In the interest of transparency for Occupy Boston, the Occupy Boston Media Working Group would like to acknowledge that another proposal, Sexual Assault Awareness also known as the Safety Proposal regarding Level 3 Sex Offenders, was blocked last night — and hence tabled by the General Assembly — immediately prior to the passage of the proposal, New Resolution Against Sexual Misconduct, that passed.
This was the fourth General Assembly committed to discussing the Safety Proposal regarding Level 3 Sex Offenders. Last night’s proposal, like the other discussions at GA, have been live-tweeted and transcribed by a minute-taker. Last night’s GA was not livestreamed.
After two blocks for the Sexual Assault Awareness proposal, that the GA found not compliant with the definition of a block, the General Assembly sustained a third block. Eighteen people joined it and the Sexual Assault Awareness Proposal was declared tabled.
At that moment, the proposers and supporters, including members of the Women’s Caucus and of the Media Working Group, voiced their loss of faith in the decision of the General Assembly by interrupting the GA process with mic-checks and without sanction from the facilitators and then walked out.
The walkout consisted of approximately at least 25 people in protest, including members of the Women’s Caucus and of the Media Working Group, the notetaker, 3 livetweeters and others to express solidarity from the GA, which had 93 people at the GA and 87 people voting as reported by FWG of Occupy Boston, before the walk out. Therefore, more than a quarter of the GA participants walked out in protest.
General Assembly continued, including the participation of other members of the Media working group and Women’s caucus who did not walk out, with some people voicing solidarity with those who left and others voicing their concerns with the walkout. Two working groups that were scheduled to propose asked that the GA first consider an individual proposal regarding sexual misconduct (New Resolution Against Sexual Misconduct). This was the only the proposal that passed on January 8, 2012.
Full notes for the GA up to and including the walkout are available here http://www.scribd.com/doc/77606108/OccupyBoston-GA-Minutes-1-8-2011
The notes from the second half of the GA can be found here and there have been questioned raised by some about the objectivity of the second note-taker and in addition to the notes, a “Storify” of Tweets from the post-walkout GA and responses to the GA tweets is being compiled.
It has come to the attention of many individuals within Occupy Boston that the individual who blocked the Sexual Assault Awareness Proposal had not declared his representation of a group that he founded, called Reform Sex Offender Laws — this action that may be considered a breach of the Occupy Boston Statement of Autonomy and of an ad-hoc agreement in emails with the Facilitation Working Group.
In response to last night’s GA, a Community Wellness meeting will be held to discuss the situation and is scheduled for today, at 4:30pm at E5.
As with all tabled proposals, proposals can be brought back in front of the GA and there is discussion that a proposal addressing the concerns related to Sexual Assault Awareness and another Safety Proposal regarding Level 3 Sex Offenders may be brought to the GA in the future.
Edited 1/10/2012 in order to clarify and add new information
Edited 1/11/2012 in order to clarify and notes from 2nd note-taker
Addition: This original post and the edits was written as requested from members of Occupy Boston to the media working group from information provided by several members of different working groups within Occupy Boston that were present at the GA. The blog poster of this post is not the sole author of the information.
