Event:2021/03/29 Commons

Commons WG Meeting Monday March 29, 2021

Attendees: Joe, Vicky, Yar, Anka, Roberto Meeting Roles: Facilitator:Roberto Notetaker: Joe, then Vicky Timekeeper: Vicky Stacktaker: Yar Yar Vibes Reader:

Previous Meeting Notes: (March 22, 2021) https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2021/03/22_CommonsRoberto: Last meeting was the first in 5-6 month and dealt with how to move forwardusing lsit of action a\items needed to reopen safely. That list is also pasted at the bottom of this meeting.

• Check in: Joe:proud to be taking notes. Vicky is preparing to get chickens-happy to be here. Yar:Very busy week trying to make room for Omni. Happy to be on WG team. Anka:Happy to be on WG to be and doing events again. Roberto loving the sun on his skin and excited for WG reconviening.

• Announcements:Silver Medic training will be happening soon. Vicky saying she issending pictures of entry to Yar as promised. Yar will put pics on the wiki tonight.

• Go over the re-opening actions item list. Talk about what resources we need to make it happen; who will work on it; when, etc.

Roberto asking attendees to look over the action item list below and reads it aloud - figure out integrating new contracts into current airtable system (1)

- airtable workshop (1) - find more people to do this work (2) - have restructuring/visioning convo (2) - organizing a declutter party (1) - vicky will take pics and yar will make wiki (1) - developing better covid protocols with reopening (1) - inventory of hygiene supplies (1) - figure out where noma will be relocated yar suggests an on-site brainstorming party (1) - make list of former orgs/groups that were renting space at omni (1.5) - organizing virtual events: land trust convo, dean spade n mutual aid, community banking, safer diy spaces.(1.5) - How to make space cheaper, easier, accessible for community. Having a feedbackloop with event rentals (2) -Rename Rooms (2)

Si Omni. Thelver we give discount to non-profits and wants to be able to give discounts to other groups who don't have 501c3 or resources. Vicky:Was the above issue the same before the new contract system was divised. Yar:yes this was the problem that this mew re=egiem was meant to solev. Now an inincorpoeated group ca sign a contract that is an Omni event, deputized byOmni and the money omni pays them is Roberto:Some people may not even have money to have an event. Maybe those groups can pay in other ways. This goes with the idea. of how others are related to OC. Now all relationships are trahsactional. Yar:Maybe we can make it cheaper ane more equitable for people to hold event s at OC Yes we should make it easier for people to do work exchange. Anka: I will need to go to LL meeting.

Roberto; wants to rename rooms at OC so that they will reflect radical progressive values. Assigning action items with WG member: OC now uses Airtable (AT) because it was part of Place' way of operating.Silver is very familiar with Airtable. Checking if all WG members have AT. Roberto: We all new to be able to use AT and we should have a taining. Silver will help us get up on AT. Silver:Contract details are written separately and then uploaded into contract. Roberto: We all need to get access to AT. Can we share AT thru email.

  Yar: All need to be carefull about sharing access to AT.I will put it into the googlechat.
  Roberto:Perhaps we should have a group training in two weeks. Next item is more volunteers
  Yar;First we need structures that mnake it easier to bring in people
  Silver:Yes I remember haow hard it was.  Abasci training program is important. Orientation is very important also.  For events a set up and a differend=t break down team.
  
  Vicky:Are we talking about coming to meetings or hosting events.
  Roberto:For a long time events was our total work.We need people to create events and do the work to get ready ot host events.We just need to ask people.
  Silver:Good to steward other people when you are hosting an event.Hosting should give credit to host events. At Place we host our own events and split the funds taken in.
  Vicky: How much are events atOC?
  Silver It depends onday of week, room used etc.
  Yar:I have moved  -------pages to the Wiki
  Vicky Lets say I want the Ballroom for a Band thats is coming to Oakland.
  Roberto:You give OC a deposit and makke and agreement how to split the door.
  Vicky: how much does a four-hour event cost on a weekend

• • https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Lease_Policy_and_Fee_Structure

  Joe: on a fri/sat with no alcohol we'd try to get a minimum of $1000
  Yar: and that's when we were trying to get $4-5k per month, but now we will have to make more money so we may have to raise that. that's our tight rope we'll have to walk. I want people with more money to subsidize people who can't afford as much. Think the places we have the most wiggle room is where we can make process easier and less annoying so the money isn't such an issue.
  Roberto: before we were barely making the target money. but we weren't using the commons at full capacity, there were weekends with no events. we can definitely get more income at that price range if we use the space.
  Silver: yeah if we fill the rooms and spaces seven days a week we can have events still be cheap.
  Yar: my dream is that someone can walk in and just pay for a room because it's empty, minimal paperwork.
  Joe: i'm very interested in the item of contacting people who've rented from us before to see if they want to write up contracts with us.

• Vicky: i hear that we definitely need to take responsibility for the calendar - meeting the mark - and if there aren't enough people renting then we produce events.
  • roberto: that'd be a great idea. cuz if it's not being used on the weekend, shit, let's use it! activate the space
  • vicky: that's a nice way we can secure money. like if i know that this upcoming month there's only 2 events and we're not gonna make our mark, but i know of some ways i can just throw an event, do i have to pay money upfront to host an event when it's really just doing omni a favor? like these virtual events we wanna do - noma's workshop yesterday made $2200. if omni had at least one event per month like that, taht'd be huge. virtual events with no upfront costs could subsidize the in-person events. it could be a symbiotic relationship?
  • Silver: yeah, i don't think that convo was imaginable before becuase things were done differently. it's hard cuz when you lose money you're not going to want to do that again. i'd love clarity on that, if omni members can host free events

Roberto: maybe this can be part of the revisioning conversation because this all ties together, and it's how we all relate to each other as members of commons and the community at large. Seems like we just need to schedule that convo and make time for it.

• yar: i would want to have a visioning process in terms of what are the ways we even think about things that happen here, and the language we use to describe it. renting, events, meetings, etc. and also how to keep ourselves in an abundance mindset rather than scarcity mindset. scarcity mindset is "nobody's using it right now but we can't let you use it for free, we have to keep the room empty, to reiterate that it has monetary value"
• Roberto: going back to how we can bring more people into this work, we can revisit the checklist we used to have, update it and familiarize it, to make sure it's clear and complete.
• Silver: wanna add that it's not hard to find people, but it's hard to assume that anyone off the street would want to steward events for free labor. I would love to just host one event for free.
• vicky: i used to be part of a similar building in [redacted]. just being able to book shows without paying out of pocket, that's all i wanted. we were all broke but music was our life. it seems so clear that if the incentive was that we don't have to pay for events but we can take a cut (because that's the favor we're doing in omni). thank you folks who invited me to commons wg.
• Silver: gtg bye! clarify about robb - I don't mind being in this meeting with him, but do want to remember that robb has made it difficult for people to use commons, especially poc. just want to remember that when we're decided who is in which group stewarding space.
• Yar: to build off what silver said, i think one way to move through that without canceling people, to be really clear early on in a visioning process about what we're about, what we're agreeing to, and what our goals to. it gives more ground to reflect back on when there's conflict, and then it can be less personal. the issue with robb isn't just a personal problem, it's a structural omni problem. if we don't make space to revision how we're doing events then we're just gonna fall back into capitalist systems.
• Roberto: this convo is critical for how we are gonna move forward as a collective, and is maybe what we need to do before we keep moving forward. should we schedule restructuring/visioning convo?

Vicky: is this for everyone in Omni? Roberto: not necessarily, just about commons- thinking about commons as working coop maybe, or also not just renting out rooms but putting on our own events, who's empowered to do that work, etc. Yar: i was thinking about having an acknowledgement that there will need to be paid labor, and we want the way people are paid to be equitable and agreed upon by everyone involved. that's what i'm thinking about when i'm calling it a [non-profit] cooperative (not privately owned). i'm not talking about something where people are getting dividends, just where people are getting paid for their labor with no management level that's deciding that outside the collective. that's what i understand cooperative non-profits to mean. Roberto: would that be the only topic in this convo? Yar: the big thing is the acknowledgement and acceptance of paid labor, cuz once you acknowledge that you understand this becomes an important part of peoples livelihoods. that kind of responsibility requires structure for sustainability. i think it's the only way it's going to be sustainable, if we figure out a way for people to get paid systematically. Roberto: seems like we're facing a shift, an evolution of the commons to be sustainable and fair, which is a process that will take time to process and develop. Yar: it's been happening, and in ways that are not intentional, just in ways that happen in the moment out of urgency in ways that aren't reflective of values that end up being inequitable. Roberto: what is most pressing issue? there is a lot of dialogue and structure building that needs to happen... how do we prioritize the tasks? want to ask the question: what kind of work is the commons working group doing? on paper we are stewards of the commons, but on paper it's not clear that we're events organizers.

Roberto: we gotta set up decluttering party Yar: vicky will send me pics Vicky: i did Yar: i will put them on wiki and send them out to people Roberto: when is decluttering party? 2 weeks from now to give people time to respond about items? april 10th ish Roberto: idea is to declutter, but will we need to rent dumpster or do dump run? we'll need to figure out who has truck or car. Yar: i'll do information gathering Vicky: i can figure out a vehicle. Roberto: i can't be at Omni in person but i can help virtually

~developing better covid protocols~ Roberto: we have existing covid protocol paper, don't know how often it's followed. do we even have proper equipment, like to take temp at door , etc Vicky: i want us to have protocol to have safe reputation as establishment Yar: i feel overwhelmed by concept of institutional body language but idk how to translate that to other people following protocol

Roberto: can we look at action list and prioritize them into tiers, things that need to happen now and things that can wait?

timetable:

- airtable workshop (1) - everyone log in and look it over, touch base 4/5 - organizing a declutter party (1) - 4/10 tentative party date - vicky will take pics and yar will make wiki (1) - pics sent, yar sending email and making wiki - developing better covid protocols with reopening (1) - talk about it 4/5 - inventory of hygiene supplies (1) - roberto will ask robb to do this this weekend - figure out where noma will be relocated yar suggests an on-site brainstorming party (1) - vicky putting on noma meeting agenda, try to determine location within next 2 weeks

revist these items for next meeting and set dates: - make list of former orgs/groups that were renting space at omni (1.5) - organizing virtual events: land trust convo, dean spade n mutual aid, community banking, safer diy spaces.(1.5) - find more people to do this work (2) - have restructuring/visioning convo (2) - How to make space cheaper, easier, accessible for community. Having a feedbackloop with event rentals (2) -Rename Rooms (2)