DNC Board meeting minutes
April 26 2012
Present: Harold, Kelvin, Wendy, Roland, Ann, Ivan
Guests: Dave D, Jacek
Agenda
1. Opening and introductions
2. Committee reports
a) Street market
b) DTES Not for Developers
c) Homeless shelters committee
d) LGBTI2Q
e) Police committee
f) LAPP
3. Board business
g) Treasurer report
h) Board development
i) General meeting
4. New business
a) Taskforces
b) Pipelines
1. OPENING AND INTRODUCTIONS
- Opening by Kelvin
- Opening by Kelvin
2. COMMITTEE REPORTS
2.A. STREET MARKET
Roland
- We tried the fixed-ticket-price at the street market this week and it was very successful. The amount of tickets sold matched exactly with the amount of money that we ended up with.
- We also broke the record for the amount of money made
- Vendors like the table-rental deal because they know they make more money if they have a table.
- The market has made $595 since January. And even more importantly the month of April is looking like it may be a $500 month.
Ann
- Tell your friends to bring things down to the market and donate them to DNC
2.B. DTES NOT FOR DEVELOPERS COALITION
Ivan
- Since the Development Permit Board decision on Monday we held a meeting Tuesday at 11am to debrief the meeting and plan next steps. There were 50 people there and it was very encouraging
- Today some sub-committees met and outlined the meetings we have tomorrow and Tuesday.
- The Intro to Civil Disobedience meeting Friday at 2pm will be broken up into history, safety and organizing, and why civil disobedience.
Harold
- We also talked about the townhall we are organizing Tuesday to plan the next steps of the coalition
- The problems we were talking about included how to work on local issues without being isolated, and to expand the politics of the campaign.
- We are also worried that if we expand out coalition out of the neighbourhood that we might lose our emphasis on homeless people, Aboriginal people and colonialism
Ivan
- The agenda for the townhall meeting Tuesday is:
- Campaigns (DTES specific and city or province-wide)
- Organization (DTES specific and committee structure, and city/province network)
Wendy
- Remember to include timeline of what is coming up
2.C. HOMELESS SHELTER COMMITTEE
Roland
- It was interesting to meet with the director of the shelter, the power dynamics were completely switched.
- There were 1,500 people who went through First United in the past month
- Also met with Noreen who is a woman staying at the shelter and who is very connected. She told us about the meetings with women at the shelter, and what they asked for that is not being done. It's a good step because we have had only about five women coming to our shelter organizing meetings.
Wendy
- Karen O'Shaughnercy should be ashamed because you are doing such good work with First United with the approval of management and she blocked you.
Jacek
- The Lookout client advisory board is structured to stop homeless people from meaningfully participating
Roland
- At the Greater Vancouer shelter advisory panel they said that they wanted to have formerly homeless people involved in their work. We said that we are both formerly homeless and that everyone in the DNC shelter committee is formerly or actively homeless.
- They were very happy that we were there and were finally chasing after us.
2.D. LGBTI2Q MEETING SATURDAY
Tami
- The first meeting of the LGBTI2Q committee is Saturday 3pm. Move it to Jacob's Well.
Ivan
- I think we should organize this through targeted calling and postering
- I'll make a poster.
Tami
- I'll coordinate people to call.
2.E. POLICE COMMITTEE
Ann
- The police committee is working on research about how much money is spent on policing and how many arrests are happening. We need to put together research in a way that is understandable.
- We tend to go out to do our most organized patrols on Friday nights after our police committee meetings. And I think they're hiding from us.
- We finally had a meeting with the VPD about The Beat TV. They're done filming now so we're kind of screwed because they have their footage.
- I think we finally got a meeting about this because Jamie was complaining about his harassment and character defamation by Constable Sean Shipper.
- At the meeting they said that we should not issue so many police complaints because it's white noise, they won't pay attention to us anymore. And they said that we should not be so aggressive. But that's the only way we got our meeting.
- Come to the police committee meetings, 6pm on Fridays at Ann's.
2.F. LAPP COMMITTEE
Wendy
- There is a LAPP committee meeting on Governance on Saturday from 10am to 2pm at Native Health. It will be the last weekend meeting. It was a cave-in to Scott Clark about Alive's letter.
- The meeting agenda will include: conflict resolution process; opening and closing protocol principles.
Kelvin
- There is friction in the LAPP between Alive and AFD because Alive has attacked AFD openly and insulted its elder. I take that seriously.
- The work I do in this community is not because I'm being paid. I get very hurt and offended when people assault and can't come to our doors and say the things they need to say.
- This individual has been a problem everywhere he goes but we're forced to deal with him anyhow
- We're going to this meeting reluctantly but we're going anyhow.
Wendy
- The meeting Saturday is in Native Health on the second floor
- I don't think it's going to be too bad, we're not going to lose too much ground on the terms of reference because Penny does not support revisiting the TOR.
Ann
- Can we just ask people to leave if they're going to constantly disrupt things? Can we make a motion to do this?
Wendy
- It is our goal to use as much democratic process as possible to make the space fair and comfortable to everyone and disrupt disruptors when they arise.
- The other thing that's coming up is the Social Impact Study. The city has promised to do this for two years. Last year our group got the city on the right track, and the city didn't like it so they closed it down and now it's back. It seems like it's pretty weak.
- As is the city Social Impact Study will be tasked with identifying “Social Impact Indicators,” like rent increases and feeling welcome. But it will not be able to stop or slow development, just identifying problems.
- CCAP is also funding an independent social impact study series with people in the neighbourhood.
- The biggest problem with the LAPP is that Penny is saying that she demands Ivan be taken off as DNC co-chair.
- My initial instincts on this, and maybe they're wrong. I was really concerned about the action at city hall that was the week before, that we not have too much edgy stuff. That we not go too far, that we not push too far. There was less unpredictability and it was all planned.
- In this situation the police provoked it, but from an outside point of view, an outsider could say why is this extremely large man screaming his head off, and dismiss us.
- I'm totally fine with going for it on the street, and having really well organized discussions about civil disobedience. We have to make sure there are places for everyone of every comfort level to participate.
Roland
- It will always be a tactic used by the media and the government to always use the right camera shot to make us look bad.
- But also there's a very real reason that Sinn Finn and the IRA were separate bodies, because it's hard to be a soldier and negotiate at the same time.
- But it's one thing to make that decision in advance and plan it and another to capitulate to pressure from the city.
Kelvin
- AFD feels that Ivan should not resign from the committee. We appreciate his work on the LAPP and outside the LAPP in organizing the community.
Harold
- I don't feel that Penny should be able to dictate to DNC what we do with our committee members and who represents our groups on the LAPP committee.
- If Penny does it now, who else is she going to push off, for what actions and why?
- But I also think that maybe Ivan's time could be better spent elsewhere. There's so much other work going on too.
- It's really hard to make a decision with few board members here and it also concerns our other allies on the committee as well. If the city keeps pushing that we have to do this and we have to do that then it becomes a constant pressure on us.
Jacek
- It's not even appropriate to propose to take someone off the committee unless she has something to offer back.
Wendy
- Penny suggested that she could pull the plug on the LAPP process
Ann
- The frustration in the group is very high. It doesn't feel like we're doing any productive planning.
- We could also write a thoughtful letter that says that our decisions are made through careful process and discussions and Ivan does not have a cult where he always gets his own way.
- There is an additional dynamic that makes this a problem, that Ivan gets wages through Carnegie which they see as a city building and institution.
Dave
- I'm sorry if I made things worse by stepping in when the cops attacked Ivan
- Ivan was not just yelling about something, he was criticizing the problem with the meeting in the room
- We should not buy into the media story and the city's story that we were violent. The police attacked us for making a critical argument.
- Also, this was not LAPP that organized this, it was the coalition.
Ivan
- It's not about me. It's about the power dynamics. They are isolating me to push back our resistant forms of negotiating and organizing and policing how we organize.
Kelvin
- The accusations from this person slanderizing, Ivan needs to decide what to do with that information and how to respond.
Wendy
- So we can respond to Penny with a letter about how we see what happened
- If they continue to insist that we have to get rid of Ivan from the LAPP or they'll fold the committee then we need to talk about it again.
Roland
- It's clear that the City has no intention of doing what is decided by this committee, so if Penny wants to fold the committee and be so petty then let her go ahead.
Ann
- This whole process is where we learn and radicalize and gain all kinds of experience
Ivan
- Should I come to the governance meeting Saturday or will it trigger everyone in the wrong way?
- AGREED: Will go.
Tami
- I felt like I did at the Chinatown Heights review: we lost the battle but we're winning the war of organizing our community.
Kelvin
- I believe Ivan should still be there because he's still part of the LAPP and the alternate chair.
- If he doesn't go then people on our side who he is supposed to represent will be mad and he'll be getting it from both sides.
Wendy
- Motion for Ivan to cut his hair before Saturday (no seconder)
3) BOARD BUSINESS
3.A. BOARD DEVELOPMENT
DECISION: Board development workshop Saturday May 12, 10am to 6pm at the Lore Krill Coop at 239 E. Georgia.
- Harold, Ivan, Wendy, Tami.
3.B. GENERAL MEETING
DECISION: Theme to be on Homeless Shelter Bill of Rights
DECISION: Follow same format as last month, food before with footage etc.
3.C. COMMUNICATING MOTIONS TO MEMBERS
MOTION: That the motions be clipped from our board meeting minutes and sent out to our members by email and posted on the website on a special page each week. (Delayed to quorum next week)
4) NEW BUSINESS FOR NEXT MEETING
- Pipelines
- SRO and Methadone Taskforces
- Discussion on cut-backs affecting the neighbourhood.
(CLOSING)
No comments:
Post a Comment