midnight marauder
11th February 2008, 02:01
Taking a page from the Australian comrades, I suppose. ;)
What follows is a proposal and conference invitation for an Anarchist Federation made up of individuals and collectives from the Midwest and Great Plains region of the United States.
Dear Comrades,
This e-mail is a personal invitation to an upcoming gathering of
anarchists and social revolutionaries to take place May 2-4th in Lawrence,
Kansas. The intention of this gathering is to help facilitate the creation
of a new regional anarchist organization.
Kansas Mutual Aid, a class struggle anarchist collective active in
Lawrence was active in the formation of the Great Plains Anarchist Network
and active as the legal working group for that network during its
existence from 2002-2005.
We at KMA feel that though the GPAN model was lacking, the relationships
built by GPAN and nurtured by it were indespensible, and something we are
definitely missing with anarchist organizing in the Great Plains region.
Thus, in an effort to offer some ideas on how to build a more effective
regional organization, KMA has drafted a proposal for a new regional
anarchist organization, with the working name of "Democracy is Direct". Of
course, this name is bound to be controversial and may not even be the
name we stick to as an organization. Our goal is to offer this proposal to
others in the midwest and help to form a revolutionary anarchist
organization that is structured in a way to actually become an active tool
for complimenting our local and regional organizing, and not just become a
social networking tool.
We feel that in the build up to the elections, a regional anarchist
organization and strengthened working relationship with other
revolutionary social anarchists from across the Great Plains and midwest
is necessary, and will prove to help build a solid campaign against
electoral politics and for the creation of direct democracy that lasts far
beyond the upcoming conventions and elections.
Please join us in Lawrence in May! Send an RSVP or any questions, ideas,
or comments about the proposal to us at [email protected]
Also, if anyone is willing to translate this e-mail and attached proposal
into Spanish, as well as help translate in May, let us know, as this would
be super appreciated.
The proposed working constitution of the organization is attached with
this e-mail. Please note, we basically picked apart the NEFAC
Constitution, making it relevent to the midwest, and to a different brand
of anarchism less reliant on executive decision making bodies. We feel
that what we came up with best communicates our desires and hopes from a
regional organization.
Please get back with us if you have any interest in this project whatsoever.
In love and solidarity,
Dave Strano
on behalf of
Kansas Mutual AidDraft of the proposed constitution:
A Proposed Constitution for Democracy is Direct,
a regional anarchist organization
1) Preamble
Democracy is Direct (DID) is an organization of anarchist revolutionaries active within movements for social justice in the North America. DID seeks to bring together anarchists of different persuasions within the social tradition of anarchism. DID's primary aims are two fold: 1) to share resources and skills among already existing anarchist formations to strengthen localized organizing and movement building; and 2) to foster the expansion and cohesion of the broader anarchist movement within North America.
2) Organizational Principles
Throughout the history of the international anarchist movement no single topic has been the source of more debate than that of how anarchists should organize themselves. We believe that any organization's structure should safeguard the autonomy of the individuals that make up the organization, while maintaining a spirit of collectivism. We firmly believe that our organizations should be directly democratic and not based upon representation, and to this end, we have identified several key unifying concepts around which to organize ourselves.
a) Theoretical and Tactical Unity
We fully agree with the statement made within the Constitution of the Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC) that "Many political tendencies are present within anarchism and this is in part what makes it so rich". This is why we do not seek to limit our organizing to one strict anarchist theory, but instead embrace any and all anarchist ideologies working toward collective liberation.
We seek to create theoretical and tactical unity around the following claims:
1) We seek collective liberation and self determination for all life.
2) We understand that domination comes in three inter-connected forms: economic, social, and political, and that we seek to create voluntary and liberatory alternatives within these spheres of interaction and organization.
Some examples of these forms of domination include, but are not limited to: capitalism, patriarchy, racism and white supremacy, heterosexism and homophobia, the gender binary and trans/queerphobia, state control, nationalism and xenophobia, ecological destruction and specieism, ageism, and ableism... (These to be defined and identified in a future document...)
3) Culture, geography, and history will determine how these voluntary and liberatory alternatives are shaped, and we do not make any claims as to the exact model that these forms will take. The nature of these models is to be decided by those that create them. We all have the answers to our own unique conditions.
4) The conditions of domination are what set the ground for the conditions of resistance to that domination. Tactics and strategy for overcoming domination can only be decided upon by those experiencing those conditions.
5) We are not pacifists, nor do we believe violence to be the overriding answer to our conditions. We believe this is a false dichotomy, and that our resistance will take many forms and methods.
6) We cannot ignore the need for developing theoretical models of existence and resistance, but cannot relegate ourselves or our work to merely theoretical development or propagating our theories. We must work to directly make our theories a reality.
These statements alone don't define our positions on key issues, but instead act as a guide for understanding what it is that we are working toward.
b) Direct Democracy
We must organize ourselves according to the ideals we hold of how society should be organized. In light of this, we have chosen to organize within a framework of direct democracy. The ideology of Direct Democracy negates any role for decision making bodies separated from the individual members of an organization. We will not organize with any executive boards or bodies, and decisions that affect the whole of the organization will be made directly by the whole of the membership.
c) Collective Responsibility and Accountability
Our organizations are tools for liberation and we do not owe allegiance to the organization, but to the members that make up the organization. We do not seek to create a new "nation-state", rather an avenue for social liberation. If we have succeeded in our efforts, this organization no longer needs to exist.
Although we owe no allegiance to an abstraction such as an organization, we owe responsibility and must be accountable to the membership of the organization.
Members of DID must be honest about intentions and abilities when taking on tasks and work for the on behalf of the membership and should be communicative with the membership of needs, wants, or inability to accomplish these tasks or work. Members should hold others and ourselves accountable for completing the work and tasks that we have taken on.
All of us must be responsible for holding ourselves and others accountable for actions or ideas that further promote oppression or domination within our organization or outside of it.
It should be our aim to act in the best interests of the greater membership while not sacrificing our own goals and intentions and to support each other physically, mentally, and emotionally throughout our struggle and our work.
3) Membership
Membership within Democracy is Direct is based upon participation rather than financial contribution. Our goal is to create a participatory and democratic organization true to the aims and principles of social anarchism.
There are two types of membership - collective and individual. The difference in this type of membership is minimal, as a directly democratic organization will not rely on representation. In this format, all participants of our decision making bodies, whether members of collectives or not, will have an individual voice in the process.
Since our struggle is one of a collectivist nature, an aim of the organization will be to further the development and creation of new collectives and organizations, however this is not to be seen as our core purpose nor the only way to work within our organization.
a) Members
A member is defined as any group or individual that agrees with the positions and orientations of the organization, fulfills tasks that the member volunteers for at conferences and other events, and remains in communication and accountable to the organization.
Membership is declared at a conference, and those seeking membership will give a presentation on who the proposed member individual/collective is, what they do, what the work work on, and any other pertinent information.
Membership will be accepted by the already existing group. Initial membership of the organization will be determined by those that attend the first organizational conference.
b) Membership Responsibilities
participate as individuals or collectives, when possible and practical, in working groups and projects of the organization
regularly, (AS POSSIBLE) participate in the regular conferences
regularly inform the organization as a whole of the development of your
activity by the means of a short monthly report sent to the collective acting as the secretary collective and compiling the newsletter (to be defined later in this document)
c) Fundraising
There are no dues required of members, but it is highly encouraged that fundraising is attempted by all members when support is needed for projects and work of the organization. (Printing of the newsletter, legal defense fund for protests or other actions, etc...)
d) Expulsion and Resignation
Resignation: any member who chooses not to fulfill the member responsibilities for more than three consecutive months is believed to have resigned. Members can also signify their resignation from the organization by writing( the main e-mail for the organization.) It is the responsibility of the secretary collective for keeping the membership list and contact up to date.
Expulsion: any member who breaks, in a serious way, from the accountability processes of the organization, or who has given any other reason for members to feel that they should be expelled, is subject to expulsion. Concerns or requests to expel members will be brought up through the conferences, at the beginning of the working agenda for the general assembly meeting.4) Structure
Democracy is Direct's working principle is one of direct democracy.This means that every decision is taken after vigorous discussionat a conference and by consensus when a decision is applicable to the whole organization. When smaller projects will be worked on, it is not necessary to reach consensus, as long as the project does not violate the minimal standards and principles of unity of our organization.
Every decision made in a conference is immediately applicable, and binding to the membership. Only a new conference can reverse a decision made that way. Every working policy and way of functioning of the organization is adopted at conferences and therefore applies to all.
a) The Conference
The highest decision making body for the organization is the conference (or general assembly), which is open to any individual member and members of collectives affiliated with the organization, supporters, and observers. During the conference, only the members have the right to be a part of the decision making, though anyone present can make proposals and add to the discussion.
Assemblies should be focused on creating campaigns and projects that members are interested in and formulating strategies for achieving these goals. Assemblies should also provide social time and time for networking. However, this must be a safe space with complete sobriety at all conference sanctioned spaces and events. Room may be left for non-sober spaces outside official events and spaces organized by individuals within host communities, but it is not the responsibility of the conference hosts to create such a space. All too often our organizing and work has been derailed by priority given to parties and other spaces that have been alienating and unsafe. The priority of the conference will be the advancement of our work as anarchists and revolutionaries.
It is up to the local members to organize the conference, propose a location and a date, see that we have an adequate room, food, place to stay and so on. Location and dates for next conference should be picked at the previous conference. All agendas for the conference will be set at the beginning of the conference, unless there is carry over business.
All proposals should come with a collective, individual, or group of individuals (depending on the nature and scope of the proposal) who are willing to be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the progress, and eventual completion, of said proposal. It is they that are to be held accountable for the effective realization of a passed proposal.
Holding regular conferences generates various fees, which can be relatively high and can eventually discourage participation in these meetings. That's why the Federation adopts the following way to share the fees. First, registration fees will be charged to all participants to cover the costs of the organizing committee (production of documents, renting of rooms, food, etc.). Then, at the end of the conference, participants will share the traveling cost; that is, they will add all of their bills and will divide them by the number of people. The goal is to share the costs in an egalitarian manner so that it doesn't cost more to those who live farther away from the meeting place. Of course we expect everyone to organize to reduce costs to a minimum! These costs are open to discussion and debate, and will be sliding scale depending on income.
Each conference should also be accessible to those in wheelchairs and other varying physical abilities. It should be a goal to eventually have interpreters for sign language and Spanish, as well as other languages, at our conferences and events.
In cases that require emergency decision making, the e-mail list will be a form of conversation and discussion, and phone and skype communication is encouraged. This will be more fleshed out as conference progress, and this way of decision making will need to be visited at the opening conference and amended.
c) Working Groups
When necessary, the conference creates working groups and mandates for the realization of special projects. These working groups are bound by the same principles as the rest of the organization namely that comrades be given clear mandates and that the comrades who perform these mandates are revocable at any moment. Without making it a formal rule, the organization will favor the rotation of tasks.
d) Rotating Collective Responsibilities
To ensure that the organization continues to function and is able to maintain its commitment to revolutionary organization, several main responsibilities will be necessary for collectives or working groups of individuals to maintain.
These responsibilities will rotate consitently, and will be both assigned to collectives or working groups at each meeting, and rotated at these meetings. A length of time for handling the responsibility will last from the time of one conference to the next.
i. Newsletter/secretary collective
This collective will be responsible for checking and responding to any e-mail within the the main e-mail account, updating and compiling the membership list and membership contact information, as well as creating a print newsletter every two months that is sent out to all members, with member updates and updates on the projects and programs of the organization.
ii. Legal defense
This collective will be responsible for providing legal relief to the rest of the organization, and maintaing a legal defense fund for the organization. The collective is also encouraged to organize and provide trainings related to legal defense, police interaction, and legal observing at protests and actions.
iii. Conference collective
This collective is responsible for organizing the conference, and will be responsible for all work related to the organizing of that conference (See CONFERENCE above)
iv. Treasury collective
This collective will be responsible for maintaining and storing any money donated or raised for the work of DID.
e) Electronic Discussion List
To ensure good internal communication, the Federation maintain a number of internal electronic discussion lists. The Electronic Discussion Lists are closed lists, available only to official members and supporters of DID. Observers may be allowed onto the Lists on a case by case basis. The aims of these tools are to ensure a lively and constant debate, and to forward information to members. To this end, members should distribute, on a monthly basis, a short report of their activity and, on a three-month basis, a more detailed one.
f) Language Policy
Because DID is composed of members from both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities, all the official documents of the organization, all the proposals and pre-conference material should be available in both languages as much as possible. It is up to each group to distribute the information in the appropriate language.
5) The First Conference
The first conference will be hosted by the Kansas Mutual Aid Collective in Lawrence, Kansas during the weekend of May 2-4. For more information or to comment on this proposal, send all questions and comments to:
[email protected]
or
Kansas Mutual Aid
PO Box 442438
Lawrence, KS 66044
What follows is a proposal and conference invitation for an Anarchist Federation made up of individuals and collectives from the Midwest and Great Plains region of the United States.
Dear Comrades,
This e-mail is a personal invitation to an upcoming gathering of
anarchists and social revolutionaries to take place May 2-4th in Lawrence,
Kansas. The intention of this gathering is to help facilitate the creation
of a new regional anarchist organization.
Kansas Mutual Aid, a class struggle anarchist collective active in
Lawrence was active in the formation of the Great Plains Anarchist Network
and active as the legal working group for that network during its
existence from 2002-2005.
We at KMA feel that though the GPAN model was lacking, the relationships
built by GPAN and nurtured by it were indespensible, and something we are
definitely missing with anarchist organizing in the Great Plains region.
Thus, in an effort to offer some ideas on how to build a more effective
regional organization, KMA has drafted a proposal for a new regional
anarchist organization, with the working name of "Democracy is Direct". Of
course, this name is bound to be controversial and may not even be the
name we stick to as an organization. Our goal is to offer this proposal to
others in the midwest and help to form a revolutionary anarchist
organization that is structured in a way to actually become an active tool
for complimenting our local and regional organizing, and not just become a
social networking tool.
We feel that in the build up to the elections, a regional anarchist
organization and strengthened working relationship with other
revolutionary social anarchists from across the Great Plains and midwest
is necessary, and will prove to help build a solid campaign against
electoral politics and for the creation of direct democracy that lasts far
beyond the upcoming conventions and elections.
Please join us in Lawrence in May! Send an RSVP or any questions, ideas,
or comments about the proposal to us at [email protected]
Also, if anyone is willing to translate this e-mail and attached proposal
into Spanish, as well as help translate in May, let us know, as this would
be super appreciated.
The proposed working constitution of the organization is attached with
this e-mail. Please note, we basically picked apart the NEFAC
Constitution, making it relevent to the midwest, and to a different brand
of anarchism less reliant on executive decision making bodies. We feel
that what we came up with best communicates our desires and hopes from a
regional organization.
Please get back with us if you have any interest in this project whatsoever.
In love and solidarity,
Dave Strano
on behalf of
Kansas Mutual AidDraft of the proposed constitution:
A Proposed Constitution for Democracy is Direct,
a regional anarchist organization
1) Preamble
Democracy is Direct (DID) is an organization of anarchist revolutionaries active within movements for social justice in the North America. DID seeks to bring together anarchists of different persuasions within the social tradition of anarchism. DID's primary aims are two fold: 1) to share resources and skills among already existing anarchist formations to strengthen localized organizing and movement building; and 2) to foster the expansion and cohesion of the broader anarchist movement within North America.
2) Organizational Principles
Throughout the history of the international anarchist movement no single topic has been the source of more debate than that of how anarchists should organize themselves. We believe that any organization's structure should safeguard the autonomy of the individuals that make up the organization, while maintaining a spirit of collectivism. We firmly believe that our organizations should be directly democratic and not based upon representation, and to this end, we have identified several key unifying concepts around which to organize ourselves.
a) Theoretical and Tactical Unity
We fully agree with the statement made within the Constitution of the Northeastern Federation of Anarcho-Communists (NEFAC) that "Many political tendencies are present within anarchism and this is in part what makes it so rich". This is why we do not seek to limit our organizing to one strict anarchist theory, but instead embrace any and all anarchist ideologies working toward collective liberation.
We seek to create theoretical and tactical unity around the following claims:
1) We seek collective liberation and self determination for all life.
2) We understand that domination comes in three inter-connected forms: economic, social, and political, and that we seek to create voluntary and liberatory alternatives within these spheres of interaction and organization.
Some examples of these forms of domination include, but are not limited to: capitalism, patriarchy, racism and white supremacy, heterosexism and homophobia, the gender binary and trans/queerphobia, state control, nationalism and xenophobia, ecological destruction and specieism, ageism, and ableism... (These to be defined and identified in a future document...)
3) Culture, geography, and history will determine how these voluntary and liberatory alternatives are shaped, and we do not make any claims as to the exact model that these forms will take. The nature of these models is to be decided by those that create them. We all have the answers to our own unique conditions.
4) The conditions of domination are what set the ground for the conditions of resistance to that domination. Tactics and strategy for overcoming domination can only be decided upon by those experiencing those conditions.
5) We are not pacifists, nor do we believe violence to be the overriding answer to our conditions. We believe this is a false dichotomy, and that our resistance will take many forms and methods.
6) We cannot ignore the need for developing theoretical models of existence and resistance, but cannot relegate ourselves or our work to merely theoretical development or propagating our theories. We must work to directly make our theories a reality.
These statements alone don't define our positions on key issues, but instead act as a guide for understanding what it is that we are working toward.
b) Direct Democracy
We must organize ourselves according to the ideals we hold of how society should be organized. In light of this, we have chosen to organize within a framework of direct democracy. The ideology of Direct Democracy negates any role for decision making bodies separated from the individual members of an organization. We will not organize with any executive boards or bodies, and decisions that affect the whole of the organization will be made directly by the whole of the membership.
c) Collective Responsibility and Accountability
Our organizations are tools for liberation and we do not owe allegiance to the organization, but to the members that make up the organization. We do not seek to create a new "nation-state", rather an avenue for social liberation. If we have succeeded in our efforts, this organization no longer needs to exist.
Although we owe no allegiance to an abstraction such as an organization, we owe responsibility and must be accountable to the membership of the organization.
Members of DID must be honest about intentions and abilities when taking on tasks and work for the on behalf of the membership and should be communicative with the membership of needs, wants, or inability to accomplish these tasks or work. Members should hold others and ourselves accountable for completing the work and tasks that we have taken on.
All of us must be responsible for holding ourselves and others accountable for actions or ideas that further promote oppression or domination within our organization or outside of it.
It should be our aim to act in the best interests of the greater membership while not sacrificing our own goals and intentions and to support each other physically, mentally, and emotionally throughout our struggle and our work.
3) Membership
Membership within Democracy is Direct is based upon participation rather than financial contribution. Our goal is to create a participatory and democratic organization true to the aims and principles of social anarchism.
There are two types of membership - collective and individual. The difference in this type of membership is minimal, as a directly democratic organization will not rely on representation. In this format, all participants of our decision making bodies, whether members of collectives or not, will have an individual voice in the process.
Since our struggle is one of a collectivist nature, an aim of the organization will be to further the development and creation of new collectives and organizations, however this is not to be seen as our core purpose nor the only way to work within our organization.
a) Members
A member is defined as any group or individual that agrees with the positions and orientations of the organization, fulfills tasks that the member volunteers for at conferences and other events, and remains in communication and accountable to the organization.
Membership is declared at a conference, and those seeking membership will give a presentation on who the proposed member individual/collective is, what they do, what the work work on, and any other pertinent information.
Membership will be accepted by the already existing group. Initial membership of the organization will be determined by those that attend the first organizational conference.
b) Membership Responsibilities
participate as individuals or collectives, when possible and practical, in working groups and projects of the organization
regularly, (AS POSSIBLE) participate in the regular conferences
regularly inform the organization as a whole of the development of your
activity by the means of a short monthly report sent to the collective acting as the secretary collective and compiling the newsletter (to be defined later in this document)
c) Fundraising
There are no dues required of members, but it is highly encouraged that fundraising is attempted by all members when support is needed for projects and work of the organization. (Printing of the newsletter, legal defense fund for protests or other actions, etc...)
d) Expulsion and Resignation
Resignation: any member who chooses not to fulfill the member responsibilities for more than three consecutive months is believed to have resigned. Members can also signify their resignation from the organization by writing( the main e-mail for the organization.) It is the responsibility of the secretary collective for keeping the membership list and contact up to date.
Expulsion: any member who breaks, in a serious way, from the accountability processes of the organization, or who has given any other reason for members to feel that they should be expelled, is subject to expulsion. Concerns or requests to expel members will be brought up through the conferences, at the beginning of the working agenda for the general assembly meeting.4) Structure
Democracy is Direct's working principle is one of direct democracy.This means that every decision is taken after vigorous discussionat a conference and by consensus when a decision is applicable to the whole organization. When smaller projects will be worked on, it is not necessary to reach consensus, as long as the project does not violate the minimal standards and principles of unity of our organization.
Every decision made in a conference is immediately applicable, and binding to the membership. Only a new conference can reverse a decision made that way. Every working policy and way of functioning of the organization is adopted at conferences and therefore applies to all.
a) The Conference
The highest decision making body for the organization is the conference (or general assembly), which is open to any individual member and members of collectives affiliated with the organization, supporters, and observers. During the conference, only the members have the right to be a part of the decision making, though anyone present can make proposals and add to the discussion.
Assemblies should be focused on creating campaigns and projects that members are interested in and formulating strategies for achieving these goals. Assemblies should also provide social time and time for networking. However, this must be a safe space with complete sobriety at all conference sanctioned spaces and events. Room may be left for non-sober spaces outside official events and spaces organized by individuals within host communities, but it is not the responsibility of the conference hosts to create such a space. All too often our organizing and work has been derailed by priority given to parties and other spaces that have been alienating and unsafe. The priority of the conference will be the advancement of our work as anarchists and revolutionaries.
It is up to the local members to organize the conference, propose a location and a date, see that we have an adequate room, food, place to stay and so on. Location and dates for next conference should be picked at the previous conference. All agendas for the conference will be set at the beginning of the conference, unless there is carry over business.
All proposals should come with a collective, individual, or group of individuals (depending on the nature and scope of the proposal) who are willing to be responsible for overseeing and monitoring the progress, and eventual completion, of said proposal. It is they that are to be held accountable for the effective realization of a passed proposal.
Holding regular conferences generates various fees, which can be relatively high and can eventually discourage participation in these meetings. That's why the Federation adopts the following way to share the fees. First, registration fees will be charged to all participants to cover the costs of the organizing committee (production of documents, renting of rooms, food, etc.). Then, at the end of the conference, participants will share the traveling cost; that is, they will add all of their bills and will divide them by the number of people. The goal is to share the costs in an egalitarian manner so that it doesn't cost more to those who live farther away from the meeting place. Of course we expect everyone to organize to reduce costs to a minimum! These costs are open to discussion and debate, and will be sliding scale depending on income.
Each conference should also be accessible to those in wheelchairs and other varying physical abilities. It should be a goal to eventually have interpreters for sign language and Spanish, as well as other languages, at our conferences and events.
In cases that require emergency decision making, the e-mail list will be a form of conversation and discussion, and phone and skype communication is encouraged. This will be more fleshed out as conference progress, and this way of decision making will need to be visited at the opening conference and amended.
c) Working Groups
When necessary, the conference creates working groups and mandates for the realization of special projects. These working groups are bound by the same principles as the rest of the organization namely that comrades be given clear mandates and that the comrades who perform these mandates are revocable at any moment. Without making it a formal rule, the organization will favor the rotation of tasks.
d) Rotating Collective Responsibilities
To ensure that the organization continues to function and is able to maintain its commitment to revolutionary organization, several main responsibilities will be necessary for collectives or working groups of individuals to maintain.
These responsibilities will rotate consitently, and will be both assigned to collectives or working groups at each meeting, and rotated at these meetings. A length of time for handling the responsibility will last from the time of one conference to the next.
i. Newsletter/secretary collective
This collective will be responsible for checking and responding to any e-mail within the the main e-mail account, updating and compiling the membership list and membership contact information, as well as creating a print newsletter every two months that is sent out to all members, with member updates and updates on the projects and programs of the organization.
ii. Legal defense
This collective will be responsible for providing legal relief to the rest of the organization, and maintaing a legal defense fund for the organization. The collective is also encouraged to organize and provide trainings related to legal defense, police interaction, and legal observing at protests and actions.
iii. Conference collective
This collective is responsible for organizing the conference, and will be responsible for all work related to the organizing of that conference (See CONFERENCE above)
iv. Treasury collective
This collective will be responsible for maintaining and storing any money donated or raised for the work of DID.
e) Electronic Discussion List
To ensure good internal communication, the Federation maintain a number of internal electronic discussion lists. The Electronic Discussion Lists are closed lists, available only to official members and supporters of DID. Observers may be allowed onto the Lists on a case by case basis. The aims of these tools are to ensure a lively and constant debate, and to forward information to members. To this end, members should distribute, on a monthly basis, a short report of their activity and, on a three-month basis, a more detailed one.
f) Language Policy
Because DID is composed of members from both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities, all the official documents of the organization, all the proposals and pre-conference material should be available in both languages as much as possible. It is up to each group to distribute the information in the appropriate language.
5) The First Conference
The first conference will be hosted by the Kansas Mutual Aid Collective in Lawrence, Kansas during the weekend of May 2-4. For more information or to comment on this proposal, send all questions and comments to:
[email protected]
or
Kansas Mutual Aid
PO Box 442438
Lawrence, KS 66044