NY2NO

It's the last day and I'm feeling the expected dissatisfaction in terms of the work we've done (or haven't) along with an overwhelming desire to go back to NY just to say my goodbyes to those I love dearly and to grab a few more tubes of toothpaste. Bottom line, we are not here for a long enough time to experience the gratification of real progress in both the Lower Ninth Ward community and the movement towards ending oppression. And that, to me, is not acceptable. This might not be the case if our mission wasn't so broad and cloudy which is why I've come up with a new plan for NY2NO's handle on their approach to saving this world from inequality.

The plan works as follows:

It's in my personal opinion that as an organization, we continue to repeat tasks, debrief prompts and conversational conclusions and with this, take nothing said into consideration for a progressive and developing organization. People need to see what they're doing down here for the sake of motivation and at the moment, it's just not happening which leads to 30 discouraged kids playing guitar in an air conditioned room with the thought of change erased from their memory. WE MUST FOCUS.

In order to do this, I propose that for every week (or possibly two) we focus on one portion of oppression (i.e. education, housing, etc.) so as to fully inform people on the issues rather than giving facts on oppression as a whole. What the organizers and inner reach members would have to do is assign leaders of these specific movements and really brainstorm on how to fix these small factors that create precisely what we're fighting altogether. This would solve our focus, our understanding and picking people who are getting in way over their head.

If this plan doesn't work than we would all be learning something about just how possible it is to develop this movement and work from there. THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK WE ARE ALL STRUGGLING WITH.

Our lack of progress is exemplified thorugh our heated debriefs that end in the exploitation of the people we pretend to work for and with by  patting ourselves on the back for just how "selfless", "sustainable", and "HELPFUL" we are for getting our parents to pay for a $200 dollar plane ticket.

WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO WORK LIKE THIS, WE CANNOT KEEP SENDING KIDS BACK TO NEW YORK JUST TO BRAG AND WE CERTAINLY CANNOT FORCE PEOPLE TO SPIT OUT NY2NO IDEOLOGY BULLSHIT AND CLAIM IT AS CHANGE.

Change involves movement and right now WE ARE STUCK.

On a positive note, this has been a wonderful group despite our common laziness. We have discussed these issues in depth and have not let our personal bias get in the way of productivity. Together we created a relatively stable community and dynamic which I think says something.

It's crucial for me to thank Group 8 for working together, disagreeing with one another and proposing solutions.

I do not regret coming here.

Gaby Marks