Event:2015/08/20 Delegates Meeting

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--- Weekly Omni Delegates' Meeting - August 20, 2015

Who's Here?

Meeting Roles

  • Facilitator/s: joe, jose
  • Explanation of hand signals: "deaf applause", "raised hand", "point of process", "direct response"(wildcard), etc.
  • Stacktaker: dusty
  • Timekeeper: laura
  • Notetaker/s: yar
  • Vibe Reader: dusty
  • Next weeks facilitator(s):

Delegates

  • BAPS: jose
  • CCL: Jacob Statnekov
  • FNB: joe
  • MPM: inactive
  • OptikAllusions: liz
  • Sudo Room: matt/yar
  • TIL:
  • WGS: rachel
  • Quorum: yes

Introductions

Introduce yourself: Name; Prefered Pronoun; Affiliation; why you're here and what you hope to get out of hte meeting (if you're new)

  • laura, baps
  • rachel, gws, first meeting. lori filled me in. finding out what it is, how you work, how we can participate
  • yar, sudo
  • robb, sudo & lulzlux
  • liz, opal
  • dusty, nonaffiliated, moving to davis next week, excited to be here.
  • joe, fnb, first time facilitating
  • jacob, ccl
  • troy, omnibrarian, sudoroom board member
  • jose, baps
  • matt senate, sudo

Announcements

  • The Omni will be featured on SF MOMA's relaunch of their community facing blog, "Open Space" in the fall / winter. They send a list of questions, we answer. The topic for the relaunch is "Ownership". We'll also be featured in conversation with Dena Beard, from "The Lab" and have the opportunity to do a follow up later on, if we choose to develop any kind of public programming around this (a public conversation, etc.). If you have questions or would like to participate in formulating the Omni's responses to the questions put forth by SF MOMA for this publication, you can contact Niki, Joe, Yar, Sadie, Libbie or Cere to loop you in.
    • dusty wants to be involved
  • Matt: San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music wants to meet with omni folks to write grants and have music events here

Bans

  • robb worries about people propping doors open. almost banned a regular for propping open shattuck door
    • laura: policy is door should be closed, except for members of collectives, or unless a member takes responsibility for a visitor

Working Group Report-Backs

Building & permits

Meetings: Mondays at 8pm

Becoming Omni

  • planning process finished up on sunday, broken off into working groups
  • notes from sunday's event: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2015/08/16_Becoming_Omni
  • yar and joel are the "working within the system" group. needs delegates to get their collectives involved. first step is to pick a time which works for everyone
  • Other working groups are:
    • facilitation
    • rugrats for the revolution (childcare)
    • "something magical" (fun & decor)
    • "it's on" (neighborhood outreach)
  • If you know people that have been wanting to get involved, this is a great chance.
  • jose: is this the same as CDC?
    • laura: came out of that
  • Rob wanted to know if the collectives came up with the working groups, or, or basically trying to get a temperature check on the buy-in from the collectives.
    • Yar: That's my job. Lot's of folks don't know what it is. Joel and I are going to meetings and we're going to try.
  • Troy: Did we get a synthesis to print out the notes?
    • Yar: I have been working on that. and I linked to the wiki of Becoming here.

Commons

Meetings: Sundays 7pm

Communications

Finance

Meetings: Every other Thursday at 7pm

Buy the Building

Meetings: Mondays at 6:30pm

  • this week's notes: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2015/08/17_Until_the_Revolution_Working_Group
  • Yar: We're trying our best, got access to our lawyer...good advice. the first proposal for the meeting is here, to add people who can talk to the lawyer.
  • Our target is still to buy the building by October
  • We will make a proposal to the delgates about taking on debt, becasue we will be borrowing about half of the total cost.
  • We will be letting people know the details as they develop.
  • We are interpreting the approval to move quickly to buy the building to mean we can rack up more lawyers fees.
  • He charges $115 an hour.
  • We have gotten advice for SELC, but Jesse is our actual lawyer who we need to run everything by.
  • Jesse would like someone who is on the board to sign the waiver of conflict of interest forms between OMni and FNB, BACLT, and the fee agreement.
    • yar brought these forms
  • matt estimated a ~34% expense reduction

Proposals

Lawyer Liaisons

  • Proposal to add new lawyer liaisons: Laura Turiano, Daniel Arauz, Robert Benson
    • Delegates in favor: jacob, yar/matt, liz, jose, joe
    • abstaining: rachel. passes.

La Commune

proposal

At the July 30 delegates meeting, La Commune gave their 30-days notice. At the August 6 delegates meeting, there was doubt about whether this notice was in good faith, because maybe some members wanted to stay longer. On August 13 the delegates decided to honor the original 30 days notice. The status quo now is that LC will move out by September 1.

The confusion has made it harder to find a replacement. As far as I know, we have no candidates ready to move in 12 days. Meanwhile La Commune is struggling to move their things and return money to their investors.

The remaining LC members have proposed to rent another month to hold a liquidation sale for all their books. They are also willing to move out earlier, prorate rent or coexist flexibly with a new tenant moving in. At any time, they will need about a week's notice to totally remove all their things.

This proposal is NOT meant to cause more confusion. If it doesn't pass, things will stay as they are and LC can move out in time for a new tenant on Sep 1. But if it does pass, that's one less tough decision and one less budget shortfall Omni has to worry about in the immediate future.

The fundraising working group expects to buy the building before October 1, and the Becoming Omni process will probably happen around then.

discussion

  • joe: i think it's a very good idea. gives us a lot of extra time to work things out. i think we need more discussion about what happens to that room. is it ready to rent out as-is?
  • matt: what exact LC members are there at this point? not strongly opinionated. no strong candidates yet. need to consider deposit, etc. beautiful wonderful exciting opportunity: ken from BAAM & fermentation station wants to make front room common space part of the building that's also an indoor market w/corralls. phat beets & ccl could sell products at tables, etc. face in front of the omni.
    • yar: Niki, Steve and Owen ahve all told me they have left Lc. SO the only official decsion makers are David and Pam. Se=teve and Owen have both said they will come and help if there is a month long liquidation sale. Niki is still seseking conflict resolution with David, and may come to help
  • Rob: good idea with all the ambiguity. will buy us time
  • Laura: support this idea. agree we need to put thought & consideration into front space. even if we're all totally enthusiastic about matt's idea, would take longer than a month to put that together. should be at least 3 people to take on the job of sheparding that room. not me :)
  • troy: what would that involve?
  • joe: does "front room" mean the whole bar/cafe or just part of it?
    • matt: i just mean what's currently la commune
    • joe: so all that is a market?
    • troy: leave the socialist green couch so people can meet
  • joe: i don't like the idea of the first thing you run into being people selling things. didn't like it with the bookstore, but this amplifies it
    • matt: don't worry joe. i'll sit and talk with you later
  • delegates in favor: liz, joe, yar/matt, jose, rachel, jacob. passes
  • yar: i think LC's drama has taught us our community needs as many social pillars as possible. would rather invite new groups in than just use the space by existing groups, because we need more groups here in general
  • matt: want to talk about how we assess damage of the room. please put on agenda for next week
  • troy: in response to bringing in more people, having hte place humming, has anyone tried an orientation process?
    • yar: yes, lots have. becoming is our best hope right now, so get involved in that

Shower Use Policy

via Niki, 6/30/15 Today about 6 different people came by asking me how they can use the shower upstairs. I think we now need to make clear that the shower is for use by those who participate in the stewardship of this space, and / or put some general guidelines in place. It's important to me that we're able to make this resource available but it's certainly unclear to most people using it what this space is and who cares for it. Additionally, Gabby needs to have access to the shower during business hours for her work so we should at the very least establish hours when people can use the shower. "The shower is only available between the hours xx-xx (TBD) and is for use by Omni community members. The Omni has no staff and so we rely on our collective work to maintain this space. If you would like to use the shower, we request that you participate in the Omni's care and community. See the chore chart for ways that you can contribute."

Laura's friendly amendment: "The shower is for use by Omni community members only. It is only available during the following hours: 

  Monday through Friday, 2pm-9am
  Saturday and Sunday, all day

The Omni has no staff. We rely on our collective work to maintain this space - that is why it is a commons. If you would like to use the shower, we request that you: participate in the Omni's care and community. clean the shower and the shower room after you use it. See the chore chart or the 'Help Wanted' bulletin board near the main door for ways that you can contribute to the Omni, or speak to an active participant in the community." I would also propose that, if this doesn't work out after a month or so, we keep the door locked and if people without a key want to use the shower they have to find someone with a key to agree to let them in. Then if someone isn't participating or cleaning up we can let each other know and figure out a solution or not let them use the shower any more.

Liz & Matt's revision of Laura's friendly amendment: "The shower is for use by members of Omni Commons member-collectives and their guests. Due to the constraints of time, sharing, and typical operations by Omni Commons participants, the shower is NOT available during the following hours: Mon, Weds, Fri 9am - 2pm (see diagram) The Omni has no staff. We rely on our collective work to maintain this space -- that is why it is a commons. If you would like to use the shower, we request that you: participate in the Omni's care and community. clean the shower and the shower room after you use it. Do not store personal items in the shower room; take everything with you when you leave. See the chore chart or the 'Help Wanted' bulletin board near the main door for ways that you can contribute to the Omni, or speak to an active participant to find out more." (Liz can make this signage)

discussion

  • yar: this would sit better with me, if we had more ways for people to get involved. I think there are a lot of missed opportunities here. would like to propose that if we have more regular open circles, attending those counts as being an active participant. slippery slope to being a gated community.
  • matt: we can say in a month, if this doesn't work out, that the shower is no longer common space, locked with a key
  • joe: basic discrepancy between niki's & laura's.
  • robb: "community members" seems ambiguous. key to the whole room? not available for members?
    • matt: i was suggesting only available for members and you'd have to ask for a key
    • troy: i was reading on the pad it could be opened designated times
    • laura: that's because gabby needs to rinse out her screen-printing things sometimes
  • liz: as someone underhoused and has to use a shower, the hours are restrictive. i found it best to use way after hours, 2/3 am when nobody else is around. we should limit it based on gabby's hours. if it's members only, might as well have available.
    • this happened as a friendly amendment
  • rachel: clarifying what a member means. it means member of a member collective
    • yar: every group has their own policies, some are very ambiguous
  • joe: thanks yar, need to have more ways to get involved. some member collectives are esoteric and don't know what to do with street people. i would be happy to steward shower at some hours, like wednesdays and sundays for example. great to be able to shower when you don't have a home. changes your whole perception. i could be the staff person who makes appointments, guides people in & out, cleans, etc
  • jose: are you saying people could have access to omni just to use shower? other day i asked someone why they're coming in, they said "i'm just coming here". didn't knwo what to say. should i just let them in?
    • yar: whatever you want, as a member of a collective you have the right and the responsibility to take people in and host them as your guest
    • robb: if they are part of a collective they should have a key. not clear to me if members are alloewd to sponsor or take responsibliity for someone else. are nonmembers allowed to use the shower if they're someone's guest?
    • matt: proposal says members and their guests
  • joe: seems disingenuous to call everyone my guest who shows up and takes a shower. i'd rather see it approved as a procedure
    • yar: but i don't want us to need approval for everything we do
    • joe: but i don't want to call them my guests
    • yar: why not?
    • joe: because i want us to specifically have a process for providing resources for margnialized people, not just fudge it under my own membership
  • rachel: i work at rainbow grocery, constnat debate about homeless people using the bathrooms, i always push for peoples' rights. shouldn't just be somethign joe takes on but something we all agree to.
  • laura: if we decide on specific open shower hours, that opens up a whole realm of implications that i'm not sure we're compeltely ready to take on. none of our groups provide personal services. food is outside the building. there'd need to be a lot more thought than just joe taking care of the showers. implications for who we are, and what sort of ancilarry things we'd have to take care of. have any of you worked in orgs that provide these services? it's extremely challenging for a number of reasons.
  • dusty: it's hard to find people to sit at the front door a couple horus a week. if that's our capacity, then showers are outside of what we can do. i'm not prepared for people lining up for showers. wouldn't know what to do, or how to respond to conflict & trauma happening there. afraid to walk into this. if we do it, want more confidence and dedication from us, for providing services to people and what they bring into the space
  • troy: i don't have a key. lady on sunday confronted me: "how are you gonna take responsibility for me? follow me around?" i propose resources get used freely by those who can offer only limited things. concept of reciprocity. Know the issue of the door will change dramatically, will dedicate 2 hours a week for a door shift, thinks that this shoudl be a mandatory of sorts.
  • Matt: A deep question, we should celebrate this. It's part of what, say, food not bombs does, and related to our stress around the door and such. How do we define commons? We don't have a shared understanding of this. I agree that the shower got "blown up," we have to deal with this that it's become an issue. I believe that how the shower works and how the space works is going to have to change and it is changing in parallel. We should set up interem solution that works with a lot of people and come back to it and kick ass with a sense that it is happening in solidarity. It's relevant that we say, in this decision, that it's not just Joe, we are sayiing that Joe has a proposal and we see it's relevance. We can combine the proposals, add, know that it shoudl change, and try to move forward.
  • robb: Sounds like were talking about 2 things. Limit shower for Gabby, and openning to public. Seems implied that members and sponsored can take showers. What Joe may be doing is openning it to general public and I think this is pre-mature. If someone slipped and fell and it's out there that we're open and that is a serious legal issue that we are not prepared to deal with.
  • Laura: That we agree for something made in the interim. This is one of the underlying issues in Becoming: What is the purpose of the omni? If it's to be a homeless resource center, then right on, if its something else then that's it. This is a fundamental piece of what we're working on.
  • yar: i'm ok calling all solutions interim. not gonna risk the whole building by getting burned out on this issue. figure it out later. but object to dichotomy of "homeless resource center" vs anything else. omni has always had homeless ORGANIZERS. it's not just a charity model here.
  • Laura: Providing services as a main activity to people who are homeless is an extremely challenging task and I want to be very clear about this.
  • Liz: Can we put a sign on the shower regarding Gabby's hours and have a much bigger conversation about this process later? it would say hours NOT available, and general rules/guidelines. and ask people to please participate if they're going to use the shower.
    • laura: proposal isn't to put a lock on the door. just to post a sign.
  • joe: ok, any concerns? recognize non-use hours, guidelines, and expectations.
    • delegates in favor: liz, jose, joe, rachel, jacob
    • delegates abstaining: yar/matt. passes.

Liberation Ministries

membership proposal

Liberation Ministries is a new church led by Pastor Cheryl Ward. We are seeking a space to have our Sunday services and where we can participate in a community working for social justice.

1. Mission statement We endeavor to be change agents in our local community and globally, and turn whatever space we are in into a change agency. Our commitment is to transforming lives. We do ministry but it's not a ministry unless we are transforming lives. We are not a traditional church. We welcome EVERYBODY. The core of it is love. Our goal is tobe loving and non-judgmental.

We have trans, same sex loving, black, white, asian, Latino, Native American members etc.

2. Origin and group history Cheryl has 36 years in ministry, community organizing, and activism, and has pastored 3 churches. This is a brand new congregation in formation, looking for a place to hold Sunday worship services and committing ourselves to social justice activism in the city. There is a board of directors of five members, who operate under a shared governance policy. As a general rule, Cheryl and at least one of the board representatives will meet regarding building issues.

3. Participation in the Omni We see the richness of the collective and the opportunity to really transform this neighborhood, as well as to bring the community into the things that are going on here.

How does your group intend to use the space? What are your needs? 9-12 on Sundays for services in the ballroom; an office space ifavailable; some private space for counseling sessions; use of a space every Friday nite for a hangout for teens. We are willing to be flexible about sharing the available spaces with others Offering big flat screen TV abt 46" and a floor model big screen t.v. for shared use and use with teens for movies, video games etc. Just brought a Hammond B3 Organ to the Omni for shared use. Working on obtaining other musical instruments. Brought 6 additional pews to the Omni.

We will actively conduct a door-to-door campaign to meet neighbors and inform them of our presence and find out the needs of the community.

4. Group finances and paying rent 

   What does your group do to support itself financially?

Write grants, Sunday offerings, and contributions from supporters What is your best plan for contributing your potential share of rent to the Omni? Rent $250 - $300 a month to start but we can negotiate an increase once revenue generation of the above begins

5. Dedicated space 

   Office desk and filing cabinet

6. Other contributions to the Omni

Help with cosmetic maintenance like painting We can use our relationship with the Conservation Corps to invite them to come in to help on building work Help make vending machines now in CCL happen with snacks for the teens who come to our Friday night event Work with MPM and BAPS. Cheryl has a collaboration with Peralta Colleges and would seek to have a printing press class. Printing of items and books could serve as a source of revenue generation. Young people could could learn and get credit Talk to paint store (Frazee) about using their parking lot on Sundays or other times. 

7. Additional
   We would be here to be a contributor, not to subtract anything from the Omni. If we're not contributing we don't need to exist.

discussion

  • laura: cheryl's not able to make it tonight. liberation ministries wants sunday services 9-11 or 10-12 in the ballroom. also space for desk & filing cabinet, and private counseling space. new church, open to everyone, say they're diverse. community based, social justice focused. want to host youth hangout on friday evenings - activities, discussions, movies for teens. lots of ideas for supporting omni. congregation will help building & painting. btw i'm a completely militant atheist
  • yar: are they a collective?
    • laura: shared governance policy
    • yar: sounds like a no
  • joe: i met with them, was impressed. flexible about things she was sure wouldn't fly. seems to know lynice
  • dusty: yar's question is important, but i'm in support of having something like this. would bring new people into the space. support faith based or spiritual thing happening here, woudl be really really cool. i don't go to church but would be nice.
  • robb: already groups here which are unclear. but this is plainly not. also, would we be open to the public prematurely? legal issue. Ballroom is going to be approved for public use soon so it may be a mute point but I think it's an important issue.
    • matt: no, the way you advertise is what makes it public, and someone has to complain
    • laura: if they become a member, their members aren't members of the public
    • matt: for a legal church, you have to be hierarchical, and you have to have public meetings. There were relevant questions on the email thread, some questions: Are they willing to forego some sunday sessions?
    • Joe: They said yes, that this may happen 3,4,5 times a year.
    • Laura: In general she was very flexible, like if they had to go into the basement that would be okay.
    • yar: cmon there's legal "churches" that are way more secretive than an omni group.
  • matt: there was banter about whether they're interfaith. how do they partner with other religous groups? muslims?
    • laura: she's very ecumenical. not worried about other omni peoples' religions. they don't proselytize. she will love everyone no matter what. who she works with depends more on their liberatory philosophy than their opinion on the bible.
    • matt: i mean is this an opportunity to connect with other religious groups?
    • laura: joe, do you think she has connections with other faith communites and be willing to work with them?
    • joe: her site says "jesus is the lord". her real purpose is to do social justice work. ministry is sort of ... a habit she has. if we're gonna rule out christian baptists you're ruling out 80% of the black community
  • robb: are they wanting to be a member collective going to meetings? [yes]
  • Liz: What is their timeline?
  • Joe: They have already moved in their organ! She said that she has some connection with the paint store, that she could get that for parking and we would jump right on that.
  • Yar: Just about their need for desk and filing cabinent. Already have groups that have requested lockable space and...are they okay with also sharing Timeless office?
  • Laura: It doesn't have to be locked, they just need a small space to put the desk and cabinent.
  • Rob: There are spaces
  • Matt: what are the other groups?
  • Yar: Women's Global Strike...

La Commune Deposit and Damage Assessment

TABLED to 8/27


End of Meeting

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