May 2008 Local Meeting
From SP Boston
The Socialist Party of Boston met at noon on Sunday, 25 May 2008 in the Lucy Parsons Center. Along with reportbacks from May Day events and discussion about the role we can play in larger coalitions, we planned for our upcoming benefit performance of Howard Zinn's Marx in Soho on 31 May, the National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation coming up in June, and the Socialist Party's National Organizing Conference a couple of weeks later, in addition to electoral campaigns from state senate to US president. For more information, check out the full minutes below.
[edit] Agenda
- Introductions and agenda approval
- May Day Reportbacks
- Review activities and how they went.
- Evaluate red/black blocks at recent events.
- Antiwar
- Iraq Moratorium events, how to get the most out of them.
- StWC proposal for weekly visibilities/standouts at Berkeley.
- National Conference coming up next month in Ohio -- any logistical issues we should address or delegate?
- Fundraising
- The eternal fundraising concert
- Does Welfare Records work as a venue?
- Do we have a date confirmed with them?
- Need any more bands?
- Jerry Levy performs Howard Zinn's Marx in Soho, Saturday 31 May.
- Coming up quick!
- What more needs to be done?
- The eternal fundraising concert
- Electoral
- Presidential campaign
- When can we start collecting signatures in RI?
- Update on sticker campaign status in MA.
- Get list of registered socialists in MA.
- Todd Vachon petitioning update
- Contacting/organizing with potential state senate candidate in Rhode Island.
- Presidential campaign
- SP Anti-imperialism committee -- nominate contact?
- New members
- Clarify approval procedure
- Review backlog
- Idea to formalize non-member "supporter" status
- Proposal for SP to adopt expanded platform points
- Other upcoming events
- Anti-imperialist fourth of July -- do one in the Boston area?
- National Organizing Conference, 11-13 July in Ann Arbor, MI
- SP-New England Podcast and Media Exposure
- This discussion is going to be around the development and production of content to specific to SP-New England, and how to distribute it and get it out there for wider consumption. There have been several ideas on the SP-New England list, but having a discussion at the general meeting would be helpful.
- Mark True is putting together a proposed programming format for the podcast
- Some ideas so far:
- Podcast
- Streaming radio show
- YouTube video program
- Wider dissemination to other progressive journals (Boston Pheonix comes to mind)
- Possible Media Committee or Corresponding Secretary?
- Possible trial project: Ed Laing's primer on democratic socialism?
[edit] Minutes
- Introductions and agenda approval
- The meeting was attended by Matt A., Chris F., Billie M., Chris P., Angela P., and David S.
- May Day Reportbacks
- There was a general sense that recent events with red/black blocks have been energetic, non-sectarian, and motivating. We should keep them up.
- They have not been planned well in advance, so that's something to consider more in the future.
- We should keep in closer touch with the May Day Coalition during the year -- they don't just organize May Day actions, but are a general-purpose immigrants' rights coalition.
- Antiwar
- Merge Iraq Moratorium actions into weekly "DMZ" (demilitarized zones) visibilities every Friday evening, 6-8 pm at the corner of Mass. Ave. and Boylston St. Idea is to "chill out against the war", with art, music, discussion, etc.
- Proposal to try to connect anti-biolab and anti-war movements in Boston.
- Lost-cost bus to National Assembly in Cleveland leaving from CT.
- Phonebanking for National Assembly and Marx in Soho on Wednesday, 28 May, at Encuentro5.
- Fundraising
- The eternal fundraising concert -- Welfare Records has stopped hosting shows, so we are sort of back to square one.
- Jerry Levy performs Howard Zinn's Marx in Soho, Saturday 31 May.
- Phonebanking for Marx in Soho and National Assembly on Wednesday, 28 May, at Encuentro5.
- Went well, 65-75 attended, some went out to dinner with Jerry afterwards.
- Now question is what to do with the money raised. Half went to the Stop the Wars Coalition, another quarter went to the national SP, which is having difficulty reaching its fundraising goals.
- Electoral
- Presidential campaign
- We can start collecting signatures in Rhode Island in July. 1000 verified signatures needed by September. John Walsh is the new Rhode Island ballot access coordinator.
- We need one more elector for MA, and need voter registration certificates from many of the electors currently signed up.
- Matt will contact the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office to get the list of registered socialists in MA.
- Todd Vachon in CT needs 2500 verified signatures by August, will need a lot of help getting there.
- Jon Osborne has filed to run for State Senate in Rhode Island, so we should head down there to help him out at some point.
- Presidential campaign
- SP Anti-imperialism committee
- Chris F. accepted nomination to join anti-imperialism committee.
- Nobody was entirely clear what it is to do, but I guess we'll find out.
- New members
- We agreed that we should still contact new members to make sure they are familiar with our Principles. We just need to do so quickly and follow up if we don't hear back.
- Val G. and Brent G. approved -- both have been in touch.
- Idea to formalize non-member "supporter" status tabled for lack of time.
- Proposal for SP to adopt expanded platform points tabled for lack of time.
- Other upcoming events
- We scheduled an informal get-together for 7 pm on Saturday, 14 June at the Mass. Ave. Au Bon Pain between the Symphony and Hynes.
- We will move our annual Anti-Imperialist Fourth of July picnic from Amherst to Boston! Friday, 4 July, in the Charles River Reservation off Soldiers Field Rd. past Elliot Bridge (near Harvard Stadium).
- Discussion of National Organizing Conference, 11-13 July in Ann Arbor, MI tabled for lack of time.
- Podcast/media presentation tabled since main author couldn't give presentation about it.