Friends-
The Members for Palestine (M4P) orchestrated an outrageous subversion of the April 29 General Meeting, casting aside not only the scheduled agenda, but also the governing bylaws and longstanding tradition.
There's a lot to unpack. Here is the quick review.
For those of you just tuning in, following the October 7 massacre and kidnapping of Israelis by Hamas and other terrorist groups coming out of Gaza, M4P organized an effort to have the Park Slope Food Coop endorse the destruction of Israel by joining the BDS Movement (the boycott of Israel).
Here is a brief overview of the Coop's governance process:
- A member submits a proposal to the Agenda Committee
- The Agenda Committee schedules the proposal for a General Meeting (GM) where it will be discussed by the members present and voted on.
- Following the conclusions of the member portion of the GM, the Board of Directors convenes and votes on the proposal according to the outcome of the members' votes.
Due to the toxic nature of BDS, the Coop has been unable to secure a venue to host a meeting to consider the BDS proposal. During Covid, the Coop held meetings on Zoom. In response, M4P has been advocating for "hybrid meetings," combining in-person and online attendance, to overcome the challenge of securing a location.
The hybrid meeting proposal was scheduled for a GM at a large venue to accommodate the anticipated higher turnout. The venue abruptly cancelled the reservation without explanation. The Agenda was changed and the meeting relocated to a smaller venue.
M4P was furious about the cancellation. They issued an aggressive email to their subscribers, urging them to flood the GM, and demand a vote on hybrid meetings. And flood they did. The venue capacity was exceeded and dozens of members were unable to enter.
Every GM starts with an "Open Forum" for members to briefly state concerns or ask questions. In a well coordinated action, several members stated they wanted hybrid meetings because they will be so much more "democratic" and not having them is "voter suppression." Then a few more members suggested that during the Board of Directors meeting, the hybrid meeting proposal should be considered and voted on. Finally, through a series of procedural maneuvers under Robert's Rules of Order, a member who identified himself as "John," overturned the chair and adjourned the meeting, canceling the scheduled agenda.
The Board of Directors convened. In an unprecedented move, one of the directors made a proposal to issue a referendum on holding hybrid meetings. The motion passed 3-2.
All this is in contravention to the Park Slope Food Coop by-laws and General Meeting Procedures.
It is unclear what will happen next.
There you have it. Mob rule. In the so-called name of "democracy," the bylaws and long-standing traditions were tossed aside. The elephant in the room quietly tiptoed home, smiling.
