Occupy Delaware
General Assembly (GA) Meeting
2012-05-02
Spencer Plaza, Wilmington
Change from Inside: Working/Changing the System
I don’t think it’s a contribution to be making wealthy people wealthier
Occupy the SEC
The Occupy Bank
The Alternative Banking Group
Banks cooperating on surveillance
are like elk fending off wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
While other animals try in vain to sprint away alone,
elk survive attacks by forming a ring together.
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Meeting started: 1905 hrs.
TOPIC DISCUSSION
No topic discussion tonight.
REPORT-BACKS
Actions
The Wilmington Delaware Avenue rally went really good, because of all the positive publicity.
NY May Day: Gratitude for many things. 27 people went, including contingents from Dover and Baltimore. Met at Bryant Park, then Union Square, then Wall Street. 20,000 people were there, all the major unions. Danny Schecter [...a growing disconnect between the political and economic elite and the public...The well organized and collusive practices between these businesses that have harmed so many can only be prosecuted under RICO laws used against the mafia], David Byrne, Laura Flanders [GRITtv], lots of street music and theater. It was a great weekend!
There were 7 of us who moved all of the pallets — 5,000 lb — off the site and over to Trebs’ farm.
Why We Fight, a documentary we watched on the way to NY, on the MIC. All participants numbered well over 50,000.
Fire and Code people were here this morning, positive feedback, but they said ALL the pallets have to go.
Yesterday we had a lot of press, musicians from the Queen Theater came down in the evening. We marched and slowed traffic for a half hour.
“The Mayor is Trying to Kick Us Out” Working Group
2 things, 1) the complaint our lawyer filed for us in Chancery Court, and 2) the city’s response, to the court. The next step is there will be a conference between the judge and 2 lawyers. The city wants to go pursue suing us in Superior Court [civil/criminal], with no hearing in Chancery Court [equity]. A conference call has been set up on Friday morning. The city doesn’t want to go back to Chancery Court.
Who is the city suing? We don’t know, they haven’t filed their suit. See their letter, that’s all we know.
Dissenting report-back on the demonstration yesterday. We did some minor irritating civil disobedience, which might’ve been okay but a lot of people were surprised by some of the activities. I felt a little misled by some of those actions, I see how we have to push up against the limits, but there were concerns about the consequences for people who weren’t informed it could have been serious.
No matter how much deliberation occurs — it’s up to each to take care of him or herself. I had no intent to get arrested, just to get a message across firmly, getting law enforcement involved without getting arrested.
When we decide to do something arbitrarily we should be aware of the ramifications. We want everyone to be treated fairly and not get caught up, with legal trouble for example.
Should we create a legal brief before each march? Exactly right. As they do in Philly, they explain to everybody up front. We looked confused to everybody, like we didn’t know what we were doing.
We just need some conversation ahead of time, to prepare everybody for it. And to do it safely. 1) Decided that if potentially illegal action was going to happen we should have a legal observer. 2) With a discussion we could have gotten more people to do it, to make it look more effective.
When things do go down on marches, autonomous or semi-planned actions happen all the time, sometimes it’s best to plan, sometimes it’s not. If it goes over the line it’s unfortunate. Making some drama without resorting to violence.
I understand about how if one person is going to spontaneously do an action, but we are so small a group a splinter will be associated with the entire group. Since we are so small we can get everybody comfortable with what would happen. For everyone’s safety take 2 seconds to say it.
It is important to me and my autonomy that I not infringe on others’ autonomy.
We did not have enough people to do a good job with the splinter action yesterday. It wasn’t effective, the way it was handled yesterday.
I love “in yer face” protesting, it works when there’s a huge crowd. We went on a march, we had vulnerable people in the group who were put at risk by the splinter action. And it made those of us who wanted to show solidarity torn. We had a small enough group so that everybody should have been taken care of.
I didn’t feel in danger, we definitely pissed drivers off, but it resulted in effective discussions and outreach afterwards.
Fiduciary
We have $896 in the bank, with another $500 coming. We have a process for getting reimbursed. Use it.
Outreach
If the city doesn’t deliver on the mulch for the garden project (5th and Harrison), we know where it is, an alternative source of free mulch, so a truck would be useful. The gardners are aware we’ll be there Saturday at 9 am. We haven’t made progress on the fence. If anybody has flowers, annuals to bring, come and wear Occupy garb, we’ll have balloons. WiT people will be in attendance. West Side Grows and West Side Revitalization Project helped get us the compost, the city is having a barbecue at the City-County building at noon to the participants. There will also be a cookout at St. Paul’s Church at 11:30 am.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wilmington Fringe Festival in September, maybe we need a Fringe-Fringe, the Fringe is all institutionalized. We should have a real Fringe. Shadow Fringe. I know people in Newark, we could get artists from the DCCA…we’ll aim for June 15!
For the Fringe thing I have the name of the underwear guy in New York with a cross.
The Economic Affinity group will meet after this GA.
The Colbert Report has a SuperPAC incorporated in Delaware. We could directly protest his SuperPAC and call Colbert out by name he may contact us an we may be able to get on his show. Hang Colbert in effigy.
We have a friend who was recently on the show, maybe we could get a contact.
While they’re complaining about the pallets, we have fire extinguishers on site, and we can get the fire marshall out to give us fire safety training. Infrastructure will have a fire safety meeting after the GA.
Meeting adjourned: 2000 hr
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