Occupy Wall Street Spokes Council

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Description

"The Occupy Wall Street Spokes Council:

A Spokes Council is structured similar to the spokes of a wheel: It is designed to combine large group participation (like in the GA) with small group deliberation and consensus process. 

   * Each group selects a “spoke” to sit with the other “spokes” in a circle in the middle of the meeting space, with the rest of their group sitting right behind them
   * Spokes have no authority and are not decision-makers. They actively discuss all agenda items with all other members of their group who have joined them for the Spokes Council.
   * Spokes are responsible for communicating any diversity of sentiments that may exist within their group to the rest of the spokes council
   * Spokes rotate at every meeting, and can be recalled by their group at any time
   * During Spokes Councils, individuals in multiple groups are free to sit with any group that they are a part of and to move around at will
   * Movement Groups may partner with Operations Groups and/or Caucuses


Governance

Decisions & Decision-Making

  • The four types of decisions that the Spokes Council attend to are:

1) Decisions related to the logistical operation of Occupy Wall Street

2) Approval of Occupy Wall Street budgets and expenditures

3) The addition or subtraction of Operations Groups and Caucuses to the Spokes Council


  • All Working Groups and Caucuses will be admitted to the Spokes Council that adhere to the above definitions of an Operations Group or Caucus and that agree to abide by the Principles of Solidarity adopted (as a working draft) by the GA [available at http://www.nycga.net/about/]
  • The only reason a group may be asked to leave the Spokes Council is for either repeatedly disrupting the Spokes Council’s process or for behaving in a way that seriously violates the GA’s Principles of Solidarity


4) Amendments to the functioning of the Spokes Council that do not alter the power of the GA


  • Similar to the GA, Spokes Council decisions are made by modified consensus. An attempt will be made to reach consensus and if consensus cannot be reached, a vote will be taken. At least 10% of the group must vote against a proposal in order for it to be rejected.
  • Both proposals and blocks to proposals are brought to the Spokes Council by groups as a whole
  • Caucuses may delay any proposal that they think has potentially negative consequences for their caucus until the next Spokes Council, in order to give them enough time to discuss the proposal with their caucus as a whole


Open Access and Transparency

  • Anyone may attend a Spokes Council
  • Anyone may participate in a Spokes Council by joining any Operations Group or Caucus in the Spokes Council and/or becoming an Occupier (i.e., living in Liberty Square)
  • The Spokes Council will take place in a well-publicized indoor location
  • Amplification and signing will allow everyone to follow the discussion, participate through their Spoke, and ensure that their Spoke correctly communicates the sentiment(s) of their group
  • Budget details and complete minutes from each Spokes Council will be posted on the NYCGA.net website through open-source technology
  • All decisions made in the Spokes Council are reported back to the GA with space for questions and concerns"

(http://www.nycga.net/groups/structure/docs/final-proposal-thursday-oct-27-afternoon)

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