occupytotnes
The communication channel of Occupy Totnes community
Archive for the month “December, 2011”
Dialogue Between Totnes Town Councillers and OT 13/12/11
Dialogue Between Totnes Town Councillers and OT 13/12/11
Dialogue Between Totnes Town Councillers and Occupy Totnes.
7pm 13 of December 2011 at the Guild Hall Totnes.
Facilitated by Cllr Robert Vint [Deputy Mayor]
Stacked by Ian
Scribed by Tim and Mark (this doc compiled by Mark using Pete’s, Tim’s and my own notes)
Present (going round the room – from memory – please amend if necessary)
Jim
Laura
Ian
Cllr Robert Vint [Deputy Mayor]
— (sorry don’t have the name of one Occupy member)
Lucy
Pete
James
Paul
Denise
Tim
Cllr Susan Greenway
Cllr Vera Harvey
Cllr Alan Gorman
Cllr Carol Wellwood
Cllr Mike Craddock
Mark
The Meeting
We had a go round to introduce ourselves.
Pete introduced Occupy Totnes. He said that we are a peaceful, non violent group of individuals that stand in solidarity with the Global Occupy Movement. That we are concerned about the corrupt banking system and are interested in a truly democratic government. He explained that we are:
- Creating a free and open forum for community dialogue and to discuss wider global issues.
- Informing and educating the community about the issues.
- Hosting community events and educational workshops.
He then read out a introductory section of an Occupy Wall Street manifesto.
Ian then asked if the Town Council could give Occupy a space in a building to be used for public General assemblies. He stressed that this was an urgent issue.
There was some discussion about, if a space could be made available, how it would be financed. A peppercorn rent was mentioned. Mark made the point that to pay rent made an separation between Occupy and the Council and perhaps we should look at the issue as something we could all be a part of. There was some discussion about this, but councillors pointed out two main problems.
- Running costs (electricity, heating, cleaning, maintenance etc)
- And if Occupy is given a rent free space it maybe seen as unfair to other community groups that do pay.
There was then some discussion about how Occupy is different from other community groups as it is an all inclusive community run forum that is open to everybody.
Paul mention the Civic Hall vestibule as a possible space. Mark asked if a small secure room in the building could be used for meetings and storage – allowing for larger meetings, workshops and community events to be held in the larger hall when it was not in use and Occupy’s materials could be stored away safely. It was pointed out that a small space would restrict the number of people able to attend GAs. Peter pointed out that at the first GA (held in the main Civic Hall) 47 people, sat in a circle which fill half the hall.
The subject of noise in the Civic Hall was mentioned and that there was one house which has been built particularly close. The huge cost of sound proofing the hall was brought up. James pointed out that perhaps it would be cheaper to sound proof the house rather than the hall.
Ian reminded us that the issue of a space was urgent. There seemed to be general agreement about this but it was pointed out that the Town Council decisions can only be made at Full Town Council Meetings. The next is 9th of January 2012. It was also pointed out that it was probable that this would be the meeting in which the issue was raised – we could expect to have to wait till the following meeting (6th of February 2012) to get a decision.
The time frame was then discussed and most seemed to agree that the environmental, economic and social problems looming for the community needed to be addressed urgently. Cllr Robert Vint said that the council was very interested in finding new ways to help solve these problems.
Mark proposed setting up a regular meeting with the council. Robert suggested a steering group. Tim was concerned that such a meeting might be exclusive. Cllr Carol Wellwood suggested organising a meeting run on the consensus decision making structure. Ian and Tim then explained the hand signals and process to the Councillors present. Councillors showed some enthusiasm for the idea. Members of Occupy reiterated the invitation to all councillors to attend the daily Occupy GAs.
Pete made the point that this was a historic meeting and that Totnes had a history of making change for the better. He also made a case for working with the Council and police so as avoid any confrontation.
Cllrs Vera Harvey, Mike Craddock and Carol Wellwood all said that Occupy’s need for a public forum space would require a very strong case to be presented at the next Full Town Council meeting. Cllr Mike Craddock recommended that Occupy draw up a list of the benefits that such a space would provide the community with.
Though this was a liaison meeting (no decisions could be made) the Town Council Working Group (Cllr Carol Wellwood and Cllr Susan Greenway) will find out what space is available and feedback to Occupy by Thursday or Friday of this week (15th or 16th of December).
Another meeting with Occupy was pencilled in for 3rd of January 2012.
We ended the meeting with a go-round. Everyone was very positive and said how much they enjoyed the meeting.
Suggested Agenda points arising from this meeting:
- Set up a working group to draw up OT’s case to present to next Town Council meeting. Including a list of benefits to the community.
- Discuss alternative action if no Council space is available.
- Press release about meeting.
GA meetiong notes 12/12/11
Occupy Totnes
agenda-
report form space group
workshops
… meeting with TTC
Occupy everywhere
Space Group-
the space team reported upon a meeting with the manager of of a local arts and community cafe Birdwood House about using space in that building. The meeting had been successful in making a local contact but some consideration is neededregarding adjusting our schematic should we use that space- the manager felt political use was unsuitable;…. political differences should not block our endeavors to utilize resources. We need to Occupy with integrity.
Workshops-
a report upon offers of many public workshops- varied topic matter, covering diverse subjects including- art, theatre, human rights, legal advise, practical skills, community participation, health…
Occupy Totnes is working towards the provision of a forum for the public to learn and participate together.
Meeting with TTC-
Pete to make introductory presentation, and to thank TTC for their considered and mature response to Occupy, and their willing to work towards our common goals. Introduce TTC to consensus, so that we can use our hand signals for promotion democratic involvement of all participating.
Proposal: To request of the TTC that they provide us with a community space to carry out our activities CONSENSUS
OCCUPY everywhere day-
meet at 12.45 at Heath’s Garden / under the civic hall is weather is bad.
devised theatre, instruments etc spread the word
a leaflet needs to be produced to be handed out, donations to fund printing- education group/media group collaborate on this
Global Occupy Everywhere day of action this Thursday 15th December.
Rally to support the global Occupy movement this thursday 15th December at Heath Gardens (Pooh Corner) from 12-45pm. Bring banners, arty stuff, musical instruments and ideas. Express your voice for a fairer society. Please network and circulate .
Occupy Britain Mission Statement
OccupyBritain.co.uk – A site dedicated to providing up-to-date info on events, assemblies and gatherings, relating to the Occupy Movement within the UK
Welcome to all our users, Occupy Britain is a website growing at an exceptional rate, not only in solidarity with the worldwide movement, but because there is a genuine desire for change. The message is simple
- The 99% (We the people) will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1% the so called elite
- We will no longer allow illegal genocide (war) to carry on in our name
- We will no longer allow brutality at the hands of our protectors.
- We want the freedom to live within our means and produce enough to sustain without being a slave to the £££ $$$
- Most of all… we want to see the 99% have access to the same levels of life as the 1% who we currently stand under, understand?
Totnes Roving Show on the Occupy the World Day
Meet at 12-45 pm on Thursday 15th December at Heaths Garden for meeting and preparations for pop up activities, live music jam/marching band , demonstrations all over town during the afternoon
http://occupytotnes.forumotion.co.uk/t7-totnes-roving-show-on-the-occupy-the-world-day#17
The Exploration
The Exploration
Totnes, Occupy, Wall street, Transition, occupation, south hams, council, protest
Occupy Totnes
In Totnes, Europe, Economy, Wall Street, Protest, Politics, Occupy on December 8, 2011 at 4:17 PM
My home town of Totnes is a special place. As you drive past the “Welcome to Totnes” sign, your met by another with the words; “You will never leave again”- your not really, but sometimes I think I might as well just put the sign up myself, so people realise this may be their first and last visit.
This special town is now growing it’s own Occupation, but local authorities look set to do their utmost to squash any further displays…see more below.
Email to South Hams District Council about the issue.
Occupy, Wall street, We are the 99%
There is no 99% or 1%, We Are the 100%
In Economy, Europe, Occupy, Politics, Positive News, Protest, Wall Street on December 1, 2011 at 7:18 PM
This is Our Story
I am certain that it is better to fight for something than to fight against something.
When I visited Occupy Wall Street for a couple of days, about three weeks ago now, I found a community of very organised activists. A community of academics, intellects, civil service workers, parents, children, unemployed, students, doctors, musicians, artists and travelers – the only person not at that meeting place, the only person not taking their seat at the “Table for the future”, were the bankers and the politicians, the CEO’s and the stock brokers; who we have now lumped, squashed and pushed into this coined expression of ‘the 1%’.
They never received an invitation and today I can’t help wondering, who are they really…
If this revolution ( I call it that, because it has all the traits of one), really is the story we want to tell, then maybe we already know it’s ending, its outcome…
About 2 months ago I was in a chilly room in Sao Paulo, Brazil, helping my girlfriend with some study work on the French Revolution. As I came to the end of a brief analytical description of that time and the massive process France went through and how the States people rose up against the establishment, I was left with the realisation that we are repeating their story. We are fighting a corporate dictatorship as they did. We are demanding greater rights. We are attempting to tear down their castles of gluttony, but to replace them with what? How does this story end?
This 99% we feel united behind will reshape society according to our values, become the drivers of society…surely? We will create the world we dream of until the next generation of 99%ers feel they have been born into a rigid structure that they didn’t agree to and then they too will march..
Well it doesn’t have to be that way. What happened to every human being on this earth having a role to play in our story. The young students and unemployed youth of our society often feel hostility towards those in power, they often see their freedoms restricted by others actions.
They see a world and societal structure that they are born into but not welcomed to participate within. They see old agreements that they are expected to fall into without ever agreeing to them. They now see a corporate stranglehold from the very top, that appears to threaten all of their future dreams and so it is no surprise that now they have woken and now they are angry…
But I beg you-let’s stop reinventing the wheel. Let’s stop letting history repeat itself- instead let us create a story. A story of such magnitude, of such hope and undeniable possibility that we co create a societal reconstruction and transformation that even goes beyond our wildest dreams- created with everyone’s participation.
It’s time to come to the table. To join the discussion. We need everyone.
We need the CEO’s, the politicians, the bankers and the stock-brokers. I strongly believe this and I know such a notion might make some of your stomachs turn, but these are human beings, fathers, mothers, brothers, teachers and intellects. If they are corrupt it is because of a corrupt system that made them that way. They were a healthy cell, dropped into a cancerous environment. It’s not about removing them; it’s about transforming the system.
There is no 1%. There is no 99%. Segregation and separation never achieved anything. Never. It’s time we came to the table. Us- the 100%.
The Movement of Movements: Why the flame that has been lit on Wall Street and has since spread, can never go out.
In Brazil, Community, East Coast, Economy, North America, Occupy, October 15th, Politics, Positive News, Protest, Wall Street on October 13, 2011 at 5:51 PM
Speaking Truth to Power
Ten days ago on Avenida Paulista, Sao Paulo’s Wall Street equivalent, I was given a handmade leaflet by a very old man, who’s trusting and broad smile had gained my curiosity. After reaching out my hand to receive his propaganda, I looked down at what was written -and baffled by what was there, I was quickly swept up by the numerous men in suits and women in skirts all rushing to their desks, board meetings and conference calls. I deposited the scrap of paper in the next available trash bin. Today I understand what the words now mean- their significance and most importantly their potential power.
Each leaflet he was handing out was hand written. It was written on scraps of newspaper, recycled envelopes, the back covers of magazines and even on cut up cardboard boxes. He was in the same spot yesterday, doing the same exact thing and I would guess he will be there today and no doubt tomorrow. His leaflets have just three lines of hand-written text, which read:
10h.
Dia 15.
Sao Bento.
The text describes a time, a date and a place. The rest is left up to you.
What started in Wall Street, now over 25 days ago, has not only spread its message nationwide, but has directly instigated a global call to solidarity and to peaceful protest. Ask any protester in Zuccotti Park what it is they are protesting against (or for!) and out of the thousands there today, you will likely not receive the same answer more than a handful of times.
This must be because they are deluded, bored and arrogant and have nothing better to do with their time but cause trouble for the fine establishment, right?! Wrong.
This is because a movement is building that does not only recognize greater democracy as the most important issue of our times, nor does it push all it’s weight on a fairer global economy or on food security free from chemicals and genetic manipulation. Instead the movement spreading across the globe is incorporating all the issues above, as well as countless more.
Surely that creates ambiguity, confusion and weakens the foundation of a movement?
For sure not. The answer to such a question is present with the people on the streets, the activists on line and the many more yet to take a stand- such commitment is written on their smiles, inhabited in their eyes and living in their hearts .
It is the example of Roy McGeady- the 75 year old man who has been sleeping under a tarp in Zuccotti for the last 11 nights.
That leaflet I was handed on Avenida Paulista at the beginning of this month, describes the day Brazil hears the call. It is a day where all over the globe what we have been witnessing in Wall Street grows to our local communities and you should be there. Our children and Grandchildren are not simply statistics that we can be indifferent towards.
Whatever issue inhabits your heart, it is time to speak it. Whatever exterior force restricts your freedom, it is time to meet it. For a movement is only as strong as the commitment that lies in each of it’s participants and when they join with each other, when global movements mold into one, it can become unbreakable and moreover, can succeed.
Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for”. I believe in a better future, because a better future believes in us.
OCCUPY Totnes General Assembly 11/12/11
OCCUPY Totnes General Assembly 11/12/11
facilitator Tim
notes Jenny
Agenda
tent
Proposal- to repitch at Heaths Garden immediately- to continue Occupation of that site, to allow for the symbol of the Tent – a powerful representation of the commitment of the group to Occupy Totnes, the OCCUPY movement and direct action- to remain constant in the view of the Councils’ and town’s people. CONSENSUS
General Assembly 10/12/11
Notes for meeting of Occupy Totnes, Saturday
introduction to Consensus and hand signals
agenda-
How Occupy Totnes continues?
Totnes Town Council meeting on Tuesday
Media Release
Returning of camp kit to owners
Feedback from Exeter and message of support…
How Occupy totnes continues?
Proposal – to continue Occupy Totnes CONSENSUS
feedback heard from last night’s meeting at the Barrelhouse, ideas on the shape of Occupy Totnes, focused tasks relating to Occupy, get groups strong and fuctioning well
Proposal- to continue a daily General Assembly at Heath’s Garden at 1pm (under the civic hall if weather is rough), and to hold a informal meeting at 6pm at a indoor venue (Barrelhouse). CONSENSUS
Totnes Town Council meeting on Tuesday
Robert Vint introduced himself (deputy major, Green Party) and restated the Totnes town council’s invitation to meet for dialogue at the Guildhall on Tuesday at 7pm.
Totnes town council consider the meeting a ‘ first fact and detail finding dialogue’- it is not a meeting at which decisions can be made- a report is made from this meet to ‘policy development’, who advise the full council on possible actions before they vote.
Proposal- to meet with the town council on Tuesday- CONSENSUS
There is a room large enough for us all (old town Court with bench rows), and a room that can hold a limited number of 20 around a table (council chamber). The Town Council elected Robert to facilitate this meeting, he asked us to consider agenda items.
Discussion : care should be taken to avoid language of parley- Occupy is flexible but uncompromising in its vision and independent, and proactive towards democratic communications. Other Occupy’s (Edinburgh) work with their Councils. Should we all attend meeting, introduce the council to consensus, which we can all use to good effect without disrespecting the ‘accepted Totnes town council meeting format’? Do we need a specific group to focus on the agenda? Agreement to move to next agenda item, refocus on this at next GA
Media Release
Meeting heard two drafted press releases, as posted for comment on facebook and wordpress.
Proposal – to use Alison’s with several amendments- Peter, Tim , Jenny to amend and distribute, Jackie to be radio interview contact CONSENSUS
Feedback and Greetings from Occupy Exeter
Gabriel from OE brought a message of solidarity, and spoke about the challenges of Occupying- particularly camp management and the care of street people- undoubtedly the worst treated and most marginalized community within British culture. This difficult issue is one which is being met at all Occupy’s, and anywhere that democracy is being practiced- these are the growing pains of Occupy. Leaning to work, cooperate together, relying and trusting each other, and learning to value to efforts of others, and are commonly shared difficult aspects of this movement.
Gabriel regarded the striking of OT camp as a positive strategic movement, and wished us the very best for further OT developments and projects. Occupy networking and offers of relevant training were most welcome- skilling ourselves to meet issues and problems offers positive action and refreshes focus.
Occupy Totnes General Assembly Minutes Friday 9/12/11
Occupy Totnes General Assembly Minutes Friday 9/12/11
1) Legal situation: Various views concerning best way to react to the eviction notice that had been served. Discussion covered a number of issues:
- Public image of the camp;
- Likelyhood of arrest if bayliffs were to enforce the evicdtion notice;
- Issues concerning maintaining the camp 24/7
- Presence of homeless people.
PROPOSAL: break camp immediately, taking care to help the 2 homeless people, and continue O.T. activities in otherways. AGREED By CONSENSUS
2) Jacki to be interviewed on radio: “pithy message”from O.T. to be formulated.
3) Next meetings: 6PM tonight (Friday) at the current campsite to decide next step; Also General Assesmbly to be held tommorrow at same location at 1PM.
Meeting ended. Camp packed up.
