GA Guide

Atlanta General Assemblies are people’s assemblies, or regularly held gatherings where people exercise their right to congregate and engage in participatory democracy — true democracy — for the betterment of our city, state, nation, and world.

Inspired by and modeled after the New York City General Assembly.

Occupy Atlanta Pledge and Guidelines:
(guidelines given by OccupyWallSt.org)

• We unequivocally oppose transphobia and homophobia. We are in solidarity with the LGBTQ community.
• We unequivocally oppose racism.
• Absolute respect.
• We recognize and embrace the equality of our diversity as Atlantans.
• We resist learned prejudices.
• We share burdens by taking initiatives to fill roles and relieve comrades.
• We encourage all voices.
• We discuss ideas, NOT PEOPLE, and disagree without being disagreeable.
• We avoid labeling and targeted profanity.
• We maintain a positive expression of the “message” by not engaging unstable or volatile people.
• We do not accept physical or verbal violence.
• We avoid conflict through active listening and awareness of body language and emotional responses.
• We seek to grow from our mistakes; conflicts within Occupy Atlanta are opportunities to learn.
• We are either all leaders or none of us are leaders.
• Make friends! Make an effort to get to know people and HAVE FUN!

What is the Peoples Mic and why do we use it?

A People’s Mic is used when amplified sound is not feasible and there are too many people to easily hear the speaker.

The speaker says just a few words at a time, then pauses as the people who can hear what she said loudly repeat the phrase so people further from the speaker know what was said. For very large crowds, multiple echos might be necessary.

Effective use of the People’s Mic requires speakers be concise and avoid the temptation to say phrases of more than a few words at a time.

A “Mic Check” is how a speaker gets attention to the People’s Mic and ensures everyone can hear: Everyone repeats the speaker’s “Mic Check” until the speaker can be heard through the whole crowd.

If a crowd gets too large for the People’s Mic to work effectively, another possibility is to distribute a few walkie talkies in the assembly and have the people around each one serve as the people’s mic for those around them. Or use cell phones in place of the walkie-talkies.

There are other advantages to the use of the People’s Mic beyond the utilitarian benefit of sound amplification. The People’s Mic also serves to:

• Focus attention on the issue at hand and encourages people to speak from the stacks, rather than focusing on side conversations
• Engages participants in the conversation, in that they must listen carefully to the speaker to repeat those words exactly
• Promotes empathy for points of view that may differ from your own, in that your must speak someone else’s idea with your voice
• Empowers those who have been traditionally unheard, as hearing your idea repeated back in unison by the group is a concrete evidence that they “hear” you

Gestures used during the General Assembly’s

• Yes/Agree: Hands in the air, fingers wiggling
• No/Disagree: Hands down, fingers wiggling
• Block: Arms crossed like an “X” -  This action will stop a proposal from being accepted unless retracted after further dialogue. Used to indicate that a proposal violates a core principle or deeply held belief. Like salt, best used in moderation
• Topic already mentioned/ come to the point/ Speed up your talking: Hands rotating over and under each other like a wheel
• Speak Up: Finger pointing towards the sky (“Point of information”?)
• Point of Process: Fingers formed into triangle over head - Violating rules of assembly / Off Topic. A valued interruption. Measuring how group feels about consensus (Taking temperature): How high hands are raised
• Direct Response to comment: Use two hands to make subtle pointing gestures at speaker (like someone pretending to fire guns like a cowboy)

more info on General Assembly’s: guide on group dynamics in people’s assemblies