The proposed resolution to allow for 90% pasage was "tabled" for future consideration. We will report developments on this issue as they become available.
Overnight, there were at least 130 arrests in Chicago as protesters defied orders to disband:
Some sage advice can be found at this link:
http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2011/10/occupy_wall_street_offers_l...
This New York Times Op-Ed piece is worthwhile:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/us/24iht-letter24.html
And Bill Maher, bless his heart, launched on the opposition. The video is available at the second link on Real Time:
And this proposal from the Finance Committee who are struggling to find a way to maintain transparency while avoiding organizational hazards. Thanks for your efforts:
DRAFT PROPOSAL FOR FACILITATING CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES IN THE OCCUPY LA MOVMENT
(Working draft dated October 22, 2011)
The following are a transparent and secure set of procedures for the management and accounting of OccupyLA’s financial contributions process:
Note: The proposed financial accounting system process will allow the influx of financial contributions to fund the OccupyLA movement and will help to avoid the pitfalls and political “conflict of interest” of establishing non-profit corporate 501 (c) 4 or 501 (c) 3 corporate rules that would likely bring to the Occupy Movement, the following Contributions and Expenditures structure easily facilitates the funding of OccupyLA’s financial needs in a way that easily solves the logistical necessities of dealing with funds, while avoiding the necessity of having to establish a bank account in an individual’s name or that of a corporate entity requiring a Social Security account and number.
The system proposed would also strengthen the Occupation Movement’s principles regarding the perpetuation of a banking system that is established in law to favor the corrupting influence of corporate power and bureaucratically entrenched non-transparency and unaccountability. By avoiding the 501 (c) 4 or 3 structures which are only accountable to the current laws and systems, the Occupation Movement is forced to be accountable to itself through a General Assembly-controlled process in a very transparent way.
Although it may seem on first consideration the process proposed here is a little unwieldy, it is actually the only way to secure the handling and storage of the cash contributions and expenditures. It is also the only way to ensure financial transparency and security that this process can be easily audited and reviewed by the OccupyLA movement and the public in order to prevent misappropriation of contributions and/or expenditures.
This proposal does not attempt to frame the methodology for ensuring the transparency and the inclusivity of the decision making process pertaining to expenditures, or any input and approval process of such decisions by the entire OccupyLA body. That authority and decision making process has yet to be determined by OccupyLA.
1. Occupy LA would establish a Contributions & Budget Expenditures webpage to announce budget or expenditures needs per line item so that contributors could designate how their contributions should be used (Example: the weekly Port-a-potty servicing payments, food, medical supplies, media and sound system equipment needs). That Expenditures and Need list would also be prepared daily on paper and posted to one of three large announcement of chalk boards established at the GA location.
2. Contributions to the OccupyLA movement would only be accepted in cash money, donated in person at the Finance Committee tent. No checks, money orders or electronic transfers of funds (nor Internet financial brokers such as PayPal) would be accepted or allowed due to that method’s necessity to use bank accounts, Social Security numbers and the legal requirement to set up corporate authority structures.
3. The intent of OccupyLA is to insure a transparent record of resource inflows. We encourage all individual donors contributing goods or services to submit receipts or a record of their contributions to the Finance Committee or the General Assembly. Anonymous donations are welcome, but we encourage the submission of a receipt to promote transparency.
4. A bank Safe Deposit Box would be established to essentially function as a safe holding place for cash contributions for the OccupyLA Finance Committee or designated group of individuals in OccupyLA. Essentially, the Safe Deposit Box would be used in the same way that a bank account would be used, but it would necessitate the participation of a minimum of three individuals instead of just one to make the Deposits and Withdrawals as well as a system of receipts and updated legers to account for the transactions.
5. The cash contributions would be received by at least two designated OccupyLA persons at the Finance tent logged along with four hard paper receipts that would be filled out on a numbered four-copy receipt form pad designating the contribution for a particular OccupyLA line item expenditure need per the contributors request. The contributor could make the donation anonymous as desired. One of four receipt copies would be given to the contributor.
6. At the time the contribution is made, the information on the receipts would also be logged in the Working Ledger book kept at the Finance Tent, and on the receipts would also be logged in the Working Ledger book kept at the Finance Tent, and one of the four receipt copies would be put in the Contributions Receipts envelope that will be kept with the Master Ledger book and reconciled with the entries n both the Working and Master ledgers. All transactions, receipts and ledger entries would be signed by a minimum of two designated OccupyLA individuals and datged.
7. Up to twice daily, three designated individuals (one of which would operate the video camcorder to document the process) would be responsible for making Deposits of the cash contributions in the Safe Deposit Box. The same process would be required to make Withdrawals from the Safe Deposit Box.
8. One of the individuals would video document the Deposit and Withdrawal process with a video camcorder immediately after which that video file would be posted to the OccupyLA Finance Committee webpage, posted to YouTube publicly, as well as backed up to external hard drives and DVDs which would be stored n the Safe Deposit Box as well as privately held by other designated OccupyLA individuals, to be determined by the Finance Committee.
9. The other two individuals would be responsible for double checking the totals f the cash deposits and withdrawals, counting and checking that the cash in the Safe Deposit Box matches the current balances in the ledger each time a visit is made to the Safe Deposit Box, and maintaining the accurate listings of said deposits and withdrawals in the Duplicate Ledger Book and receipts envelope. The Master Ledger book and receipts envelopes would also be stored in the Safe Deposit Box after each day. Every entry would be dated and signed by two designated persons at the time of access to the Safe Deposit Box.
10. The Working Ledger book entries and totals would need to be kept current on a daily basis with the Master Ledger Book that is kept in the Safe Deposit Box. A duplicate Backup Master Ledger Book would also be established and would be kept in a separate safe location. Photocopies of the Backup Master Book should be made after every update so that there is a second backup of the entries and totals.
5 Comments
The Movement Must Maintain Transparency!
Submitted by ep021765 on
Excellent Job!!
Transparency is truth.
Truth is reality.
The growth of this movement is a reality that cannot be ignored.
Join us.
Thought you might like this poster.
whew ! money gets to be so complicated, transparency too
Submitted by maryjanie on
appreciating all the dedicated good thinking and hard work shown in forming this money plan, it seems more than unwieldy - but from the complications required, the process may ultimately be dysfunctional, if not immediately, then it may soon need revisions and simplifications after attempting to use it.
not intending to be critical or nay saying of all the dedicated thinking & planning done and the admitting difficulty of being transparent... this plan also implies so much DISTRUST in attempting to be open and visible to everyone that glitches are also easily inserted as unintended consequences.
without attempting to second think the plan/ process...yet 1 important point to note is that if ONLY CASH ON SITE is accepted, the donation process is extremely limited. As it is probable that those who do not, cannot, or will not come downtown [or find parking and take the time and make that extra effort to go to bank to get cash out - because many do other paper or card transactions most often instead too....] .
Cash-Only may reduce significantly the resulting donations - those so needed to sustain the necessary equipment, supplies, food, et al at OLA.
If that one limitation can be shifted more safely and plan allow other ways that donations of money be made, a big difference would ease the restrictions placed on incoming funding for OLA. If a person can make the conversion of checks or money orders or credit card gifts n into cash, with the transparency needed, then plenty more donations can be made by those generous people who want to help keep and sustain OLA longer – to contribute to this occupation’s continuation than is possible with too few funds.
= This is obviously just One person's opinion here.
The non-secure or unstable Committee of Resources/ Finance [ with change of members or their continued ability to be there in person for discussions and meetings ] makes for some difficulty when changing persons do the banking, enter the safety box and do the recordings - - with the necessary trainings of the intricate & complicated routines described here – this maybe means there will likely be many errors, mistakes, and then recriminations too.
Without interfering with this plan or the people working so diligently in creating a transparent method of receiving needed funds, money, donations.... question -
has this already been clearly officially finally DECIDED and a trial routine attempted ?
a mock transaction ?
a training session to see what and how this plan needs to be maybe be modified ?
Knowing ideals are great to imagine and actions to implement those ideas and ideals are extremely difficult to do in real life real time ...having tried to do this before too.... Q =
who, how and when will this plan/ intention be evaluated or tested ?
Who will decide that it IS working well enough or needs to be changed, corrected, modified revised ?
Recognizing again that good hard work and much negotiating must have already gone into this proposal or plan, we appreciate what you do...and yet find the complications ...even in thinking the process thru...to be 'too complicated"..
but try it.. you may find you can do it or ....try some alternative simplified methods too - and the work, discussion, negotiations will surely continue on and on some more
thanks for your expertise and work and good intentions ...as is
Regarding Censorship.
Submitted by emwoccupyla on
this is it:
[This post has been moderated due to hate speech. Hate speech, racism, and violence will not be tolerated in any form on this site. Thank you.]
should read this post has been Censored. Do you not believe in the first amendment and the bill of rights, who decided to censor this, clearly it was not the GA so what dos this movement really stand for political correctness. While I find the idea of anti-semitism abhorant I actually think this discussion was in a manner constructive. Apparently, someone or group is making decisions on what we can and cannot think or say, to this I extend a hard block, repost or lose this freedom loving individual.
Hate Speeech, Racism and Violence
Submitted by Seth Spinolla on
I guess that you should tell you right there who is running the show. I am a total free speecher (minus deliberate gibberish). Someone has set themselves up as the arbiTRAITors of what can or can not be discussed except by their arbitrary guidelines of permission. They decide what 'hate speech' is/isin't, what is defined as 'racism' (a hazy descriptor) and and assume violence where there is none.
It is becoming clearer and clearer who is in a position of leadership in a 'leaderless' movement to ply their arbitration on upon the 'other' 99%. They have become or maybe were always of the mindset of the 1%. Not surprised at all.
Without free speech no search for the truth is possible, no discovery of truth is useful. Better a thousandfold abuse of speech than denial. The abuse dies in a day, but the denial slays the life of the people, and entombs the hope of the race.
How do I LIKE this?
Submitted by emwoccupyla on
So true!
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