The Minnesotan General Assembly

On March 24th, 2012, the Occupy Minneapolis General Assembly passed a proposal calling for a statewide general assembly in the state of Minnesota. The location and date of this event is currently being planned by activists from various occupations in the state. Together, we will come together and stand united as we pass proposals to speak for the ideology behind the Minnesotan Occupy Movement while calling for changes throughout the state.

Once we hold our first statewide general assembly, the plans are to continue doing this on a regular basis by allowing other occupied cities to host the event. Together, we will speak for every region throughout the state of Minnesota.

The passed proposal from Occupy Minneapolis is as follows:

Minnesota Movement to call for a Statewide General Assembly

What is being proposed?

Occupy Minneapolis formally endorse the idea of a mass call for action to occur in the state of Minnesota and support the organization for a statewide general assembly to convey a sense of direction and focus for the Minnesota Movement. This is a chance for us to create new spaces to connect in; new ways to share knowledge, experience, resources, and to express our solidarity. Together, our statewide efforts keeps  the Occupy movement decentralized but we believe that it will be for our mutual benefit to cooperate and connect with our fellow Occupy camps in a more organized manner. [The decisions made at the statewide general assembly are not meant to overshadow any resolutions or proposals on a per-city basis.]

The Event?

The general assembly will fall on a weekend (to be determined). During the time of our gathering individuals will participate in several events including marches, teach-ins, along with social events to support organizational outreach. Some of these events and marches will focus in on current legislation set to be passed in Minnesota including: the “Right To Work” legislation, the “Protect Marriage” movement, the “Voter-ID” legislation, and an opposition to new stadiums being built through taxpayer funding.

(Events and focuses subject to change.)

All events planned in this conference will follow the Occupy Minneapolis Strategic Non-Violent Direct Action resolution.

Who is Impacted?

Specific working groups will not be committed to attend or support the event in any capacity but are invited to help coordinate and connect with this action. Many Occupations need advice on certain areas of housing, financial, etc. and this is an opportunity to strengthen the movement outside of our own city. Any and all committees are welcome to send delegates to this event. This is the first proposal to begin such efforts, and the event itself will be organized by an ad-hoc working group [that is open to occupiers from all cities of Minnesota.]

Who is Responsible?

This proposal will create a working group to coordinates events, to communicate with other Occupy groups and update the General Assembly if another city is reaching out to Minneapolis for support, action or other types of coordination. Concerning participatory obligation, none of the Occupy Minneapolis committees will be required to help in these efforts but can decide on their support based on their own committee-level decision process.

What is the Expected Result?

An overall strengthening of our cause and a re-commitment to each other. At a time where Occupy needs a stronger presence on the national stage, a statewide general assembly offers us this opportunity. Our outreach will also meet with cities, close to Occupy Minneapolis, will allow us to spread the message about occupy in a more effective manner.

After this proposal is passed, other cities are encouraged to pass proposals endorsing this weekend event along with attending the event itself.

Proposal Movements:

03/22/2012: This idea was presented at the Occupy Minneapolis General Assembly where it was discussed as an item on the agenda. Ideas were taken from the discussion and have been incorporated into the above proposal. After the idea was discussed a vibe check was taken where there was consensus that this idea could continue through the process.

03/24/2012: This proposal was passed by the Occupy Minneapolis General Assembly. A working group will be established to help organize a statewide general assembly.