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« act346 354 municipalism at left forum  & walking together broolyn » ***

 [16:29:39] : how is your movement related to labor movement ?  - it is consumption  based

[16:29:54] uddhab (nepal): great

[16:30:02] : capitalism  can produc

[16:30:04] : https://www.facebook.com/kali.akuno   ( video)

https://www.leftforum.org/sessions/three-takes-municipalism-jackson-barcelona-and-burlington

 [16:32:26] : http://openfsm.net/projects/usa/usaandwsf-leftforum2017-act346-on-municipalism-jackson-barcelon-burlington

[16:30:41] : see the video ?

 [16:30:11] :facilitator  7 questions write them out in the board  copies ' facilitatoress

: "you should be on the defensive " put in 7 terms what is happening

[16:31:37] : eleonor : Eleanor Finley is an activist, author and member of the Institute for Social Ecology (ISE). She publishes on a range of topics from anti-fossil fuel extraction movements in Spain and the Basque Country to social ecology and Kurdish democratic confederalism. Eleanor is also a PhD student in anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

 [16:31:54] :faciltitaror  thank for being here today this new movement of movement

 [16:32:57] uddhab (nepal): yes

[16:33:37] : for 40 years our organizaton has been thiniing about  ecological crisis domination as the historical problem that precedes and incorporate capitalism - look at patriarchy  abolition of the state and hierarchical  mentality - how do we actually govern ourselves -that is what we do

[16:34:34] : (uddhab invite people !)

[16:36:32] : i move  - juchel  sbukchen ?   ?    he was raised in the 30's in a Marxist household and start to see cities as a revolutionary  subject   - not workers  looked at history of popular rebellion - how popular rebellion have been a response to form of domination going back to Sumer - state is not a historical  given – they do this as Citizen     cities bring people from so many different background - sophisticated democracies from indigenous people is tribal based   - while cities    municipal assemblies - democratic conferedalism is not representation - realize institution for self-government   where representation does not come in the form of elected who make decision on your behalf - but making decision through delegate with a mandate - this paradigm has capacity to back paddle to hierarchy - recommendation in this movement  of movement  how do we internationalize it

 [16:45:02] : facilitator : you had the theory  you are intellectually turned on  - and ready to dive into practice: in 2007  for the first time in history  majority of population of the world is in the cities

[16:45:48] uddhab (nepal): ok

 [16:46:36] : now through Skype   Kate Shea Baird lives in Barcelona and works in advocacy for local democracy and decentralization. She works with the Global Committee of Barcelona en Comu - adda colau  the mayor  comes from PAH Platform against mortgages in Barcelona

 [16:48:28] : kate through Skype

experience in Barcelona is a Citizen Platform that won elections in the bigger     Madrid  Zaragoza  coruna: local government that are not in the hand of political parties - origin goes back to the Financial crisis and the  15M  in 2011 - what happened were very successful  movement  anticorruption against austerity and  a glass ceiling - time was right to make the institutional leap - municipal strategies -   decision pragmatic go for municipal election - : we became more municipalist than ever before  contrast experience of Podemos : the municipal platform have more success - this kind of networks of rebel cities is opposition to government - mayors have institutional tool showing there is another way of governing - people with various background  can work  on concrete common goals- : issues easy to rally behind where we talk of capitalism and socialism  .. not se relevant - local relevant a  issues related to capitalism  in concrete terms - people understand that people a re speculating  in concrete ways not ideological  terms - other thing about local strategy is getting away from national identities - tacking back control

is what is expressed at national level : xenophobic narratives  whereas in cities not based on  national identities  more on participation in city life

de professionalizing politics : more participation of citizens – put strict limits on salaries and  mandate time     stop revolving doors and loose touch with people   -  our mayor has  a salary of 2200 euros a month we have to take the salary and above limit we give to social project in the city  (opposition opposed the salary restriction) - smooth /small  victory

: just having really concrete goals   -things can change  and participate and feel l empowered - Accumulation of small victories is powerful – form an international collective : big summit in Barcelona next week   http://fearlesscities.com/  : 40 countries we have not predefined the outcome a new political space is opened    - rojava   urban movement in Poland - what they have in common is way of working  female leaders pragmatic goal based way of working

no time for theoretical debates  action oriented - recognize the things we have in common  and start new identity as many experience are isolated in their own country now i stop speaking

[17:00:24] : now  kali and saki  fascinating  organization   cooperation Jackson

Saki :  we seen ourselves as an emerging        building a solidarian economy   anchored in cooperatives  and other type o businesses  democratically self-managed by people in the community coming out the  MXGM  we have a strategy

[17:03:02] : people assemblies ( Eleanore spoke about )   -  participatory budgeting     2 independent electoral politics  - this Tuesday is the election in Jackson  -amazing moment our candidate Chokwe won the democratic primaries in a convincing way - forces against us with a lot of money  was no run off  -  we are against  one libertarian two independents   ..  Historically in Jackson  the one wining the democratic primaries  is the mayor

where cooperation Jackson comes in is the economic democracy  side - we always talk about  is really being to tip the scale of building - we are really focused on  cirticlya for our African liberation and the land and carry on ideas that came from on our ancestors   that have taken us to this point - a lot of our work is around connecting  climate justice   business that are ecological responsible

Jackson a zero waste city , a fablab city like  Barcelona,  a human right city human right charter we have a lot of details on each things - The scheme I have drawn is a big picture of strategy on those areas - : mention that we are gong to Barcelona next week - part of right to the city -: our homes our lands new slogan : reclaim remain rebuild  as we are on the brink of gentrification

[17:08:44] :  kali

[17:15:42] : Co-director of Cooperation Jackson (www.CooperationJackson.org), which is an emerging network of worker cooperatives and supporting institutions. Cooperation Jackson is fighting to create economic democracy by creating a vibrant solidarity economy in Jackson, MS that will help transform Mississippi and the South. You can find more information about Cooperation Jackson at www.CooperationJackson.org.

we have a combination of  hard pragmatism  and pushes the envelope - easier for us than other municipalities  -  radical reds  in Jackson  not surprising  anybody  but there si white supremacy threat  that make it easy to understand  the fight is necessary - building a new society  that is a mixed back  - undermine transform or destroy - in Jackson  85%  population is black  12% white - 90% of concentrated wealth is white - black political power by virtue of numbers and no economic power  other than our labor - end around - human round covers a wide scope  - we use a human right Framework   national and individualistic orientation - critical for us is  give us  economy social cultural  rights - can talk of economic democracy adn socialism - directly related to quality  of housing  food - : give us really practical ways - the more critical piece  is relation of people to power

[17:15:22] : Manuel from Montreal  group of Young people

 we are not out of good ideas - we are missing structuring   organization  reach   not just academic

there has been a few progressive initiatives in the city - the FAP  in the 70's  destroyed  70 by the kidnapping   - the candidate was in prison - 1986  a coalition won the election  but jean dore cut the assembly power - we decide to promote  a socialist candidate  presenting himself i n parc extension  poorest neighborhood people don’t want to stay there - rise in rent  and unhealthiness - city is an interesting place to policies issues - we are in contact with groups that are in contact on these issues  in park  extension - we are tring some hiegh around our issues

do we use word such as capitalism  ?  sort of ,  not fully we are denouncing symptoms we consider ourselves a  multiple issues group : (answering questions  list)  link to worker organization ?  - need more link  [17:24:19] :  (applause)

[17:24:23] : facilitator thanks manuel

 A focus  on milton park neighborhood   largest community land trust in north America  1500 peopl -  (showing a video about the planning of this neighborhood in the 68 in Montreal  - our idea was to oppose this and build a neighborhood  that came out of the 60s www.miltonparkstory.com 22 different organizations  not one coop still expanding : want to shut down old hospital we have a campaign to reclaim the hospital land

[17:29:18] : we are  a believing  cause

 [17:30:49] : next speaker  Jim Schumacher has more than 15 years of experience in local and statewide political campaigns, primarily in Vermont. He was himself twice a candidate for local office, and during the decade he worked for Bernie Sanders, he successfully managed a mayoral election campaign, served as field director for three consecutive runs by Sanders for the U.S. House, and helped create a statewide grassroots organization that propelled Sanders to victory in 1990. Schumacher served as Sanders's statewide office director and managed Sanders' first re-election for Congress in 1992. He has managed other statewide campaigns in Vermont including for the U.S. Senate and has informally advised a number of candidates for political office.

[17:30:57] : from Burlington was candidate in Burlington but did  91 99 mayor - Vermont  was not municipalist movement - but a good ... you cant do much if you are not in position - you don’t make the change unless you have power - your message does not seem so radical - in Vermont you cannot pay the heat  no grocery stores   redskin    socialist - the breakthrough   French candidate  in 70's 2% of votes

[17:33:10] uddhab (nepal): good

[17:33:17] : keep doing surprisingly well in working class neighborhood andkept trying right after Reagan got elected city council of 12  1 that supported him  every week  Something on him

[17:35:09] : 83 had some power in charge of the government

[17:35:27] : no income tax in Vermont - no money  vermont  as a weak city set up - doing progressive thing with no money - first land trust  gentrification - tenants rights referendum - economic development office - now the fund is open to public

[17:39:05] : the progressive - 90s you could not tell a liberal democrat form a progressive - working families  not a movement anymore - no popular assemblies - electing bernie

[17:40:02] : we rock the boat - 90 campaign for Vermont -  we could call volunteers   we lacked ....: last couple of years  a woman  high powered  person   -aligned to  --- challenged her

[17:41:51] : how you work with other movement  is important strong labor component  environmental component - the reason right is in power is that in 70's they adopted the strategy

[17:42:41] :  now discussion time 15mn - love to hear your comments questions arguments

[17:43:45] : call ross  - how the popular assembly  assert power - Barcelona and porto alegre it took the election of a mayor - how do you get people to show up

[17:44:35] : when building assembly how to deal with the police ?

[17:44:50] : what are the relations with Podemos in Barcelona ?

[17:45:06] : what the relation with the democrats in Jackson preventing coopting or derailing

[17:45:41] :  question to Barcelona   how do you combine municipalism and geopolitical capitalism ? am form brazil and we pay the bill  some of the issues are resolved here and we pay the bill  muncipalism and geopolitical  capitalism

[17:46:54] : paris agreement withdrawal is there an opportunity for cities

[17:48:03] : kali  -  on the cooptation question that is what democratic party tires to do - republican dominate the state - Mississippi has a slightly  different piece we have a history contesting  power - separate entity - we are not  monolithic group : a majority  not a consensus  because the general argument  is going to run in the democratic  primary  folks are still tied to democracy and there is pragmatism to it

[17:50:26] : people assembly :  that form has been practiced since  80's in Jackson truing to the police chief was Klan  - Jackson became black in the 85s

[17:51:32] : Vermont -  police relationship  they changed the police departments

[17:52:11] : Manuel - Montreal  empowering  young people -  political momentum  election a ways of drawing public attention

[17:53:14] : Vermont  was talking to students  ......

[17:54:00] : woman  national  HR city alliance in Chicago  -  bring HR home - utilizing  international l report mechanisms  and putting pressure at local level - first defense legal aid in Chicago free 24/7 support early intervention – re enslavement

[17:56:19] : kate - Barcelona  - on the question on assemblies  and participation ........ (skype crashes)

[17:56:56] : Q in Jackson are you able to maintain participation in public assemblies?

[17:57:25] : trying to reach Kate on Skype :

[17:58:05] : facilitator  am form  black rose books

[17:58:48] : woman - answer the question on relation between  Muniicpalism and Capitalism mutual aid

 [18:00:02] : Q to  Vermont - relations with municipalities

[18:00:13] : peter speaker  with a slow voice : educational process  that is Under development  -  did not hear anything about internal education : take the material and deal as case studies blackrose could make a book 2 issues that would unify such a curriculum  issues of winning small victories  and  how do we go being by speaking “capitalism sort of”

 [18:02:42] :  facilitator preach municipalism and make spread the good news