Action Group Meeting - cycling deaths caused by lorries

Dear All

Thank you so much for trecking across London to spend your precious time with us last night. Those who couldnt make it thank you for you offers of help.

What we need to do now is ensure we dont loose momentum and make sure we have a communication system that captures every issue and every person. We need a group of people who can devise this - lead by velocio and adam? (who I was talking to last night).

We envisage a working live network divided into the working groups we created last night, and managed by a leader - are the leaders last night happy to continue leading, or otherwise the groups can decide themselves if there is an obvious leader.

It is really important for the leader to have the time and inclination to take control of that group, pick up all the offers of help and organise how they are going to collect their issues, choose their priorites and organise their action and most importantly feed back to the rest of the group. They could nominate a deputy to help. I envisaged each group has a list of members with their skills - like we did on the orginal list - and then each group meeting (probably in person at least at first) and working out their action. And then the leader feeds back to everyone once a month - maybe the last monday of each month - their issues, and we can all vote on any decisisons by the friday of that week.

An example: we need a logo, and we need stickers. The design group meets, with everyone bringing their proposals (but also starting off with what already exists and has been done by others - this isnt a new problem - I have seen at least 3 existing sticker designs already) the group plays with the ideas, decides on the top three. The top three are fed back, by the leader, for everyone to vote on. By the friday of the last week of the month we have a result. Then we can all go and and post our stickers (also need to decide how to source, print and distribute them - dont forget about these admin/implimentation issues as well - the best ideas are no good if we cant bring them all the way to fruition).

And meanwhile the direct action group are coming up with their top 3 proposals of direct action eg where and when we do a guerilla sticker dump eg a windscreen sized bike on each hgv windscreen we see with a strapline 'Now can you see me?', or targeting specific companies like turning up at crossrail one day and blasting their trucks...

So we have co-ordinated, planned action that we all buy into, and that is as hard hitting as possible. We need to be coherent, we dont want one group running off doing stuff that others disagree with. We have to stay united and empowered.

So if the group leaders can email their conclusions of their workign group discussions last night to me at whathappenedonfeb5@ymail.com I will write them up and post them.

Meanwhile we need to set up a system so the groups can communicate with their members and everyone who couldnt make the meeting can sign up to their relevant group or groups (if the group becomes to big or diverse the leader just splits it in two, and allocates new leaders.) It is imperative that each group nominates one person to collect the main points and report back otherwise we will degenerate into chat and no action. Velocio and Adam and whoever can you work that out? maybe you need a comms/systems/network group to decide the best way. We need people in that group who can handle data, and distribute and organise. We dont wnat to re-invet the wheel so we need an area where we can put up all the kinds of info that we talked about last night, like the original 'no witness no justice' campaign, or the existing work at lambeth training all drivers and all the stuff that roadpeace is doing etc etc.

Ok? Email me your stuff asap and Ill write it up and post it. I have time today but going back up north friday when I will be struggling for time.

So, in conlusion, all this info that is coming in I, and anyone else, can just forward it to the relevant group to deal with and we should just run along ourselves like a well oiled machine....

I feel so relieved, like a massive weight of my shoulders. THANK YOU. I hope it works.