Event:2019/08/01 Delegates

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Omni Delegates' Meeting - Thursday, August 1st, 2019 7pm-9pm

for instructions on preparing and archiving these notes, please see the bottom

Agenda

  • Introductions [15 minutes]
    • Meeting Roles
    • Delegates Count
    • Access Check-in
  • Check-ins, Updates & Report-Backs [30 minutes]
    • Brief Announcements
    • Working Groups
    • Member Collectives
    • Conflicts, Mediation & Safe Space
  • Proposals
    • Phat Beets membership
    • Commons WG membership
    • Mutual Respect
    • Meeting Lease Agreements
    • Electing Omni Officers
    • Keycards for non-members


Introductions

  • Laura-remote
  • phil
  • marcus
  • dennis
  • mylan
  • ken
  • ian ccl
  • null
  • helen
  • tom ccl
  • roberto csc he/him
  • yar - sudo she, her
  • robb liblens he/him

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

  • WHY DO WE ASK PRONOUNS? To make space for people who are trans, nonbinary, gender noncomforming or otherwise vulnerable to being misgendered. It's not an invitation to make jokes or trivialize the idea of pronouns. If you are fine with the gender and pronouns society generally assigns to you, please just say what they are without fanfare or embellishment. Conversely, please don't pressure anybody to give their pronouns, as that can harm trans people who are closeted or questioning. The point is to prompt and normalize asking, but not to mandate or enforce. Thank you! <3 Yar

Access Check In

Is everybody able to participate fully in this meeting? Do people have unmet needs or concerns?

Meeting Roles

  • Facilitator/s: Phil and Yar
  • Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
  • Stacktaker: Marcus
  • Timekeeper:
  • Notetaker/s:
  • Vibe Reader:
  • Who will out next meeting's agenda beforehand:
  • Next meeting's facilitator(s):

Delegates

  • CCL: ian
  • CSC: roberto
  • FNB: helen
  • FYE: ?
  • GWS: ?
  • LL: Dennis
  • Sudo: yar
  • Quorum: yes

Brief Announcements

Working Group Report-Backs

Building & permits

Commons

Finance & Fundraising

  • Meetings: 2nd & 4th Mondays at 6pm
  • looking at new event booking software. we will probably have to pay for it so we will let delegates know about the top options and cost.
  • waiting to hear back from property tax

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?

CCL

  • no major updates

CSC

  • sat 8/17 12-4pm 4th annual comparte fest
  • omni collectives invited to table

FNB

  • grant to buy a truck finally came through

FYE

GWS

LL

  • sunday 8/18 5pm screening: wilmington on fire
  • workshop on doing interviews: camera, lights, sound

Sudo

  • no updates

Conflicts, Mediation & Safe Space

  • Updates for any ongoing issues
  • Has anybody been asked to leave? asked to leave

Proposals

Phat Beets Membership

Commons WG Membership

  • Helen sent to consensus Thu 4/18, briefly discussed Thu 6/6
  • https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-April/001688.html
  • https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-May/001744.html
  • https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/06/06_Delegates#helen.27s_commons_proposal
  • https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-July/001793.html
  • We at the OMNI value volunteerism - everyone is welcome to join one of our working groups. However, the Commons Working Group (CWG) is charged with signing legal contracts and handling others' money. They also supervise the events held by outside groups, to ensure that they meet the terms of the contracts. So we need some control over its membership. This proposal sets a high bar for membership.
  • Proposal: Members of the CWG must adhere to high levels of honesty and responsibility. When there is any evidence that a member has not met these high standards, the matter should be brought before the Delegates Assembly. Individuals can remain on the CWG only with "consensus - 1" of the delegates. (Individuals will be removed from the group unless all but one of the delegates agree that they can continue.) Proposals to remove a CWG member go through the usual consultation rocess, with the individual in question having the right to appear at a delegates' meeting to answer any concerns before any action is taken.
  • Note that a proposal to remove a member does not require consensus - "consensus -1" is required for a member to remain on the working group.

discussion

  • Helen: part of the reason things went so badly was because we didn't have processes in place to deal with it
  • Laura: suggest the proposal say that the individual in question leaves the meeting before the vote is taken.
  • roberto: what was process before?
    • helen: there was none before
    • yar: process before was delegates could make changes with full consensus, any person could block a change
  • yar isn't really a rules person but won't block this. sudoroom didn't discuss it at all, but nobody raised objections, so i will abstain
  • straw poll consenso: dennis, ian, helen, yar & roberto abstain
  • but we're going to wait so collectives have more time to talk about

Mutual Respect

discussion

  • helen: it might be more of a kvetch than a proposal. but needs attention.
  • marcus: what does that look like?
    • helen: like somebody having a temper tantrum because of a disagreement
  • marcus: how do you stop that?
    • you point out they're violating respect, ask them to apologize
    • withdrawn by Helen

Meeting Lease Agreements

  • Helen sent to consensus Tuesday 5/28, first discussed today
  • https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-May/001744.html
  • https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2019-July/001793.html
  • Any collective may find itself in financial difficulties. If a collective cannot meet its rent payment for a month, it should come to the Delegate's Assembly with a request for help. In solidarity, the assembly should appoint a committee to help that collective meet its commitment. For example, the delegates might help to organize a fundraiser. Or they might agree to a sweat-equity arrangement.
  • If a collective needs to change the terms any part of its lease it should come to the delegates' assembly with a proposal for new terms within one month. Even if the collective is unable to pay its rent, it retains full membership in the OMNI for three months, while the new terms are being negotiated. The delegates must prioritize finding ways to retain a current member collective. After 3 months, if a new lease has not been signed, the collective loses its voting rights, but retains its residency for another 3 months, as long as negotiations continue.
  • It is the responsibility of the collective in trouble to come to the Delegate's Assembly for help. It is the responsibility of the delegates to provide help, out of solidarity.
  • Laura: To clarify, this means that if agreement on new lease terms cant be reached in 6 months then the collective will be asked to leave or be evicted if they aren't willing to leave voluntarily, or their fiscal sponsorship will be terminated by the delegates if they are a fiscally sponsored project?
  • yar would replace "voting rights" with "right to block consensus"
  • ian thinks it needs more teeth - replace should report with must report
  • mylan suggests they should come to finance cmt before coming to delegates
  • robb says we should say delegates can extend the deadline
    • yar thinks it goes without saying
    • helen says might as well write it
    • laura: IF the deadline can be extended, what is the point of having a deadline?
    • yar: for situations when no consensus can be reached because the situation is too sticky. kind of an escape hatch. by my understanding
    • laura: I think if an agreement can't be readched in 6 months then the group should leave. It wastes too much of our energy to be involed with this kind of endless conflict. Then the group can reevaluate and propose to come back if they really want to.
    • yar: a consensus agreement to extend the deadline is an agreement :)
  • ian says we should come back with a revised proposal

discussion

Electing Omni Officers

Keycards for non-members

discussion

  • Robb - using the last example of when Yar gave Matt Teo a keycard and then he ran off, if the person who's vouching for someone what does it mean when they fuck up. Does the voucher loss their vouching rights for some time?
  • Yar - let's turn it around, what happens
  • I see this as a problem with a simple solution of having a clipboard that people sign in. Lot's of laughter.
  • Mylan - Let's have this "secretary" duty as part of your time credit
  • Yar - my goal is to have less doorbell rings. if someone is coming in often, then they should just get a key card.
  • Laura - we have to balance the needs for access and safety/security and convenience/less work.
  • Ian - I think engineering a new system for giving people access is a misuse of our talents, we should better utilize our existing engineering skillset to update current system
  • Mylan - I don't think we should punish people for giving good faith in giving someone a card and it turns out wrong, like we shouldn't be punishing Yar for taking faith in that dude. I think it's important that there's some temporary aspect to these new card.
  • Robb - I think this raises big questions. I don't think we should give the key card group any more power than they already have.
  • Yar - Anyone who wants to participate and vote on who's added should join the key card team.

Last Meeting Notes

https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2019/07/18_Delegates

End of Meeting

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