Occupy SF General Assembly

Contents:
-Occupy SF General Assembly
-True North Groups Excerpts

Occupy SF General Assembly

Since 1964 I’ve participated in many meetings similar to the October 15 Occupy SF General Assembly, the daily governing body for the San Francisco action. But this one was different. Never before, as I remember, have I experienced a meeting with so many participants that was both so mellow and so productive.

With 150 participants, including old friends Roma Guy, Diane Jones, Dave Whittaker, and Phil Mastrocola, the nonviolent spirit in the air was inspiring. Mostly but not entirely white, participants were calm and well grounded. Differences were expressed respectfully. Consensus emerged smoothly. The group is organized in a non-bureaucratic way that empowers, with a balance between spontaneity and structure. Women and people of color were major contributors.

When a topic needed extensive discussion, poker cards were distributed to those who wanted to speak and speakers with the next card (starting with ace) were recognized, which helped maintain order and assure that the facilitator was not selecting favorites.

Though some used a bullhorn, when needed or preferred others used the People’s Mic: the speaker utters a phrase or short sentence and others repeat it until everyone hears. This refreshing method results in shorter statements that are less emotional than is the case when long-winded speakers get wound up.

At the outset, the floor was open for announcements, with a 30-second time limit. Everyone honored that limit.

Decisions were made by asking for a thumb up to indicate agreement or thumbs sideway to “stand aside” (abstain). Participants could block a decision, though no one did.

Early on, the facilitator reported on decisions from the previous General Assembly: 1) The primary campground will be moved from the Federal Building to Justin Herman Plaza; 2) The route for the October 15 march was adopted; 3) Bail for an occupier still in jail will be collected; 4) The website should feature Occupy SF information.

Working Group reports followed. The sign-making group reported on their plans. The direct-action group urged everyone to make the march peaceful and family-friendly with no alcohol or illegal drugs. The facilitation group reported that they meet two-hours prior to each General Assembly. The outreach group announced their next meeting. The Police-City Hall relations group reported that they plan to shift to a more proactive community-building focus.

The facilitator then asked for proposed agenda items. Four surfaced. The facilitator then asked for a show of hands to prioritize those options.

The first item concerned raising bail for an occupier named Purple who was still in jail. Some questions and differences of opinion about how to proceed were raised and quickly settled.

The question about when and whether to move to a larger site was tabled. The sense of the meeting was that we should wait until Justin Herman Plaza is full before moving to a larger site.

Then a lively discussion ensued about whether women who want to do so should meet separately in order to foster empowerment. Without acrimony, some men expressed discomfort with being excluded. One said that if there were such a meeting, he’d like to observe in order to learn. But after a 15-minute discussion, the sense of the meeting seemed clearly in support of identity-based groups temporarily meeting separately as part of a unified community. One Latino summed up how distinctions are not dichotomies and separating temporarily need not necessarily lead to division. At the end, a time and place for a women’s meeting was established.

Then a member of the communications group asked for time to read a just-completed letter to the Mayor about the plan to move to Justin Herman Plaza. The intent behind the letter, which the author planned to send as an individual rather than as an official representative, was to maintain cooperative communication channels. The letter was quite articulate and elicited loud applause. One speaker recommended sending it as an official statement, but the sense of the meeting was that there was no need to do so.

Then a series of speakers argued, “Cooperation is collaboration.” They insisted, “We have the power,” and objected to any such communication with the authorities. Others disagreed and supported the letter, with some modifications. During that discussion, I used the bullhorn to state:

My name is Wade. I’ve been an activist for 40 or 50 years and I drive a taxi. Driving taxi helps me to keep my finger on the pulse of ordinary people. And my sense is that we have lots of support from the general public. But if you want to get more support, it’s important to keep it peaceful. Cooperating to some degree does not require selling out or becoming submissive or deferential. You can still stay true to your principles. After the Rodney King verdict, my passengers were angry at the criminal justice system. But after the riots began, they were angry at the rioters. Refusing to cooperate undermines our power. We can stand firm without trying to kick ass.

My statement elicited considerable applause and the next speaker said, “Like the cab driver said,” and amplified the point, affirming, “Cooperation is not capitulation.” The author announced that he would modify the letter and proceed.

Toward the end, tears of joy began welling up in my eyes.

Before leaving, I inquired about the identity of the Spanish-speaking man who pledged to bring more Latinos to the action (I was told he was an unaffiliated individual), thanked one of the facilitators for doing a good job, and said good-bye to Phil, who expressed appreciation for my drawing on my authority as a cab driver (“Like they say, cab drivers know everything.”).

I left with a smile on my face, looking forward to some solitude, the spa, a great massage, and a very good movie, Drive. My “day of rest.”

+++++

True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development
By Bill George and Doug Baker
Excerpts

Preface

True North Groups comprise six to eight peers who meet on a regular basis to discuss the important questions of their lives and to support each other during difficult times….

We believe there is a unique role for personal, intimate groups that differs from the multitude of groups formed for specific purposes. By providing a safe place for deep, intimate discussions about life’s most challenging questions, True North Groups enable us to become fully human and more fully alive, awakening to the enormous possibilities within each of us….

This book is written for you, if you are interested in forming such a group. Or perhaps you want to enable your current group to have deeper or more meaningful discussions about the vital questions of life….

Introduction: Finding Depth and Intimacy in Your Life

We need people around us to whom we can look for support and advice, who can help us develop as human beings….

The challenges we face these days are so great that we cannot rely entirely on ourselves, our communities, or our organizations to support us and help us stay on track….

We call these groups True North Groups because they help us follow our True North, (which) represents what is most important to us in life: our beliefs, our most cherished values, our passions and motivations, and the sources of satisfaction in our lives. True North is the orienting point that keeps us on track as human beings and as leaders. It represents who we are at our deepest level….

In the early years, they helped me recognize that I was trying so hard to get ahead that I was behaving very differently in my work and community than at home and in my personal life. That led me to “decompartmentalize” my life by attempting to be the same person at home, at work, and in the community—with less façade and more authenticity….

The counsel and support I received are not unusual for friends to provide, but the variety of perspectives that improves the judgment of our group and its collective wisdom lends the power of numbers to the advice….

Unless we have people around us with whom we can be completely honest and open, it is surprising how alone we can feel in our work, and even at home….

As one interviewee observed, these groups are a place to get frequent, 360-degree feedback from people whose motives you trust completely….

In recent decades, opportunities for personal development have proliferated,… While these vehicles provide opportunities for personal development, they do not address the gnawing need we have for depth and intimacy in our interactions with others….

Chapter One: True North Groups

At various times your True North Group will function as a nurturer, a grounding rod, a truth teller, and a mirror. At other times the group functions as a challenger or an inspirer. At their best, the members of your group serve each other as caring coaches and thoughtful mentors….

The trust of your group enables all members to be open and intimate, building on your shared commitment to maintain strict confidentiality.

In spite of significant differences in our faiths and beliefs, we have a common commitment to sharing our lives openly, respecting our differences, and discussing the challenges and difficulties we face….

Tom Schaefer: “It provides a moral compass, a way of checking on my sense of what’s right and wrong.”

We have a brief check-in to enable people to bring up anything significant in their lives. Then one of us initiates discussion of the program. Responsibility for leading the program is rotated….

Our group prefers having our members take responsibility for facilitating, to ensure everyone feels equal responsibility for the group….

On a regular basis, we take a check to be sure that everyone in the group is feeling satisfied and fulfilled. Periodically, we ask ourselves, How are we doing? Are we getting out of our heads and into our hears and souls?…

Chuck Denny: “We talk about our values…. Do we stay true to them under stress? It’s introspective, not just intellectual. What are we doing to make society better? How do we allocate time between ourselves, our family, and society?”

John Cunningham: “At some point in their lives everybody asks the big questions like Why am I here? What is life all about? What is my purpose?”

Ron Vantine: “We all have more questions than answers.”

Jonathan Morgan: “The group provides a venue for discussing existential questions and life’s mysteries that stretches the mind almost to the breaking point.”

We don’t think we are different from any eight people who genuinely want to explore together the important questions of their lives. What is crucial is the willingness of each of us to share openly, join in the give-and-take of a peer group, and listen in a nonjudgmental way to the challenges others face….

Small groups are certainly not a new phenomenon. We learned from our field research that participation in small groups is gaining strength… These groups are affinity groups whose members come together around a common set of interests or a common concern such as chemical-dependency, life-threatening illness, or loss of loved ones….

One way of categorizing small groups is by their degree of openness and intimacy. At the base of the pyramid are travel, running, cooking, or bridge groups, and so forth. People come together in these groups for an activity rather than for personal sharing. To the extent that there are personal discussions, it is independent of or incidental to the group’s activities. At the next level are book groups, study groups, and company groups that have intellectual discussions that occasionally delve into personal matters….

On the third level are Bible study groups, prayer groups, grief groups, therapy groups, Alcoholic Anonymous, and twelve-step groups that are affiliated around a particular purpose and share deeply about that area, including discussions of personal feelings, convictions, and beliefs. Many prayer groups and Bible study groups offer their members opportunities for examination of their religious beliefs and provide strong bonding around share values.

True North Groups, as described in this book, provide a forum for deep, intimate discussions of all aspects of one’s life, not only matters of belief and faith. These may include personal issues, such as family problems, leadership and career concerns, or healthy living, as well as convictions about a wide range of subjects. They are fairly unique in providing a safe place for confidential discussions of highly personal subjects across the full range of life’s issues, but without any particular affinity….

Malcom Gladwell…explains that megachurces adopted the cellular model because they found that “the small group was an extraordinary vehicle of commitment.”

True North Groups are not built around affinity models that provide the glue that brings them together and gives their members opportunities for sharing common interests. Our research confirmed that no prior bond is required for a True North Group; in fact, a diverse set of strangers is just as effective as preexisting affinity among members. They often have no particular connection except for the longing for affiliation, openness, and commitment to personal growth and leadership development.

In offering opportunities for deep discussions about challenges people face, True North Groups provide a safe place where members can discuss personal issues they do not feel they can raise elsewhere—often not even with their closest family members—and can explore questions about the meaning and purpose of life….

NOTES: For more about the book, see A Fascinating Discovery: True North Groups

If you want to discuss this book with me and/or other online, on the phone, or in person, please let me know.