Tuesday - October 25th, 2011
Don't forget that the media is always present! Anything you say is a "direct quotation".
-Revised policy on sexual harassment/aggression/abuse/etc. [[[accepted]]] and will be handed to and shared by the Media team.
-Responding to the City's Response to our Permit Request
Legal explained the situation: #OB requested a permit from the city and received a draft of a response from the City on Sunday-- it is NOT a notice to evict. But in the case that the City does try to remove us from the space, and if there are people who refuse to leave, there is a possibility of being charged with trespassing and resistance. They went through what to expect if an individual decides to refuse to leave Occupy Baltimore (available in print at the space):
"1) You will be handcuffed and taking [sic] to the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center at 300 E. Madison St.
2) There you will be finger printed, your personal property and identification will be will be taken from you and you will be placed in a holding cell.
3) You will stay in the cell until you meet with a Court Commissioner, which will usually occur between 8 and 24 hours.
4) The Court Commissioner will advise you of your charges and give you a charging document, which most likely will have a court date on it. You do not have to enter a plea at this point in the process.
5) The Court Commissioner, in most cases, will release you on you own "recognizance" after you meet with him or her.
6) In making this decision to release, the Court Commissioner will consider your ties to the community, length of residence, financial resources, mental condition, employment status, family ties, nature of the offense, other offenses (and prior record of appearing in court for those offenses).
7) If the Commissioner thinks that this considerations [sic] warrant setting "bail" for you, s/he can do so. Bail set will specify that a certain percentage of the bail must be paid before release.
8) Persons who have prior court appearances that they have missed, prior warrants that haven't been served on them, transitory ties to Baltimore, or issues with their identification and citizenship ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE DETAINED FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS.
9) Those who are not released within 24 hours, meet with a Judge within the next business day, who reviews any conditions of detainment that the Court Commissioner set. This review can and should be done with an attorney present.
10) Strip searches are unlikely.
11) Confinement may be individual, or with gender-identified groups."
PHONE NUMBER FOR LEGAL: 410-205-2850
Try and keep this on your person, just in case! Don't forget that Occupy Baltimore has A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY TOWARDS DRUGS, ALCOHOL, AND WEAPONS.
PROPOSAL- Have a representative from Parks and Recreations to come down and answer questions concerning the nature of the drafted document at tomorrow's GA (10/26).
[[[ACCEPTED]]]
PROPOSAL- Consent to the city's request that we limit ourselves to 1 tent and 2 people staying overnight?
///DENIED\\\-- We will continue to remain a presence in the square, without encroaching on the public space.
PROPOSAL - Consent to the city's request that we do not have open flames in the space.
[[[ACCEPTED]]]
PROPOSAL - Hold off on discussion of the map given to us by the city describing where we "should" be until we speak with a representative from the city.
[[[ACCEPTED]]]
PROPOSAL - Ensure presence does not obstruct passersby.
Some are concerned with giving that sort of bargaining power to the City, if they can determine where it is "proper" for us to be, that can be used as a tool against us. However, "right of way" is a concept with legal precedence and isn't a totally nebulous "thing." TABLED - The GA decided to hold off on a decision regarding that request.
PROPOSAL - Point of Contact. Suggestion to have a single spokesperson (not representative: will not speak for #OB) to communicate information to the city. The City wants a way to contact #OB when it has something to communicate to us.
Concerns: rather it be a team/committee instead of individual, possibility of undermining values of egalitarianism by giving an individual that power, we must create mechanisms of accountability within the structure of that role
PROPOSAL MODIFIED: Instead of a single person, or being linked to the legal team/phone number, there will be a new phone number (who is picking up that phone is something to discuss later).
TABLED FOR TOMORROW'S GA.
PROPOSAL - We will not vacate, but in the instance that someone else applies for a permit to use the square, we will work with that group to share the space equitably.
[[[ACCEPTED]]]
PROPOSAL - Have someone/some group that is able to call for legal assistance at any time, whenever it is necessary.
[[[ACCEPTED]]]
Discussed the conflicting press releases: the original suggested we were given an eviction notice, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. We received on Sunday a DRAFT of a response from the city to our permit request. Beyond that, please do not discuss the permit online.
---REPORTS BACK---
-Goals and Purposes- The mission statement is out-- but it is a living document! We welcome continued discussion on it.
Currently looking for core values and what we can do for everyone involved in OB.
-Media- Keep in mind press is here, act accordingly! Also, Keith Olbermann had a piece on us tonight!
-Safer Space- Workshop on white privilege today was great! Tomorrow (10/26) at 6pm will be another workshop on male privilege. There will be more sharing of ideas regarding tactics dismantling oppression and privilege.
-Arts and Culture- Meeting Friday to pain signs for United Workers' Sunday events. Meeting Sunday to make floats and other props for the bicycle parade.
-Medical- Keep your feet dry! Or else you will get an infection! It is recommended that you do not wear contacts because they react badly to mace. We have a new medical tent, hooray!
-Direct Action- Nightly at 7pm, we could use more minds! Preparing for direct actions here on the site, will be doing civil disobedience training tomorrow afternoon at 3pm.
November 4th, 4pm-6pm, March for the day of divestment from the banks.
-Outreach- New people meet up with Outreach! College students, meet with Outreach! We need to reach out to more campuses!
-Food- No food Fri.-Sun. please bring your own. And recycle your utensils!
---ANNOUNCEMENTS---
- 6:30pm - 8pm is a Halloween Vigil on Oct.30th
-Action for NOVEMBER 7TH (Monday) against the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). Going to the steps of the BDC to have an open meeting with BDC to have them answer for their un-democratic practices. Posters coming out in the next two days.
-Sunday: Fair Development Conference (11am-2:30pm) and B-HEARD event later in the afternoon.
-Tomorrow (10/26) at 3pm, Good Jobs Better Baltimore will march to Constellation HQ.
-POSSIBLE Regional Assembly of Occupations on November 12th-14th. Not confirmed yet, but there will be issues of food and space to work if it does.
-There is a person with a very large van willing to shuttle people from OB up to OWS and back. Are we willing to use donation money to pay for that cause. (Will be brought up to tomorrow's GA).
-Call a councilperson to complain about this permit issue!
-Tomorrow's GA will start with an education update.
-Eddie Conway, Baltimore Black Panther, has a parole hearing on Monday. Write letters about his good behavior and how much good work he has done within the prisons during the last FOUR DECADES. See his Facebook page for more information about the letter!
-Go to Parks and Recreations tomorrow to protest their giving away 31 recreation centers to big corporations.
-Moveon.org wants to provide potluck food, help with bank activities, and do teach-ins to help support #OB.
-United Workers hosting Fair Development Conference Friday.
