then build an experiment to test the hypothesis. Then, if the results are not positive, go back and alter the experiment.  Finally, when the experiment works, share the info with peers and see if they can replicate it.  When they can, they share the experiment with the world in the form of pure information, or as a product or service.

So according to the scientific method, one starts small, then they perfect that experiment and then try to replicate it in a larger form.

So logically: Design and implement locally, then regionally, then state-wide, then nationally and internationally.

Building on the preceding, I might propose that groups which want to specifically effect change consider the following:

1.  Create groups or sub-groups around a single issue.
2.  Attempt to understand the problem and how it came about.
3.  Look around the world for individuals who have already developed cutting edge solutions to these problems – some are already in your ranks.
4.  Plug in one or more of their solutions to solve the problem on a local scale.
5.  Use public pressure to have the solutions implemented in a municipality and to share those results with other localities. Teach by example.

For many implementations, there might be a pre-stage where these ideas simply need to be disseminated into the interested public so discussions can occur. Public forums where these thinkers are invited can be convened.

The next step might be to create a “manual” to help other groups meeting around the same issues to implement solutions. For example, in Petaluma California, we are designing a Foreclosure Prevention Zone and an FPZ manual to go with it.  The next step is to share the manual in its locally modified form with residents and local officials.  Individuals who want to run for local government positions could be empowered and create platforms based on the solution oriented work that had been done and the implementation of the manual into municipal laws and policy.

The Occupy strategy of using sit-ins and mass demonstrations promoted via the internet and social media has been extremely effective at gaining attention. Now Occupy is moving on into stage two, and I would suggest that this stage is one that implements solutions to the problems we have identified on local levels and then shares that information with other localities for them to modify and implement as well. We have occupied the problems; now let us occupy the solutions!

There, Jonathan Lamb wrote

“In my opinion, the danger of working groups existing in any formalized sense, is that simply because there IS a group for a certain subject, a great deal of people assume that this means that this function of the movement is being adequately dealt with by a team of dedicated, competent and experienced individuals.

Quite often this is not the case.

People also have misconceptions or differing ideas on what the responsibilities of a working group should be, as seen recently with the Finance Group (people assume that fundraising is their responsibility – it is not)

This is not said as an affront to the amazing and valuable work being done all the time by dedicated members of the occupation, but when people see there is a Sanitation working group, they don’t necessarily see that there may only be one active member, hard working as he surely is.

I really feel it could be worth setting some sort of minimum standards for working groups, and if they are consistently below those standards people could be aware of that, so we know which areas need help the most. We could call them something else then… like a Not Working Group”  

Vica responded with this short but essential post:

“A weekly working group health check would encourage:

- a clear point of contact
- a regular meeting at least once a week
- an open space for debate…be it a forum, a wiki, but somewhere where the online community can interact with them. For the onsite logistics this might just be a page on the wiki with the wish list and the volunteers required.”

This is an extremely rich exchange of ideas about the dangers of Working Groups. Its participants tend to be members in many WGs of Occupy London and have a wealth of experience. This conversation is ongoing and anybody can read and join in it here.

I wish that they come up with a summary of their findings so far, so that people new to the conversation don’t have to read through 20-30 post before they can meaningfully contribute. In addition, that summary could grow into a guide on the essentials of effective WGs. We, at the Future of Occupy, are so inspired by the conversation of Jonathan, Vica, and others, that we would be happy to help with that…

"We demand evidence of the corporation's certificate of live birth" photo by T. Jefferson

On Jan 21, 2012, Occupy sites around the US and the world demonstrated in solidarity with members of the 99%.  They spoke out against the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court’s decision, Citizens United, which gave corporations the rights of “Free Speech”… code for unlimited corporate contributions for political elections and favor mongering.  A blogger named Kevin, from the left-progressive/left-liberal news group Firedoglake, was there in Pittsburgh to witness and report on this Occupy rally.  Kevin’s traveling from occupy to occupy across America capturing the unique developments emerging from the General Assemblies and Working Groups of each community (Kevin’s blog link, The Dissenter ).

On that day, i also ventured down to Occupy Pittsburgh (OP) after work to witness the last bit of the rally and march, planned by the Education and Outreach Working Groups, replete with street theater.  The OP People’s Judge in black robes and a big white powdered wig read out the “People’s Subpoena for a Certificate of Live Birth”* along with the “Peoples Indictment of Bank of New York Mellon and EQT Corp. (natural gas hydrofrackers) for criminal behavior”* and then marched to the Federal Courthouse to compel support for this effort.  They were met by security guards and police at all stops along the march, but the mood was festive with singing and clowning accompanying the ample leafletting of counter-Citizens United educational materials to the rush-hour crowds (*OP education resources link).

As the rally broke up and occupy campers and Working Group bottom-liners returned to camp for debriefing, many were surprised to see a lone police officer quickly stride up to the bewigged Judge and tap him on the shoulder… all present gathered around, not sure what was happening, ready to step in if things got weird.  The officer introduced himself saying he was the Sergeant on duty to oversee the rally, and he wanted to thank OP for a well-conducted public event.  Everyone around the wig relaxed and smiled… Wow, did we just see/ hear that??  The Sergeant smiled and strode off.

Apparently, this sort of thing happens regularly at Occupy Pittsburgh.  Police cars often honk in solidarity as they pass the camp.  Community organizers say it isn’t that Occupy Pittsburgh doesn’t challenge authority — many people have been arrested at OP actions — but perhaps it’s that they do so in ways that are seen as creative, thought provoking, and most of all, decidedly non-violent.  The direction and actions of the working groups have set the tone, operating in ways informed by group wisdom, time after time. For example, the People’s Watch Working Group has kept the order in the OP Camp, via ground rules set by consensus. They forbid the use of alcohol or drugs or violence in the camp, noting that without the clarity and guideline that provides, it’s hard to depend on each other. Chris from the Outreach Working Group says that Occupy Pittsburgh’s Camp is known for being one of the most responsible occupys in the country.

Pittsburgh skyline from Freedom Corner

Helen, an Iraq War Veteran, camp bottom-liner, and Education and People’s Watch Working Group member, says that perhaps one reason OP has such good relations with the police is that they’ve had the support of the community and of City Council from the beginning.  Over 5,000 marched on Oct 15, the day camp was created. And  a month later Council made a formal proclamation supporting the Occupation of the “open to the public, private park”, which was posted recently next to the eviction papers served to OP by the park “owners”, BNY Mellon.  The City government is saying there will be no eviction unless there is a legal proof to move to do so (the City doesn’t want a repeat of the G-20 shambles).  Since OP’s Legal Working Group served BNYM counter-eviction papers for their alleged crimes against investors and home owners, the court decision is very much up for debate at the moment, says Scott, a lawyer helping OP. Those wily occupiers of the Legal Working Group are collaborating with their court affiliated allies, and a guy on the team named Mike says if there is an eviction, BNY Mellon will have to pay for it… not tax-payers.

In the mean time, the Locations Working Group is exploring options for using recently budget-cut-closed schools for a future home of OP, or at the least, the location for a community Free-School being planned by the Education Working Group along with Outreach and community groups such as Land Slide Urban Farm.  The Working Groups, via the OP General Assembly, have committed to bringing discussion of issues for the 99% into the communities, issues such as…

-transportation (Pittsburgh has suffered severe cuts in bus service impacting those least able to adjust to this ongoing economic challenge),

-healthcare (local hospitals are closing as corporate consolidations rage thru the area, leaving communities with crippling job losses and without vital services),

-lack of investment in local green jobs (Pennsylvania is the only state without a major tax on Marcellus shale gas drilling. The industry is booming and yet selfishly externalizes major costs of social and environmental damages to local communities. Long term, this boom will create few local jobs, provide no investment for climate safe energy and leave a painful legacy of ruined water systems)

To generate significant discussion on these issues, and hopefully sew the seeds for visioning new models and institutions that truly support the community, the Outreach & Education Working Groups hosted a Human Rights Rally in November, an Occupy Your Mind  gallery exhibit and community brainstorming w/ visiting facilitators from OWS in January, and they plan a teach-in w/ Occupy the Hood and the People of Color Working Group, Feb 4.

Outreach WG meets w/ new university occupy group, T. Jefferson

OP activists have spoken often of the challenges that Occupy has taken on.  Helen says, “the hard stuff is, how do we live restorative justice? … This occupy camp is our home, so how can we share effectively and at the same time, not allow others who may be unbalanced via addictive disorders or violent tendencies to undo the work of the greater whole?  And how can we help support the folks grappling with these negative tendencies?”

Helen speaks of a fellow vet suffering from trauma he built up while training and working as an interrogator at Abu Ghraib, and how he is now, sadly but necessarily, being asked to leave the camp for repeated violations.  The central question for many of occupy’s working groups  is how on earth can we really set examples for approaching things differently, humanely?  How can we be responsive to each other, taking greater responsibility for ourselves, each other and our communities?

Helen struggles with these questions herself, when she chooses safety over liberty in certain situations in the daily activities of the People’s Watch… She asks herself and her group partners, how do we strive for that balance?  She knows  OP is a microcosm of the issues we are dealing with in this larger, sick society, a society that has forgotten how to put people first.  Chris knows people are hungry for this sort of debate, and sees people reinvigorated by the new activism.  ”Occupy is a place to try out some things, to experiment together.  The [occupy] tents are the Shire under the skyscrapers of…[Mordor]?”  She laughs.   That may be the theme of the next occupy street demonstration…

Post note:  This past week, a Pittsburgh Judge ruled in favor of BNY Mellon’s eviction of the Occupy Pittsburgh camp from Peoples park.

Monday, February 6 at 12 noon is the official deadline for eviction of the Occupy Pittsburgh camp at the People’s Park. Occupy Pittsburgh supporters are meeting at the camp at noon to show that an injunction or an eviction will not stop this movement.

As we learned from the injunction issued against us, the freedom of speech is guaranteed only to those who can afford to purchase it. But we have scored a moral victory. History has shown that when people’s movements respond creatively to repression by the 1%, we can mobilize sympathy for the cause of the 99%. The court even used this as an excuse to rule against us, as if they were doing us a favor: “BNY Mellon’s eviction of the encampment will certainly draw publicity and may even assist in communicating the Occupiers’ message.” On this point, at least, let’s prove the judge right!

Occupy New Haven, upside down flag is international symbol for distress, in this case US civic and economic distress

Here in the U.S., many are already sick to death of the Presidential campaign.  Sadly, our national politics boil down to not much more than lining-up favors and cash for the next election.  The only thing good about the whole spiel is the comedy routines… but one cannot survive on comedy alone.

The United States is in deep civic and economic distress.  The political crisis in Washington, and by contrast what is hopeful at the local level, was compared in a recent article by Arianna Huffington:

We’re now in the midst of a battle to see who will sit atop the pyramid in official Washington. This battle will dominate the media in the year ahead, but what the last year showed is that the more important story is what’s happening outside Washington. It was a year in which Time declared ”The Protester” its Person of the Year and “Occupy” was named Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society. It was a year of solutions and energy and activism from the bottom up. And given that top-down thinking not only brought us a Depression-level crisis, but also shows no signs of getting us out of it, it’s bottom-up innovation that will be more relevant…

It’s at the local level where we are still able to fulfill President Obama’s exhortation last year “to sharpen our instincts for empathy” and “constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American Dream to future generations.” It’s increasingly clear that for that circle to be widened nationally it will have to be widened locally first.

Huffington goes on to praise mayors from Portand to New Jersey, on climate change to emergency response, for being willing to work with their citizens and get things done.  It’s wonderful when Government listens to, works with and actually serves the people.  That seems to be only a dream in many places in America.  Portland Oregon’s Mayor evicted their Occupy protesters, saying they hadn’t come out with any clear messages or demands.  Really, Mayor Adams, what are you afraid of?   And what if you’re in New York City, and you have Bloomberg as Mayor?  Is he someone willing to utilize the city police force as an army for hire for corporations against citizens?  I would argue it’s not the national or local government leaders that will solve our difficult problems, it’s up to all of us.  Local people around the globe are learning to work together with government to keep them accountable, transparent and willing to work with all groups to forge the needed solutions.

In New York City and other places where leadership in government is currently uninterested  in democratic debate searching for justice, there is an antidote:  We can claim our sovereignty, our right to local self-determination and true democracy.   The OWS working group called the  Empowerment & Education Committee is exploring this idea of local sovereignty as they set the stage for the upcoming Commons Conference, Feb 16-18, at City University of New York.

The internationally known commons speakers will include  information commons advocate and author, David Bollier and economist and policy analyst, James Quilligan.  Bollier is best known for his books “Brand Name Bullies” and “Viral Sprial” which outline the current day enclosures by corporations as they privatize what was formerly in the public domain and freely available to all.  He discuses some helpful tools such as on-line community production models and the creative commons licensing options to ensure that credit is given and open source access maintained.  A recent Bollier blog encourages the New York Times to start an “enclosure watch column”, because as he says, it’s the story of our times, and the NYT’s already reports on ‘brazen ripoffs of the public by a “free market” system… every day’

Quilligan too has brilliant ideas.  His focus is a global transition away from our debt-based monetary system to a value-based commons economic system, where business would rent the right to use local, regional and global commons under sustainability guidelines set by stakeholders.  Commons rent would go into funds at all scales for restoration and social cohesion.  Quilligan argues that our current unsustainable global system of interest rates and unending debt-service is crippling innovation, and spending critical natural capital that should be preserved for future generations.   He advocates for a global sustainability rate that would be referenced bioregionally to measure regional improvements or degradations on local systems.  In such a system, the monetary incentive to increase the value of your local currency encourages business, government and community decision-making to align with the needs of human and natural communities.

Do you live in a place where deliberative democracy to balance market-state forces is met with scorn and powerful resistance from your government?  Or do you live in a place where government is willing to engage with the people in the hard work of direct deliberative democracy in finding solutions to many challenges we face in these transitional times?  Let us know!  We invite your comments and stories of strife or collaborative solutions.  We can share them in New York at the Commons Conference.

Mary Beth Steisslinger, MS

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

A group of women seeking support and representation within the Occupy Wall Street protests recently started a women’s caucus.

Women of Occupy Wall Street, or WOW, first met a week ago, to address the needs of the women protesters at Zuccotti Park. Practical worries like finding safe places to sleep and denouncing harassment are a priority. The group also hopes to better represent women in the working groups of Occupy Wall Street, and to advocate for women’s economic equality as part of the protests.

Read the rest at City Limits.

If you wanted to support your local pool and haven’t been able
to so far, now is your chance.  Come down and meet new friends
and neighbours, pitch in and have fun as well.

See you there….

What is the #Occupy Movement?

A series of roundtable discussions hosted by The Platypus Affiliated Society. This is the second part of the discussion series held in New York City.

Speakers: Hannah Appel (Columbia, OWS Think Tank working group), Erik Van Deventer (NYU, OWS Demands working group), Nathan Schneider (Waging Nonviolence, OWS Occupy Writers), and Brian Dominick (Z Media Institute).

Held on December 9, 2011 at New York University.

The recent #Occupy protests are driven by discontent with the present state of affairs: glaring economic inequality, dead-end Democratic Party politics, and, for some, the suspicion that capitalism could never produce an equitable society. These concerns are coupled with aspirations for social transformation at an international level. For many, the protests at Wall St. and elsewhere provide an avenue to raise questions the Left has long fallen silent on:

What would it mean to challenge capitalism on a global scale? How could we begin to overcome social conditions that adversely affect every part of life? And, how could a new international radical movement address these concerns in practice?

We in the Platypus Affiliated Society ask participants and interested observers of the #Occupy movement to consider the possibility that political disagreement could lead to clarification, further development and direction. Only when we are able create an active culture of thinking and debating on the Left without it proving prematurely divisive can we begin to imagine a Leftist politics adequate to the historical possibilities of our moment. We may not know what these possibilities for transformation are. This is why we think it is imperative to create avenues of engagement that will support these efforts.

Towards this goal, Platypus will be hosting a series of roundtable discussions with organizers and participants of the #Occupy movement. These will start at campuses in New York, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia but will be moving to other North American cities, and overseas to London, Germany, Greece, India and South Korea in the months to come. We welcome any and all who would like to be a part of this project of self-education and potential rebuilding of the Left to join us in advancing this critical moment.

The Platypus Affiliated Society

December 2011

Questions

Discussants were asked to consider the following questions:

1. In light of the recent series of coordinated and spectacular evictions that took place on November 15th, as well as the international Day of Action that followed two days later, is it fair to say that the #Occupy movement has entered into “phase 2”? If so, what is the nature of this new phase of the movement’s development? How has the occupation been forced to adapt to a changing set of conditions on the ground and what sorts of fresh difficulties do these new conditions pose for the occupiers? A moment of crisis can often be a moment of opportunity—what direction do you feel the movement should take in order to remain viable and relevant?

2. There are striking similarities between the Occupy movement and the 1999 anti-WTO protests in Seattle. Both began in the last year of a Democratic presidency, were spearheaded by anarchists, were motivated by discontents with neo-liberalism, and were supported by organized labor.

What, if anything, makes this movement different? How is it a departure from Seattle? What are the lessons to be learned from the defeat of the anti-globalization movement?

3. Some have characterized the #Occupy movement as sounding the tocsin for “class war” (e.g., of the 99% vs. the 1%). Others recognize the fact of dramatic inequality, and want the #Occupy movement to spearhead a set of economic reforms. Others see #Occupy as transforming something revolutionary beyond the “economic”. These perspectives point to radically different directions for this movement.

Would you characterize this movement as “anti-capitalist”? (Should it be?) If so, what is the nature of these “anti-capitalist” politics? In what way does the #Occupy movement affirm or reject the political ideas of anti-capitalist movements before it?

4. Some have become wary about the role of labor organizations in the #Occupy movement. Concerns point to the possibility of eventual “co-optation” into Democratic Party politics. Others worry that the “horizontal,” leaderless structure cultivated by the occupiers might be undermined by the decidedly top-down, hierarchical organization of labor unions. Certain of these collaborations, for example between the labor activists and occupiers in Oakland, have been seen as highly fruitful. Still, the broader call for a general strike that some organizers have hoped for has so far not been met.

What role should organized labor play in the #Occupy movement?

5. One division that emerged early on among the occupants concerned the need to call for demands. Some took issue with the content of the demands, arguing that if these are to be truly “representative of the 99%” they cannot assume a radical stance that would alienate a large section of the population. Others worry that demands focused on electoral reform or policy would steer the movement in a conservative direction. Some call into the question the call for demands in the first place, as these would limit — even undermine — the open-ended potential for transformation present in the #Occupy movement and could only close revolutionary possibilities.

What, if any, demands do you think this movement should be calling for? And, more importantly, what kind of social transformation would you like to see this movement give rise to?

6. What would it mean for the #Occupy movement to succeed? Can it?

Roundtable Participants’ Bios

Brian Dominick has nearly 20 years’ experience as an activist, organizer, and journalist. In his writing and lecturing, he has largely focused on questions of strategy and tactics for far-reaching social change. Forming and consulting alternative institutions has been a specialty of Brian’s, from affinity groups to worker coops to 501(c)(3)s to international activism networks. He is a former co-founder of NewStandard News and instructor at the Z Media Institute.

Erik Van Deventer is a doctoral student at NYU in the Department of Sociology, presently working on the political economy of finance. He has been active at OWS and in the Demands working group.

Hannah Appel earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Anthropology at Stanford University. With research interests in the daily life of capitalism and the private sector in Africa, in particular, Hannah’s work draws on critical development studies, economic anthropology, and political economy. Her current project — Futures — is based on fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in the transnational oil and gas industry in Equatorial Guinea.

Nathan Schneider is an editor for Waging Nonviolence. He writes about religion, reason, and violence for publications including The Nation, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The American Prospect, and others. He is also an editor at Killing the Buddha.

***Unless otherwise stated by the participants, their comments today do not necessarily reflect the overall opinion of their respective Working Groups.

via #OccupyVermont – Burlington Working Groups Calendar.

Chris Sands’ analysis of the two action plans for the Regulatory Cooperation Council and the Beyond the Border Working Group.

Read more here

Working Groups and Forums offer our members a chance to learn and network with each other while moving NCTC forward.

In September, the NCTC Steering Committee approved a new structure for our Working Groups. Since then, the Steering Committee and NCTC staff have worked diligently to implement the new structure and is we are happy to announce an expanded and more efficient system that allows for more greater participation on a more meaningful level.

The intent is to expand the scope of work that the groups address and more accurately define the role that they play within the organization. A chart of the new structure and a summary of the changes are included below. Changes include:

• Groups will now be known as either a “Working Group” or “Forum.” The primary objective of Working Groups will be to perform functions of the Coalition, while the primary objective of Forums will be to provide NCTC members with a place for discussion, debate and information sharing.

• A new Community Tax Preparation Forum has been established. This group is designed for the discussion of technical aspects of tax preparation, such as TaxWise, volunteer management, etc. Sign up for this group.

• A new Data Collection Working Group has been established. This group was previously a subcommittee of the Scale & Sustainability Working Group, and will be tasked with ensuring that data are able to be collected from tax preparation software and developing the NTA tool. Sign up for this group.

• The Scale & Sustainability Working Group is now a subcommittee of the Community Tax Preparation Forum. This group will meet as necessary to discuss the sustainability of organizations in the community tax preparation and asset building field as well as the field itself.

• The Advocacy Working Group is now two separate groups: the Advocacy & Civic Engagement Forum and the Public Policy & Research Working Group. The former will work on informing advocacy efforts to mobilize the field on behalf of low- and moderate-income families, while the latter will focus on analyzing and developing sound policies that promote the well-being of our clients. Members of this group have already been contacted to join one or both of these new groups.

• The Asset Building Working Group will now be the Asset Building Forum. While the scope and work of the group will not change, the name change will more accurately reflect the work being done.

So, what does this mean for you?

• If you are a member of the Advocacy Working Group, we ask that you visit the Working Group/Forum webpage and sign up for either the Advocacy & Civic Engagement Forum or the Public Policy & Research Working Group (or both!).

• If you are a member of any other Working Group, no action is necessary on your part. Meetings will continue at the same time and date, unless your co-chairs tell you differently.

• If you aren’t a member of a Working Group, sign up for one now! NCTC relies on its members’ participation for a more interactive and meaningful Working Group/Forum experience.

We hope you will enjoy this new structure. It will offer more opportunity for input for our members and lead to deeper and more focused conversations. If you have any questions or concerns about the new structure, please feel free to contact me.

By Dan Fair, Manager of Communications & Member Relations

CNN had an interesting look last week at the “Occupy Wall Street” offices in downtown Manhattan. The fact that they have offices seemed noteworthy in itself, given that Occupiers frequently bill their protests as leaderless and completely decentralized.

We decided to look into some of the names that popped up among the group’s staff there. Two of the staffers in particular offer a glimpse into the backgrounds and motives of the people running the supposedly leaderless protests.

Han Shan, a former program director for a group called the Ruckus Society, was identified by CNN as “a member of Occupy Wall Street’s press relations and direct-action working groups.” The Ruckus Society has reportedly been handing out literature to OWS protesters, including items titled “Anonymous Riot Guide,” and “Blockading for Beginners.”

More here:

The original proposal of opening up a discussion for the General Assembly of “what are the isssues I care about and what can we do about it, a call for direct action ideas” was discussed and due to issues of time, we agreed to present to the GA four direct action working group suggestions to the GA, followed by group discussions, and a reporting out period. They are; mortgage forclosure issues, specifically in Barre, but opening up the GA for people to come forward if they are being dispossesed wrongfully by banks: an arts/theater working group, thinking about agitprop theater and occupy art; empty storefronts in Montpelier group, focussing on community needs for empty storefronts and possible tax considerations given to landlords for keeping the property vacant; and actions that might be taken at the opening of the legislative session group.

Other ideas were discussed, including some kind of first night action, and finding some kind of space for ongoing education/occupy events and ongoing discussion.

Next meeting: 12.9.11 6:30 PM conference call. Contact Steven at steven.lichti[at]yahoo.com to join the call or bring forward direct action ideas/ proposals.

To see the full catalogue press on this link: 

Please note: the quality of images is relatively poor, not true to colour and sometimes with reflections.  Sizes are as described in details

Clifton Pugh

Drover

etching on paper

image 15 x 24

paper 25 x 33

Fred Cress

Abstract

lithograph, guache on paper

image/frame 57 x 78

Joseph Banks

Florilegium

Botanical Etchings on paper

 by Sydney Parkinson

Plate 298: euphorbia serrata

image 30 x 46

mount 57 x 74

Graeme Galloway

Rembrandt’s wife

Hendrikje Stoffels winning

the knobblyknees competition,

Chewton Pool 1654.

acrylic on canvas

image 45 x 56

framed 49 x 58

Jeffery Makin

Rubicon Valley

Screen print on paper

image 91 x 60

unmounted

Fay Plamke

Magic Johnson

Conte crayon on paper

framed

Greg Mallyon

Tropical Rock Pool

screen print (artist’s proof)

image 20 x 22

paper 39 x 28

Peter Kingston

Konkers

hand coloured etching on paper

image 18 x 13

paper 28 x 39

Industrial implements

Old Gold Mining Railway

Trolley with short

length of track

Circa  1890

Wines

Mixed Dozen no.1

Harcourt

Ugly Men

Black Jack     and more

“By coming out here it’s helping to not only express a need for, but to demonstrate that a more democratic and egalitarian society is possible.”

At our last GA we talked about meeting at Shaw’s tonight (wednesday) from 5:45-7:30 to hand out fliers and talk to people about the Occupy movement. Let’s talk to our community members and make it clear that we DO have a message and they are directly impacted. We will try to rally more folks to come to the GA on Saturday.

Also, there is a Facilitators and work group point person’s training Saturday at 1pm at the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Anyone is welcome, the more trained facilitators the more easily we learn to work together!

Hope to see some of you there!

David’s artwork has been described as colourful, vibrant, energetic, confronting, simple, to name just a few! David explains his art as a process of colour and vibration, and not as an intellectual pursuit.  “I allow the process of colour, form, vibration and movement to come forth as I focus intuitively on all aspects of creation, be it past, future or the now”.

Rhyll is known for her passion for the traditional, intricate printmaking process of wood engraving (taught to her by the renowned artist Tim Jones).  For much of her work Rhyll has utilised Huon pine woodblocks, sourced fromTasmania, their satin smooth surfaces finely engraved with traditional hand tools.

One recent series of prints was on the theme of collective nouns:  a scuttle of crabs, a frieze of penguins, layers of chooks, the last shown here with its original wood block adjacent.

More recently Rhyll has been experimenting with nature printing. 
There is a history of prints, made from inked botanical specimens, to be found in the travel journals of 15^th century European herbalists, and fish prints, made by the Gyotaku method, have long been created in Japan.

Rhyll says:
“Bunches of various plants hang drying in my studio giving it the appearance and odour of a giant birds nest.  Few specimens suit the designs I have in mind and fewer survive the squashing, inking and pressing essential to this form of printmaking.  Any pretense at the control I exert as a wood engraver is diminished by the uncertain path of a slippery, inky specimen impressing at great pressure into an expensive sheet of paper.  No two prints can ever be the same.  A lighter ‘ghost’ may be made by a second pressing but the image of the finer details of a specimen can only be realized by a single inking.

    “Uncertainty is one of the positive joys of this kind of printmaking.  The passion is addictive.  My children will attest to this as they roll their eyes when I interrupt a walk by veering off suddenly brandishing scissors and saying….’I could print that!’.”

The Spokes Council, so named because everyone sits around in a circle like the connecting spokes on a bike, differentiates itself from the G.A. on the surface by allowing its members to use a real, electric microphone instead of the human version. Amazing! It both allows everyone to hear you without having to play a game of telephone with the back of the meeting, and serves as a sort of  Lord of the Flies conch shell, where whoever has the voice-amplifier gets to be the only person speaking.

It’s real function though, is to determine which current working groups are viable, as well as help figure out day-to-day logistics for the Occupation.

The Village Voice noted only two major grievances that heated up the groups. The first came courtesy of Greek artist and Direct Democracy working group member Georgia Sagri, who broke rank yesterday and grabbed the mic: “I think through the spokes council process, working groups become organizations and they become parties. What’s the reason for us to marginalize ourselves?”

Apparently, the group was also pissed that press were invited to the event, though they were less upset by The Village Voice than The New York Times. Eventually, a “temperature check” determined that the press weren’t welcome by everyone in the council (though they were not outright banned either, confirmed Voice reporter Rosie Gray).

Of course, this still presents the problem of having most of the key participants and volunteers all away from Zuccotti Park at one time: with the rise of homelessness and increasing tensions within the tent-dwelling community, the park has already begun to resemble a modern day Hooverville rather than the fought-for real estate of a social movement. It’s fine to say that OWS is a leaderless movement, but when everyone who actually cares about the future of Occupy Wall Street is away at indoor meetings, you leave the park up for grabs.