[mgj-announce] Notes from MGJ General Meeting, 9/11/02

[Neil Watkins]

Notes from Mobilization for Global Justice meeting
September 11, 2002, 7:30 - 9:30 pm

I. Moment of Reflection
II. Introductions
III. Educational
A. Casey Harrell on Bhopal, Toxics and the World Bank

Casey presented on the tragedy of Bhopal and efforts to get justice.  More 
info. At www.greenpeaceusa.org/toxics

World Bank now funding a PVC plant in India via the IFC.  There is 
resistance to this plant  groups in India are challenging this project and 
other policies of the IMF and World Bank.

B. Jason Tockman, American Lands Alliance

The IMF has a significant impact on forests. ALA did a study which showed 
how IMF structural adjustment programs have destroyed forests.  See 
www.americanlands.org. for the report and more information.

IV. What is the MGJ?
V. Spokes/Working Group Reports
A. Spokescouncil met last week, with the following decisions:
* Yes to Social Forum and People's Assemblies on Sunday, September 29
* We will bring MGJ banner to Rainbow Push march this Friday
* Approved Outreach, Scenario, Medics, and Media Budgets
* Next spokes: Sunday night, 7 pm, Sept 15, 1752 Columbia Rd.

B. Fundraising Working Group
* 2 parties this weekend: everyone come to Joey and Alix's!
* Raising money online  raised $500 in past 5 days!
* Spread the email asking for support from Rob to all your friends and 
colleagues
* Need people to sign up for the program to get 10 people to give $10 to 
the mobe

C. Outreach Working Group
* Wheatpasting after this meeting, leaving from Martin's house, 1640 Hobart St.
* We have space at AFSC.
* 30,000 broadsheets are here!
* Will have another phone banking next Monday
* September 24  we want to turn out people for HERE local 25 action
* Teach-in at Georgetown on September 20
* Next meeting, 1640 Hobart, Monday, Sept. 16
* Had a successful NGO Roundtable: 40 groups came!
* Had a good Community Roundtable: 20 groups came

Training/Convergence
* NV training this Saturday, AFSC, 2211 14th St NW, 11-3 pm
* We need people to help bottomline the welcome center, trainers

Media
* We analyzed our first press conference
* Working on ed boards, op-eds, columnists to write
* Good news: Grant from enviro org, so David Levy will now be FT on media 
outreach

Arts
* We have 16 days to produce beautiful images!
* Building a giant Trojan horse!
* A lot of fun stuff to do!
* We need big pieces of cardboard and large pieces of fabric, and brilliant 
water-based latex paints

Logistics
* Very busy WG  we only have 4 people and need help
* Bottomlining food, childcare, and spaces (housing)
* Please volunteer housing! Do it online at globalizethis.org

Medical
* We need help, trying to provide help for all the actions
* Medical training, St Al's Church, Sept 20, 5-9 pm, Sept 21, 10a-7p, Sept 
22, 10a-7p

Web
* Please send stuff to Tom for updates.  steelgame at yahoo.com

Education
* People's Summit will be Sunday, Sept 22 from 12-5 at UDC.
* Proposals can be sent in for workshops.
* Need a link on the website

Scenario
* March and rally starts at 12noon
* 2 pm  March kick-off; march ends at 4 pm
* Evening concert at ellipse  4 pm
* 4:30 pm  Quarantine actions!
* Calling on affinity groups to take on different parts of the quarantine 
action
* May organize quarantine around each demand
* Final scenario will likely be determined at the action spokescouncil the 
evening before the action

Legal
* law collective here in DC works with the National Lawyers Guild in DC. We 
have tips for affinity group legal support. We have a draft legal 
manual  would appreciate any input
* The legal strategy is your job too  let's be thinking about solidarity 
and what it will look like over the weekend
* We need volunteers  especially on Friday

VI. Working Groups Meet
VII. Working Group Report Backs, Next meeting times

Outreach
* Needs phone bankers: Mara to hold phone banking session on SUNDAY, 
contact Mara at 783-0129 to help out
* Need organizations to mail out thousands of the new broadsheets
* Next meeting: 1640 Hobart Street, NW, 7 pm, Monday, September 16
* contact kate at freedomrising.org

Media
* We need personal stories of people affected by IMF/World Bank, people 
coming from out of town for the protests. Know anyone coming from out of 
town willing to talk to press?
* Next meeting, Tuesday, Sept 17, 1530  P St, 7 pm
* Contact dglevy at cepr.net

Scenario
* We need bikes for the unpermitted action, if you have bike to donate, 
email gumdrop130 at hotmail.com
* We need cardboard delivered to Takoma Park, Nadine's house
* We need people working on the permitted rally and unpermitted
* We need people to come out this weekend to Nadine's to help work on props
* Next meeting: Thursday, Sept 12, AFSC DC, 2211 14th St, 7:30 pm

Training/Convergence
* Need someone to bottomline the welcome center  Sept 25-26-27, contact 
Madeline if you want to do this.
* Next meeting will be posted on email soon

Fundraising
* We meet by phone. Contact Casey or Rob (rob at essential.org) to get involved
* 2 house parties this weekend. Some needs.  Alix needs dance music 
(forthewild at yahoo.com).  Joey has a lot of folks coming that don't know 
much about MGJ.  Need people to talk up the mobe. Needs folding chairs, and 
a grill. 3pm Saturday! See email for details.
* Need people to raise money day of the 28th. Casey needs people to help 
him do this.

Education
* Next Meeting: tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 12, Public Resource Center for 
Activism and the Arts, 1730 Connecticut, 2nd floor, 7:30 pm

Logistics
* Need food donors, kitchen contacts, space contacts, medic station space, 
childcare space
* Need housing really bad. Very easy to post to globalizethis.org
* We need translators the day of and for literature in various formats.
* We need people desperately  only 5 of us working on this
* Next Meeting: Monday, Sept 16, 6 pm , in DuPont circle near the statue!

Medics
* We need more people, housing, supplies. We need drug and alcohol free 
housing Sept 16 --.

IMC
* We don't have a space yet.
* We've grown a bunch since April 2000 but we're actually now without space 
for the convergence. Asking if people know of possible locations to have 
the IMC for the protests.  People with office space?  We don't need 
equipment, just SPACE.  chrisstrohm at yahoo.com

VIII. Next Meeting

Next general meeting of the MGJ is next Wednesday, 7:30 pm, September 18, 
2002, St. Stephen's Church.

Next facilitators: Joey Hipolito and Mara Vanderslice

IX. Announcements

Teach In for Global Justice in DC, Sept. 25 - 27, see www.50years.org for 
more info.

Global Justice Film Festival, Sept. 18 - 26, see www.50years.org for schedule

Rainbow Push March/Rally for civil rights this Friday, info.; Need people 
to show up, pass out materials. Details coming out on email.

MGJ is sponsoring event on September 24 along with local 25. 3:30 pm in 
front of Reagan international trade center. MGJ event  be there!

One year from today, WTO, Cancun, Sept 10-14, 2002

Next Tuesday, Visions theatre, 1927 Florida Ave, 9-11 
documentaries-progressive.

Social forum happening on 9/29. www.dcsocialforum.org. One forum is 
Strategies Against the World Bank. Stay tuned.

Nadine: Peace community organizing rally on Sunday, Sept. 29. March at 2 pm 
from somewhere to somewhere.

X. Closing

+++++++++++++++++++
Neil Watkins
World Bank Bonds Boycott
Center for Economic Justice
733 15th Street, NW, Suite 928
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202) 393-6665
Fax: (202) 393-1358