[mgj-announce] Upcoming meetings; notes from 3/24 General Meeting

[Robert Weissman]

MGJ GENERAL MEETING NOTES
March 24, 2004

Fundraising Houseparty
Sunday, March 28, 5:00 PM
3564 11th St.,NW (near Columbia Hts. Metro), contact: 518-5487
ýChili, beer and excellent documentary, The Revolution Will Not be
Televised (on the thwarted coup in Venezuela), plus a special guest who
appears in the documentary 

UPCOMING WORKING GROUP MEETINGS

Arts in Action
Sunday, March 28th 1-5 pm
The Doghouse in Takoma Park (see below for directions)

Scenario (for April 24)
Monday, March 29, 7:00 PM
Fifty Years is Enough Office (3628 12th St., NE, near Brookland/Catholic
U Metro stop on redline)

Media/Messaing
Tuesday, March 30, 4:30 PM
Conference call: call in -- 800/377-8846. Passcode: 329657#

Outreach
Tuesday, March 30, 6:00 PM
Tentative Place: Fifty Years is Enough Office (3628 12th St., NE, near
Brookland/Catholic U Metro stop on redline)

Logistics
Met Thursday, March 25
For more info, contact: jonjon7s at yahoo.com

Fundraising
For more info, contact: hope at 50years.org

Next General Meeting
Weds., March 31, 7:15 PM
St. Stephen's (16th and Newton)


Directions for Arts in Action:
to the DOGHOUSE:
 by METRO: 1 mile from Takoma Metro, walk down Carroll Ave twds 7-11, keep
> going, @ the TPSS Coop, go Right on Sycamore, Left on Beech, garage behind
> 405 Beech Ave.
DRIVING: Beech is a one block long street between Sycamore and Woodland
Aves, both of which run between Route 410/East West Highway and Elm Ave.
Sycamore is next to TPSS Coop on 410! From WDC, take 13th to Piney Branch,
RIght on 410/East West Highway/Philadelphia @ FIrehouse go Left, get in
Right Lane, go Right onto Sycamore, Left on Beech, garage behind
> 405 Beech Ave.

email or call if you need more info!!! Bring SNACKS, drinks if you want...
and friends!
nbloch at igc.org
301-891-3680



WORKING GROUP REPORT BACKS

Scenario

- participants at recent meetings have been more interested in planning
for April 24 than April 23. Folks attending recent working group meeting
proposed that they focus on April 24, and put out a call for those
interested in April 23 to devise a scenario for that action.
- this proposal was presented to the general meeting, and consensed on
- framework for action Sat, April 24: Preferred plan is to start at
McPherson Square, march to Murrow Park (across from the World Bank) and
return to McPherson Square, by a different route. A short rally would be
held at Murrow Park; there'd be a Festival of Resistance upon return to
McPherson Sq. One alternative is to use Franklin Square instead. Another
is to start at Murrow and march out to McPherson (or other desination)
for the Festival of Resistance

Media/Messaging

- MGJ to hold a news conference on April plans for either first or
second week of April
- will produce public service announcement for WPFW and others, notices
for neighborhood papers, will try to place Washington Post op-ed
- New Internationalist has prepared an issue on the IMF/Bank's 60th
anniversary - a great resource
- working group proposed allocation of $400 to rent a room at the
National Press Club for the press conference. The general meeting
consensed on this proposal.

Outreach

- a conference call has been scheduled to reach out to national groups
and activist groups in other cities
- pushing for turnout at Profits of Doom, a film being shown April 10 at
the Fifty Years is Enough film festival -- the idea is to use that event
to generate interest in April organizing
- new flyers will be prepared as soon as final details are worked out
for scenario, with blanket postering in the city
- thousands of leaflets distributed in NYC at the March 20 peace demo

Fundraising

- Sunday houseparty scheduled (see top of notes); more to be scheduled
- books being sold (Herb), CDs of world music (Chris) to fundraise
- exploring film showing at Visions
- pushing working groups to assess what the really need, and how we can
operate frugally

Logistics

- ongoing search for convergence space
- housing is very important, because many slots filled by folks in town
for March for Women's Lives

Openness and Accountability

- meeting guidelines to come soon
- important to give advance notice on working group meetings, so folks
can plug in
- childcare an issue for meetings and the action; solutions still being explored
- working group has no future meetings scheduled

This meeting was expertly facilitated by Hope and Chris.

Next meeting will be facilitated by Nihar (niharbhatt at yahoo.com) and a
facilitator to be named later.