2024-03-24 General Body Meeting Minutes

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General Body Meeting Minutes

March 24, 2024

Meeting Chair: Claire M. Location: Hybrid; Register here
Meeting Secretary: Michael M. Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

We use Robert’s Rules of Order for agenda items that include formal debate. More information is here.

  1. Mingle/Welcome (CHAIR, 2:00 pm - 2:05 pm)

  2. Opening, Review of the Agenda, and Announcements (CHAIR, 2:05 pm - 2:10 pm)

  3. Land acknowledgement, overview of conduct, stack

  4. Approve agenda

  5. Secretary’s Report (Michael M, 2:15 pm - 2:20 pm)

  6. Things are moving along positively in our Administrative Committee (Adcom)

  7. For those who don’t know, Adcom is broken down in five departments that upkeep our internal chapter processes and provide assistance for our various working groups, sections and branches:

1. Communications (Social Media, Website, Graphic design)
2. Operations (Events, RedDesk, Spoke)
3. TechOps (RedDesk, backend website patching, tech projects)
4. Security (Vetting)
5. Member Engagement (Mobilization, Recruitment, Training, Community Builders)
  1. Mobilization efforts ramping up — new members onboarded into Ops and Comms
1. Aaron H is our new Comms Steward
2. Still need to onboard for Website team, Security Dept, Graphic Design and Operations — come find me after the meeting or the HH if you’re interested in getting involved

  1. Website translation is moving along smoothly — all of the main web pages now have an option to toggle to Spanish. This project has been led by our Website Steward, Avi, and a handful of bilingual volunteers. If this is something you want to help with, please reach out to me or Avi on slack

  2. Things are moving along smoothly with our chapter Wiki project, being led by the TechOps dept, to provide an internal search function specific to our chapter structures, processes, archival records, etc. If this is something you want to help with, reach out to Ben M, Brian D or me in slack

  3. Our Community Builders team helped plan the most recent chapter HH and plans on coordinating more for the first Friday of every month — the next one being Friday, April 5th starting at 5:30pm at Metrobar

  4. Treasurer’s Report (Tim S, 2:10 pm - 2:15 pm)

  5. Branch Updates (2:15 pm - 2:30 pm)

  6. Montgomery County Branch (Michael S.) -5 mins

1. Working on enforcing regulations for rent stabilization bill via rent stabilization canvasses
2. County regulations under review
3. Next meeting in Rockville
4. Work being done on banning consent searches
5. MD Uncommitted campaign
6. Branch meeting in Gaithersburg on the 7th
7. Game night tonight at 8pm
  1. Northern Virginia Branch (Alf) -5 mins
1. New steering members
2. Big victory in Alexandria: M4A resolution passed in city council
3. Working in coalition to pass ceasefire reso in Alexandria
4. Vigil last saturday
5. M4A 101 teach in
6. Anti-eviction canvassing throughout NOVA
7. Organizing school
8. Week of action for ICE out of Arlington
9. Tonight kickoff for NOVA electoral working group
  1. Prince George’s County Branch (Ralph C.) -5 mins
1. Passed extension of emergency rent stabilization effort
2. Continuing to work w/ CASA and Councilmember Kristal Oriadha on rent stabilization
3. Working on uncommitted primary campaign in PG and MoCo
4. Flyering this morning for uncommitted campaign

  1. YDSA (2:30 pm - 2:45 pm)

  2. YDSA Conference (Eduarda S.) -5 mins

1. Fundraising for conference
  1. YDSA @ AU (Eduarda S.) -5 mins
1. Huron Coalition WG
2. AU has hired an austerity-focused consulting group that is known for mass layoffs
3. Alumni urged to sign petition
  1. MDC’s YDSA Council (Eduarda S.) -5 mins
1. One delegate from YDSA is on MDC DSA steering committee via bylaw amendment that passed at 2023 local convention
2. All YDSA members in good standing are eligible to join the council
3. Meetings happen virtually once a month
4. We have a charter in the works

  1. Working Group and Section Updates (2:45 pm - 3:05 pm)

  2. Labor Working Group (Zachary T.) -2 mins

1. Great meeting last month in conjunction with labor notes
2. Sending cohort to Chicago
3. Organizing a Labor walking tour in DC
4. If you’re interested in helping w/ wheatpasting or helping w/ logistics day of reach out to Zach
5. Next labor WG meeting april 1st at 6:30 at shaw library
6. Julian A stack
7. Zach T DR
8. Kenneth B stack
9. Zach T DR
  1. Socialist Feminist Section (Lyra M.) -5 mins
1. Trans Rights and Bodily Autonomy campaign in coordination w/ national TRBA campaign
2. Held first action last week for trans visibility rally
3. Attend trans pride rally march 31st
  1. Social Housing Working Group (John Q.) -5 mins
1. Join our bi-weekly meetings every other Thursday at 6:00pm
2. Sign up here on our [campaign page](https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/social-housing)
3. Sign the petition: [Tell the DC Council to Support Social Housing](https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-the-dc-council-to-support-social-housing)
4. Join our slack channel #social_housing
5. Email John Q or David P at johncqua@gmail.com and davidpoms@gmail.com to get involved
  1. Electoral Working Group (Bakari W.) -5 mins
1. Janeese canvasses
2. Two other candidates
3. Fraternal order of police and business lobbies working against her
4. Have sent out a bunch of mailers
5. Janeese needs to be insulated from attacks
6. The more we win by the more aggressive she can be
  1. Stomp Out Slumlords Working Group (Stephanie B.) -5 mins
1. Council trying to carve out exemptions from TOPA
2. Held rally at Wilson building to protest
3. Budget still up in the air
4. We don’t think the attacks on TOPA are over
5. If you live in multi family apt building you should organize your building
6. Meeting Thurs 630 at MLK Library 401D

  1. Chapter Business (3:05 pm - 3:45 pm)

  2. Pleasure Activism or Resolution for a Regular Social Event (Sela L.) -10 mins

  3. Zach T question

  4. Sela DR

  5. Carl R question

  6. Sela DR

  7. Ben D question

  8. Sela DR

  9. Zach T stack against

  10. Eduarda S stack against

  11. Phil E stack for

  12. Resolution for MDC DSA to Endorse Uncommitted Vote in the Democratic Primary in Maryland (Alex M.) -10 mins

  13. Rohin question

  14. Alex M DR

  15. Ben D stack for

  16. Imara stack for

  17. Michael S stack for

  18. Sela stack against

  19. Amended Choose Solidarity - Build the Left, Fight the Right (Alf) -10 mins

  20. Bakari stack against

  21. Stu stack against

  22. Carl stack against

  23. Gary stack for

  24. Julian stack for

  25. Nell stack for

  26. Imara stack for

  27. Alex M PPP

  28. Gary MO to extend debate by three speakers on each side

  29. Alf 2nd

  30. Vote fails 2/3rd majority

  31. Carl to MO to extend meeting time by 15 mins

  32. Michael S 2nd

  33. Ben MO to extend by UC

  34. Tim 2nd

  35. Passes by UC

  36. Choose Solidarity - Build the Left, Fight the Right (Ben D.) -10 mins

  37. Aparna stack in favor

  38. Lyra stack in favor

  39. Gary stack against

  40. Tom stack against

  41. Ben D stack in favor

  42. Meeting Closing (CHAIR, 4:00 pm)

LINKS from SLIDES

  1. Join Slack: slack@mdcdsa.org

  2. Take the Skills Survey!

  3. Join DSA if you’re not yet a member! https://dsausa.org/join?source=Metro+DC

  4. Build electoral power: bit.ly/mdcdsaelectoral2024

  5. Social Housing:

  6. Sign up here on our campaign page

  7. Sign the petition: Tell the DC Council to Support Social Housing
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EwbUhngpN77KTIhUoXKJMwBQPFpUErvRND3ziw1iVO8/edit