Thursday 12 April 2012

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - April 12, 2012

12/04/12 DNC BOARD MEETING

Chair: Herb V.
Minutes: Tami S.

Agenda:
Motioned to approve: Tami, seconded by Leroy.
All in favor.

Motion to give the DTES not for developers poster funds.
Moved by Ivan, seconded by Dave Hamm.

GM debrief:

Wendy: well done. Maybe better crowd possibly due to less people there being brought in from the street by Jamie.

Dave Hamm: well done! Filled out membership forms need to be logged into our databsase.
Petitions as well.

Herb: One person on the mic and one person taking names for speaking.

Tami: I disagree with the binary idea of mic and speakers list. Believes there needs to be better coordination with the co-chairs and a mix of the 2 so each creates capacity and not just focus on one position. (names list / mic chair)

Yacik: Shelter committee needs to have more time and sooner in the agenda for the next general meeting.

Wendy: agrees and a new shelter closure is coming up!

Motion to give Roland a cheque 200 – petty cash.
Motioned by Wendy, seconded by Dave Murray.
All in favor.

BOARD DEVELOPMENT
Wendy: We need to set a date, and location. Not in the same space at four sisters.
MOTION: To have a board development meeting Saturday April 28, 10am to 2:30pm. We will discuss after if we require an additional day and more discussion. (Moved, Dave H. Seconded, Harold. PASSED unanimous)

SHELTER CTTE
Jacek
  • Still not clear if the FUC shelter is closing or not
  • The shelter committee is an important thing to maintain.
Roland
  • At the last shelter committee meeting we had Derek Pace, the shelter service manager with First United Church came to the meeting
  • He clearly felt uncomfortable meeting with a group of residents
Jacek
  • At the only other shelter resident meeting with provider meeting I've been to was at Lookout, and that was chaired by Karen O'Shaunnercy. No criticism could come from that meeting
  • We go to those meetings but we don't set the agenda and we are not members of the committee, we just facilitate the process

LOCAL AREA PLANNING PROCESS
Wendy
  • At the last LAPP meeting Penny Ballem dropped a bomb on us
  • We had no notice
  • It was read by Brenda Prosken
  • It basically said, The LAPP committee is not able to meet or make decisions without staff
  • They also gave us news that the 20% social housing component in the DEOD will be all welfare rate, but after the Pantages and only for the term of the LAPP
  • My feeling is that we should hold on to the LAPP for as long as we can because if we're not there then they will be more out of control.
Harold
  • We got slapped on the wrist by the manager for taking too much power in the committee
  • But they are also showing that they appreciate us by throwing us some bones like the 20% social housing.
  • Also it's important to note that the phychological impact of the meeting was terrible.
  • I'm not opposed to people continuing to attend these meetings but personally I have to take a bit of a break because I need less negative energy in my life.
Kelvin
  • AFD's position in the committee is kind of wavering because of what's going on
  • I have spoken with elders in the Tsleil-Waututh nation and they are asking me to hold on
  • The elder Audrey Rivers from Squamish, and the Thomas family from Tsleil-Waututh elders are all prepared to come across and help resolve the disrespect that has been coming into the committee from Scott C and Grace from Alive.
  • If it wasn't for the facilitator I think the co-chairs and committee would be a lot farther along
Herb
  • The letter that came from Alive was signed by Ambrose, the president of Alive not Scott. Seems to be Scott's standard move
  • The letter includes allegations that people feel unsafe, it alleges “white elephants” and other inspecific and difficult-to-address things.
Kelvin
  • That document has to go to the LAPP committee so it can be straightened out there.
Dave H
  • Scott is constantly bringing up the governance issue and it is always in our way to getting things done, it's just a distraction and disruption of our work. It seems like Scott might even be a sabateur of the LAPP committee
  • John Skulsh who was at the last LAPP meeting was very offended by what Scott and Grace did and wants to speak to it at the next meeting.
Ivan
  • John S wants to know if we can give him an honorarium to speak out against Scott. I know we don't have money for honorariums but I think we should support him
Wendy
  • Maybe John should work with Kelvin with figure out what to say
Kelvin
  • In my teaching, threatening people with matriarchs or chieftans is an act of war
  • I can work with John
Harold
  • I feel strongly that John should speak, so that it does not become a struggle between just Scott and Kelvin]
Herb
  • Scott and Grace were out of line with their actions in the committee
  • If he wants to talk about how he represents native people then he should be faced by lots of native people who can explain that's not true
Kelvin
  • We can find witnesses to sit in the circle and observe what happens when we are in those meetings
  • Scott and his group Alive have slapped us three times and I have had enough and have been almost ready to leave the table.
  • The process we have already started is being disrespected by Scott. I will bring people in to observe and to support me and us in our work
  • To me it's very disrespectful when he gets up and leaves during opening and closing ceremonies
Ivan
  • Power dynamics in the committee: Penny and city staff pushed us back at the last meeting and I'm afraid we don't have the capacity to push back again
      • The meaning of the counter-insurgency move by the city was to take the LAPP ctte from us as a tool to advocate for our positions against city policy.
      • The subaltern cannot speak, must be spoken for
  • I think we should begin considering withdrawing as co-chair and move into an oppositional position within the LAPP
      • I am starting to feel that our work of setting up the LAPP committee and leading our community into the room to take a seat at the table is done.
      • I feel that we should start thinking about withdrawing from the chair position at the committee in order to take an oppositional position and organize our community against the city's undemocratic control of the committee.
DECISION: To have a strategy meeting Monday 6pm or so.

STREET MARKET
Jacek
  • Some suggestions to improve the street market
      • Get more tables. The first 10 we got were very popular
      • Start selling coffee at the DNC table for 50cents a cup
Wendy
  • The committee is moving more in the direction of developing money-making techniques like renting tables, the 50-50 draw, selling coffee etc. We hope that the vendors will be okay with this and we think that we'll hear about it if they're not.
Dave H
  • There was a perception of improprieties and Roland being treasurer helps us clear things up
  • Maybe we need to put things online? Should we keep a 50-50 draw tab as record when it's not legal to run the draw?
Jacek
  • I'd like to make it so that the market looks like every other market around the city
Wendy
  • I spoke with Mary Clare Zak at the city and she said that she thinks the city is going to leave us alone at the market for six months.
MOTION: To entrust Roland and Jacek to run the logistical and financial aspects of the street market. Everything that is additional to and outside the work of the onsite-coordinator. All are responsible to the DNC board and street market committee. To receive reports each board meeting and review as needed. (Moved, Ivan. Seconded, Wendy. Passed unanimously)
MOTION: That volunteers not vend when on duty. (Withdrawn and deferred to the street market committee)

POLICE COMMITTEE
Jenn
  • The police committee and copwatch just did an interview on co-op radio
  • I think we should do a protest at 312 Main St against the Beat TV. They won't meet with us and they don't want to hear from us.
  • We can slug it out in the media but they're going to keep coming back. We need to stamp this out before it goes any farther
Wendy
  • I think we should organize a major campaign against the Beat
  • We could do letter-writing, interrupting filming, going to the police board, organize a demonstration
  • But with everything we have going this month maybe it's best if we wait until the end of the month
Herb
  • Organizationally we're really spread out and don't have much energy to spare. I think we should hold off for a bit
  • I think we shouldn't go into anything unless we can go into it 100%
Kelvin
  • I do think we should make a campaign against the Beat TV because they are violating our rights and abusing our neighbourhood.
  • They are going into hotels without permission and violating peoples' rights
Richard
  • The Beat is a form of harassment. They stop everybody who they see on the street.
Harold
  • I think we should continue the work of Copwatch, and do it with a campaign.
Jenn
  • And we could build a coalition involving other groups too like VANDU.
MOTION: To hold a protest at 312 Main St against “The Beat” TV show as a campaign launch including letter-writing, interrupting filming, going to the police board, and other work to shut down “The Beat” TV show. Date to be determined. (Moved, Ivan. Seconded, Harold. Passed, 1 abstention)

PANTAGES
Ivan
  • This Tuesday we will go to city council and bring our demands
  • Next Monday we will go to the Development Permit Board and interrupt it to say that they should not be deciding the future of the community
  • Then after that we might want to do actions at the Pantages site
Harold
  • I feel uncertain about interrupting the Development Permit Board meeting but it sounds good otherwise

DTES NOT FOR DEVELOPERS COALITION
Ivan
  • I want to suggest that after the Pantages campaign is done that we reform the coalition as a city-wide effort based on two demands:
      • For a provincial and national social housing plan and
      • For city-wide controls over real estate speculation and investment
Harold
  • I think we should wait until after the board development meeting when we can discuss all our strategy
(All agreed)

WONDER-PALACE AND SRO TASKFORCE
Ivan
  • I wanted to organize an action with Wonder and Palace residents to hold a rally outside the Woodward's building where the SRO taskforce meeting is being held and then go in and take over the taskforce with the demands for them to buy the buildings and put in rules that protect peoples' tenancy
  • I sent this to the VANDU board today and they said that they like the idea of a rally connected to the task force but don't like the idea of taking over the meeting
MOTION: To organize an action with Wonder and Palace residents outside the Woodward's building before the SRO taskforce meeting. And that we take the issue into the meeting as delegates.

FILM PROJECTS
DECISION: To table discussion on the film project from Greg M until we can all watch his sample footage at the next meeting.
(Discussion on Dino who is visiting from New York who wants to do interviews on film with people at the street market this Sunday)
MOTION: That Richard C take Dino around the Sunday market to film to ensure that protocols of respect are followed. (Moved, Richard. Seconded, Richard. Passed, 2 abstentions)

MURDERER ON THE LOOSE IN THE DTES
Tami
  • A man who was convicted of murdering a trans sex worker is loose in the DTES
  • He has also robbed the Spartacus bookstore and has been using the space
MOTION: That DNC work with Spartacus to produce a community safety warning poster with his face on it, with DNC's logo on it. And we will ask Spartacus to pay for it. (Moved, Ivan. Seconded, Harold. Passed, unanimously)

CLOSING
John Skulsh did closing prayer.


No comments:

Post a Comment