Tuesday,
September 16, 2003
Park Hill Library
Agenda:
Reports from committees
Pass the Hat
PO Box Rental
New Meeting Place
Benefit Concert
Peace/Green Hike up Pike's Peak (Sept. 20)
One Sky One World Registration & Tabling: Oct. 12
All Nations Participation
Web Site
Fundraising/Pledge Campaign
GPCO Proposal "Voter Confidence Act"
Announcements
Attending:
Bruce Meyer, Dave Chandler, Rick VanWie, Nancy Griffith, Josh Whitley,
Roger Greene, Christy Bouchard
(Nancy
Griffith, supporter for Kucinich for president, asked a question regarding
the legality of Green groups supporting Democratic candidates, received
some information, and left the meeting.)
Fundraiser Concert:
Josh:
The manager for Leftover Salmon kept giving him the runaround so he
gave up on the headliners idea and now is looking into a show featuring
solely the Yonder Mountain String Band. (Josh did not receive support
or interest from the national GP regarding his request for seed money
to fund the event.)
Yonder Mountain proposal: $10,000 total. $500 for venue (Cervantes,
26th and Welton), $300 for overhead; DGP would need to sell 430 tickets
to break even. Friday December 5th is the proposed date. Deposit to
Yonder Mountain: DGP gives them $5000 2 weeks before the concert,
then the other $5000 after the show. If they decide to take it, DGP
can make $3000 if it sells out, and their shows usually do. $25 per
ticket. They might not accept, because they usually play a New Year’s
show. So we will see. It would be well advertised through their network.
Coalition/Diversity:
Rick:
Coalition diversity as a committee is a flop... I’m the only
one who ever goes to my meetings! So I’m taking a break from
it being a COMMITTEE, but I’m now focusing on reaching out to
the activist community. Mark Schneider is interested for instance.
AIDS walk update: DGP raised over $600.
People are asking me about the DGP's position on Columbus Day. I will
be a legal observer for Transform Columbus Day, so I can’t organize
people for the parade this year.
Parade/Event info: The Four Directions March is Friday the 10th of
October. It is a candlelight procession beginning at 5:30 and converging
at City of Cuernavaca Park. Saturday is Take Back our History, 10am,
from Auraria campus to downtown. The protest of the official Columbus
Day parade is that day too, as well as official parade. The idea was
to keep the Four Directions March separate from the parade stuff on
Saturday. If you’re interested in these events, go to an All
Nations Alliance meeting.
Columbus Day Discussion
Bruce: Transform Columbus Day is a specific project of the ANA. The
DGP did not align itself with ANA in the past, because they are not
necessarily nonviolent in all their actions. But we did vote last
year to support the Transform Columbus Day project/statement.
Dave: I have problems with the whole approach to Columbus Day, I think
it’s risky for us to be too heavily involved. I would prefer
not to see the DGP involved in any of it officially.
Bruce: It’s not really anti-Columbus Day; it’s supposed
to be a positive event.
Dave: The media won’t define it that way. Right-wingers peg
us with reverse-racism; not that it’s true, but that’s
how it ends up and how it’s perceived. Besides, it was the Catholic
church that precipitated the genocide against the Native Americans....
too much revisionism exists on both sides, and I don’t see what
we as a party have to gain from it.
Bruce: OK, if someone wanted to lead a contingent with the GP banner,
do we have consensus that it was OK for them to do it?
Rick: Kucinich and Dean people will be there. I don’t think
we should disallow it, but we shouldn’t endorse any statements
or anything.
Roger: Is it All Nations Day, or Transform Columbus Day?
Rick: It is supposed to be All Nations Day, but it’s perceived
as being about transforming Columbus Day.
7:35:
Proposal to allow a DGP contingent with banner, in the Four Directions
March:
4 abstentions,
2 would be OK with it.
Bruce: Do we have consensus that we will support the TCD statement:
Endorses transforming Columbus Day, but not blocking the official
parade, or doing civil disobedience, and to no longer call Columbus
Day “Columbus Day”.
7:40:
Dave blocks. No one calls emergency vote.
So this year, we officially do not endorse the Transform Columbus
Day statement.
Rick:
As much as I disagree with some of the ANA people, they are a very
important connection with the Latino activist community. These are
activists with 50 years experience, sometimes. I think it’s
important for me to keep this connection open. The way the ANA works
is, if you don’t agree, you don’t have to participate.
I think that speaks to the GP openness too.
Fundraising
Bruce: Working on getting a fundraising appeal letter together. Working
with Brad Klafehn, putting lists of Greens together. Talked to a lady
from Oregon who is a national fundraiser. She suggested a theme of
"$20,000 for 20,000 voters", to play into the concurrent
voter registration drive, and to downplay the office fund as a fundraising
draw. She said to send letters if we want, but that calling will get
the big $. Make a call a day. Bruce wants to start gathering a crew
about running in his district, start going door to door and see how
people in the district feel about my running. No other candidates
have come forth for any state offices at this point.
Web
site.
Christy: Web site is basically put together but missing some big chunks
of information. Need help with elections history, mostly. It is set
up so if someone wanted to manage a page, they could do that. I.E.
Rick, to post activist news himself without having to send everything
to Christy first. Also, would really like to set up credit card payment
online for donations.
Dave: Paypal is free unless someone gives you money.
Josh: A secure page is better than paypal, because it’s not
instant.
Bruce: But to do that you need your own MC account & there’s
a fee per month to be able to accept credit cards. Pay Pal would be
better for now, all you need is a bank account.
Christy: So is it OK for me to set up a PayPal account for the DGP
and post a credit card donation page on the web site?
The group thought this would be fine. There were no objections.
Dave: I would like to resign from co-president at this point, I can’t
take the responsibility right now.
Bruce: Does anyone want to nominate someone for the position? Basically,
Co-President involves finding meeting space, publicizing the meeting,
drawing up an agenda each month, and facilitating the meeting.
8:07, Bruce nominates Josh Whitley, and the nomination is live for
a vote next month.
Meeting
Room
Park Hill is charging us $20 per month; all DPL rooms are that much
or more now. Bruce tried Brother Jeff's, but they didn’t come
to the meeting he set up; AFSC wasn’t available on Tuesdays
and most people did not want to move the meeting night.
Rick: What about Oh my Goddess on Colfax and Franklin? I had some
miscommunication with them about Coalition?Diversity meetings, but
someone else could call them, they have a great space.
PO Box
Bruce: The PO box didn’t
renew in the interem between Bridget and Bruce transferring treasurer
duties.[This was later discovered to have been an error on the part
of the Post Office.] So to get a new box, I would like to get one
at 20th and Curtis, which is the same location as the state PO Box,
and have Dave on it too. I can check it when I check the state box.
8:10
All in favor of getting a new PO box, if that is the only option available,
though the old number is on all our current printed materials.
New
Fundraising proposal: DGP Pledge Drive. Handout detailing how the
pledge drive would work, including incentives and logistics.
8:30 all in favor of Rick initiating the Pledge Drive.
Bruce: You, me and Brad need to talk about Ammendment 27 passing,
with the new reporting rules for fundraising activities. Let’s
get clear on those before we start the program.
Announcements:
Bruce: I am doing the Pikes Peak climb. I am looking for sponsors.
Bruce:
Bruce McNaughton put forth proposal which passed GPCO, supporting
the Voter Confidence Act, which provides for a paper trail when you
vote using electronic machines. This is a call for action for local
Green chapters, to call their US representatives and tell them to
support this.
One Sky, One World festival is on Oct 12th, Sunday. The DGP had a
booth last year and plans to have one again this year.
Proposal: to spend $25 for non-profit booth.
8:25: all in favor of spending $25 for the booth.
Rick to post for volunteers through coalition diversity. 4 people
present agreed to staff the booth in shifts.
Josh: We should open an organic food co-op in 5 points.
Rick: Can you research that for next month?
8:35
meeting adjourned.
Next
meeting:
Tuesday, October 21st, 6:30-8:30 pm
Location TBA
Respectfully
Submitted,
Christy
