[Seattle-editorial] Future of the IMC - Notes from 2nd Meeting 1/13/04 (Next meeting Wed 1/28/04)

[sheri at speakeasy.org]

IMC SEATTLE GENERAL MEETING NOTES - January 13, 2004 (second in a series)

Present: Benjamin, Meadow, Rick, Jill, Joyce, Devin, Susan, Walt, Judy, Jonathan, Brenna, Sheri, Brandon, Jason
Facilitators: Bill and Margo

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, January 28, 2004

BACKGROUND
This meeting is the second in a series of “Mediation” Meetings
The first one was December 16, 2003:
- Convening email by Bill Aal (http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-seattle/2003-December/004586.html)
- Immediate next steps and short term planning (http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-seattle/2003-December/004616.html)
- Minutes (http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-seattle/2004-January/004644.html)

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TWO HANDOUTS

1. Proposal for Continuing an Active IMC - see http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-seattle/2004-January/004660.html (people were to come to this meeting with proposals for how to move forward; this was one of several different proposals - see below for more about the other 5 proposals)
2. Helpful Approaches to Conflict by Tools for Change

SMALL GROUP BREAKOUT - 2 QUESTIONS

1. What were the great accomplishments for Indymedia in 2003 (not necessarily just our local IMC)?

· Cancun – it was a major media production victory; we showed how we could do great collaboration with our allies; Korean farmers & Zapatistas shows the global movement.
· Strengths in multimedia
· Growth in the network of IMCs in the “global south”
· February 15 protests – internet success story and our potential role
· Stories aren’t dropped anymore because of Indymedia and alternative media (example: Mad Cow Disease and Urbana IMC)
· Indymedia Bolivia is growing and an inspiration
· Groundswell of activism around media consolidation issues
· More local news happening (IMC Portland great example)

2. What’s needed for 2004?

· IMCs that haven’t seen themselves as community serving organization need to be more aware of that; increase outreach and community relations.
· Networks of independent media makers which means better collaboration and networking and facilitating of media.
· Being more accountable to media
· Umbrella council for independent media – like a community advisory group
· More grassroots groups like Moveon.org
· More connection with the community
· Need to take a vacation
· Show positive stories – for increased empowerment
· North American IMCs need to re-examine our role in the global south
· Need more teaching skills
· More accountability to local groups
· Less time on conventions and being distracted and more focus on local organizing

REFLECTION

We were asked to reflect on what we’d like to see come out of this meeting:

· Dignified and selfless resolution
· Clear direction for the next 3-6 months in terms of “survival” strategies
· Sense of accomplishment and direction toward something specific that people are passionate about
· Having all options known.
· Having clearer communication
· Knowing who is making a commitment toward involvement
· Pursue healing and not continue the unnecessary conflict
· "Get rid of the rock I've been carrying around with me"
· Establish a direction forward that prioritizes shared political goals ahead of survival strategies
· Meeting of the minds re how to organize ourselves in the future (about direction and having a positive plan)
· Have a strategy for working with community – have enough consensus so we can go out and communicate that to the larger community
· Shared sense of prioritizing the time that is needed to wrap up and move forward and engage the larger community
· Have an agreement that apologies are needed to many people
· Clarity to move forward and get behind the people who want to move forward and be active

AGREEING TO DISAGREE

Margo asked whether we could agree that for the purpose of this meeting this group of people would make decisions about the IMC. It was not stated directly, but consensus decision-making was the way we proceeded forward. 

(Editorial comment: This is a challenging situation because within the room were people with as divergent perspectives as there can be with regard to the IMC (some want to see it dissolved; some want to start moving ahead with all the lessons learned; some just want a website and no organization; some want to see a break of some kind); this is doubly challenging because many of these people have not been active in the IMC for some time and there are personal conflicts which are getting in the way of being able to actually use consensus decision-making; I shared my concerns later in the meeting when it became clear that there was a problem with the process. This will be discussed at the meeting on January 28, 2004).

Issues to be discussed that are about money:
New bank account
New bookkeeper for 2004
DSL/phone service
Proposal to John regarding storage/Segway

Since the last meeting, the things that have been done that we talked about:

1. There's a sign on the door about leasing the space and the front windows have been cleaned up.
2. The articles of incorporation have been signed and mailed in with a check for renewal.
3. We paid LIHI a big portion of our rent owed;
4. We've been communicating on the general IMC-Seattle list
5. We have taken a break

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PROPOSALS

We all agreed that we need a lot of trust between individuals to be rebuilt to accomplish anything and to be a more powerful force in the local progressive community.

The conflict resolution piece can be grounded in the proposals on the floor (not sure what this means in concrete terms - hopefully to be dealt with more in the 1/28 meeting)

We were asked to listen for common points. What would be needed for this to be something we could stand behind. Try not to think that your proposal or the one you like the most is the ONLY way; be open.

Proposal 1 - Jill presented (not sure how many people are behind this proposal or would support it)

The IMC started in a reactionary moment and responded to the WTO and had phenomenal impacts. But it's been stuck in a rut and there are dramatically different visions and a serious lack of common vision between all the participants. These multiple visions are in conflict. A majority of local media makers are alienated from the IMC and not participating with media makings; there's a lot of independent media making in this town; GUS, radio IMC, the editorial collective are affiliated with the Seattle IMC. If the Seattle IMC ceased to exist tomorrow, would it open a space for people? For people to be liberated from the chains of process. A coalition of autonomous groups who share a common vision perhaps is what we should be and cease to exist as an organization with structure and processes. The computers and other things should be distributed through the community.

Proposal 2 - Jonathan presented

The philosophical underpinnings to his proposal are similar to Jill's. There are two main parts: (1) The IMC as it currently exists should take a hiatus and should disband with the possibility of ceasing to exist; the website should continue to exist and have a small editorial crew to keep it open. If there is an IMC to be here in Seattle, it should be radically different than what is currently happening; (2) This group should make a space for the people of color community to organize the IMC; we have to let go of the sense of ownership to achieve our mission/values. We need to step aside. The Pacific Northwest Social Forum is a good example of coordination by people of color.

Proposal 3 - Susan presented

Her proposal is similar to Jill's and Jonathan's. We need a reimagining period to allow the Seattle IMC to be more authentic.

Proposal 5 - Joyce presented (Joyce's proposal is very similar to the proposal that was sent to the lists http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-seattle/2004-January/004660.html)

We should move into the Segway building in Ballard because it would be a free space for us til January 2005. We would only pay electricity costs and insurance (which we have already paid and are current through August 2004); We would get a 1600 square foot space for our office and allow access to media-making and have access for events, fundraisers, teach-ins, screenings in the larger 15,000 square foot space. We would pay a small fee for use of this space. It could be a public media center; the people who are leasing the Segway want to see the IMC be successful and we could be collaborating with the different groups who are already using that space for events. 

Proposal 6 - Judy presented

If we move into the Segway, we should not just move a bad structure into a new space. We need a different structure; The nonprofit structure has been proven to work. It would make it more functional. 

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REVIEW

We were asked by the facilitators to consider what is interesting about the other proposals you didn't originally entertain?

What would it take to move forward?

Not taking failed models with us
Are we looking at the principles of unity as common ground (the Indymedia network principles of unity)
We could gain more wisdom about reinvention and taking a break
There are many connections between all the proposals (Segway could be good storage at a minimum and there would be great connections with groups like SNOW and for skill-sharing)
There are different perceptions of what the people think the community thinks of the IMC
Need a sense of humility about our identity

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UNITY

Margo points out that we seem to have unity on two thing:
1. The need for some sort of re-imagining of independent media
2. Need to come up with a common vision to do independent media or to work together to do independent media

What do we need to let go of to create space and in order for this re-imagining to take place?

ISSUES

Lack of accountability and responsibility
We need personal and organizational humility (ie I would try harder to really listen to the other)
Unburden ourselves from ongoing logistical structure - get rid of structure and get clean; let go of the idea that we need to have a space!
Get rid of maudlin sentimentality - what we are is stuck in a certain political point of view; counter-tradition is the noose; we've not gone the extra mile
Give up personal and collective self-righteousness
We need to let go of our long term institutional memory because our memory is so connected to the global network not our local work. We have a global IMC launchpad.
Give up the consensus process
Do better outreach/community connections

THEMES: It can't go on the way it's been going on.

How to take the threads all together with our differences of political purposes?
Take advantage of a space
Re-imagine
Slow things down
Have accountability
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We then proceeded through a challenging process to all collectively agree on some next steps

1.  To maintain a great local news website;
2.  To use Segway as a storage location [the full proposal was to have storage space with access to an events space; it was blocked;] Devin and Joyce would work on this together and perhaps Devin would locate a different storage space without need for construction.
3.  Agree to pay off our bills;
4.  Agree to keep the feature section more updated;
5.  Agree to use as little money as possible to do any of the above.

DISCUSSION

*  To have a website without an organization is "fanciful"; many others felt the same way - how can you have an Indymedia website while not allowing for a functioning collective that meets and grows.
*  We don't really have a functioning website and alot of work needs to go into it with a group of people and there needs to be conflict resolution for this; we also need to bring in new people so features is not just being done by a handful of the same people;
*  Who is going to do all these things - keep the website going, keep features going?  Question of who is really involved and will continue to be involved.
*  Many unresolved questions - how to do the work without bringing on any more new people?
*  Sheri brought up her concerns about the process and the issues she had with how these decisions were being made by this particular group of people when it is clear there are huge differences and there's interpersonal conflicts that are getting in the way; also that decisions affecting the Seattle IMC should be made by the membership not by a group of people who have not been involved for a long time and who have only met as a group twice.  We did not get to discuss this further and it was postponed until the next meeting to discuss what decision-making perimeters this group should have.  Priorities of decision-making and conflict resolution, which comes first?
*  Issue of autonomy was raised by Sheri and the importance of it within the global network; Jonathan mentioned that autonomy is discussed in our bylaws but not enough time to discuss further.  [Someone should get a copy of this bylaw so we can discuss it on 1/28].  Sheri's point was that one of the underlying principles of the network and therefore each local IMC is that working groups can carry on their work autonomously - just like GUS, the newly activated print group, the tech group, editorial collective, Radio IMC (for example).  If an events group wanted to put on IMC events, why are they being stopped while other autonomous groups are not.  Should the IMC name not be used.  This is a huge topic and not just one that the local Seattle collective is dealing with.

TRUST is a huge issue right now with people who have been active and not active.  How do we rebuild it?  Some people have made it claer that they don't want to work with certain people and this is getting in the way of how we can agree on getting certain things done.  How do we work arount that?  Not everyone wants to do the same thing.  Can we find a way through this so that all needs are met.

We ended with the issues for the next meeting on 1/28/04 which are at the top of these notes.

[Note:  These are not official minutes because I wasn't taking the minutes for this meeting, but we need to make sure that our meetings are documented so that the larger community can follow what is happening in these meetings and not just the agreements that we've come up with.  People have expressed a sincere interest in seeing the IMC continue and we need to be accountable to that.]