August 18, 2006: Tompkins Square Park

Attendance: Dena, Jenna, John, Jonny, Julie, Melissa

1. NLG Project Update
   It's moving along. Melissa has a meeting with NLG-NYC on Monday. Dena will go with her. Dena will also work on the URLs Melissa sent her, and we hope Matthew will, too. Everyone else should stand by for organizational info. to fact check.
   
2. Wetlands Update
   Not much has happened since the last meeting. Wetlands had to be out of their storage facility by 8/1, so it's probably over. In general, those who volunteered feel that it was a good experience, but they wish they'd been able to have more impact, maybe by having gotten involved earlier.
   
3. NYPD Hearing
   Melissa attended the pre-hearing info session and pep rally last night. Jenna broke the news that the hearing was cancelled, perhaps due to the strength of the opposition.
   
4. LightningBug
   
   • It's hard to tell if our responsiveness to the questions has improved since the question form link was broken for 2 weeks. We hope that having a smaller group of we hope more committed vetters will make us more accountable.
     
   • Jenna needs to resend invites to Dena, John, and Jonny, due to a misunderstanding of the signing up process.
     
   • Dena submitted a question and never got an answer, but the question is gone. We wonder what's up with that and if other questions have been lost.
   
   
5. Salon Themes
   As we discussed at the July meeting, we will advertise the September meeting broadly and make it half business/half discussion. Suggested topics included
   
   • DOPA
     
   • a variety of copyright topics, including orphan works to be discussed in breakout groups
     
   • radical librarianship, breakout group subtopics could be activism on and off the job, library labor issues, activism around technology (and not politics), activists vs. "change agents," and professional neutrality.
   
   
6. Future Meetings
   
   • Dena's People's Law Collective contact may not be able to come through. Julie or Jenna will ask Grainne if she can help with a Legal Observer training, maybe in November. Jonny will see if we can do that at Bluestockings and invite the general public.
     
   • The Loisaida New Orleans caravan is having a medic training on Sunday, September 24. In order to attend, you must go to the Anti-Oppression training that will take place on the 23rd.
     
   • Julie is still working on a short street medic training for us.
   
   
7. IMC Presentation
   Melissa taught research at the Indymedia beginning journalism training session last week. She was assisted by John. Melissa will look into teaching an advanced class for more experienced writers.
   
8. Other Presentations
   Melissa will check in with the Park Slope Co-op, and Jonny with Bluestockings.
   
9. Local Collective Manual
   Jenna and Jonny will get on that.
   
10. ALA Meeting Minutes
    Were turned in by Dena and Laura and never posted. Jenna will remedy this.
    
11. Books through Bars Update
    They have secured a space in Brooklyn, the NYC AIDS Housing Network on 4th Avenue between Bergen and St. Marks. The Network is interested in BtB selling books out of the space, possibly setting up a limited hours infoshop.
    
12. Half the group repaired to Dojo for dinner.