Minutes GA December 27

Notulen GA Occupy Utrecht 27 December

Agenda:
- Breaking down the camp for new year’s eve
‘Should we stay or should we go?’
Improvement of the camp by an ‘isolation-company’
Nightshifts
Communication (suspended till next week)

Present: Manolie, Demian, Ben, Onno, Marcus, Zacharias, Louis, Freek, Florian, Gemma, Elke, Ella, Hans.

The goal: 2 hrs

Breaking up the camp for new year’s eve
Hans is asking for extra people to help, four or five. Start: tomorrow 28th at 12 o’clock (next day same), than in bits and pieces. Tomorrow take down one tent.
Smart to store stuff like the couches first. The tents last, because they need to be set up first again.
Tomorrow the 28th, 2 teams: 1. for cleaning up (2 people needed), 1. For breaking up the big tent (4 people needed).
For tomorrow enough people.
Maybe some extra people for the info stand.
Freek offers his garage for personal stuff if needed

1st of January put the first tent(s) back.

Stuff of the ‘weggeefwinkel’: where to put it? We need somebody to contact someone for this info.

Stuff needed: cardboard boxes (Freek will bring), garbage bags (Demian has some),

[Florian: When there’s contact with authorities, we need to be with at least two people. And not promise anything. ]

The existence of the camp:
Should we stay or should we go?

Different perspectives:

We stay:
Hans: we have some problems, especially in the nights, but we would like to stay here.
Zacharias: it’s better here. More people pass by here. Saturday is the biggest problem. If you make something here in the night, with communication and music, it can work better.
Elke: the weekend-problems are solvable. I propose that more people do the conflict-solving-workshop of Anita.

Onno: wants to read the mail of Lonneke.
The real issue: how do we get a real message out?
2 huge problems: 1. whatever they say now, we have lots of problems with fights here. 2. Too many people are here too long, they are not representing the movement.
We are not growing, that’s the point. The camp doesn’t provide the platform we want.

Florian: we need both. We are not growing indeed, so we need action but also the camp.

Hans: the nocturnal activities is not a good idea. It should be closing time 22hrs during week time, 24hrs in the weekend. The nightshift people just ask passengers to pass along.

Onno: it’s unwise to stay here @ Ganzenmarkt. Domplein is smarter, because no snackbars, less people.

Elke: there are also advantages to Lepelenburg, is a nice place. But just to think about it

The decision is to stay at Ganzenmarkt, decided by the campers, the owners of the tents and big majority of the GA.

The improvement of the camp
There is a company who wants to help isolate/improve the tents. Doesn’t need its name on the website. Everybody agrees with the improvement, and we will thank the guy.

4. Nightshifts
Thu, Fri, Sa most needed. Last week was heavy because of christmas, we expect it to go better. So most people needed in the weekend. With certain strict rules. No discussion!
Book with the rules for nightshift-people.

People that are here between 22-24hrs, and are not campers, need to leave. The nightshifters need to talk with the campers about this. There needs to be a briefing for the nightshifters.

Scheme: Ben is waiting for an approval for a digital calendar on the website, that hopefully will motivate people to come for nightshifts.

Zacharias wants to organize the nightshifts from the camp, to be a contact person.

Idea: put a paper with schedule in the camp, then synchronize with the digital one. Ella will make the paper one.

Rules for the nightshift:
Briefing - who are the nightshiftpeople and who are the campers - who can stay?
No drinking, no drugs for the nightshifters.
Camp is closed, no discussion!
No agression!

It’s not possible to make too strict rules, there are so many different situations. So most important is to back each other up in any situation. Talking to drunken people should be in a deescalating way.

You can also talk to the police that passes by. You can ask them to come around a little more if there is unrest.

Next Tuesday 3rd we will do a ‘new year’s reception’!