Abolitionist Working Group Charter

Rechartered: 2022-03-27

Article I: Name

The name of this group shall be Abolitionist Working Group, hereafter AWG.

Article II: Scope

The purpose of the AWG shall be to fulfill the following objectives:

  1. Work towards prison abolition, mainly decarceration in Wisconsin.
  2. Work towards police abolition through defunding the police, refunding the community in Madison/Dane county.
  3. Work in partnership with other organizations to these ends.
  4. Work to educate the general public on abolition.
  5. The AWG shall report to MADSA and its Executive Committee.

Article III: Membership and Voting

  1. AWG meetings shall be open to all DSA members and community members. Any membership-related issues are to be brought to the MADSA Executive Committee. As a body of MADSA, AWG is subject to the Harassment-Grievance process.
  2. Only DSA members who have attended at least two (2) AWG meetings in the past six months are to be considered voting members of AWG.
  3. Non-DSA members are invited to participate in meetings but are not voting members of AWG.
  4. AWG will make decisions in a democratic manner, voting on what actions they take. Any working group member may call for a vote on any decision. A simple majority will suffice for any decision.

Article IV: Leadership

  1. AWG shall elect two (2) co-chairs from its membership. The co-chairs shall be responsible for coordinating the work of the group, including ensuring regular meetings of the steering committee and of the working group, and communicating with the MADSA Executive Committee.
  2. Chairs are limited to two (2) consecutive one-year terms, but may run for as many terms total as they like
  3. Elections shall be held annually after the adoption or extension of the charter.
  4. If there is a co-chair vacancy before the end of the term, an election will be held to fill that vacancy for the remainder of the term.
  5. Recall of co-chairs shall be conducted through the Executive Committee of MADSA

Article V: Finances

  1. No specific budget is requested at this time. AWG will request funds for room rental, printing, or other purposes as we deem appropriate.
  2. AWG finances are to be handled through MADSA’s Treasurer and should not be independently managed. Any funds raised by AWG shall be submitted to MADSA’s Treasurer; funds submitted are not for MADSA general purposes and are to be added to AWG’s ledger. MADSA’s Treasurer must disperse allocated funds as directed by AWG.

Article VII: Terms of Charter

  1. To last for 12 months after the adoption of this charter, or until the next MADSA Convention Meeting, whichever is shorter.
  2. AWG will be governed by the bylaws of DSA Madison, which describe in detail the operation and leadership selection of Working Groups.
  3. For the duration of this charter, AWG shall be empowered to represent itself as MADSA for issues relating to prison and police abolition and may create events and promotional materials to achieve its ends. Written statements shall be brought to the MADSA Executive Committee for approval.