Consensus-building in the ‘hood

Wither the student strike? With nightly protests on ice and casserole concerts quieted, a loose assembly of local groups wants to ensure the movement doesn’t fade as a provincial election looms.

Autonomous Neighbourhood Assemblies (ANA, or APA — Assemblées populaire autonomes, en français) are now taking place across the island to support the student strike and oppose Bill 78, the controversial law introduced by the Charest government restricting the right of public assembly.

The NDG ANA meets every Saturday at 5 p.m. in Girouard Park, under a tree festooned with a red square. The small but merry band is comprised of community activists, students, recent graduates and teachers. At its most recent meeting, the head count was 13.

The group employs a nonhierarchical, consensus-based approach to its actions — voting is conducted using a procedure borrowed from the Occupy movement. “Yes” is a jazz-hands motion known as “twinkling.” A “block,” two fisted hands crossed across your chest, shuts down debate until consensus is reached.

Building a consensus can take time. Topics such as when and how to gather for an upcoming casserole action involve lengthy, occasionally meandering negotiation. At Saturday’s meeting, after some debate, the gang finally twinkled its approval to meet at the corner of Sherbrooke and Girouard at 6:30 p.m. on August 1, then head to Place Émilie-Gamelin to join a larger gathering.

The probable upcoming election was also a hot topic, with group members expressing conflicting views as to what approach to take during the campaign. Some favour an education-based plan, offering information about the various candidates and parties to voters. One woman, who said she has only voted once in her life, was “totally against” all political parties. Others proposed direct actions. Although the group is ostensibly non-partisan, several of the actions suggested targeting the Quebec Liberal Party, which authored Bill 78.

The impact these groups will have during and after the election remains to be seen. But Plateau dweller Jay Lemieux, who’s been attending meetings in his ‘hood, thinks they have potential.

“What I found in the Plateau was that the people were very diverse — you have everyone from grandmothers to business owners,” says Lemieux. “These people know there’s a problem, and they want to see it fixed.”

For a list of Neighbourhood Assembly groups, see QPIRG Concordia.