DNC Board Minutes - October 25 2012

DNC Board

October 25 2012

Present: Herb, Harold, Tami, Ivan, Kelvin

Guests: James, Jacek, Ludvik

*We don't have quorum but will discuss a couple issues to make recommendations

REQUEST TO MOVE AGM

Herb

• The special committee of the general membership struck to resolve the conflict in the DNC is requesting that we push the AGM and board elections back one month so they have enough time to do their work.

Harold

• Can we have a report on what the special committee has done so far.

Tami

• The committee has had its first meeting and has started its work. It is contacting people concerned and getting going.

Harold

• So the plan will be to have a report finished before the AGM in December?

Tami

• Yes it is a slow process

Herb

• Some of the things that some of the parties have demanded have been dealt with. Full financial reports have been submitted from the DT East and hotel organizing project.
• Now that the structural stuff is out of the way

Ivan

• Can you tell us who is on the committee?

Tami

• The committee is made up of Beth Malena, Dave Diewert, Michelle Miller, Shurli Chan, and Aiyanas Ormond.
• The first meeting was last Friday. The first thing the committee will do is contact the people involved and ensure that all people involved are comfortable with the composition of the committee.

Herb

• So this committee is asking that the AGM be pushed back to Saturday December 8^th, with pre-AGM on December 1^st.

Ivan

• I think we should set a more specific schedule and ask the committee for:
  • A progress report at the November general meeting including who is on the committee and an outline of the process they are following, and;
  • A final report delivered at the pre-AGM on December 1^st. That could be the one agenda point besides preparing for elections.

Harold

• I'd like the committee to circulate a timeline over email as soon as possible.

Jacek

• Why should the report from the committee come before the AGM? It could look like a witchhunt where some people on the board want to get rid of other people on the board.

Harold

• That's why the committee has to work transparently and straightforwardly so that everyone feels it is fair.

Ivan

• We don't have quorum tonight so can we vote on a recommendation and then circulate it by email and Tami can check in with other board members.

MOTION: To move the AGM and pre-AGM back one month to December 1^st and December 8^th (Moved: Tami. Seconded: Kelvin. In favour: 4 Abstain: 1)

MOTION: To hold a regular general meeting Saturday November 10. (Moved: Ivan. Second: Kelvin. In favor: 4 Abstain: 1)

MOTION: To ask the special committee to give a progress report including who is on the committee and an outline of the process they are following at the November GM, and; To circulate a timeline for the committee's process and work by email as soon as possible, and; To present a final report and recommendations at the pre-AGM on December 1^st.

(Moved: Herb. Seconded: Kelvin. In favor: 5 Abstain: 0 Against: 0)

DECISION: Herb and Tami to contact other board members to measure their votes before Friday 6pm.

• Herb to contact: Ann, Roland, Jenn and Jamie
• Tami to contact: Dave H, Dave M, DJ, Richard, Ann Marie

NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING

Herb

• We could do a focus on 955 E Hastings for the November general meeting.

Ivan

• We could have a presentation from the social housing coalition

Herb

• Or we could have a discussion about the HEAT shelters

Jacek

• They announced Tuesday that they will open more HEAT shelter beds than last year, but because we lost 200 beds at First United there will be less beds than there was a year ago.
• On top of that the homeless count shows that there are twice as many homeless people as there was a year ago.
• At the Greater Vancouver Shelter group they talked about opening church basements

Herb

• We could also talk about the new transit policies. I'd like to organize a one-day a month fare strike.

Ivan

• That's a great idea. Could be the first day of each month, the day they're out checking everyone's tickets for new monthly passes.

Kelvin

• The police on transit are under federal jurisdiction. They can cross over other jurisdictional boundaries.

Ivan

• We could also do a discussion on 2012 in review. We will have an initial discussion at the board meeting next week and I'd like to take it forward to the membership.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Kelvin

• Tremblay, who killed my grand-niece will be going to trial at the Robson St courthouse Monday October 29 in the morning. He is looking for appeal and release. We need support from the community.

(Closing)

DNC Board Meeting - October 11, 2012

DNC Board Meeting
October 11, 2012

Present: Harold, Dave H, Jenn, Dave M, Jamie, Tami, Herb, Richard, Ivan
Guests: Jacek, James, Wendy Chu

IVAN'S BAD NEWS
Ivan
 On top of all the condo projects already coming, there has been a major property combination of every property between the Chevron at Vernon and Clark Drive.
 Our prediction that the gentrification spill over from 955 E Hastings has already happened.

955 E HASTINGS ORGANIZING
Harold
 The condos at 955 E Hastings are going to public hearing on Tuesday and, although it has been late in the game, we have been organizing to try to pull the community together to stop it.
 We are going to have a news conference rally on Tuesday evening to raise the issue up at city hall and want to get people out to speak against it.
 Also held a meeting last night in partnership between the DTES Not for Developers coalition and ALIVE. We got a lot of people out and the meeting was interesting. We had good presentations from Jean Swanson, Karen Ward, and Stella August
Herb
 The meeting was a bit strange. The people out there seemed very confused about what they might get out of the project.
Jen
 It's very bad to get low-income people to build condos; getting us to build ourselves out of the community. It's like getting prisoners to build prisons.
Dave M
 Will the projects there provide jobs?
Ivan
 They won't because the whole community amenity package is wrapped up in the housing. So the retail and industrial spaces will all be market rate.
Harold
 We'll get back to people about how the hearing goes. Might go more days.

HOTEL ORGANIZING FINANCES
Ivan
 Last fall I organized a number of meetings in some hotels to organize with tenants

DNC FINANCES AND PETTY CASH
Ivan
 We have had a number of motions for the treasurer to keep $200 petty cash and to administer $40 a week from that money for food for board meetings. Over the past few weeks there have been problems that Richard, who has volunteered to cook, has had a hard time tracking down the treasurer and then he has been given a cheque and had to run around and find signers and to get the cheque cashed.
 I hope the two presidents can support with the treasurer to set up the Van City bank account and get access to the money there and to refresh the $200 petty cash. I don't think this requires a motion because I think it's established and expected practice.
DECISION: Herb will work next week with Roland, Jen, Tami, Harold and Ivan to set up that account and to get the petty cash going.

COPWATCH
Jen
 There are eight points:
 Assaults against native men have become more commonplace. I have been contacted by two different native men in the past week about assaults by police.
 Copwatch has been contacted by Inspector Mike Seer to meet with us again and we're thinking about this. Not necessarily a good idea.
 We have been contacted by a film maker in California who has been following Sandy Daviden's case and wants to do a story about us.
 We want to do a behind-your-back campaign where we meet with the city and ask them to get rid of the Beat Enforcement Team
 VANDU is thinking of starting a secret filming campaign to get members out with cameras to film cops in secret
 Doug Kind from Pivot will be going to the Eidge meeting next week to get going with a campaign to stop police brutality against Aboriginal drinkers.
 Copwatch has been contacted by people in Regina asking for help in setting up a Regina Copwatch. As soon as I had that exchange on Twitter I was contacted by the Regina police questioning my facts. I called them right away and explained it to them. I am planning on going to Regina in January to help them sort it out.
Herb
 Make sure, for the documentary, that you get signatures of consent from anyone on film
Richard
 Could we involve Sam Sullivan or Tim Louis to support Sandy?
Jen
 What else could we do to support Sandy and get Taylor Robinson fired?
Harold
 We could get as many organizations as possible together to monitor the case. Could get Tim Louis or someone else who is very dedicated to disabled peoples' rights.
 It's not the same as a demonstration but we could do some work to prepare for another demonstration.
 We need to document the cases of harassment of Aboriginal men. If we can get that information together then there's a human rights case.
Herb
 As far as getting this man fired, as long as you have to appeal to police investigating police there's no hope.
Ivan
 The approach Doug is taking with racist police harassment of Aboriginal men is to take on the rights of Aboriginal drinkers.
 The UBCIC and Indigenous Action Movement have long pushed demands for police accountability and to implement the recommendations of the Frank Paul inquiry.
 After we collect information about racist policing we could create a united front with these groups to call for an end to harassment of Aboriginal drinkers, and a drinker's lounge type sobering centre, as defined by Eidge.
 About Sandy's assault. We could hold a news conference in response to Taylor Robinson's sentencing and then circulate a letter calling for him to be fired; get disabled rights organizations to sign on. Then do another news conference with them, get another media hit.

SHELTER COMMITTEE
Jacek
 After First United was lessened we found out from VANDU that six people have died as result of the changes there.
 We tried for months to get a meeting with BC Housing about this and finally got one. They refused to say anything meaningful.
 We are trying to go through the MLA now.

DOWNTOWN EAST
Ivan
 Financial report
Jacek
 Needs to be approved by the treasurer. He says there is no motion for this to have a separate account.
Ivan
 When we decided to form the newspaper it was with a condition insisted on by Roland and Jacek, who were concerned about whether Street Market money might be spent by the newspaper. The condition was that the money be dealt with completely separately from other DNC money
 I would move a motion to confirm this now but I don't think it would be fair because Roland, the chief complainant, is not here.

IVAN'S DEBT TO DNC
Ivan
- The treasurer is raising a number of issues around finances and bookkeeping with me and I want to settle all of them. The DT East and

DNC General meeting minutes - October 6, 2012

DNC General meeting minutes
October 6, 2012

Chairs: Herb and Tami

Agenda
1. Welcoming and opening
2. Discussion: Police brutality and harassment
3. Board reports
1. AGM & elections in November
2. Treasurer
3. Presidents report
4. Committees and coalitions
1. LAPP
2. Street market
3. DT East
5. Event reports and announcements
1. Copwatch
2. End prohibition
3. DTES Not for Developers & 955 E Hastings
6. Closing

OPENING
 Kelvin does acknowledgement.
 Tami reads constitution (everyone cheers)
 Herb reads the agenda
 MOTION: Accept the agenda. Moved Richard Cunningham, seconded Rob Morgan. Passed unanimously.

DISCUSSION: Police brutality and harassment
Herb
 As many of you have noticed over the summer the numbers of police in our neighbourhood have been increasing, especially around the new condos.
 We know about assault and harassment mostly through anecdotal evidence, and we need to start documenting it.
(member)
 What if the cops take your phone? They do that too.
Herb
 That's why we need to be careful. We need to only go taking pictures of them in groups, with our friends with us. And make sure we take badge numbers.
Rob
 About a month ago I was walking home from buying some rock and the cops attacked me and they didn't even identify themselves as police.
 We need safety for people in the community against the police.
Lorna
 I saw the cops handcuffing two black guys in an alley. I saw them and took out a camera. They took his handcuffs off and drove away right away. Taking pictures does work.
Richard
 I have been stopped twice this month because they were looking for a black man. It's racial profiling.
Ivan
 Rob's case has led to five charges against the constable who assaulted him. And Pivot, with the Eidge group is working on starting a campaign to end the police targeting of Aboriginal men and drinkers.
(member)
 It is not only the police directly. The government is encouraging us to spy on eachother and increasing
Darrel Knight
 In 2000, January 28 I was in Saskatoon and the cops got me. They took me out of town and they beat the shit out of me. I was scared. For 12 years I have been scared but I don't care. I'm going to stand up now and tell you that we can fight back against them.
 The cop who did that to me, they only gave him 2 months in jail. I was like, that's it? Two months? I nearly died, I almost froze. He should have gotten 10 years!
 I still think about the police, I'm still scared of them every day.
 We have to stand up against them together.
Herb
 What about Transit cops? In the past few weeks I have gotten four transit tickets. This is becoming a major problem for us.
 Why do police need guns and tasers to check transit tickets?
(member)
 Even if a driver lets you on the cops can get you.
Diane
 One thing that happened in San Francisco is a guy didn't pay for the train and ran and the cops shot and killed him.
Ben
 A few years ago I was driving the shuttle bus for Lynch bus lines. I was taking my lunch break in the Safeway parking lot near the Surrey Central Skytrain.
 A guy came and asked me to trade some change for a $10bill, we exchanged bags. The transit police saw this from the skytrain and as I tried to drive out of there they attacked me. They took me to the ground and humiliated me.
 Skytrain cops are federal police, they can cross jurisdictions.
(member)
 People on welfare have so little money, it's not rational. Low-income people need to be able to take the bus to get their food and everything they need.
Rob
 The police are attacking us as Aboriginals. And our organizations are fighting back.
Richard
 If you're not carrying two pieces of ID on transit then you will get a ticket. How many people down here have ID? They're making it so they can ticket us any time they want.
(member)
 I am getting followed around by this one cop who says he's the ticketmaster. He says he can ticket me any time he wants. I took my ticket to VANDU and they're helping me fight it.

AGM AND ELECTIONS
Harold
 The AGM and board elections have been held generally in November so we are starting to prepare for that.
 We elect our new board, 21 members, and also work on our constitutional issues. We can edit our constitution and make other changes to our bylaws.
 We will have a pre-AGM where we explain the nominations process and prepare the election and present anything that will have to be voted on.
 Last year we made a change so that in order to vote at the AGM you have to have been a member for one week in advance, in order to protect us from anyone stacking the meeting.
 We encourage you to come and get involved in the work of the organization.

TREASURER REPORT
Roland
 We have no money, so there's no report.

PRESIDENTS REPORT
Herb
 If you want to get more involved in the DNC then you should run for the board
 We have a constitution that governs how we treat eachother.
 We are having some conflict in our board right now. As presidents we are having a hard time resolving these conflicts and we want to ask the membership for help. We want to turn to the membership to create a five person committee to help resolve this problem.
Lorna
 At VANDU we have a process where if there's a conflict then each person chooses someone to help with resolution. They can usually work it out.
Richard
 Can't we put it off until after the AGM?
Herb
 It's kind of like an infection. If we let it go for a month then it might get worse.
Kelvin
 As a board member I'm exhausted. We have been hashing it over all summer and we're still dealing with it. AFD has been trying to get this going and it has fallen.
Ivan
 I feel that the board does not have the ability to resolve this conflict. We need help from membership. I am also hearing Kelvin and AFD's offer and think we should accept their offer to help.
MOTION: To create a five-person committee of members, led and organized by Kelvin. Tami and Herb, as co-presidents will help set up this committee. Moved, Tami. Seconded, DJ. Passed, 1 abstention (Grant Fraser)

LAPP
Ivan
 (About our conflict with the co-chair issue)
 Support Herb, I consider it an opportunity for him to take more leadership.
Richard
 Is there a second co-chair position.
Harold
 We're doing this under protest. No one is happy about this.
Ivan
 Also first time a young, low-income
MOTION: For DNC, under protest against city's abusive treatment of Ivan, to elect Herb Varley to take over as DNC's co-chair delegate to the DTES Local Area Planning Process. Moved, Rob. Seconded, DJ. Passed, all in favor. One abstention (Herb).

STREET MARKET
Jacek
 About 6 months ago we realized we were running out of money and we worked really hard to meet all the conditions of the permit.
 We got the permits now and the city has released another block of money.
 We have raised the amount of the stipend by 25%
 Next we are going to make the market for DTES resident vendors only. We have a lot of people coming in from Surrey
Lorna
 The people in the new building on the east side of Carrall have been complaining about the market so we have hired three more volunteers to keep vendors from setting up on the sidewalk there.

DOWNTOWN EAST
Harold
 The DT East will be going to one issue every two months instead of every month.
 We have two major issues: division of labour, and financial organization.
 We are working on sorting out these two issues. We now have a financial and fundraising team that will sort these things out.
 Our mandate was to be financially independent of DNC and we didn't 100% succeed in that but now we have paid our debt back and we are free of debt to the DNC.

COPWATCH REPORT
Richard
 We had a march yesterday against police brutality and harassment specifically to deal with the BET Squad assault on Sandy on the street in the DTES.

DTES NOT FOR DEVELOPERS
Dave
 Major condo project coming across the street from Raycam. We will have a townhall next Wednesday, 6:30pm at Russian Hall.

Closing: Tami