2024-07-21 General Body Meeting Minutes

1

600×600 105 KB

General Body Meeting Minutes

July 21, 2024

Meeting Chair: Eduarda S. Location: All virtual; 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, 2:10 pm - 2:15 pm)

  6. Mobilization efforts ongoing — new members onboarded into Operations and Website team and in the training process

  7. We’ve mobilized some new members for the Security Dept — team is the largest it’s ever been

1. Simone T is our new Operations Dept Steward and Andy C is our new Security Dept Steward
2. We need to mobilize a new Communications Dept Steward — this is a crucial project management role that organizes meetings w/ committee stewards to provide support, delegates tasks and generally keep things moving along
3. We need to mobilize new members for the Operations Dept to help w/ ActionNetwork facilitation and soon we’ll need help w/ facilitating Spoke text requests (still getting issues w/ ScaleToWin resolved)

  1. We’ve updated our vetting procedures to ensure we’re keeping our sensitive member data secure

  2. We’ve updated our Member Interest survey, so if you haven’t filled it out yet, please find it on the slides, agenda, our website or in the zoom chat: Metro DC DSA Interests & Activism Survey

  3. This was motivated by a realization that we have a few similar surveys floating around with significant overlap, so we consolidated them into a new one. This will help our Member Engagement Dept more easily get you plugged into our work! So if you’re a new member or interested in joining, I would highly recommend filling it out

  4. Treasurer’s Report (Carl R, 2:15 pm - 2:20 pm)

  5. Record high dues share. Still spending well. Significant cash on hand and will get new dues share next week. Money set aside for MoCo while we’re still spending money from our general funds. 20k left for 2024. Even if we spend all of that, we’ll still have enough cash on hand to get through the budget for rest of the year. Want to encourage chapter members to switch to monthly or solidarity dues. Also consider giving directly to the chapter. We should be considering holding our money in a CD. Restricted funds: currently have 10k. Slightly gone down since last GBM, which means we’re spending it which is good.

  6. Hunter stack

  7. Carl DR

  8. Campaigns Coordinator Report (Gary Z, 2:20 pm - 2:25 pm)

  9. Members in good standing slightly down, but we’re working on a recommitment drive to increase membership. Plug about Publications WG.

  10. Electoral:

1. JLG won primary in ward 4. Carried thru by PEC and all members who knocked doors.

  1. Ceasefire front: DSA members working w/ local coalition to pass ceasefire resolution. Phone banking and knocking doors to push the council.

  2. Trans sanctuary bill in NOVA advancing

  3. Mid-year reports being uploaded to chapter Wiki

  4. Avi stack

  5. Gary DR

  6. Branch Updates (2:25 pm - 2:40 pm)

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

1. Branch Picnic! 2pm Sunday August 4 at Wheaton Forest Local Park
2. Next Branch Meeting: September 1
3. Takoma Park Folk Festival: September 8
  1. Northern Virginia Branch (Alf) -5 mins
1. Abolition + Migrant Justice wg’s have officially merged!! Abolition 101 Socialist Night School on 07/30!
2. Alx4pal participated in A People’s Liberation Celebration, a counter celebration to Alexandria’s 275th “birthday.” Loudoun Falastin is canvasing for ceasefire with New Virginia Majority from 7/22 - 08/01 sign up for a shift!
3. M4A continuing work on Arlington resolution. Also working on mutual aid and public education campaigns, the first being distributing their new M4A 101 zine :-)
4. Labor had an open meeting on 07/14! Great time to get involved: interest form!
5. TRBA continuing work on Alexandria/Arlington trans sanctuary city ordinances. Next bi-weekly organizing call is 08/05: interest form!
  1. Prince George’s County Branch (Ralph C.) -5 mins
1. Rent increases are capped at 3% + CPI or 6%. Whichever is lower.
2. Senior Living Facilities are capped at 4.5%
3. Buildings built after 2000 are exempt.
4. Interim Steering Committee:

  1. Chair-Frankie F
  2. Secretary-Alex M
  3. Treasurer-Abel A
  4. Vice Chair of Mobilization-Ralph C
  5. Thomas S

  1. Working Group and Section Updates (2:40 pm - 2:55 pm)

  2. Reproductive Justice Working Group (Adele B.) -5 mins

  3. Abolition Working Group (Keeli M.) -5 mins

  4. WePower DC Working Group (Matt S.) -5 mins

  5. Hunter F stack

  6. Matt DR

  7. Chapter Business (2:55 pm - 3:55 pm)

  8. Motivation of Resolution to Improve Chapter Security (Carl R.) -5 mins

1. Hayden MO to postpone resolution to next GBM
2. Elizabeth T 2nd
3. Carl stack
4. Hayden L motivates
5. Elizabeth T stack FOR
6. Joshua Brown stack against
7. Alf stack for
8. Carl stack against
9. DJ stack for
10. Michael M stack against
11. Hayden L POI
12. Christian H POI
13. Hunter F POI
14. Carl DR
15. Lens MO to extend debate
16. Christian H 2nd
17. Michael M POI
18. Carl DR
19. Luke POI
20. Joshua B POI
21. Ken POI
22. MO to postpone fails
23. Carl motivates resolution
  1. Amendment to Improve Chapter Security resolution (Alf & Keeli M.) -20 mins
1. Auden POI
2. Michael M POO
3. Julia stack FOR
4. Carl stack FOR
5. Michael M stack FOR
6. Lydia POI
7. Alf DR
8. Sam G Point of Clarification
  1. Amendment to Improve Chapter Security resolution (Alf & Alex Y.) -20 mins
1. Alex Y motivates
2. Carl stack against
3. Joshua B POI
4. Alf DR
5. Carl DR
6. Alex Y DR
7. Alf POI
8. Carl DR
9. Alf stack for
10. Julia P stack against
11. Sam G stack for
12. Michael M stack against
13. DJ stack for
14. Sam G MO to extend meeting to 4:15
15. Joshua B 2nd
16. Sam D POI
17. Alex Y DR
18. Joshua Brown POI
19. Michael S POI
20. Michael M DR
21. Alex Y POI
22. Carl DR
23. Michael M DR
  1. Debate on Resolution to Improve Chapter Security (Carl R.) -15 mins
1. Sam D stack against
2. Michael M stack for
3. Gary stack against
4. Claire stack for
5. Gary MO to extend meeting by 10 mins
6. Hunter 2nd
7. Motion passes
8. Ken POI
9. Eduarda DR
10. Christian H POI
11. Claire DR
  1. Meeting Closing (CHAIR, 4:00 pm)

LINKS from SLIDES

  1. Join Slack: slack@mdcdsa.org

  2. Take the Member Interest survey!

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

  4. NOVA branch:

  5. Alx4pal participated in A People’s Liberation Celebration, a counter celebration to Alexandria’s 275th “birthday.” Loudoun Falastin is canvasing for ceasefire with New Virginia Majority from 7/22 - 08/01 sign up for a shift!

  6. M4A continuing work on Arlington resolution. Also working on mutual aid and public education campaigns, the first being distributing their new M4A 101 zine :slight_smile:

  7. Labor had an open meeting on 07/14 with update from a Starbucks leader and NEA ? about their strike/lockout. Great time to get involved: interest form!

  8. TRBA continuing work on Alexandria/Arlington trans sanctuary city ordinances. Next bi-weekly organizing call is 08/05: interest form!

  9. Upcoming Events:

1. [08/01](https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-electoral-august-monthly-social) - Electoral monthly social @ Atlas Brew Works in Alexandria
2. [08/10](https://actionnetwork.org/events/nova-branch-monthly-organizing-meeting-aug-2024/) - Branch Meeting @ Arlington Central Library
3. [08/10 ](https://actionnetwork.org/events/novadsa-social-aug2024)- Summer Social @ Quincy Park !!! 🌭
  1. Police Abolition 101 - Virtual Socialist Night School - July 30 at 7pm DC and NoVA Abolition Working Groups – RSVP here
  2. Send a letter NOW to the DC Council demanding they ask the PSC to rein in Pepco’s spending and put DC residents over the utility’s profit margin!
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VP8kkjdw6xlA9w-wtVYSXeF2VFHy38EIcyjSBhdB0X0/edit