[Sdalliance] A proposal for a new way forward for CRSD

[Monty Kroopkin]

Oh, also, the next CRSD Council of Delegates meeting is next Sunday (November 5th) at 1pm, at the Brown Building. We did not have quorum at the meeting last week so we are trying again. Hopefully all orgs and committees will be represented this time. We have 4 proposals on the agenda, and the one regarding the proposed campaign committee, San Diego United Against Hate, is very relevant. mk

---------- Original Message ----------

From: "Monty Kroopkin" mkroopkin at juno.com
Date: Fri, 3 Nov 2017 04:03:43 GMT



Fellow Workers, Firstly, based upon the address list, I assume this thread has NOT been shared with the distinct individuals (non-overlapping) of the 'Sunday 10 am group'. Perhaps Bo will update them on all this conversation here. Secondly, on page three of the CRSD Structure Document (aka, our 'constitution' or 'bylaws') we have: ProposalsProposals would either be sent up to the Council from a member organization or a Committee, orbe proposed by members at the council meeting. The proposal would then be worked out by thedelegates at the council meeting. Upon approval to disseminate the proposal by the council, theproposal would then be sent back down to the organizational members and Committees forratification. The organizations and Committees could also send the proposal back to the councilwith further modification. In this way, a sort of dialectical relationship is established. We have been using this process for several months now. We have also tried for a long time now to NOT use this listserv for discussion and to reserve its use for announcements, etc. mk

---------- Original Message ----------



From: Bo Elder <belder76 at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2017 18:41:06 -0700
To: Yesenia Padilla <yeseniatpadilla at gmail.com>
Cc: SDalliance at lists.resist.ca
Subject: Re: [Sdalliance] A proposal for a new way forward for CRSD


Thanks, Yesi, I appreciate your perspective.  I would see this as a building on or superseding of what we've done, not a putting to waste any of the good work we've done.  But I totally respect where comrades/organizations that may disagree are coming from.  It's definitely not my desire to just be de(con)structive.

Would it make sense to establish a time and place to discuss this?  What would be the protocol for putting a discussion of this idea on a Delegate Council agenda?

Bo


On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:33 PM, Yesenia Padilla <yeseniatpadilla at gmail.com> wrote:
absolutely, Bo, I recognize that desire, and appreciate you thinking outside of the box! it just seems that that won't work for a lot of the orgs already involved. I do agree that CRSD does need to exert a presence, however i don't think that this drastic overturning of the progress we've made thus far would do it. 


‌
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:30 PM, Bo Elder <belder76 at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Yesi, that's certainly another reasonable alternative, and I'll raise it with the Sunday 10am group.  One concern is limiting the number of meetings that involve many of the same people and organizations.  But I hear what both you and Eric are saying about simply having the Sunday 10am group affiliate to CRSD as it exists.  It's entirely possible that may be for the best, I'm just trying to help us work most efficiently.

Bo
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:23 PM, Yesenia Padilla <yeseniatpadilla at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi all: I'm on sabbatical from my DAF duties, but should be returning soon. I'll pour over this more in-depth, but my initial reaction is more akin to Eric's.one of the many boons of CRSD's structure is the level of structural autonomy, which enables orgs a different ideologies and aims to participate under the name as an alliance.  Bo, it seems your Sunday group has created an org, not an alliance. Why the need to subsume CRSD? Why not just name your org and join CRSD if you want? 

--Yesenia Padilla Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 2, 2017, at 18:12, Bo Elder <belder76 at gmail.com> wrote:

I want to point out that the Sunday 10am group does have a structure:

I. On General Assemblies (GAs): We will hold a GA twice a month. Decisions at GAs will be made with a standard of 2/3rds majority minimum. GAs may change any/all members of the OC (Organizing Committee). GAs may create or dissolve Working Groups (WGs). II. On the Organizing Committee (OC): Each Working Group (WG) will nominate 1 person to represent the WG on the OC. The OC must be confirmed by the GA. OC reps can be changed by GA or WG. Any member of the GA may consult with the OC directly or via their rep to the OC. People can contact the OC directly to consult if they wish. People can attend an OC meeting if they wish, but OC meetings will be scheduled based on needs of WG representatives. Only 1 representative per WG will get a vote in OC meetings. Decisions of the OC will be made unanimously. The OC will make sure the GA takes place. The OC will propose an agenda and chair for the GA.
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:11 PM, Eric Grey <jsgreyshade at gmail.com> wrote:
Furthermore I can’t see, DAF who created this structure, the PSL who are all about structure, or the IWW which has 112 year-old tradition of constitutional organization agreeing to this at all.
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 6:00 PM Eric Grey <jsgreyshade at gmail.com> wrote:Bo,  You are talking about chucking the entire structure of CRSD and replacing it with a completely unstructured committee with no allowance for the autonomy of its individual organizations, or structure for negotiation between these groups.  No way. This would undo a year of work   
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 5:39 PM Bo Elder <belder76 at gmail.com> wrote:P.S. I realize there is a loooot here, but please consider it! Also, see you Sunday!
On Thu, Nov 2, 2017 at 5:31 PM, Bo Elder <belder76 at gmail.com> wrote:
Dear comrades in Collective Resistance San Diego and the currently unnamed twice monthly Sunday 10am group,

We already meet in the same place, often on the same day, involve many of the same people, have many shared values, and operate in similar ways.  CRSD has been established longer (about a year now), while the unnamed Sunday 10am group grows out of post-Charlottesville organizing upsurge.  I have been pondering a way of working together more fruitfully and efficiently and I have something to propose that I hope you'll find valuable.  I talked with Vanessa from Colectivo Zapatista, one of CRSD's affiliated organizations, and she agreed that this might be a good way to build on what we've done so far and move forward.  So here is my proposal...

to CRSD (CZ, DAF, IWW, PSL, RR) comrades:

1) Put CRSD Delegate Council meetings on indefinite hold2) Give the name "Collective Resistance San Diego" to the currently unnamed "Sunday 10am" group
3) Merge the CRSD undocumented sanctuary committee into the "Sunday 10am" undocumented sanctuary working group 
4) Continue the CRSD internal communication and legal committees as "Sunday 10am" group working groups5) Attend twice monthly General Assemblies and Organizing Committee meetings as best suits your needs (see Appendix A below) to "Sunday 10am" comrades:
1) Affirm the Collective Resistance San Diego Points of Unity (see Appendix B below)2) Adopt the name "Collective Resistance San Diego"3) Merge the CRSD undocumented sanctuary committee into the "Sunday 10am" undocumented sanctuary working group
4) Affirm the CRSD internal communication and legal committees as "Sunday 10am" group working groups5) Affirm 1 representative each from the internal communication and legal working groups to sit on the Organizing Committee

I believe this could result in a new Collective Resistance that has connections to established organizations, name recognition, and the flexibility to work autonomously and proactively.  What do you think?  Please let me know any comments, questions, or concerns you may have, and I look forward to discussing this idea with you all as soon as possible!

in solidarity,

Bo Elder, CRSD & "the currently unnamed twice monthly Sunday 10am group"
415 630 3135
https://www.facebook.com/bo.sdsu

Appendix A:(the currently unnamed twice monthly Sunday 10am group) I. On General Assemblies (GAs): We will hold a GA twice a month. Decisions at GAs will be made with a standard of 2/3rds majority minimum. GAs may change any/all members of the OC (Organizing Committee). GAs may create or dissolve Working Groups (WGs). II. On the Organizing Committee (OC): Each Working Group (WG) will nominate 1 person to represent the WG on the OC. The OC must be confirmed by the GA. OC reps can be changed by GA or WG. Any member of the GA may consult with the OC directly or via their rep to the OC. People can contact the OC directly to consult if they wish. People can attend an OC meeting if they wish, but OC meetings will be scheduled based on needs of WG representatives. Only 1 representative per WG will get a vote in OC meetings. Decisions of the OC will be made unanimously. The OC will make sure the GA takes place. The OC will propose an agenda and chair for the GA. Appendix B:Collective Resistance San DiegoPoints of Unity 1. We are anti-racist, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-war, and anti-fascist.2. We are revolutionary. Our membership subscribes to a broad range of radical left ideologies.3. We believe in practical action to defend all oppressed people by any means necessary, through a diversity of tactics.4. We stand for climate and environmental justice. We see the need for a local and global transition to sustainable modes of living. We oppose the cruel and destructive treatment of animals.5. We believe access to healthy food, clean water, clothing, safe housing, healthcare, equitable education, and transit is a basic human right.6. We support and defend the self-determination and liberation of people of color including those from colonized continents, nations, communities and peoples.7. We support and defend the self-determination and liberation of queer and intersex folx, and all those of marginalized gender identities and orientations.8. We support and defend the self-determination and liberation of all workers including undocumented, incarcerated, subsistence, sex, and household laborers.9. We support and defend the self-determination and liberation of migrants. We assert that no human being is illegal.10. We support and defend the self-determination and liberation of the physically and/or mentally differently-abled and will work to make our movement and society supportive to their needs.11. We are intersectional feminists; we support and defend the self-determination and liberation of womxn and trans-womxn including their right to bodily autonomy.12. We value and respect our elders, youth and children and believe it is a shared responsibility to assure their health and well-being.13. We support and defend the freedoms of oppressed spiritual and religious groups, including Indigenous, Jewish and Muslim peoples, and of non-believers.14. We are pro-abolition; we demand the immediate abolishment of the enslavement and exploitation implemented through the Prison Industrial Complex and supported by the 13th Amendment.*15. We oppose and fight national and state-sanctioned violence against all people, especially the marginalized. We actively resist the oppressive efforts of the Border Patrol, ICE, police forces and extra-state actors.16. We hold political, civic, and community leaders responsible when they cause or permit the people and the planet to be harmed.17. Love is and must remain the reason for our revolution and at the center of our intentions.
* “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Appendix C:
(the currently unnamed twice monthly Sunday 10am group)
 Why We Need To Act Nationally and locally, oppressed people and the political left have been targets of both state oppression and bigoted vigilantism. Deportations, police brutality, queerbashing, and threats against mosques and synagogues are a daily reality.  Charlottesville has become a hashtag, while here in San Diego, Chicano Park, Planned Parenthood, and rallies like May Day and the Impeachment March have been targets of intimidation. We see this in the context of global intersectional capitalist oppression and the resurgence of fascist and neo-Nazi movements, as austerity and imperialism fan the flames of reaction. We cannot wait for things to get worse, the time to act is now. What We Aim To Do Organize Build power from the bottom up, not depending on politicians or copsStrategize collectively, make decisions democratically, act in maximum unity Prioritize the needs and voices of the most vulnerableRespect and believe the experiences and knowledge of oppressed communities Involve newly active people who want to resist oppression and work with existing organizations, especially those rooted in oppressed communities Defend Help to provide and coordinate event safetyImprove capacity for individual and collective self-defenseTake strategic action to defend all oppressed people by any means necessaryPrioritize relationships and communication with the communities we aim to defend Actively Resist Gather and share intelligence on the other sideProactively disrupt and confront fascist, oppressive, and exclusionary forcesOrganize rapid response to both state oppression and bigoted vigilantism Appendix D:Collective Resistance San Diego Mission Statement

The fundamental needs and rights of the people of our communities are under attack by a tiny elite that hoards resources and authority. We cannot trust or respect any government that claims to protect us but instead ruthlessly protects the elite. We are an alliance of organizations, collectives, and individuals of various identities and perspectives working in collaboration to stop this attack. Collectively, we are anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and anti-imperialist. We are revolutionary, intersectional feminists. This alliance is non-sectarian: we welcome those who want to fight exploitation and oppression.
We seek to prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable and the voices of the oppressed and the marginalized and build trust through joint work. We are committed to organizing, mobilizing, supporting and defending our communities.  We work in solidarity to unify our struggles to dismantle the systems that harm us and the environment. 
In addition to resisting attacks, we will work together for a just and cooperative future for San Diego and beyond. This will be accomplished by building powerful community-based movements around a shared platform for advancing political, economic, and social liberation and self-determination for all oppressed peoples. We work for concrete goals today that build toward a revolutionary future.
Our movement is based in love for each other, and the assertion that we must fight for liberation. In the words of Assata Shakur, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”_______________________________________________
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