Occupy Chico General Assembly Minutes

May 10, 2012

Facilitator: Leslie

Notes: Greg

Agenda

1. Foreclosure Prevention Zone (Chris) (5 min)

2. West Coast Walkupy (Carmel) (5 min)

3. New OC Logo/Pamphlet (Jackie) (5 min)

4. Occupy Road Trip Support (Chris) (5 min)

5. Pioneer Day Parade Debrief (Tammy) (25 min)

6. Committee Reports

7. Announcements

1. Foreclosure Prevention Zone (Chris) (5 min)

I propose a committee to meet regularly to find people we can actually help. I want to take specific action to prevent foreclosures.

2. West Coast Walkupy (Carmel) (5 min)

The West Coast Walkupy has begun. It’s coming into Red Bluff, but it’s down to one person for the moment. On July 4th it will be in Chico and will leave on the 5th or 6th. Walkupy helps to spread the movement, and it each city it visits, the local Occupy group generally does something to support it.

Jackie- Where did it start?

Carmel- Either Washington or Oregon.

Leslie- Can we get more people?

3. New OC Logo/Pamphlet (Jackie) (5 min)

Len and Charles are working on a new logo and have developed these possibilities [passes out logo sample sheets]. Pick your favorite from these please, and mark it on the sheet.

Chris- I think we need a better font.

[people make their selection]

4. Occupy Road Trip Support (Chris) (5 min)

Michelle Mosswich ChaiLove Wurlitzer is organizing support for Occupy Road Trip, a group traveling by caravan from the west coast to Washington. They will serve food and create prayer flags during the trip. She needs donations of art and food for a fundraiser.

Eliza- I know some artists. I’ll contact them through FaceBook.

5. Pioneer Day Parade Debrief (Tammy) (25 min)

The position of the CPJC is that OC needs a commitment to nonviolence and needs to have nonviolence training for its members. What I heard about what took place at the parade gave me chills. In order for OC to use CPJC resources, OC needs to reaffirm its commitment to nonviolence and have nonviolence training.

Jackie- What did you hear?

Tammy- Essentially, there was an OC group gathering on a lawn and the sidewalk getting ready for the parade. The property owner came out and there was a dispute. There was engagement from OC that wasn’t consistent with nonviolent action.

Jackie- I had him [the property owner] arrested. Spraying us with the hose was assault and battery. The police thought our action was the right thing to do.

Carmel- Another member kinked the hose when he was spraying us.

Leslie- Getting back to nonviolence training, we should have it. It can only help.

Tammy- It was an escalating situation. I was embarrassed at the CPJC board meeting when it came up. We can’t continue to support OC if there isn’t consensus on this.

?- If everyone had had nonviolence training, everyone would just have moved away. That’s what the training is for. Some actions normally considered OK aren’t in a nonviolent action. Avoid confrontation.

Jackie- I feel like I’m being attacked. I don’t see a problem with what I did.

Carmel- I think training is needed based on what I saw. I feel a little bit like Jackie. Some long time members of the CPJC were part of the escalating. We all share responsibility. I was in the guy’s face long before Jackie, and was up close to take pictures. I’m open to training.

Bob- I don’t think anyone is being blamed. The escalation was reciprocal. If we’d had better training we could have reduced the conflict rather than escalating it. We could have come away feeling better about what we did.

Leslie- I don’t want to blame anyone. We should just have gotten away. The guy was imbalanced, and couldn’t have been addressed rationally. When things get physical, people can get hurt.

?- I just want to affirm that we were taken off balance. I kept thinking, “What would Martin Luther King do?”

Greg- We had gone sideways long before your part, Jackie.

Peter- If we had monitors trained, it would have been better. We had sympathizers who just dropped by as well as core members. In the future, we need monitors at our events. It’s amazing this hasn’t happened before. At the Peace Vigil, we’ve had hostile crowds before.

Tammy- I agree that monitors would be good. We should also have training to make sure everyone understands how nonviolence works. The CPJC is committed to nonviolence and OC must reflect those values if we’re going to work together.

[time for item extended 10 minutes]

Tammy- I propose that OC reaffirm its commitment to nonviolence and schedule training. Are there any reservations?

Jackie- I was upset at first. I know Len was embarrassed. We were worried that we’d be attacked here, but now I’m sure we’ll be part of the training.

Chris- It’s good to have a nonviolence agreement in advance for how we’ll respond to disruptions [passes around sample agreement].

Bob- Training provides many positive benefits.

Sheldon- I agree with the proposal, and with Peter’s idea for monitors.

?- Can we reenact this particular situation in the training?

Peter- Can we get consensus? I felt bad for Len, because I knew there would be criticism.

[consensus to reaffirm commitment to nonviolence and have training]

Chris- Last week Linda W. complained about the Pioneer name. I propose we contact the parade committee and ask them to change the name of the parade. We had a sign there that said “Pioneers Killed Indians.”

Bob- The woman with that sign was amazing, articulate, and charismatic. Other from the Native American group were afraid to attend.

Chris- I propose we send them a letter asking them to change the name to “Spring Parade.”

Carmel- Something that would include Native Americans.

Bob- I want to amend the proposal to make the letter from the Native American group, and we support it.

Leslie- Maybe it would be better if we did it on our own.

Greg- We could draft a letter, show it to the group, and let them decide how to proceed from there.

Eliza- The Native American Student Association might be involved.

?- Is the parade put on by students?

Tammy- No, but the group that puts it on was started by a CSUC professor. We’ll develop a specific proposal for nonviolence training to present at the next GA.

Chris- I’ll write the letter regarding the parade.

6. Committee Reports

Education Committee (Leslie)

The Education Committee is starting meetings again. Who wants to join?

[Tammy, Forest, Julie, and Greg volunteer]

Tammy- Tuesday at 1:00 at Woodstock’s Pizza

Jackie- Keep in mind that meetings at business establishments put people off.

Bob- Woodstock’s doesn’t care if you meet without buying anything.

Tammy- We might meet on Friday evening or a weekend evening. I’ll talk to Forest and get back to the committee.

Eliza- Not Friday evening. That’s when Food Not Bombs meets.

Food Not Bombs Committee (Carmel)

We still serve a meal every week. We’ve moved it now to in front of City Hall to avoid other activities in City Plaza. We’re open to donations.

7. Announcements

Jackie- On July 27-28 there will be an anti-fracking event.

Greg- Byron B. is trying to coordinate activity to protest the Bilderberg Group’s annual meeting in Virginia starting May 31. I have his contact info if you’re interested.

Chris- Bloody Island memorial at 5:00am on May 19th at the site of the massacre. The military was raping the women, then two of them were killed, then they retaliated by killing all of the women and children. I am planning on going there the evening before.

Chris- Monthly Beale anti-drone protest, May 29-30th overnight. We need more people.

Tammy- CPJC Mother’s Day benefit Sat/Sun May 12-13. Chocolate, wine, tea, and coffee. $15/person.

Tammy- Vandenberg AFB protest this summer. They will hike into the base to prevent normal operations. Many drones are operated out of Vandenberg. Contact tierralinda@live.com for more info.

Bob- You’ll definitely need nonviolence training for that one.

?- Sleeping Bag Day homelessness protest on May 11 at 11:00am in Cesar Chavez Plaza, Sacramento

Paul- Physicians for National Health Program meeting in the CPJC garden on May 21 at 6:30pm. Either way the Affordable Care Act mandatory contribution goes, we’ll need action. If the mandatory contribution is ruled unconstitutional, they’ll go after Medicare next. We’ll use it as an opportunity for education.

?- What’s the connection between the mandatory contribution and Medicare?

Paul- The legal basis would be against mandatory taxes. The feeling is there will be many attacks if this happens.

Closing- OM

Occupy Chico General Assembly Minutes

April 26, 2012

Facilitator: Julie

Notes: Greg

Agenda

1. Pioneer Day Parade (Len)

2. Council of Navigators (Chris)

3. Logo/Pamphlet (Len) (10 min)

4. Student Debt (Carolyn) (5 min)

5. Occupy the Dream Action Points (Forest) (10 min)

6. May Day (Chris) (10 min)

7. Moving Agenda Planning Meeting to 5:30pm (Jackie)

8. Our World in Crisis Conference (Bob) (15 min)

9. Announcements

1. Pioneer Day Parade (Len)

The parade is on Saturday, May 5th at 11:00am. Spread the word to anyone who might want to march with OC; people need to know they have a chance to participate.

Jackie- Our parade formation will be the OC banner, the peace shields, tents, sign carriers, tent monsters, and the “We are all in the same boat” boat.

Mike- Will there be a flyer?

Len- I’ll make one.

Peter- Can we reuse our old signs?

Tammy- They’ll be available. They’re in the CPJC basement.

Carmel- People who have contact lists for other organizations should invite them. Also, let’s put the word out on KZFR.

Chris- We can set up a FaceBook event.

Len- There is also a prep session at 12:00 Saturday (4/28) at the CPJC. Charles suggested that we meet at the transit center, but meeting at the CPJC might be better. The parade starts at 11:00, we will have to meet earlier.

Carmel- Can I do call in spots on KZFR?

Len- Yes.

Sheldon- Can we get more detail about our march formation’s appearance?

Jackie- We’ll be carrying smaller tents with signs on the sides, with poles extending to carry them. You can make a tent monster if you have a tent you’re willing to destroy. Also, some people will carry peace shields: Round shields with peace signs on them.

Linda- The word “pioneer” is hated in the Native American community. To have a “Pioneer” day parade is celebrating killing/oppression.

Jackie- I see this as occupying the parade, bringing peace and justice to the parade. We’re not endorsing their theme.

Linda- Yes, but this was native land.

Karen- We could have a sign drawing attention to the issue.

Len- You raise a good point. It’s a fine line, but we already consensed on this. We’re occupying the parade, not endorsing it.

Julie- It’s been discussed, and a consensus was found. People have put months into this.

Linda- The massacres are recent, so people are still wounded. Those were horrific things. Native people don’t feel included.

Julie- The agenda item is “what we’re going to do at the parade.” Everyone here is sympathetic, but we need to define what we’re going to do. Do you have a suggestion?

Linda- You could have s sign that says, “Why are you celebrating this?”

[stack closed]

Eliza- This is a children’s event. We don’t want to alienate the entire community.

Jackie- I propose that we implement this plan.

[consensus achieved]

Len- Meet here (CPJC) Saturday 4/28 at 12:00 in the garden around back

2. Council of Navigators (Chris)

My current term as Agenda Coordinator ends on May 1. A new Council of Navigators needs to be selected.

Jackie- So, let’s volunteer and then vote to confirm. We need Agenda Planners, Event Coordinators, Organizational Spokespeople, Treasurers, and two at-large members.

Tammy- We don’t actually have meetings.

Jackie- Except for the Agenda Planners meet before each GA.

Len- We need 10 people. How do we do this?

Jackie- We can just go through the roles. Who wants to be Agenda Planners?

[Chris volunteers]

Tammy- Charles isn’t here, but he’s been doing that, too.

Jackie- Event Coordinators – Put stuff on the website.

[Greg and Peter volunteer]

Jackie- Media people?

[Tammy and Len volunteer]

Jackie- Treasurers?

[Sheldon and Eliza volunteer]

Jackie- At Large?

[Emily and Jackie volunteer]

3. Logo/Pamphlet (Len) (10 min)

Our pamphlet is outdated. Can we design a new one? It would be good to have a new logo, too. I came up with this logo based on the Monopoly Man [shows drawing of Monopoly Man being crushed under foot of 99%]

Emily- I’m surprised there isn’t a national logo.

?- Have you written the text for the pamphlet? I’d be interested in helping write it.

Tammy- You should make the 99% foot not barefoot. It looks like bigfoot.

Julie- The foot isn’t clear enough.

Emily- I’d make the 1%’er smaller.

4. Student Debt (Carolyn) (5 min)

I don’t have a proposal yet. Yesterday student debt hit one trillion dollars. It just keeps escalating. Www.OccupyStudentDebtCampaign.org is a site we should all look at. They want pledges of support for non-payers. Alternet had an interesting article on this topic. The House will vote tomorrow on extension of the lower interest rate for student loans. The Republicans don’t want to provide the money.

Eliza- Not directly. There’s a real student union group. They’re on FaceBook: Students for a Democratic Union.

Emily- We need real students to join with if we work on this.

[stack closed]

Jackie- The students here are so apathetic, but we need to partner with them.

Carolyn- We should also partner with graduates who can’t pay their debt.

5. Occupy the Dream Action Points (Forest) (10 min)

We’ve been working to create a response to Rebuild the Dream. We’ve been fine tuning our document. OC should take it. I propose that OC market this to other occupies as a replacement for the 99% Declaration. We’re retiring from Occupy the Dream and want to move our work to OC.

Tammy- Let’s read this thoroughly.

Len- Once we endorse it, we can put the points into a brochure.

Bob- We might also consider adding material from the 99% Declaration.

Julie- Our [Occupy the Dream] group started before OC. We’re just interested in contributing our research to the dialog.

Emily- I have a .pdf of the document. Can we send it out? I’ll send it to Chris.

Jackie- We consensed to no longer support the 99% Declaration.

Bob- But this document needs more on the environment.

Len- If you’re familiar with Michael Moore’s points, is this the same or different?

Emily- Ours has more depth, we feel, but it is along the same lines.

Peter- Amy Goodman interviewed Tom Hayden about the Port Huron document. It was a powerful road map. I hope we can move quickly to adopt it.

Eliza- Is everyone in agreement with bringing this to OC?

[consensus to send .pdf and add to next agenda]

6. May Day (Chris) (10 min)

Occupy Together has several May Day actions. Sacramento has an action. In the Bay Area, they’re shutting down the bridge. If each person does their own thing, it’ll add up. In Chico, at the CPJC we’re having an action from 12-1:00pm at the Plaza.

Tammy- It’s a demonstration in the Plaza; the topic is a general strike. We’ll have a maypole with ribbons. Noon to1:00pm, bring signs.

Emily- The maypole sounds wonderful. We could also send something out about not supporting corporations.

Peter- Should we put forth a proposal to support this?

Tammy- Could we do something after the rally? Maybe a demonstration at Wal-Mart?

Jackie- If we go to Wal-Mart, we should take “buy local” signs.

Julie- I propose we support the CPJC action, and having a “buy nothing” day, and an after-action at Wal-Mart.

Chris- Maybe we should do a downtown bank instead of Wal-Mart.

[consensus to support CPJC rally]

[consensus to support general strike]

Tammy- We might consider later in the day for a bank protest.

Julie- The followup action will be determined later.

Jackie- Do we have any other corporations in Chico?

Forest- United Health Care

Jackie- I prefer Wal-Mart.

Karen- I think there’s free bus service on May 1, so we could travel on public transit.

[stack closed]

Len- I have to work that day. I’d love to have a Wal-Mart action later in the day.

Diana- I wanted to mention not driving that day. Also, do one thing for yourself.

[consensus to protest at Wal-Mart from 5-6:00pm]

7. Moving Agenda Planning Meeting to 5:30pm (Jackie)

We’d like to move our agenda planning meeting to 5:30pm prior to each GA meeting.

[consensus achieved]

Chris- Come to the planning meeting to get stuff put on the agenda. You can also send items to me.

Tammy- We’ll have one email address for a primary contact point in the future.

8. Our World in Crisis Conference (Bob) (15 min)

I have a post conference evaluation form [hands out forms], which I hope some of you will fill out. It also asks what topics we might want for our next conference, if we have one. The Education Committee was hoping to get the email list from the conference, so we can send the evaluation form to everyone who attended.

Julie- I requested this item on the agenda. I wanted to share my concerns. I see it as a learning experience. Dionisi and Freedom to Fascism were not to my liking. Everyone is entitled to speak, but how can we find consensus on what OC presents as our position? Freedom to Fascism is basically a Ron Paul advertisement. Dionisi is all about the New World Order. He’s just like the missionaries bringing Christianity to the Americas. His footnotes are all bible references. I agree with some of that stuff, but overall it’s anti-progressive. We should be concerned with how we appear to the new people at the conference.

Chris- Bob, you were too much in the lead. It was primarily your choices for speakers. There was too much conspiracy theory.

Forest- I didn’t think there was enough positive leavening, like the Bioneers. People who don’t question 9/11 might have been turned off to the movement. Dionisi seems like a cult-like association. I don’t think the overall presentation was balanced enough. It needed a hope message as well.

Sheldon- I’m hearing a lot of things “in retrospect”. I appreciate all the work Bob did. Usually, it’s just the initiative of a couple people. We need a different way of doing it.

Emily- I felt the general spirit was very positive. No matter the content, there was a sense of evolution. It raised us up. For the future, we need to plan in terms of crisis as opportunity. Focus on where we are going.

Diana- I want to say thanks to Bob. A controversial speaker draws people in. Next time we should have the speakers chosen by the larger group.

Eliza- The workshops were awesome. I felt the Education Committee had already defined everything before the GA got to review it.

Len- I enjoyed George Wright. I didn’t have a problem with Dionisi. Regarding the mailing list, can we get the conference emails added to OC’s list?

[consensus to merge emails into OC list]

[consensus to add conference to next GA agenda]

10. Announcements

Julie- Tammy did well at the Great Debate.

Tammy- The debate was about camping as a means of protest. The judges sided with us 3-0.

Chris- There’s a foreclosure prevention zone fast. At our Beale protest we were at all 3 gates, with about 25 present. There will be an article in Peaceful Action. The US is allowing the CIA to target and kill in Yemen. We’ll have our next Beale action at the end of May. We’ll be circulating an anti-clearcutting petition at the Endangered Species Faire. There will also be an action in Sacramento for the TRUST act.

Tammy- The City Council voted 3-2 to create the anti-Citizens United resolution we’ve been campaigning for.

Jackie- Andy Holcombe was a strong supporter, and mentioned OC.

Diana- The GMO labeling initiative has 850,000 signatures. A movie is being made.

Forest- Four people put in countless hours gathering signatures, including Diana and Chuck.

11. Our World in Crisis Conference Revisited

Bob- I’m not sure how to respond to what you’ve said. This event had 9 drafts, and I did my best to modify it per all of your suggestions. How do you guys think I responded to your suggestions?

Diana- I thought you were very responsive to my suggestions.

Bob- I stand by Dionisi. He’s a friend. I helped edit one of his books. Yes, he has a Christian bias, but his stuff is still true.

Chris- I don’t want to debate Dionisi. What are your feelings?

Bob- He is my friend, and I need to stand up for my friend. He says stuff that is difficult to grapple with. I had intended a two day conference, but it was reduced to one. Based on feedback, the end panel was supposed to have more speakers with a more positive tone, but it didn’t happen because the end was a little chaotic.

Carolyn- That’s exactly how it happened. There just wasn’t time for more at the end.

Emily- These criticisms aren’t directed at you, Bob.

Forest- I hope we can still be friends. My disappointment was that the final conference didn’t match the critiques at the GAs.

Carmel- I was totally unaware of the controversy. We gave responsibility to the committee, and they did what they thought was best. We are all responsible.

Occupy Chico General Assembly Minutes

April 12, 2012

Facilitator: Tammy

Notes: Greg

Agenda

1. Regional GA

2. Pioneer Day Parade (Jackie)

3. Roundup Return (Chuck)

4. May 1 General Strike (Charles)

5. Foreclosure Prevention (Chris)

6. Revised Brochure (Charles)

7. Our World in Crisis Conference (Bob)

8. Earth Month Eco-Occupy Action (Chris)

9. Education Committee (Bob)

10. Announcements

1. Regional GA

A proposal was made to have our next Regional GA in Nevada City.

[Consensus Achieved]

2. Pioneer Day Parade (Charles)

Richard (one of the organizers of the parade) has met with Charles and most of the details have been worked out. The GA still needs to decide the exact nature of our participation, i.e. march with posters, hand out fliers, whatever.

Jill- I’m on the parade committee. Historically, Pioneer Days was canceled and replaced with Rancho Chico Days; then Rancho Chico Days was itself canceled. The current version of the parade began in 1994, and was intended to give back to the community. Paul, one of the founders of the current parade, was dedicated to bringing people together. The current parade committee has five members, who are all volunteers. The parade has many expenses, and generates no profit. Some of the committee members have seen a promotional poster with police in riot gear, which has caused concern regarding problems at the parade. Regarding whether or not OC formally enters the parade, we are on a shoestring budget. For any group, including OC, to enter informally might cause a problem.

Julie- I don’t understand why the community and police don’t support the parade.

Jill- It started in the ’80s, in order to be more business friendly and reduce problems with alcohol. In Fall of ’86 Playboy magazine ranked Chico State as a party school, which was one of the reasons the original parade was replaced with Rancho Chico Days. There have also been riots.

Charles- I supported Rancho Chico Days, and I thank you for restarting the parade.

Diana- Can we enter the parade formally?

Jill- Yes. The fees can be waived if necessary.

Tammy- I support the formal process.

Charles- We’ll be getting back to you.

Greg- I propose that we formally enter the parade, as long as the cost doesn’t exceed $100.

[Consensus Achieved]

Jill- I have an application here, and can help you however you need.

3. Roundup Return (Chuck)

[Chuck was not present]

Charles- It’s a plan to bring Roundup to the checkout counter at stores, and then tell the clerk that you’ve noticed that Roundup is manufactured by Monsanto, and have changed your mind about buying it.

Diana- I tried it and it worked, but I didn’t feel comfortable because it didn’t seem quite honest.

4. May 1 General Strike (Charles)

May Day is a good day for an action. May Day goes back to the 1800′s. There were riots on May Day during the 1920′s. The Education Committee will make a flyer with information about the history of May Day.

Chris- We have one more GA before May Day. Could you come up with an action plan?

Tammy- There’s a People’s Crisis in North Korea event that day at CPJC. We may have a rally, too.

Mike- Is there a national plan, or are we just doing something local?

Sheldon- I’m not sure what happened to the Chicago event, since part of the meeting it was protesting has been moved.

Eliza- A general strike has been called by universities.

Charles- There was a big parade in New York City in 2010.

Eliza- The Bay area generally has something, too.

Julie- It’s called International Workers Day now.

5. Foreclosure Prevention (Chris)

I’ve attended some auctions to see about potential actions, but if there’s no working group, I feel alone. The auctions are so sleazy. There’s a lot to learn on this subject, and I will work with even just one other person, but I’m not going to do it alone. It may be that we just have to wait.

Charles- I researched the legality of auctions on private property, like the casino. They are legal. I can help you with some stuff, but I don’t have a lot of time.

Mike- What’s the thrust of the movement?

Chris- To keep people in their homes.

Mike- Is this based on MERS not being legal?

Chris- Yes.

Charles- Is pressure being put on politicians to do a foreclosure moratorium?

Chris- Yes. Some politicians are helpful.

Charles- What about Ramsey?

Chris- He’ll help if it’s easy.

Julie- A lot of the fraud is because of family changes in the deeds. Mortgage companies don’t look into that, which makes the foreclosures illegitimate. Robo-signing also creates problems with the documentation.

Mike- Courts in California have been lenient on lenders.

Julie- We had a problem with our deeds and it took quite an effort to get it straightened out. In New York, they’re seeking attorneys to look into this.

Chris- Legal Services of Northern California can help with legal issues here.

6. Revised Brochure (Charles)

The Education Committee should develop a flyer in time for the Pioneer Day parade. We have a couple of old flyers we could use as a starting point. I just want to get something started.

7. Our World in Crisis Conference (Bob)

We’re getting our final preparations together. We need volunteers, especially for meal service. Lunch will be Leslie and Bob. Dinner will be Food Not Bombs. I’m coordinating A/V. We’ll be setting up at the church on Friday at 11:30. We’re arranging areas for our presentations and for Gayle’s thing. There are people coming from Sacramento. There will also be people from around Nevada City. We also need help moving tables at the end, around 7:00pm Saturday. The church secretary got a call about the kitchen. There may be an additional charge for using it, around $50-$70. The conference is going to be great.

Charles- What time does it end?

Bob- 7:00pm, but it’s flexible. We’re having music at the end.

Diana- There will be a cleanup after both meals and a 3:00pm snack.

Bob- There’ll be a morning snack, too.

Julie- I’ll need to look at the schedule, but I’d love to volunteer.

Bob- I have a signup sheet here [passes signup sheet around]. Marv M. was injured in a car accident and won’t be participating in the panel discussions. Linda F.’s grandson was also killed in another incident recently.

Diana- He was a student in Hawaii.

Chris- Bring desserts for the Saturday dinner.

Charles- Is online registration still going on?

Bob- Only for the 99% Spring non-violence training. The movie doesn’t need registration. I’m not expecting that many people for it. We’ll be using the main screen for 99% Spring.

Julie- So, we won’t be able to do both?

Bob- No, but I have copies of the movie you can borrow. It’s also on YouTube. I’m planning on showing an excerpt of it before the keynote speeches. Remember to remind people to come!

8. Earth Month Eco-Occupy Action (Chris)

I went on the 5^th to the action in Sacramento. There were around 40 people. We marched to the Board of Forestry. We were able to get in and testify. This week, I’m going to see clearcuts. I’ve contacted the Sierra Club and EPIC. We’re trying to get 10 people to participate in timber harvest tracking. I’m also trying to get the BEC involved.

Diana- Is the goal to stop clearcutting?

Chris- The goal is to promote good forestry practices. Thinning rather than clearcutting. Clearcutting is cheaper, but bad for the environment/ecosystem. The Sierra Club is circulating a petition.

9. Education Committee (Bob)

The members of the Education Committee are ready to do something else. We need to think about replacing members. Leslie suggested moving to a pizza restaurant venue (maybe Woodstock’s). Mountain Mike’s pizza has a back room we might use. Also, we’re merging the Education and Outreach committees. Does anybody here want to join?

Tammy- The time and location don’t work for me.

Bob- Leslie wanted lunchtime, but she’s ready to move on anyway.

Eliza- I’d go if it didn’t conflict with class times.

Charles- How about every other week, opposite the weeks we have GAs?

Bob- Caroline wants to move on, too, but the committee is important.

Diana- Can we meet here alternating Thursdays?

Tammy- You can, but I won’t be there.

Chris- I can do a Doodle thing like before; should I send it to the whole list?

[group agrees to Doodle schedule for everyone on the mailing list]

10. Announcements

Tammy- Great Debate Friday night (04/13). It’s at the City Council chambers at 6:30pm. It’s a debate regarding camping and OC – cost and safety issues vs. civil rights.

Tammy- On the 17^th, there’s a Tax Day penny poll from 9-12 at Butte College, 12-3 at Chico State, and 3-6 at the downtown Post Office. We’re asking people how they think their taxes should be sent.

Eliza- There’s a Grass Roots organizing meeting on the 17^th. Also, next week is Pride Week. Thursday is the day of silence.

Diana- Unsinkable Civilization-Global Iceberg/People’s Lifeboats is showing on Sunday, April 15^th.

Tammy- The City Council is considering a resolution against corporate personhood at its meeting on the 17^th.

Bob- There will be tables at the conference for literature. If you want to distribute something, bring enough copies for whoever wants one. Also, we need around 100 copies of the conference schedule. Is there money for copying?

Tammy- I propose that OC pay for 100 copies, at cost.

[Consensus Achieved]

Bob- What about the kitchen cost? If we get donations, it might be covered.

Tammy- I think we should review our finances first.

Bob- That’s OK; I just didn’t want to surprise you later.

Eliza- Who’s doing the updating/copying?

Tammy- Me and Charles.