81st GA Minutes — 11-AUG-2012

81^st General Assembly Minutes: 11-Aug-2012 – 5900 Michigan Ave

Proposals:

Yusef Shakur proposed that OccupyDetroit sponsor a second event to provide school supplies to kids:

• “Embracing Our Families To Rebuild Our Communities”
• 25-Aug, 1-6 PM
• Requested a $700 budget for supplies
  • Bouncer/Moon Walk for kids
  • Porta johns
  • Food service supplies
  • Water
• CVS, Michigan Welfare Rights are sponsors
• Jim will assist with press releases
• Others can assist, contact Yusef
• PROPOSAL APPROVED

Joseph Black, from The Black Media Group, proposed that OccupyDetroit endorse “Occupy The Vote” event

• No financial commitment required
• Music event scheduled for 5-Oct at St. Andrews Hall
  • Staff will assist attendees with voter registration
• Rally will be held at Campus Martius before the concert, attendees will march to St. Andrews
• Hans emphasized we should be careful not to imply endorsements for candidates through participation with Occupy The Vote

Announcements:

• Youth Group in NW Detroit needs new space, rally: 5-Sep
  • 17322 Lahser
• Jerome Jackson Hearing, 16-Aug
  • 22^nd District Court
  • 1:30PM
• Hans will run for state representative seat (Grosse Pointe) as Green Party candidate
• Fuzzytek:
  • got replacement hard drive for his laptop for under $70 – remainder of $100 allocated will be returned
  • PA4 suspended until vote on referendum
    • Eviction notices printed for emergency managers
• Christine:
  • Sunday, 10AM help needed to clean lot in preparation for OccupyTheMidwest Conference
  • 17-Aug: Community potluck at 5900 to raise awareness of OccupyTheMidwest
  • OccupyTheMidwest planning meetings at Curtis’s house
• Hans:
  • Choir meets on Sundays at 3PM at 5900
• Pat:
  • Police and Fire Pension Board protest rained out
• Hans:
  • OccupyTheMidwest people can camp at:
    • 5900
    • This Hood of Ours (W. Chicago)
    • Goldengate
  • Occupy Detroit will join Rainbow Push Coalition march on 25-Aug

Community GA’s

• Today’s GA scheduled for Windmill Market
  • No advance work done to involve community
  • It was agreed that no more community GA’s would be held
  • Instead, special outreach events would be held
  • Yusef:
    • GA’s should be for “bought-in” people to plan
    • Outreach meetings for addressing community issues and recruiting
  • Tim:
    • We need to unite behind common causes, elected officials buy and sell us, we are too compliant, need to participate in elections in order to have influence
    • Need to know who we are and what we stand for
    • Too many personal agendas
  • Erik:
    • People want consistency, reminded of story “Crawl” – hold meetings in same place each week
  • Yusef, Joe: need to persuade Detroit residents to vote, or nothing will change – need simple messages
  • Pat: need to coordinate and get message about OD out
  • What about day after the election? Need to have a plan to continue.
  • Christine: People throw out ideas, we chase, and they leave

Eviction Defense Committee Report Back

• Jennifer Britt in 3^rd week of vigil
• Southwest Detroit Housing Solutions made a second offer to buy the house
• Fannie Mae will not confirm that eviction was “stayed”
• Working with OccupyChicago to protest outside Fannie Mae regional office (nearest to Detroit)
• Please sign up for vigil; call Fannie Mae