Event:2018/05/03/Delegates Meeting

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Omni Delegates' Meeting - 3 May 2018 7pm-9pm

Agenda

  • Introductions, Meeting Roles, and Delegates Count [10 minutes]
  • Access Check-in [5 minutes]
  • Announcements [5 minutes]
  • Bans [5 minutes]
  • Working Group Report-Backs [15 minutes]
  • Member Collective Updates (10 minutes)
  • Proposal: ABDC Transition [15 minutes]
  • Discussion: Basement Media Lab [15 minutes]

Introductions

Introduce yourself: Name; Preferred Pronoun; Affiliation; any brief announcements; say whether you're a delegate; let us know about any access needs you have†

  • Joe FNB he/him
  • Mary Ann - she/her - Chiapas (Delegate)
  • Sierk - he/him - Sudo (Dele
  • Marcus he/him - volunteer
  • Kazoo - we - ABDC

Tonia - she - ABDC

  • Vienna ABDC -she/her
  • Sarah ABDC - she/her
  • Laura - she/her - commons/finance
  • Brian - He/him - Finance
  • Clive - poets house
  • Almaz - GCEA (Delegate)
  • Kiwi - GCEA member
  • Steve - BAPS
  • Julian - by name - BAPS
  • Robb - he/him - Sudo
  • Jenny - she/her - Sudo/finance
  • Lynn - she/her - Working group member

† Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns? Den is better for people with difficulty hearing

Meeting Roles

  • Facilitator/s: Joe
  • Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
  • Stacktaker: ALmaz
  • Timekeeper: Kazoo
  • Notetaker/s: Brian, Jenny, Laura,
  • Vibe Reader: Brian
  • Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

  • ABDC: Kazoo
  • BAPS: Steve
  • CCL: Ken
  • CSC: Maryanne
  • FNB: Joe
  • GWS: Rachel remote
  • LL: Robb
  • Sudo: Sierk
  • TIL: inactive
  • GCEA: Almaz
  • Quorum: Yes

New Bans

  • Bobby Qui from Village
    • Safe Space ban initiated 5/1 by Jenny after a series of reports from Needa Bee of escalating harassment and theft. Informed by Robb 5/2. Needa open and hoping for mediation / intervention / restorative justice process.
  • Add to list of people asked to leave
    • Julian: How did the conversation go (that Robb had yesterday with BQ outside the Omni)?
    • Rob: Told him about the ban, he was fairly defensive, acted like nothing was wrong. I told him about the mediation list. I didn't say who instigated the ban, I didn't give him too many details.
    • Joe: I'm concerned that mediating between a pretty difficult domestic situation would be an awful lot for us to get involved in.
    • Jenny: Needa agrees, and I've been talking to her about other resources.
    • Joe: So if we do get a mediation request, do we forward that to an outside source?
    • Jenny: There is an ongoing process with the village people.
    • Julian: Just a note, without disagreeing with it, that theft is not considered a safe space ban qualifier, but harassment is. Just making the distinction.
    • Questions about next steps.
    • Marcus: I've heard from Needa that he has been taking property to sell, including property from here (Joe: a computer in the office, as example).


Working Group Report-Backs

Building & permits

Meetings: 1st & 3rd Mondays @ 6pm

Commons

Meetings: First and Third Mondays at 6pm

  • We made $4,300 in April, just events working group.
  • We could still use more people in commons, if anyone is interested, first and third Mondays. Five O'clock.
  • Please don't go into the ballroom MWF From 7-8:30/9PM. There is a dance group doing a rehearsal until the middle of June. When they are in the ballroom its their room, they have rented it.
  • There is a laminated sign under the counter in the coffeeshop area. Questions from Ciapas support group regarding an event.
  • This group needs help:


Communications

Meetings: Second and Fourth Wednesdays at 6pm

  • Julian: We haven't been meeting regularly but we are going to meet next week.

Finance

Meetings: Currently conjoined with Fundraising, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm

  • Taxes due in two weeks, but we've already filed an extension.
  • We are discussing switching bank to benficial state bank, a nonprofit bank. We have two allies (friends) who work there, and have been helping us.
  • People who are check signers for your collective will need to re-do that process when we set up with the new bank.
  • We have a number of major expenses that are on our list.
  • Cafe update from Laura. Laura met with Abad and ...? We varbally agreed to a 3% increase, for three three year terms. The intent was to sign a lease by may first, but we needed list of names of members, and their operating name. They haven't gotten back to us yet. Instead of being 3 4-year terms, is now 3 3-year terms
    • Rob: I remember Jesse said we needed to demonstrate how we came up with the "market rate" designation.
      • Laura: WE did include those calculations in a previous meeting, which made it into the meeting notes. But I will put the calculation notes into this set of meeting notes.
        • At the end of January I did a seardh on Loopnet to see what restaurant leases were going for. The cheapest was a run down looking restaurant building in the Lower Bottoms for $1.83/sqft/month. This is for an enclosed, separate, full restaurant. Sin Fronteras is renting a counter area and a small amount of floor space (approx 644 sq ft total) in a run down building, with no separation from other tenants. They will only be able to sell bevarages and pre prepared food. The final lease price per square foot of about $1.70 seems reasonable.

Fundraising

Meetings: Currently conjoined with Finance, 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm

Member Collective Updates

What is going on with your collective? What are you working on? What have you accomplished? Any events coming up? Any difficulties you are encountering that you need help with?

ABDC

  • Kazoo: Two new members with us who are here today. Did everyone read our proposal? *nods* we can't afford rent. We are wanting to discuss the proposal (which we will do in the proposals section)

BAPS

  • Julian: Classes coming up. June 9th, 1-4PM. Basement Library. "The Beat Aesthetic and Why We Need It Today".
  • have reserved the space (basement library), second saturday of the month. There is an expansion plan but that isn't happening yet, but would involve more classes being here.
  • Questions about asking for donations, answer is yes, you can ask for donations for the Omni.
  • Marx was right reading group continues. Second part of communist manifesto this Sunday.
  • Endnotes, and Writing with World Stuff classes also taking place (basement?).
    • Joe heads-up about how basement can be loud if there is a ballroom event.

CCL

  • Ken: there are a whole bunch of classes going on. COming up is the 5th anniversary of existence event

CSC

  • Mary Ann: We have events 5/18 - Chiapas Womens Gathering Reprot Back; 6/9 Chilean musician tour of Palestine report back with music

FNB

  • Celebrated the 49th anniversary of people's park on Sunday. The UC System announced that they would be building student housing on people's park.
    • Next meeting of the UC Board of regents is on 23rd of May at UCSF. Might want to go.

GCEA

  • Almaz: We have classes M-F at the classroom for use. WE have health events happening once a month, or twice a month. Event on May 19th, Women's Empowerment events once a month

GWS

  • We are mobilizing to bring about 20 women and some men to take part in the first week of actions and CD of the Poor People's Campaign at the State capital building in Sacramento, the day after Mother's Day May 14. It is happening in 30 states around the country. the theme is women and children and people with disabilities in poverty

LL

  • Rob: Not much to report. Dealing with some internal membership changes, what it means to be a member of lib lens. A bunch of film screenings next month, I don't think we have any planned for next month.

Sudo

  • Sierk: New subgroup forming for Sudo. Monthly schoolsharing for DJ's, music related.
  • Sudo Mesh is talking strategy for fundraising and figuring out what sort of relationship to have with omni. Being discussed now.

TIL

Proposal: ABDC Transition

Proposal on the pad 4.19.18 but not discussed due to time and no one present from ABDC

  • Proposal from Kazoo that ABDC set up a Utility Print Station in the (currently cluttered and under-utilized) basement space.
    • "Our proposal is to create greater access to the tools for printing for anyone who is interested, and run an training for newbies every other month. At this point we have trained several Phat Beets members as well as several Omni Commoners in the basics of screen printing. There are two screen printers who have recently asked to join the Coop and we would like to include them in this transition so that they might help facilitate the new basement space. We would like to give them, and everyone at Omni the opportunity to take up leadership in using and maintaining the studio in the basement.
    • As we see it, Omni needs a screen printing space. All the collectives want things printed, and it’s great to be able to do it in house. We as a collective are not able (given all of our full-time jobs and other obligations) to be as available as folks would like us to be. Therefore, we would like to propose an open printing studio in the basement with a locked supply closet that Omni members who have done a training with us can have access too. Both Bria and Samuel (Phat Beets) have trained with us enough to have keys to the closet. Also, Marcus (former ABDC) Almaz, Jose, Daveron (former ABDC), Anka, and we’re sure there are other people we’re forgetting, are already capable enough withscreen printing to have keys to the supply closet.
    • We would like to make this transition in May. This transition allows the Ticket Booth room to be rented to someone else bringing in valuable rent, and for the basement to become more vital. To be clear, we, ABDC, will not be paying rent. Our proposal is to leave our tools as a donation to the commons so that printing may continue without us. We are happy to offer trainings every-other month in order to help interested Omni members gain skill to fully take-over maintainence of the Utility Print Studio. "

Discussion

  • Kazoo: Proposal, summarizing proposal.
  • Laura: IF we decided (for some reason) that we didn't want to have a screen printing lab in the basement, what would happen?
  • Kazoo: WE could take that stuff away. There isn't that much stuff down there (lists things). We'd be happy to take it to the other space - but there are people (at least 4) who want to use it and actively steward it here
  • Almaz: Is the training by appointment?
    • Kazoo: We'd probably do it by calendar and set up calendar dates for trainings. We could arrange for other trainings outside of those dates as needed.
  • Kazoo: We imagine that people (affiliated with our project) would have keys to a lockable closet. Stewards would have a key to the storage closet and be able to access as needed
  • Joe: How would hte space be delineated?
    • Kazoo: I Don't see any reason for it to need to be walled off. Every object can roll.
  • Joe: This is silk screen printing right? How big of an image could you print?
    • Kazoo: With out light table its about three feet by four feet, 2.5/5? But we have done enormous screens outside using the sun.
  • Marcus: How are the rates determined (donation rate)?
    • Kazoo: That we have to figure out. About $5/hr covers the cost of ink at the bare minimum. To make it functional, set a donation rate a little higher (eg $10/hr)
  • Marcus: I know there were some challenges with the washout station, has that been worked out?
    • Kazoo: ITs in the shower room now. ITs not ideal but it functions
  • Almaz: From my experience, five dollars is nothing for the ink. The ink is very expensive.
    • Kazoo: One of those is $20, and that goes a ways
      • Discussion around ink pricing plans, and potentially having other people bring their own ink.
  • Julian: Observation, would the five dollars per hours be five dollars per person?
    • Vienna: Even if two people were using the space at the same time, they'd probably be working on the same project because of equipment limitations.
  • Kazoo: Our proposal is to make it a utility in the sense that we are not paying rent. Like the computer lab, nobody is paying rent for the computer lab. IT doesn't need to make money, we just need it to survive
  • Laura: My suggestion is that whoever are the stewards, you keep a count of how much money you are spending and taking in?
    • Kazoo: good idea.
  • Joe: which corner?
    • Kazoo: Back left corner? but it also doesn't seem to matter.
  • Laura: when would the move happen?
    • Kazoo: We are open and flexible, whenever you say so?
  • Laura: I showed the place to a group from Children's Hosptital, so they may end up being interested in the space.
  • Kazoo: Could we have May as a grace period?
  • Maryanne: Chiapas has discussed potentially wanting to move in there once it is vacant. Our current space is very very difficult. Three groups sharing the space, when its set up for one.
  • Kazoo: The rent we were paying was $450/month.
  • Mary Ann: I haven't talked to rachel lately, but if that doesn't happen they want to totally redo the office, which I think would be very difficult.
  • Rachel we were in the shared room recently and no space. Interested in sharing if there is a possibility with Chiapas
    • Kazoo: Maybe Maryanne can rent it and the Children's Hospital can rent it too. May be able to collaborate.
      • There are general discussions about use of the space once Art Bison Moves out. These sounds very early stages

Delegate Vote:

  • In favor: Ken (CCL), Mary Ann (CSC), Joe (FNB), Almaz (GCEA), Steve (BAPS), SIerk (Sudo)
  • Abstain: LL, Rachel GWS

Discussion (to become proposal): Basement Media Lab

via Jenny 5/3:

  • Over the past 9 months, there have been many discussions about, and a good deal of work put into, the basement area formerly known as Material Print Machine as a potential inter-collective media lab for printing, copying, button-making, screenprinting, banner-making, zine-making, newspapers etc. Interested folks who've discussed the idea and/or worked on cleaning and clearing out that space include Jenny, Robb, Abe, Julian, Needa Bee, Marcus, and others I'm probably forgetting right now.
    • The structure that seems most fitting is that of a working group, open to anyone to join and help steward and maintain the resources we already have available. The idea would be to lock valuable materials / supplies in a cabinet and host workshops, media-making sessions and offer access based on sliding-scale donations to cover materials/supplies/maintenance costs.
    • For more info on the resources we already have available as well as a proposed layout, see: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Basement#Media_Lab
  • Jenny: Summarizing proposal. Turning the basement into an intercollective media lab. This plan is still in the early stages of development. There are several different types of media equipment in basement. The structure, which hasn't gotten too far along with interested groups, would be a working group to steward the training and management of the space (plus collect donations, etc). Talked with Rob, Abe, Julian, Marcus, Needa Bee about this. There is a link to the wiki page which was started about five months ago, of what it could potentially look like. Need new lights for the basement.
  • Laura: Could we paint before we totally move in. (rob: the whole basement) (Kazoo: You can also pain the floor, using concrete paint).
  • Ken: What space delineation?
    • Jenny: basically from CCL and up (I think thats what was said).
      • General discussion about how to improve the space before we enact this plan. General agreements, general support of painting the space.
    • Ken: Could bring in some walls on wheels with carpet on them to make mobile dividers between the space
  • Julian: I have a few ideas about that, which I am thinking through currently. One class could be basic print design (little Zine, little book), it would be a workshop. So come in and we'll practice laying out text, etc. Print design courses.
  • Ken: For 20 years or so I taught classes on drafting and design, computer graphics, etc. Once you have it all set up, if you would like to have public classes I would be happy to be involved in that.
  • Rachel - would be great to have a banner making, button making space like this.
  • Sierk: There is a tiny arts and crafts room in Sudo Room, which sortof conflicts with the electronics section. There are people in Sudo that are waiting for something like this proposal (or the previous proposal) to happen. (It sounds like Sudo may move stuff down to basement if this happens).
  • Almaz: You mentioned material donations, what sort of donations are you thinking of?
    • Offer access sliding scale based on donations, donations would also go towards maintenance of machines, thats sort of thing (Almaz: Kindof the same as the ABDC proposal)
  • Jenny: The last delegates meeting, Scott came and expressed interest in hosting a book store in here. They were interested in doing a radical publishing house. (there is a damaged piece of equipment in the basement whose name I missed, but someone from that group may be willing to repair it)
  • Julian: reading the comment from Rachel. It seems that people sound like they want there to be
  • Laura: I would like to clarify that you two (Vienna and...) would be interested in being part of this? (yes was the response)
  • Rob: I think that we should make sure that this is giving something to the Omni. It will be using space, electricity, resources, etc. (general agreement).
  • Tonia: Do you imagine people bringing their own supplies to print upon? (General discussion of that, looks like there would be circumstances of people bringing their own, and providing our own).
  • Marcus: There is a huge cost difference between buying shirts on your own, versus doing it with a sellers permit.
    • Jenny: Omni has a sellers permit, which we could use for wholesale purchases.
  • Jenny will take these thoughts and comments and come back with a more developed proposal. Will make a list of people to reach out to (Kazoo, new ABDC members, Robb, Marcus, Abe, Julian, Laura, Ken, Rachel/GWS, Almaz, Sierk/sudo,


Discussion - meeting w/ Stacey (friend of AORTA)

  • Joe: Niki and I and Yar and steve, met with a woman named stacy who was going to write up a proposal about the structure and issue of power sharing and racial issues at the Omni. First thing was the cost, between $1,500-$6000. She would start with interviews with any sort of incident that falls into these racial categories. There would be group meetings and eventually proposals. She encouraged us to get in touch with a different group that does these kind of things (like Aorta and Seeds). She has done a lot of work with disability advocates and non-profits. This is something that Nikki started, if you remember the thread about this issue. She helped us remember that people like her and Kazoo and Sarah had mentioned that there was a lot of history around this, and it wasn't just motivated around the New Years event or a single event.
  • Julian: I had the impression that at some point nikki was going to put together a proposal as a followup to that meeting.
  • Steve: Nikki will also be talking to Aorta. It's a process of checking out possible facilitators.
  • Joe: This is a small thing, but I put up a poster that was in the shape of a tombstone. IT said "white superiority is killing me", it moved to the basement and now it is gone.
  • Julian: Observation related to that: I saw it move, I noticed it in the middle of the entrance hall, then not so prominently, then over across the wall here, in the "things we are giving away" section. It felt like someone was trying to make a counter statement. I agree that it is totally notable that this happened.
  • Kazoo: I have noticed that we had posters that people have modified, or cut up, or cut off. IT has happened to some of our posters.
  • Rachel: how does this discussion relate to what is in the below message. Sounds like there are people in Omni ready to do this work. is that what this message is saying below?
  • They are separate efforts that came out of the same discussions

Rachel: ok thx. that sounds like a lot of $ in the first effort.

Discussion Feedback Loop reportback

  • email to discuss: 4/26/18

Dear Omni Commoners,

This is a message from Helen, Julian, and Mary Ann. We have met today at the direction of the Omni delegates assembly in response to concerns raised by our community members.

We are investigating any instances of racism, sexism, classism, or other oppression that people have experienced at the Omni, whether members of collectives or not. Please send us an email introducing us to anyone that has had such experiences who is willing to talk about it in a private interview. These interviews may be anonymous if desired. Please get consent first. The goal is to establish whether there are patterns of practices that the Omni as a whole could consider and act to change in order to better serve our role as a radical community center.

Sincerely, the Feedback Loop

  • Mary Ann: I will be going to the Commons working group to discuss how the event process works. We'd also like to check in with people that know people who have left because of oppressive experiences - from the email thread that would seem to be Niki and Kazoo - if anyone else would be open to talking with us, reach out to Mary Ann or Julian
  • Kazoo: Where did the email go out to? Commons?
    • Julian: IT went to the discuss list. IT wasn't a proposal so it wouldn't neccesarily go to the delegates list. There is a list of the mailing lists on the wiki.
  • Steve: I personally know two people who have directly encountered racist actions at the Omni and subsequently left. I've talked to them since about possible solutions. They don't want to have anything to do with it. I've already tried to invite them to talk to us, and they have said no.
  • Kazoo: the structures of white supremacy and patriarchy are so embeded in our actions that it's hard to notice them. it's the air that we believe. perhaps white

people and white men should take it on as something for us to self-work on. perhaps we don't need testimonies on what we're doing that's harming folx, but people should be self-reflecting

  • Maryanne: That makes sense but its a different stage. The focus here is to look at whether there are policies or practices that we have in place that lead to or encourage discrimination. What we are looking for to start with, is our practices and whether they are equally enforced. We aren't neccesarily looking at behaviors of individuals.
  • Kiwi: I am hearing the concern, but its very important that individuals who come to be served, the best way to have is diversity. I'm looking around the room, not seeing much diversity. Representation is important. If I have a concern and there is someone who speaks my language, I can go talk to them. To solve those kind of problems it is good to have diversity. Omni needs to also have delegates who are people of color as well. We should have latino, asian, african, y'know, like california is. Should be part of the broader delegates conversation.
    • Rachel: I agree with Mary ann the approach of starting with looking at practices and procedures
  • Almaz: WE (CDC Working Group) are working on these issues as well. The email that was sent was not written out to a lot of people. WE need to announce this more publicly. Send it somewhere that more people will see. You can also go if you have time, and I know capacity is an issue, we can go to specific omni groups' meetings (eg sudo on wednesday, liblens on sunday) and have discussions at the various omni meetings. Get people into discussions, maybe prepare questions in advance. Give people the opportunity to talk about it and then afterwards give feedback.
    • Julian: I totally agree. ITs mostly that we wanted to get information out after the meeting. I think that something that would be really great would be for each delegate to check in with each collective that we are trying to have these conversations. I like Almaz' point that we should have specific questions to send out to the different groups.
  • Almaz: And also Kazoo's point, I know 7-10 people that had a bad experience. If you try to approach them they are not going to be interested in discussing things. They are already checked out. I sometimes say "come to the Omni" and people say "only if you come with me".
  • Kiwi: Also it would be good to have implicit bias training, on how to behave around people who are different from your background. For both racial and gendered conversations.
  • Kazoo: Implicit Bias training would be good for everyone. It would be a major task, but it would be good.
  • Steve: That would be really good, but it would involve a lot of a person looking in the mirror.
  • Kiwi: Thats why you need professionals. Need a trainer.
  • Joe: I have a suspicion that at the root of some of the things (incidents) is the feeling that people are worried about the Omni being hurt. The structure of the Omni is such that a few people have put in so much blood and sweat, its like a mother with their child. A person can go overboard thinking someone doesn't know how to do it right. Thats the part where information sharing and structure is really important. More training and information may help people deal with that issue. I'm sorry if that sounds too general, or too blaming, but I have a feeling that that is part of things.
  • Julian: My comment is potentially a change of topic. But its something that came up during our conversations. Both at last delegates assembly and during the side meeting. It was the concensus process. Maybe we are not all on the same page about how the concensus process is supposed to work. Blocks, etc. HElen was going to find a resource for concensus process so we could do a refresher around the process and how we practice consensus. Helen found one and sent out an email about it. Maybe we can have a discussion about this
    • www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus
    • Mary Ann: General thought, the working group will try to do a reportback in the future, but might take some time due to timing difficulties

Discussion out front working group?

Last minute announcement

  • Almaz: During meetings, sometimes people can make a large amount of noise while on the computers. During our last meeting this happened. I tried to bring it up with someone who was loud during our event, but the person was non-responsive and didn't want to keep quiet or move to the basement.
  • Almaz: Also, projectors for the Omni. Found one in the Sudo room, white one, is that sudo room projector or an Omni projector? I usually borrow the Lib Lens projector.
    • Rob: Someone from ABDC borrowed the white sudo room projector. The larger grey one is Nikki's and is essentially the OMnis (she is letting us use it). That lives in the AV room, and is typically there. Someone from ABDC borrowed it, but didn't return it to the AV room, so there was a few weeks where nobody knew where it was. The misplacement of the Projector was a misplacement.

Last Meeting Notes

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2018.04.19_Delegates_Meeting

End of Meeting

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