[CIMC-working] 030210 CIMC meeting notes -- February 10, 2003

[Chris Kaihatsu]

030210 CIMC meeting notes -- February 10, 2003

Notes of Chris Kaihatsu -- brackets and blank spaces are my own. Attendees
should feel free to post corrections and/or additions to
imc-chicago-working@indymedia.org.

See glossary at end for spellings of acronyms.

In attendance: Alloy, Andy, Chris G., Chris K., Dick, Don, Doug, Emily,
Garth, Ian, Mandy, Orange, Rita


EXCERPTS -- CONSENSUS ITEMS:

Don: stronger coalition of civil liberties groups -- links to those groups
on our site? -- [I'll be glad] to maintain a civil-liberties page

- CONSENSUS -


Doug: first note of response: "TMF fundraising, which uses the IMC, will
interfere with legitimatelegitimate independent IMC fundraising efforts"
[self-appointed leaders, arbitrators, reformism replaces grassroots efforts=
,
need positive grassroots fundraising plan] -- further discussion to be had
-- everyone read SF's 7-point statement -- I'll post this proposal to the
list

Dick: problem of creeping liberalism: always the question of donor-capture
-- Black Panther Party, 35 years ago, developed this social theory

- CONSENSUS ON GENERAL DIRECTION OF DOUG'S DRAFT -


AGENDA

bank/PayPal
2/15 coverage
fundraiser
server
Chicago announce list
web design


BANK/PAYPAL

Don: took 2 weeks, legal papers, Don, Rita, Ian, Emily are on the account -=
-
tied to Chicago Tech [Chicago-Tech@indymedia.org] list -- most restricted
list -- $400-$600 in bank -- fundraiser before April would be helpful

Rita: March 7 is the date for Women in the Director's Chair -- Chris & Dick
need to report back on that

Don: in the process of confirming our PayPal account with the bank

Chris K.: I'll post a notice about 2/15 Chicago protests to the working lis=
t
-- I'll [help] write copy for a 2/15 story block

Don: stronger coalition of civil liberties groups -- links to those groups
on our site? -- [I'll be glad] to maintain a civil-liberties page

- CONSENSUS -

Rita: I've been interviewing mayoral candidates, and I have the audio --
should I post?

Chris K.: it's open-publishing

Dick: comments may be posted after their posting [of audio] -- what about
racist posts?

Don: follow our editorial guidelines


FEB. 15 CHICAGO PROTESTS

Don: why Devon/Leavitt?

Dick: over 1,000 Pakistani community people disgusted -- Andy Thayer invite=
d
to speak -- ACLU, NLG contacted -- not sure about CCDBR -- Pakistani
ambassador to US -- huge rally -- community -- CCAWR had series of
discussion with community people, also Albany Park, Latino neighborhoods --
this demo listed with Stop the War UK -- Chicago hasn't done this very well
before, demo in a targeted community -- including bannering on Lake Shore
Drive -- Iraq Peace Pledge -- 5 Chicago buses to NYC, previously 14 to DC -=
-
[will post a link to an archived news report about NYC demo preparations] -=
-
"terror threat" ("Level Orange") occurred five hours before court hearing -=
-
bus drop-off point could effectively become a protest pit, closed off by
phalanxes of police

Don: will march anyway -- what will happen?

Dick: labor won't sign off on civil disobedience there -- now re-focus away
from main rally, to feeder marches -- maybe 10 or 15 large marches, moving
toward 1st & 49th -- then locked down there by police -- technically
possible to do a million people on 1st St. -- Local 1199 signed onto legal
march -- no one from CIMC going

Rita: Pacifica will carry it live

Dick: Cagan: 'we want a legal victory' -- UFP cohesion suffering -- they
didn't anticipate permit being denied -- union locals, churches writing in:
'are we going to take this lying down?' -- CIMC story block [prioritization
of local events]: 1. Chicago march is not [permit-ed] 2. banner drop 3. NYC
4. Germany/France new resolution, counter-proposal 5. US 48-hour ultimatum
to Hussein, will be vetoed -- probably US & Britain will unilaterally issue
ultimatum 6. Sun./Mon. war could break out -- emergency response
plans/activism would kick in -- [also,] Feb. Fri. 14th, 4pm rally at
Teamsters City for the departure of NYC-bound buses

Chris G.: anyone from CIMC to NYC? call-in interviews?

Mandy: I'm going -- shooting film -- cell phone -- would do audio

Chris K.: (hands off CIMC Archos audio recorder to Mandy)

Dick: good idea: interview people as they get back

Chris G.: doing press for protest here

Garth: [should I stay or should I go?]

Chris G.: emergency response mobilization plan -- [staff] the phone line
here [at office]

Dick: open office for night of, and day after -- fall-back position --
around-the-clock

Chris G.: phone list to working list okay? -- Fed. Plaza, day after
[bombing], 8am

- CONTACT LIST PASSED AROUND, SEE END OF THIS EMAIL -

Ian: call in to CIMC office by cell phone to put up minute-by-minute report=
s

Garth: do we actually know people who would do it?

Chris G.: we haven't actually promoted ourselves that way -- more of our
work, like around TABD, has been virtual -- Dick will do a center panel for
Devon/Leavitt -- ANSWER is listing it -- buses coming here for it -- idea:
make office available only if needed -- those of us collecting in the field
need something [printed] to hand out to people -- need 1/4-sheet,
[reproduce] well, one-sided only, as PDF for easy download and duplication

Emily: yes -- I want to make masters and leave them here at the office

Garth: by this weekend, can we guarantee we'll each have a stack ready to
go?

Chris G.: consensus? -- individual responsibility for making copies, cuttin=
g
-- I need it in jpg format, business-card format

Garth: will we have server problems?

Emily: will post PDFs to my site, send link to working list

Ian: I'll check with global techs beforehand to ensure capacity

Don: only Micah & Stefani are physically in Seattle to install a new disk

Chris G.: can CIMC techs & NYC techs & SF techs have a conversation -- can
we have those sites as fallback space for our posts? -- formally request, i=
n
advance

Dick: [any] server independent of stallman -- post there all photos, link t=
o
them?


SERVER

Garth: would money help fix the server?

Ian: not a money issue as much as coordination -- no room in the box

Don: yes, one port [bay] left, no one in Seattle to do it

Ian: SF-IMC not able to keep up either

Don: if we paid for a dedicated tech person -- US global network needs a
dedicated tech

Dick: apparent -- need full-time

Ian: there's no "global tech" -- they're not organizers

Don: need someone to install drive into RAID box

Ian: haven't done much re: outreach to other IMCs -- Buffalo seems good

Chris G.: Northwestern techs have offered, but proviso is that their
bureaucracies have final say

Garth: other server solutions? -- opportunity to collaborate?

Chris G.: Urbana-Champaign IMC had a convergence -- we didn't go -- they're
more about formal institution-building -- different ethos -- convergence in
spring? -- focus on tech issues -- alternatives for server space? --
security issues...

Chris K.: KDX encrypted server/client shareware package, as communications
solution?

Ian/Don/___: [no, IRC is okay]

Dick: Midwest-wide tech conversation? we have a relationship with St. Louis=
,
Urbana, ____, but not Michigan, Minneapolis, or Milwaukee -- one conference
call, one IRC chat -- [get a plan together -- find shared costs]

Ian: $100/mo. plus setup -- co-location, shared RAID

Don: we need to look into it

____: Urbana has problems, too

Chris G.: focused tech IRC conversation for Midwest, and broader area

Dick: initial IRC conversation, then possibly later physical meeting

Chris G.: regional tech listserve -- brainstorm, troubleshoot

Ian: as a follow-up [to IRC chat]

Chris G.: proposal: empower our tech collective to pursue this

Garth: want to be sensitive about "volunteering" our tech people to do this

Don/Dick/Chris G.: [issues of trust, political-affinity trust]

Rita: others could help out with organizing this

Chris G.: Rita and me -- pull together contact list

Ian: I could do it

Chris G.: let us know -- we'll back you up

Dick: bi-lateral IMC [locals] relationships -- coincidental -- [_____ to
_____, etc.]

Ian: [relationship webs-of-connections issues]

Doug: if joint server, also support Global South efforts

Dick: St. Louis IMC tech issue -- they didn't have uninterruptible power
source -- they went out and raised funds for one

Ian: contacted Canada people -- overloaded server, too

Garth: do we have good local activist support for fundraising for us?


FUNDRAISING

Chris G.: followed up with Sabrina at WIDC -- last 2 weeks in February or
first week in March okay -- need to bring our own sound, equipment, anywher=
e
-- fallback: Hothouse, low-budget -- 3 screenings, 3 different tapes

Rita: March 7 difficult?

Chris G.: need 6 weeks lead time -- 3 weeks ____ -- have copies of "Jenin,
Jenin," "Tragedy in the Holy Land, corrected" on DVD, another Iraq
documentary

Chris G.: mid-March need $450/rent for next 3 months -- option: NWRC, not
sure when their new space opens -- May, full-tilt: ad book, liquor, WIDC

Emily: anyone ask Jeff @ Lumpen, at Heaven Gallery space?

Chris K.: [nice space, tres magnifique]

Chris G.: I could contact him

Dick: counter-proposal: CIMC is themost important anti-war site in Chicago
-- activist sites are not updated as regularly -- we now have PayPal --
center-column appeal for funds -- send out fundraising letter to anti-war
groups -- $5, $10, and forward this appeal -- global IMC video page -- can
access IMC-video page -- now running clips of anti-war demos -- posting
RealVideo clips -- no assembly into a package -- Indymedia TV -- screen fil=
m
and IMC clips -- Seattle IMC is doing fundraising based on BBC/Fisk
documentary -- 43 min.

Chris G.: counter-proposal: invite everyone to contribute all ideas on
anti-war video -- another progressive media group has "In Shifting Sands" -=
-
Scott Ritter documentary -- hard-to-get

Dick: at least one event -- take advantage of anti-war momentum -- bring
your tape and we'll screen it

Chris G.: I need lead time to promote it -- what is it? -- we need product
-- shake ___ -- 8-10 days lead time

Dick: appeal -- independent videographers -- if you want to show it...

Rita: video version of the open mic

Chris G.: best 10 min. of each

Doug: video performance art -- show on naked bodies

Dick: reach out to Video Machete -- are you going to cover it -- we'll
screen it

Chris G.: no video editing capabilities here [at the office] -- Paul Donahu=
e
has full-fledged Avid system -- open a conversation with him

Dick: show finished product [as a model], and let [free-form] screening of
raw footage

Chris G.: broad collection of existing Paper Tiger, [...] -- cook up genera=
l
propaganda -- Emily can design better [than me] -- anyone who can contribut=
e
to open-mic , send out through Hammerhard, IMC's various [channels] -- call
for best 10-minute short -- then on site put out promotional, including a
call for video shorts

Emily: theme-based series -- give it a [schedule], an identity

Dick: timely one now is anti-war -- put up an appeal on our center panel
before protests

Doug: ____

Chris G.: I'll put call out

Don: Weinglass, attorney, doing legal appeal for Cuban 5

Chris G.: Dick and I need all input, re: content

Don: open to sponsoring at an existing venue? -- Art Institute -- buy a
block of tickets

Chris G.: we'd all have to take responsibility to sell tickets -- appeal fo=
r
CIMC appeal letter to organizations

Garth: marketing approach: only ask for $5?

Chris G.: screening: $5-$10 recommended donation -- "continue high level of
anti-war coverage" -- target ____ -- Scott Gilbert [sp?], Neighbors For
Peace, very pleased with us, called to ask how to donate

Ian: NYC-IMC bandwidth used is 10X ours

Garth: will work on draft for letter

Chris K.: would you post that to the working list?

Garth: okay

Dick: even people who don't like Indymedia use it and check it out


IMC-CHICAGO-ANNOUNCE LIST

Ian: use it? 10-12 are on it

Chris K.: [use it for calls out and consensed-upon items, an "external"
list?]

Garth: would that create more bureaucracy?

Don: moderated list -- not a problem

Chris G.: good for cooked fundraising appeals -- not discuss building a
subscriber base now -- many on CIMC general [IMC-Chicago@indymedia.org] lis=
t
have dropped off, even lurkers

Chris K.: the archives for that list are no longer available

Chris G.: can we get working-list subscribers onto the announce list?

Ian: yeah

Doug: [global-process issues: individual-donor-oriented fundraising,
computer-vs.-human translation issues, process-list transformation]


TACTICAL MEDIA FUND

Doug: TMF is Indymedia people off on their own

Chris G.: Argentina IMC strongly objected to receiving those
[George-Soros-derived] funds

Doug: SF-IMC criticized lack of IMC network involvement in TMF actions --
TMF's argument is that they're autonomous

Don: if people donate to us, there's nothing we can say

Chris G.: not true

Chris K.: TMF is a different entity, though, right?

Doug: Indymedia people are TMF

Ian: blood is not on [donations coming to us]

Chris K.: I agree with that

Dick: question is on application [of funds] -- 40% of Patagonia is
Soros[-owned] -- political catastrophe for Argentina IMC to take that money

Don: [TMF shouldn't pretend to be IMC]

Doug: they are IMC [people]

Don: that's not acceptable

Chris G.: TMF is an independent project -- it's invoked as a dodge around a
democratic process -- it's a coup -- the TMF players want to
institutionalize Indymedia -- we want to say we support SF, Argentina
[IMCs'] criticisms -- Athens, Italy, [...] also had criticisms -- the core
issue is the future of Indymedia -- liberals versus left

Doug: money is a tool, it's not abstract

Chris G.: we may want to revisit our principles of unity -- really tainted
money out there -- would really taint ___ -- eviscerating land in Patagonia

Dick: we are accountable to larger circles of people -- we need to maintain
a certain degree of integrity -- Argentina IMC made a political decision --
strings are attached, maybe not apparent at first -- Soros requires a degre=
e
of accountability -- TMF has a paper structure, all bullshit, but they have
it -- as they become more dependent, ____ -- a bag of money would be [free
of political obligations]

Doug: money is a social tool -- control relationships -- [new draft of CIMC
statement]

Don: if TMF not use IMC in their solicitation, theoretically okay -- not us=
e
our name -- seem effective

Chris K.: how about if the TMF not use U-C IMC as their fiscal sponsor?

Dick: I agree

Chris G.: I agree with Don's points -- Sascha, those guys, are slick player=
s
-- it's critical to not lose sight of what's really going on -- no matter
what they say -- set up to subvert IMC democracy -- this is very, very
important -- TMC players want to make a donation, they can do that -- I
oppose that _____ -- TMF has made itself a tainted source -- it's an effort
of liberals to subvert anti-capitalists

Garth: I see two [threads] to this: some say 'do whatever with the money,'
others say ['turn it down'] -- we need to make a statement -- we'll get
dragged in deeper

Chris G.: it's their 3rd attempt [at raising non-profit funding]

Don: liberals have been doing this [forever] -- can't stop them -- they're
using the IMC name, or for IMC -- people would ask us "what about that
fund?" -- this liberal tactic has been used a thousand times -- you may not
use the IMC name -- legal tactic: if you do, we'll sue you -- remove IMC as
basis of legitimacy

Dick: PayPal now, no strings attached -- if $5,000 from TMF, there will be
strings attached -- a striking example from Urbana: they removed an article
from their open wire and posted a center-panel block saying 'conspiracy
postings about the shuttle will not be tolerated,' 'it would damage our
legitimacy as a news source' -- that shows they're concerned about about
their donors -- [meanwhile] the mainstream press came out with [expos=E9s] on
corporate connections -- not one of the corporate sources implied conspirac=
y
-- I wrote a response [to U-C IMC] -- the trap has been sprung

Don: they will be cut off if they don't behave -- propose to remove them
from the IMC network?

Chris G.: test for consensus -- we're not in agreement -- a stand-alone
meeting for hashing out these issues? -- I commend Doug, and secondarily,
Chris K., for [jumping on these issues]

Ian: take advantages [where we can take them] -- taking Soros money is not
enough -- is it a coup?

Dick: _____

Chris G.: test for consensus -- fire off a letter -- Don's point is
critical: ____

Doug: first note of response: "TMF fundraising, which uses the IMC, will
interfere with legitimatelegitimate independent IMC fundraising efforts"
[self-appointed leaders, arbitrators, reformism replaces grassroots efforts=
,
need positive grassroots fundraising plan] -- further discussion to be had
-- everyone read SF's 7-point statement -- I'll post this proposal to the
list

Dick: problem of creeping liberalism: always the question of donor-capture
-- Black Panther Party, 35 years ago, developed this social theory

- CONSENSUS ON GENERAL DIRECTION OF DOUG'S DRAFT -


WEB-DESIGN

[Emily's new web site design, implemented by Ian]


GLOSSARY

ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union

NLG - National Lawyers Guild

CCDBR - Chicago Campaign to Defend the Bill of Rights

CCAWR - Chicago Coalition Against the War and Racism

UFP - United For Peace

TABD - Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue

ANSWER - Act Now to Stop War and End Racism

PDF - (Adobe) Portable Document Format

RAID - redundant array of independent drives

IRC - Internet relay chat

WIDC - Women in the Director's Chair

DVD - digital video disc

NWRC - New World Resource Center

IMC - Independent Media Center

BBC - British Broadcasting Company

TMF - Tactical Media Fund


CONTACT INFO (in order of sign-in)

Rita Sand, rsand@mc.net, 708-749-1819

Doug Morris, being@enteract.com, - moving -

Chris Geovanis, chrisgeovanis@aol.com, hammerhard@aol.com, 312-603-4653 (w)=
,
312-733-2181 (h), 312-446-4939 (c)

Ian Bicking, ianb@colorstudy.com, 773-275-7241

Emily Lonigro, elonigro@lycos.com, 773-592-0373

Don Goldhamer, don.goldhamer@pobox.com, 773-702-7166 (w), 708-386-2633 (h)

Mandy Corrado, Mandy4peace@hotmail.com, 815-861-2996 (c)

Garth Liebhaber, garthliebhaber@hotmail.com, 773-583-7533

Orange Loy, polyesterorange@hotmail.com,773-704-2948

Alloy, alloy_alloy@hotmail.com, 773-704-2946

Andy Kim, kimchongse@yahoo.com

Chris Kaihatsu, ckaihatsu@myrealbox.com, 773-227-9374