Meeting 7 - 12/8/12

Introduction

We had a much longer introduction, because we had not previously determined the agenda, and also operated more casually on the whole, due to the "cozier" group size. Announcements included a townhall meeting about saving the local parks, starting at 6:30pm, Dec. 12, at the Miner's Foundry in Nevada City. Carol Ann purchased several copies of “Agenda for a New Economy” by David Corten, that will be available for purchase for $15. We will at some point have a book study and discussion on this book in the near future. We agreed to discuss the West Coast Port Shutdown, the lessons that could be learned from the early Christians as they apply to Occupy, and to hear a quick summary of the economic articles presented by Dennis.

West Coast Port Shutdown

This discussion regards the West Coast Port Shutdown action on Dec. 12, proposed by Occupy Oakland, involving many occupations along the West Coast and other locations reaching as far as Denver and Japan. There were enough concerns about the action that a "non-petition" had been drafted and was presented at the rally for signatures. Discussion covered the following pros and cons:

• Range and scale of effects - These actions could adversely affect other 99%ers even more so than the owners of the ports and cargo themselves, and lost revenue equates to lost public services. This could also be seen as a positive as cities feel the economic impact and feel the need to respond to Occupy.
• Support - we have no official support from the ILWU, and have no form of support from other unions that operate at the ports. This does not mean the rank-and-file of the ILWU do not support us, but this becomes much more difficult to prove.
• Message - Are we doing this for the ILWU or as a larger action against international trade or capitalism in general? If this is for the ILWU, what business is it of Occupy to do what unions already have the power to do, in the name of a union that is not going to strike with us? There may be many good reasons to close the ports, but public perception relies heavily on articulation of the message.
• Lack of general strike - In the absence of the voluntary participation of the general strike, it is hard to say the public supports our actions. Sure, closing the ports is voluntary for those involved, but those involved risk the jobs and businesses of others without permission.
• Timing - Perhaps this action could be done in the future with a clearer message, clearer support, and broader participation, and with less on the line than we have now while we are in the building phase of this movement, but now may be too soon.
• Inclusiveness - Because of the afore mentioned concerns, there is a very good chance that public perception will not be favorable, and we could alienate those who are on the fence about whether to get involved or not. The opposite could also be true, and the sheer scope of this action could be galvanizing and prove that we can organize and be effective.
• Origins - The origins and idea for the rally come from a very positive place. Risk and large actions are nothing new to any people's movement.

After much back and forth, a few things were clear: 1) We did need to voice our concerns to organizers of the event to at least start a dialogue on preemptive damage control, and 2) it was inevitable that this action was going to happen, so we might as well be as positive as possible and offer our support.

We had a pleasant break to bring us back down from the intensity of the previous discussion. Several of us reminisced about our individual experiences as activists, sharing stories on when it began, and how. Then on to the next discussion...

Parallels to Early Christians

This discussion was based on information in the book "The Rise of Christianity" by Rodney Strong, and focused on how early Christian tactics worked for them, and could work for us in creating a powerful movement. Without going too in depth on each topic, some of the parallels included:

• Familiarity - The more familiar a movement feels, the easier the conversion. The Christians' most natural source of converts were with the Jews. Occupy can find natural allies in liberal organizations, and even other grass roots movements such as the TEA Party.
• Susceptibility - People raised under similar guiding principles, but are not yet active, may just be in need of a spark to get them fired up about the topic. Find the dormant activists, liberals, and those who may want to be involved in forming public policy
• Compassion - Early Christians carried a powerful message of compassion, and led by example in non-violence and in caring for those who could not care for themselves.
• Women - the equality of women in rights and involvement was a great asset to the early Christians, particularly because it was such a divergence from the ordinary patriarchal societies, and also in that a huge number of converts came through marriage... Occupy dating?
• Class - Christianity promised great things for the masses and proved the strength of the many over the few who wished to enslave them.

Tangents abounded, for instance, from the familiarity discussion came the idea of nudging perception from resentment of a negative to support for a positive. New topics sprouted, such as the role of starting a new economic model and the resulting persecution, and even the importance of such persecution and even martyrdom in the power of the movement.

The most immediately applicable tangent was from familiarity to how to be less obtrusive when our rally overlaps with Victorian Christmas. The rally planning group had a meeting and discussed this, but additional ideas and concerns were raised here. The potential dangers of the event could just as easily become opportunities if given the proper attention. We should be sure to end the rally at the start of Victorian Christmas, but rather than go home, go and take part in the festivities. Spend money, and stop by some of the local shops rather than just the booths. The local shops are open, and will likely be fairly empty. This is the perfect opportunity to engage in community outreach to let them know Occupy supports them. The press release for this event also stands as a huge opportunity to convey some of the more inspirational aspects of Occupy; to convey the depths of our intentions, beyond being activists, for reviving community. Other ideas included wearing pins in lieu of carrying bulkier signs, and having fliers available.

Agenda

We ran out of time for a summary of the articles Dennis brought in, so there will instead be a presentation on them next week. Additional agenda topics will again be posted to the forum. We hope that more people will participate during the week to make for a more efficient meeting on Thursday. Thank you.