Event:2014/05/12 Challenging Dominant Culture Meeting

OMNI “collective dominant cultures”

Jordan, Margit, Sarah, Kazoo, Danny, Noemi

1 thing each of us is hoping for with the Omni:

• hoping to have movement performances
• hoping it will become open and interesting and desirable for groups outside of our immediate group
• hoping a move to Temescal doesn’t disrupt the Sudo community
• hoping it will be a catalyst for social action/social change, getting what we need to fight capitalism
• hoping for direct communication amongst us as a bigger group, and a sense of pace that feels grounded at the center of all tentacles
• hoping for care to preserve values of transparency and non hierarchy

items to discuss:

• reaching out to Omni neighbors
• creating safe space within the Omni and a conflict resolution policy/procedure including alternatives to police intervention
• materials and website to be multilingual
• making invitations to diverse stakeholders
• ways we might document what’s going on

discussion:

• reaching out to Omni neighbors
  • we ought to wait until the lease is signed
  • and then?
  • door-to-door, in groups of 2 or 3
  • come with intent and allow side-track conversations to build relationships and build community
  • per-person outreach capacity? perhaps 2 or 3 houses
  • and in materials, proving a tangible way to get involved – e.g., an info-session and potluck in the ballroom, experience the space

• outreach
  • what about inviting people to consider space?
  • there are options, multiple points of entry:
  • some groups may be open to sharing their space
  • there are rooms you can reserve
  • there is common space open to all
• community events
  • August may be too late
  • what if individual groups want to do their own outreach?
  • and neighbors might get confused if they get spoken to twice
  • door-knocking coordination seems necessary
  • holding the Thursday meeting as only discussing lease and logistics
  • maybe our first goal as “challenging dominant culture” and radicalizing the Thursday meeting
  • and, putting pressure on the “logistics” team to catalogue issues and concerns
  • and note that there is a release valve on the nightly check-in call, which may also relax the Thursday meeting

• making invitations
  • many groups doing transformational work in Oakland ought to come to a meeting … or something … but how to set expectations?
  • the Thursday meeting is not welcoming
  • so, back to the meeting culture!
• inreach
  • meeting culture needs challenging!
  • hierarchical, not fun, sorta kinda effed up, reverted into following and leading
  • we’re in a state of emergency until the lease gets signed
  • nothing happened at 6:30pm except for Danny holding space
  • there is no facilitator chosen after the last meeting
  • the meetings are welcome at fiiiirst, but then the positive intention clashes with the anxiety around the work
  • WE NEED TO THROW A PARTY
  • people need to BOTH enjoy AND celebrate
  • the culture needs to be fun
  • next CDC meeting held at 5pm, and WE will be the welcoming committee

• reporting back to THE WHOLE GROUP
  • what might we say?
    • we’re intent on improving the language we use as being accessible
    • we’re concerned about the meeting culture being fun and inviting
    • we’re also concerned about tech issues and related work, like getting added to the list or wiki or whatever
    • we’re interested in going door-to-door

ideas:

• have 1 meeting a month as an open meeting for anyone interested in the Omni? restart the announcement list?
• propose something farther ahead? maybe all of the Omni folks just spending half a day together

action items:

• party!
• kazoo sends an email
• kazoo will make a cake
• propose plan and dates in late May/ early June for visiting neighbors – via omniogistics list with contact
• translate 1-sheet into plain, accessible language – building on from communications group
• Danny collects language from communications group and sends to Kazoo
• Margit talks with communications group regarding materials in other languages
• Jordan raises conversation about coordinating door-knocking and outreach between Omni and Sudo

next meetings:

May 14, 5pm at 2141 Broadway

May 19th, 6:30–8pm Monday May 19th location TBD