Notulen 21 November 2011

AGENDA

Statement
Peace keeping
Donations
Place to have discussions
Basis income guys
Conflict mgt
Discussion group
AOB

*action points

Points for tomorrows GA about the Festival: happy hour laugh meditation, r’dam singer, evaluation, promotions

GOOD NEWS, NICE TO KNOW ☺
Counsel member in A’dam protested against the occupation of the square. Occupiers sought him out. He has now had to step down from the counsel because Occupiers brought his housing fraud to light.

STATEMENT
M will translate statement into English as soon as possible. The statement is the statement of Occupy Utrecht, but it contains content that relates to global themes.

The statement will eventually go online and will be available in print at the infostand. So far the statement is more about general things: what are the main problems, what do we stand for? Some things will still be added: what does personal responsibility mean? It now contains a statement about the fact that our politics are experiencing an ethical crisis, but this ethical crisis is social; it’s about how we live, how we treat each other, how we consume…
Also a list of concrete points will be added: examples of what we mean when we say we want sustainability, solidarity, justice…
Online we can add many documents: next to point where economics/sustainability/community/whatever is mentioned, anyone can add a link [or next to the document a list of topics, whatever] to a [personal] discussion about this point. For example a decent discussion and evaluation of our economic system, explaining thins, working out different perspectives and alternatives…

Reactions to the document are very positive. Comments by the GA:
The content could be more integrated: to show how all things are interrelated. Include pollution etc., stress that this relates to our economic system, to our politics, to our lifestyle, so people realise we can’t go on like we’ve got nothing to do with it, and like its sustainable this way.
Perhaps address the themes of housing, food, clothing – so consumers know how to go more sustainable.
Show that we are occupying public space because we reclaim what is ours, and demand that politicians stop selling public space, resources and benefits to their friends.
Diversity of different cultures is of great value and is also under threat, by commodification, by devastating land…
It’s your life!!!! Put that in 3 times. And the earth is OURS, there is no owner, it belongs to all people together. This is our world, YOUR world, how do you want to treat it? What do you want it to look like, for yourself, for your children…?
Nature should be included more, as of great value to us as humans in the sense of meaning and in the sense of resources. Our planet has limits!
Adress the options of new technologies.
It’s the neo-liberalist capital system that’s the problem.
An article about Occupy mentioned most people there have government benefits *uitkeringen. But what’s wrong with that? Don’t they see that these people are the victims of the neoliberal capitalist system? D; this acticle has been rectified by the press, they interviewed a lot of occupiers and showed the great diversity of the people there.
In Peru they’re privatizing the water – we can use that as example
The idea of community may be adressed more.

Thanks to eveyone!

There will not be a possibility to comment on the document online. It’s not practical to edit one document with a hundred people. The document will be adjusted with the above comments in mind. It will be discussed in the GA again. Then, it will go online and be printed as the Occupy Utrecht statement.
A summary will be made to make informative and interesting flyers.

H: we should also have more action now, do stuff

PEACEKEEPING
D. There needs to be a presence here at night, part-timers are helping the full time campers out.

Past few days: circumstances were good. We’re doing well compared to last few weeks. But we still need people for night shifts. So if you want to help, leave your email and phone number with the info stand, mail it to occupyutrecht@gmail, give it to H, contact M… H and M have a timetable you can check in to if you already know what day you want to come. Especially Thursday, Friday and Saturday are important.

DONATIONS
Sometimes no one is watching the donations, this weekend some money has been stolen. Someone is now managing the donation pot, he will give the donation pot to someone else in camp when he leaves camp. Keep it in your pocket!
*Once a day the money is counted, with receipts, a second person puts a signature on a note in the wallet. Most importantly: keep a note in the pocket with a continuous list of what has been bought.

OTHER PRACTICAL COMMENTS

*The gear in the radio tent needs to be watched.

*Also the kitchen tent will be closed for the public. People are taking stuff from the kitchen home, so forbidden for outsiders now. Ask someone from the campsite.

*Volunteers will move the green tent this week in daytime, and clean the area.

*When someone knows to buy a big tent for 50 euro, tell occupy, so we can save and buy the tent. Apparently someone from Ub talked about a big army tent. Keep in contact with them about this!
*put a request for a big tent online [for shelter when it will start raining]

We could use a cheap notebook in camp, to be handed over like the wallet, so we are connected to the rest of the world. An eeepc would be great.
*Ask someone from media to put a request on the occupy website for a laptop
We can get electricity from Ubica, but we’ll need to pay in advance. A ticker will be installed in ubica

INSIDE SPACE FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION

We are looking for a space where the discussions can be held, because of the cold. If we can arrange this quickly, we can do it next Sunday perhaps.
We also keep on offering discussions at the Ganzenmarkt for people walking by
Pro: For the people that have difficulty with the cold we could provide this space. We have been very lucky with the weather up till now, so a backup space inside is a good idea anyway. And we’ll need more space anyway.
Contra: It needs intensive flyering. The open character of the discussions is valuable.
Maybe Saturday at the ganzenmarkt, Sunday inside. Try it!
The guys from ‘the basic income’ want to come next Friday, maybe we can try it then. They might come with many.

*Maybe someone can put the question for the space on the website, next to the question of the eeepc

*Many people present at the assembly will ask around at places they know in the neighbourhood.

THE 'BASIC INCOME PEOPLE'

Group of people that want to provide everybody in society with a basic income. They would like to come next Friday and talk about it at 20:00 hrs. It will be arranged.

COURSE IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

A . wants to come and give a course in conflict management in the camp. Preferably on Wednesday, at 19hrs. Instead of GA. Good for the nightshiftpeople to attend!
Next week at Friday.

DISCUSSION GROUPS

Scheduled now:
Thursday 20 Bald Green Criminology. @ Ganzenmarkt [when it rains we will try to go inside somewhere]
Friday 20hrs Basic Income – discussion
Nxt Thursday. Still open. We’ll try perhaps to pick up the four themes from the discussion at the festival last Saturday.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Contact Lon if you want to join [for free] the conference on 26th about ‘City Agriculture’ in Den Bosch, a whole day. We were invited by this group.

AOB

More volunteers needed!