Occupy Philly

OP Docs notes from the Strategy Session on 4/15 at International House are now available for your reading pleasure:

http://occupyphillyga.net/groups/documentation/docs/occupy-philly-strategy-session-041512

Join the National Gathering working group and help make the July 4th gathering in Philadelphia a success.
Find out more about the National Gathering at the official website: http://www.occupynationalgathering.com/ (http://www NULL.occupynationalgathering NULL.com/)

There is a LOT that needs to be done between now and July 4th!
Check out the list of 16 subcommittees below that are all in need of your skills and participation:

Housing
1.     Identify Community and Religious Institutions with large buildings that could accommodate large groups of people close to the sites of the encampments
a.     Mosques
b.    Synagogues
c.     Churches
d.     Community Centers
e.     Hostels

2.     Figure out cleaning costs for each space
3.     Coordinate with Finance Sub-Committee to raise that money
4.     Identify a number of private places willing to house Occupiers for 4-5 nights (get with Web/Tech to post request on all web forums)
a.     Colleges
b.    Households
5.     Acquire an off-site safe space where people can go (or bring their friends to) if they are dealing with trauma, have been sexually assaulted, are being harassed, in a bad space, etc.
a.     See above mentioned spaces (but separate from the living spaces)
b.    Ethical Society?

Food
1.     Acquire 2 commercial kitchens for 3 meals/day
2.     Organize drop off location for donations – @ staff that location
3.     Organize Food Committee to draw up a potential menu and budget for 5 days
- Vegan and Vegetarian Options
4.     Coordinate with Finance Sub-Committee to raise that money
5.     Reach out to Hare Krishna’s and other organizations who have helped out with food before
a.     Local sympathetic businesses
6.     Organize food tents at each encampment and have staff to serve the meals
a.     Organize travel between kitchens and pick up sites to the encampments

Arts & Culture
1.     Reach out to the former OP-Arts WG
2.     Reach out to Arts groups around the Movement
3.     Organize cultural events
4.     Reach out to potential performers
a.     Ask OWS for some of their contacts
i.     Get with Web/Tech to post a request for performers
ii.     Perform active outreach to these bands/performers

Outreach
1.     Research what events will be taking place in Philly and reach out to those people
2.     Start partnering early with International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal on a collaboration for July 4th
3.     Build relationships with local organizations that will lead and organize marches/direct actions during the week.
4.     Assemble a team of Movement Elders (We have a contact in OWS for this) to be present and present at the gathering.
5.     Organize calls for the different Sub-Committees through InterOccupy
6.     Create a phone bank sub-sub-group who is responsible for constantly calling the Movement and those registered for workshops/teach-ins to ask for their needs and keep up with their progress

Finance
1.     Form finance group
2.     Discuss possible avenues of fundraising and implement a strategy for reaching out to them
a.     MRG
b.    Kickstarter
c.     Paypal on NG site coordinated with social media component
3.     Create a grant proposal
4.     Coordinate with OP Finance to see if anyone has the time/energy to help with NG-specific finances
5.     Create a streamlined process of funding
6.     Get with Web/Tech team to post the donation link on all social media and web presence
7.     Create Needs List

Encampment Strategy
1.     Coordinate with DA
2.     Coordinate food, safety, and medic tents (minimum)
3.     Research parks
4.     Reach out to surrounding community to ask them how they feel about having Occupy in their backyard for 5 days
5.     Draw a map of locations on Philly map to be available at registration
a.     Get this map to the Logistics Sub-Committee
6.     Schedule Occupiers to be present at the space for the duration of the gathering to hold the space
a.     Create a rotating schedule of those who can be present and counted on

Direct Actions
1.     Reach out to DA groups around the Movement
2.     Reach out to community organizations interested in planning and leading actions

Facilitation
1.     Assemble a crack team of facilitators that are coming out of different occupies. At least a quarter of the facilitators should have years of experience under their belt and have dealt with a lot of crazy big meetings. Facilitators should come from diverse backgrounds have lots of women, poc, lgbtq folks, old and young, coming from many different occupies , but be incredibly solid
2.     Reach out to facilitation groups from across the Movement.
3.     Schedule a call to discuss the visioning process

Education/Speakers Outreach
1.     Create a list of possible speakers (i.e. Dr. West, Dr. Chomsky etc.)
2.     Create an invitation for speakers and groups to come and present community and movement building exercises
3.     Reach out to Philly organizations to present their issues and solutions

Logistics
1.     Figure out whether an indoor or outdoor space would be best to meet up and register/check-in space
2.     Form registration team
3.     Create registration forms and coordinate with web/tech registration forms to coordinate scheduling
4.     Create a contingency plan in case of eviction from the Mall
5.     Create an instant communication platform with a Celly-type approach or obtain walk-talkies so that coordinators can communicate
6.     Develop emergency protocols in the event of an eviction or police aggravation

Legal
1.     Reach out and coordinate with the NLG and ACLU across the country to have people present and prepared
2.     Figure out a space where these observers can meet in the event of an emergency.
3.     Get with Jody Dodd for advisement

Press
1.     Create Promotional Video
2.     Acquire a space for Occupy media and livestreamers to coordinate, charge items, and work.
3.     Assemble Press team in Philly
4.     Write Initial Press release
5.     Blast it out to all available press outlets. Utilize OP, IO, and personal media contacts
6.     Get on Media Consortium call
7.     Reach out to Occupy media (OWSJ, local media groups, etc.)
8.     Coordinate press groups from across the Movement.
9.  Arrange to have a media tent at Independence Mall with a source of electrical power (generators? connections to PECO? or as an alternative, acquire kits for converting bicyles into electrical generators and assemble a team of cyclists for providing electrical power).

Web/Tech
1.     Create Sub-Committee Email addresses i.e. food@nationalgathering.com
a.     Assign liaisons for these addresses
2.     Create registration page for working groups and individuals to submit workshops and Movement building exercises.
3.     Assign duties for social media
4.     Reach out to TechOps groups from across the Movement
5.     Conceive of an online component/forum (possibly online forum for individuals and/or groups to submit their visions for inclusion in the Vision for a Democratic Future document)
6.     Reach out to Anonymous for a big action on the 4th

Safety
1.     Reach out to X to coordinate Safety team
2.     Reach out to the wider Movement to coordinate teams from across the country
3.     Reach out to peeps from DC

Travel
1.     Figure out travel coordination and strategy
2.     Reach out to other Assemblies to find out how many people would be interested in coming
3.     Figure out central hubs which folks could leave their vehicles safely and at reasonable cost and take a shuttle from
4.     Figure out how much it would cost to book shuttles from said locations
5.     Book the buses
6.     Outreach to Assemblies to offer them a certain number of spots on the buses to each Assembly

Family
1.     Organize child care
a.     Safe space at encampments, indoor spaces, and event locations
b.     Plan games and activities for the kids