Yes, they screened V for Vendetta at Occupy Vancouver tonight, threatening to rupture the delicate space/irony continuum.

Particularly in this shot:

in which the audience watches the video of the audience watching the video of the announcer showing the video of V. But who watches the watchers of the watchers? The cops, that’s who.

Twitter was abuzz with the news that the Chief is claiming the costs of policing (no arrests yet, not one) are threatening to put the VPD in the red. Conveniently NOT mentioned was this:

and this:

http://twitter.com/#!/cloud_commuting/status/127187587218677760

and this:

but don’t write off Twitter entirely, even if the troll/disinfo quotient is suffocating lately. It also contains things like this hilarious little item:

And this, which made me literally laugh out loud.

And now, your nightly Slideshow. Only sixteen pix here, rather than the say 130 from last time.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Second night of rain, and the crowd is bigger than it was earlier in the week, though of course not as big as the weekend. Even more tents: I think I saw a VPD estimate of 150, although I think that’s really high. There are certainly twice as many as Sunday, so a hundred or so scattered around the grounds, even creeping towards Robson along the East side of the Art Gallery. My friend and I were hoping to find the tent mobilizing mouse had donated, but it looked to be occupied, so she went home and I went to Blends to get some work done, and now it’s 6:22 am and I’m still working on posts, but at least I got my actual real paid done! That’s important for smacking down all the “get a job you filthy hippie!!1!!” trolls, and there are, did I mention, a LOT of them about.

I tried liveblogging the General Assembly (PDF link to the Occupy Guide from NYC!), to show you how your direct democracy sausage gets made, but it was ever so slightly disastrous. For one thing, not to be sexist, but there are a lot of women who seem to want to speak but contrive to avoid being heard. When not even the willing Human Mic participants can hear what you’re saying, either speak up or give up.

Here’s an unedited transcript. And yeah, it’s pretty ugly. Oh, at some point someone from one of the committees said that if anyone were taking notes, they’d like it if they were run by the committee. Well, I guess they must be very disappointed in me, that’s all I can say.

Oh, and I can’t spell Tsleil-Waututh when I’m trying to type quickly.

We would like to thank the Squamish, tsle-wah tooth and >>>> people for allowing us to gather on their territory

I am Anna >>>> I am metis. I am honoured to be here on unceeded coast salish territory at Unoccupy Vancouver

My name is eugene. I am metis. from the NWT, and French, and I would like to akcnowledge that I am on uncedd coast salish territories. Anna and I willb e facilitiating tonight's GA and thank you for being here with us.

A We have made some conscious decisions on indigenous ppl on how to run this meet. 1 was to make it late on purpose because time as we understnd it here doesn't exist everwyehre in the world. And sometimes life happens. Also, we have a sacred circles b ecause the circle iscricitacl to our cultures and it holds us all accountable to each other because we can see each other and that is important, It also reminds us that we are a collective not a hierarchy.

We also made a conscious decision that I would speak first because I'm female and we made anotehr consc decision to have a person of colour facilitating tonight togehter.

We would like to start by getting out of our heads and into our bodies. (ow!) So if you can, I'm going to invite you to stand. Some ppl will have a harder time with what I'm going to offer. So if you have another way of doing what I offer, that works for your body, please do that. I will try ot offer suggestions... one hand and we are going to go 123456778 one time on each hand, and then with your feet, and then four times, and then two times and then one time and then on the last one we go WHOAAAA (hip thrust). If you want to do it with your face instead of your body, you can do thta. Be creative.

Please use your voices ready?

(Lots of honking from passing cars, in support.)

If you like, you can have a seat. And I'm going to invite everyone to take a deep breath. and notice how your body feels. Settle into it (quietly) BE in your body. Occupy your heart. I'm going to invite everyone to make eye contact with the ppl sitting next to you. 

Mic Check.

We are here because we believe we cn change the way the world is right now. Spontanious upraised hands. Please bring your hearts to this general assembly and remember we are all in this together. applause.

Mic Check Eugene

It has come to our attention. That we have upset the coast salish people in the unoccupation of the VAG. as we did not follow protocols to having a gathering on unceded Sq territory. ....tsle wah tooth...We have formed a new committee it is called the acknowlegement commtty this ctty has been tasked with learning the appropriate protocols to performa n apology and ask for hte pblessing of the Salish, TWT and Squamish ppl. Sorry, we're from the East. And the North. 

We would like to ask volunteers to com and read the community stattment as well as a piece of literature called Open Reflection on Collective Thinking that was drafted at Occupy Madrid. 

Anna One more volunteer... got one. Applause.

Hi everyone. ... love...you're awesome. ....on collective thinking...might help us with the process we're trying to do (couldn't hear much due to honking)

Now we would like to share our impressions so far. We encourage you to continue to reflect on as we ... collextive thinking as an essential part of our mocement.

My contention with perspctive thinking is tht it has the ability to bring mob rule...emotional unity with such collectivity. .. we need to avoid this. We simply need to create dialogue and never ever stifle it. Applause

Anna: thank you for expressing your truth. However this is not an attempt at agreement. This is a sharing of another movement from Madrid, their truth. If you or anyone else would like to talk about this tomorrow and the GA... please come and we will put it on the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. Thank you.

In fact, fourthirty tomorrow on the other side of the art gallery. Thank you.

Mic check. Hello. To our understanding collctive thinking is diametrically opposed to ... thinking .. by the present system. Time is needed. it's a long process with basic decision

[Holy shit, this woman is speaking so softly hardly anyone can hear her to amplify her and I can't hear the crowd.]

...more honking

On the other hand is to construct that is to say two ppl with different ideas work together to build something new. the onus is therefore not on my idea or yours rather it's the notion that two ides together can produce something new, something neither of us..b eforehand. This focus requires of us that we actually listen rather than barely be preoccupied ith preparing our response.

Mic check

when we understand that all opinions...(I can't make out much of this eaither)

Do not be discouraged. We are learning. We'll get there. All we need is time. Applause.

One more paragraph...Pls note there is a spectrum of opinions regarding what kind of organizational models should be used. Some here are advocating a highly centralized form of consensus while others referring more decentralized and diverse models of oluntary organizing and association. Some advocate strict consensus, some advocate for modified consensus and some advocate for participatory (super) participatory democracy. There is room for diversity of opinions
we co not have to agree all the time to work together. Show soldiarity with each other. 

I would like to thank my courageous volunteers for using their voices Applaus. 

I would like to invit3 you to take one hand or your nose or your knee but pref ur hand if you can make an X and your other hand or another lmib and make an O. I would like to invite u to take ur leg or another limb and write your first name and the opposing hand or limb to write your last name and at the same time. 

Please take a deep breath. 

E: now is the time that we will invite representatives from our committes to offer us updates. With that can we have the representatives of the cotttys.

Hi everybody I'm with the Direct Action ctty my name is shawn. DACtty meets every day behidn the info tent at 230 plz come. Today we deciced we will have daily parades m-f 530-630 I hope to see you all there, plz bring an instrument, let's make it fun. Thank you and I love you.

M name is Jan I am from the presence ctty. which is resp for noticing the general help of our subconscious communication. we work together spirtually psychologically physically to make sure that we as a society grow in love and harmony. Thank you. ur meetings at at 1130-1230 every single day thank you. Okay, where? Well, actually RIGHT HERE!

I am ... I just started  anewecctyy for volutners to try an coordinatte so that we can get help where it is needed> I'm seeting up next to the teahouse tomorrow. So anyone wants to help, come and talk to me.

From the records commty my resp is to keep track of all bills bassed and stand indefinitely there's not minutes but I ask anyone who takes miniutes to plz consult with me, after every GA. If you'd like to be part of our ne=wsletter info's avail at the info booth as well.

There's a white van 745 NHJ parked incorrectly.

A friendly addtion to the Direct Action update. There is a protest on Saturday abt the big banks that control us it's at 230 after David Suzuki who'll be talkign abt CEO salaries the bank bailout in Canada and bank's very shady investments. We're also encouraging ppl to get their money out of those banks (Biggest cheers yet) so I'd love to see you there. If you'd like to help tonight, or have any input at all, there's a DA ctty tomorrow.

I'm onna give you the usual boring stuff abt washing your hadns lots lot,s changing your socks lots, and generally keeping clean. The cleaner we stay the healthier we are. For some funny reaqson ppl donated tONS AND TONS of condoms but NO feminine hygene products. We need them. On a compltely unrelated issue. Sund 230 there will be a poetry slam right here on this stage.

I'm from the press ctty. I have only one thing to say. Expc=ept a proposal later on. If you'd like to help deal with the media heling communicate with them , come join the press ctty we meet every day at 330 on the steps other side of the art gallery

I'm here from the apology ctty. We will be meeting at 1030 on sat morn on the other side of the art gallery under the cafeteria beside the first tree closest to the door of the art gallery. If yoyu have knowledge of protocol of coast salish pll plz come or if you know someone pls tell them to come.

My mane is anna. I'm from the ... oppression ctty. we have mettings at 530 pm mainlny on the opposite side by the ice rink come join us.

My name is bat in the hat, I'm trying to make an art ctty, cheers, so if you're an artist and want to join my ctty meet here by the staeps right here 1130 thank you I lvoe you all

It's been drawn to our attention that on sat at 1pm we're gonna b having a visit from Dave Suzuki. 

Im gong to invite everyone to open your mouth and stick out your tongue ... (Maori greeting) I'm gonna invite everyone to wiggle your bodies. Thank yo.

Hi there. My name's richard. Over here we have christina and adam and they will be hosting facilitation training workshops right now a... general assembly... so if you wannq go learn wahat these find ppl are doing come join us on the other side of the art gallery ,come join us.

It's just been brought to our attention that D Suzuki will be here at the same time as the scheduled GA. I don'nno what to do abt that so if you have a suggestion bring it up at the end when we have time forppls comments. The person with the info hat had their hand up.

There are aso many postitive events, ctttys workshops how's a person to remember where they are when they are I can tell you we are maintiaingin a calendar which will very soon be on occupyvancouver.com website. ... we can advertise it right now several cttys that have just heard we have the wrong time for. Plz come talk to use at the info booth where we have the phone number, email address to share with you. also we will share our love.

Some bodes have left so I'd like to invite everyone to come forward a bit maintaining a proper circle. Are there more cttys?

I'm not representing the ctty I just have a reqlly quick q. I'm hoping we can remember that this takes place at this. It gets choppy if we're yelling nd clapping.

Thank you. We forgot an important part. The hand symbols.

So.

This means we agree.

This means we disagree.

This means I'm going to block that decision and it is a very moderately used hand sign because it means you will leave this movement if the decisiton behing made is passsed.

This means point of process.

If someone is sharing an idea and you need to engage with them directly and it's relevanteto everyone, now do this. This means clarity. If I am saying somthing you don't understand you can go like this and it means plz clarify.

This means please repeate what you said. [they shoulda featured that one at the start]

This means plz speak louder.
[didn't get a pic of this]This means let's take a moment of silence.

Do we only use ths hand signals when we are encountered with proposals. >>I don't know. 

I think we need someone to speak louder at any time. THANK YOU.

This is personal. Sometone is smoking something that I'm having a reaction to and I have a resp to all of you so plz take smoke away from me. thank you.

I would like to being this part of the night with a quote from ....colin ferary? is from brazil and he is a teacher was, who was teaching indigenous ppls how to read. So that they could own their land because it was bieing taken from them. He realized that teaching ppl to read abt refrigerators when they don't have refrigerators doesn't make sense so he taught them to read abt land ownership the whole ctty learned how to rea din four months. This quote reads as follows...you can't get there from there. We are here... My point is that Here seems to be broken because of issues stemming from previous GAs.

That was more of a paraprhase.

So to get there, we have to face here, and with that I'd like to invite the antiopression ctty to speak to us abt inclusion. 

My name is Sammy Starlight. My people are ojibway the nation is Hedwis? I'm going to open twith a brief sttmet abt who I am which will help us all undersand where I'm at what the ....

I'd also like to join techology unceeded occupied coast s. territyr and I believe and feel v strongly that we need to asknowledge and recognize deeply in all that happens here the process is well sestablishd long ago brought us here today in this moment we as  a society live within a construct that is very unequal and quite on purpose. My personal experience as a queer...

..Ojibway woman in living in such an unbalance and uneual society system is very typical.
\
My vision since becoming involved in the occupy vancouver that antinporression princible psychoclogy need to be streamlined and maintiained throughtou tthe occupy vancouver. The members of the ctty will come up and read a short definitions of what antiopression is.

n behalf of the love group previously scheduled for 8pm ... cynical pt of vciew I apologize for we are rescheduling dfor some time in the hear future and we'll be sure to get it on the sched board in the future.

By the way we love you all and this is amazing process the most empowering an dloveing ga that I have yet to see. 

We have 2 membs of the anti oppresson ctty ,,,, some chaos I didn't get.

trying to get through quickly however they're v imp concepts and processes. the basic system of determination and exlcusions that opresses ppl with mental emotional and pyscical disability s like other forms of oprpession...and cultural levels. 

Fascism prejudice and ... impersonally or institutionally against ppl because of their real or perceived economic status or background. 

Heterosexism the concetpt ath hetero and only hetero is natural normal superior and required. this can refer to any inst or believe syst that exlcude indiv qustions...

an interlude. 

Opression Prejucide and power an dsystemic social phenom based ont eh diff bet social grps that involves idealogocal domination inst.' control and the promulgation of the oppressive grps ideology. The result is the exploitation of one social grp by another for its own benefit real or imagined. 

...

does soemboey have a better flashlight.

Can I suggest we keep doing it this way because it's way better if we say the words. 

AQll in favour of using the mic all opposed to using the mic..pretty even. All in favor of using both. 

Can each reader decide for themselves?\

I wd like to read the ..extension

Matriarchy in its wider defn means the manifestation and instl' of male dominance over women and children in the family and the extension of male dominance over women in society in general. (Surely that's PATRIARCHY)

Systems of pwoer that benefit the dominant grp over membs of a marginalized grup..............power enjoyed by a dominant grup giving them sociela political and cultural advantqages

Race: referring socialy defined grups or seen by others as being disctinct and sharing features such as skin colours ... hair texture... 

Racism: as sytem of advantage  ..m.ju77   

We ha e consensus. The Anti Oppresson ctty has tabled their workshop.

I'd like to thank the Anti Op ctty and Sandy for sharing this wisdom with us tonight and I'd also like to thank robin for coordinating. I'd like to invite those of you who can to stand up. I'd like to invite everyone to look behind you and if someone is behind you take a step back and creat a more solid circle. 

Because we have made a larger circle I think it is imperative that speakers speak up.

Point of clarification. I'd like to point out that now that man....and sometimes women don't like this because.... too much honking. 

If you want to use the microphone you'e welcome to an dwe can still human microphone. I'd like to invite those of you who can reach your arms up or your face or your eyes ... if you can bend foward...9the guy in the Nony mask on the back of his head doesn't)... and take a deep breath. And wiggle wiggle wiggle. 

We want to include everyone in the circle. 

I think what we just had was wonderful. But it took an hours. ..The participatory nature of this experience. Ppl have come to participate as well as to learn from you so when we have presentations can we have consciousness abt how long they last. Blesings.

Two quick updates from the media ctty. Any it specialists that think they can help with the wifi if they can come see me after the GA is dissolved. Also, if anybody knows the administrator behind the new official Occupy Vancouver page or facebook if you could please contatc me after the GA. 

Eugenehe has stepped outside his role as a faciliataotr for a moment because he has a proposal and he can't do athat as a faciliataotr.

I may b e mistake but I'm fairly sure that we agreed if a facilitator steps out in order to make a proposal they cannot step back in at that meeting. 

I don't think we passed that. ... but I may be wrong.

Postponed.

Maybe I should have announced our intention with having an anti oppression workshop that hsa been brought to many ppl s attention that optically facilitators have been predominatnely white males the reawson we had the worksho pwas s o everyone ehre could make an informed decision on the proposal I'd like to give.
I'd like to porpose that the ist facilitation workshop have a moratorium on white males so we can diversify the grup of the facilitators from which to choose.

What is being proposed is that at the facilitation workshop tomorrow 3-6 we have ONLY non-white, non-sis gendered male participants because of the context of the leadership so far. 

Could you explain sis-gender. Trans mean on the opposite side. Sis means on the same side. These are prefixes used in science. Transgender means my gender is different from my sex. Sys gender means that my gender is the same as my sex. 

I think that exclusion is not itsle f a solution and that anyone who wants to facilitate should go forward and facilitate. Exclusion dose not solve the problem of exclusion. I think that whether white or black or any race, if one wants to facilitate one should be given the opportunity. 

In the systtem with inequality due to privilege it is important thta the majority ppl ith privilege offer a chance or space to marginalized cttys to have a voice. Just because ppl don't show up to these meetings should not mean tht they're not interseted and support for those ppl should be definied as going out and seeking these ppl. 

I think we need to trust each other. We're makign decisions we have to be able to trust the group and the facilitation is not actually a place of power. we all have a voice but minorities have the unique understanding and sensitivieites towards thos type of issues and we can benefit from the wisdom at this time. Thank you.

I would like to point out that every hand in the group belongs to an apparently white, apparently male, person except for these two that i can see except for these two ppl. So I'm going to give voice to these three women first.

I dont' really know what to say except I'm studying and that means I don't know abt it yet, but i"m learning abt these difference aqnd delicacies. I'd second the brother whatever colour of his skin or gender or his persuasion on teh accuracy of his comments that we must trust each other in this rpocess and if fror some reason if only white males are showing up I don't know what to say abt that but they too have a voice if we are here we all share somethinthi=g in common and it's different than whatever is not here. So thank you facilitation moderator for letting me and these next two sisters speak first and I h just love ryou all. So the next sister is over her.

Helo everybody I'd julst like to suggest that being educated on how to facilitate is good for everyone and ... a better way thank you ... so I'c like to suggest that everyone is right to be educated because faciliattiong goes beyond this movement and learning abt consensus and guilding... so if we can think of another process to encourage ... Paraphrase

i THINK THAT EVERYONE SHOULD GO TO THE FC WORKSHOPS WE SH D HAVE ANOTHER WAY TO ENCOURAGE SPECIFIC FAC. OTHER THAN RELYING ON CERTAIN PPL THE EDUCATION TO FACILITATE.

I understand the intention by having a minority exclusive wkp. I feel that this promotes th dualism bet those who are generally opressed and those who gene oppress. I feel wae're all here to NOT do that. Further I'd like to proposoe perhaps we put a cap on how many white males are allowed in the workshop. 

one more speaker I didn't catch.

At which point I pretty much gave up, over an hour into it, as the General Assembly spent the next, say, 15 minutes on the question of whether or not white men should be discriminated against. Not one person I heard mentioned that perhaps 70% of the people present fit the description and so the preponderance of LWM facilitators was only a reflection of the general assembly itself. Oh well, I just did.
I saw the security guard on duty at the top of the stairs was the same fellow as I’d talked to on Friday and Saturday nights, and so I went up to say hi, and he greeted me with a nice, lefty “Look, I’m being discriminated against” with a grin on his face. He didn’t seem to take it too personally, and besides, I don’t think he’s allowed to vote anyway.