sudo-discuss

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7410 discussions

by Marc Juul

Some of you may have noticed the blackboard message in the common room today. For those who haven't, it says: PLEASE MOVE. PLEASE TAKE YOUR ELITIST SELF-ABSORBED ASSES TO YOUR DREAMSPACE UPTOWN "OMNI" SPACE AND STOP PRETENDING TO REPRESENT "COMMUNITY" Last night at about 11:30 pm I was sitting in the common space, hacking away on my laptop, when Johannes (one of the tenants of the building) set up the projector and started watching a comedy tv show in the common room. It was just him near the projector and me and Anthony sitting in the couches near sudo room. Johannes went and turned off half the lights in the common room without communicating with us. I was bothered by this and went over and turned the lights back on. He then came over to me and angrily asked if I really _needed_ the lights on. I calmly responded "I prefer the lights on". He then got very upset and started ranting at nobody in particular (though of course in response to me) as he stomped around the room. I then said "It's polite to ask before changing the lighting in a room with other people". This is truly the extent of our interaction, and I communicated in a calm and neutral manner throughout. Johannes kept angrily ranting, then turned off the projector. He came back in and out of the room carrying a blackboard several times. It wasn't until I got up from the couch later that I saw the message he'd left. I realize this negative interaction could potentially have been prevented had I talked to Johannes first instead of just turning the light back on (though I have attempted this before when he's been disruptive in the common space, with limited success). The reason I bring this up on the list is that I am concerned by the disproportionate anger that this small incident triggered. I feel like it requires a serious lack of self-awareness / empathy to deal with the incident as Johannes did. I am documenting this in case this becomes a pattern of behavior that needs to be addressed in the future. -- marc/juul

11 years, 3 months

Fwd: FW: Extra servers

by Matthew Senate

Hey Sudoers, Anyone able to pick up some computers, monitors, keyboards, mice, and headsets this Thursday or Friday? Thanks, Matt ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rachael Evarts <REvarts(a)foe.org> Date: Tue, May 27, 2014 at 1:02 PM Subject: RE: FW: Extra servers To: Matthew Senate <mattsenate(a)gmail.com> Hey Matt, We finally got our new computers in and we have 6 desktops to donate. Would you also want any extra monitors, keyboards, mice, and headsets? Are you available sometime on Thursday or Friday to pick up from the office? Thanks! Rachael Rachael Evarts Operations Associate Friends of the Earth 1100 15th St NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20005 REvarts(a)foe.org (202) 222-0734

11 years, 3 months

Timon

by Matthew Senate

I have been afraid. I don't often feel fear, or let myself get carried by that fear, but in this circumstance it has taken over me periodically for months now. I was afraid of Timon. I was afraid of his physical and psychological intimidation. I have been targeted, among others, by him, and this has made sudo room an unsafe space whenever he is present. But I'm no longer afraid. I no longer will allow this abuse to continue. Timon *asked *that I send a written message, so I sent an email to him and our landlords that indeed, Timon has no right (legal or otherwise) to sudo room, the public school, or the common space of 2141 Broadway. This is unequivocally true. However, the more important matter is that I sent this message because I, among others, have been habitually harassed and targeted by Timon. This harassment ends now. We provide a space that is safe for everyone to be fully expressed, where safe space and mutual respect is prioritized far over ideology. There is no argument to be had; your fellow members are begging for help, to hold fast and expect the most minimal of standards for behavior for anyone who enters our space. Please help end this abuser's targeting of myself and other sudoers. I know I will be present on Wednesday in full confidence and unencumbered by my previous fear. I have overcome this fear through support of the friends and community that truly makes sudo room an amazing place. Please join me if you have shed this fear too. Together we will resist this and future patterns of abuse. // Matt

11 years, 3 months

multiple car break-ins

by Marc Juul

A sudoers car was broken into tonight right in front of the sudo room entrance. It was unlocked and was empty so nothing was stolen or broken. The car owner caught them in the act and they fled. Later, another sudoer saw one guy breaking into another car on the street and then attempting to break into the same car from earlier (which was apparently now locked). The sudoer ran toward the culprit and the culprit fled on his bike. The people breaking in seemed two be two teenagers. Those who saw them estimate that they were about 17. -- marc/juul

11 years, 3 months

Sudo Calendar

by Matthew Senate

Hey all, Looks like we've finished up migrating the calendar events from our old calendar to the new one. Please take a look at the calender here and let us know if you spot any inconsistencies! https://sudoroom.org/calendar/ Many thanks to Ashley Graham and Judi Clark for moving these over! // Matt

11 years, 3 months

make more blog posts

by Yar

People should be making more blog posts. When you have an event, make a blog post! When you do a cool thing at sudoroom, make a blog post! Pictures are even better. If you don't have an editor account yet, the best way to reach people with admin access is info(a)sudoroom.org or the sudo-sys list.

11 years, 3 months

Gentrification report proposes bold solutions to stop Displacement in Oakland

by Romy Ilano

This is interesting, and it made me a little less depressed. I'm pro development, building up, but the speed at which things are taking place in Oakland has me taken aback. here is an interesting article someone passed along to me... http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/04/gentrification-report-proposes-bold-solutio… Proposals to protect Oakland's historic residents from displacement. Photo by Laura McCamy ♦ Last week Causa Justa::Just Cause (CJJC <http://www.cjjc.org/>) released a report titled Development Without Displacement: Resisting Gentrification in the Bay Area. The 112-page document, prepared in collaboration with the Alameda County Public Health Department <http://www.acphd.org/>, goes beyond describing the public health implications<http://oaklandlocal.com/2014/04/study-finds-gentrification-in-oakland-hurts…> of gentrification to proposing steps that cities like Oakland can take to stop displacement of historic residents. Six key principles create a framework for the report’s policy recommendations: 1. Baseline protections for vulnerable residents 2. Production and preservation of affordable housing 3. Stabilization of existing communities 4. Non-market based approaches to housing and community development 5. Displacement prevention as a regional priority 6. Planning as a participatory process “Because gentrification is an issue that crosses various different kinds of aspects, you actually do need a variety of policy strategies,” said Maria Zamudio, San Francisco Housing Rights Organizer with CJJC. “There is no silver bullet to take on the housing crisis.” [image: Gentrification Map created by Alameda County Public Health Department]<http://static.oaklandlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Slide7.jpg> The report classifies neighborhoods by their place on a spectrum of gentrification. “Gentrification in different neighborhoods is in different stages, so the need for policy interventions is different,” she said. The report lays out proposed policies, including just cause eviction<http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca/groups/ceda/documents/policy/dowd008118.pdf> ordinances, proactive code enforcement to make sure current affordable housing stock is maintained, inclusive zoning that mandates affordable housing be part of development projects, and community trainings to encourage resident participation in planning processes. A proposed community health impact analysis of new projects would be designed to help cities like Oakland welcome much-needed development while mitigating displacement. [image: Protesting urban renewal in San Francisco's Fillmore District. Photo courtesy of Causa Justa]<http://static.oaklandlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/R3SD7k_HFUgLdfYBB…> Protesting urban renewal in San Francisco’s Fillmore District. Photo courtesy of Causa Justa “Right of first refusal” and “reparation and return” policies would allow residents displaced by habitability issues or urban renewal the opportunity to return to their former homes. A “No Net Loss<http://www.mapc.org/sites/default/files/One%20for%20One%20Affordable%20Hous…>” policy would “require all affordable units lost through renovation, conversion, or demolition be replaced within the same neighborhood if possible and within the same city at a minimum.” Public data on civic investment and demographic changes by neighborhood would highlight areas of neglect and displacement where resources are most needed. The report advocates against the market-driven planning process that is the norm in cities throughout the Bay Area. Instead, it suggests, cities should invest in affordable housing through Community Land Trusts<http://cltnetwork.org/> and Limited Equity Housing Co-Ops<http://www.policylink.org/site/c.lkIXLbMNJrE/b.5137049/k.A9DF/Limited_Equit…> and levy taxes aimed at making real estate speculation less attractive to investors. [image: zlqif57zdV_o-14iZUza4wMc081LuFM56QOlcrabHORjPhiTYlvBkAFZd3qd2pQb2w=s190]<http://static.oaklandlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/zlqif57zdV_o-14iZ…>“Policy fights need to be organizing opportunities,” said Zamudio, highlighting another recommendation: to bring affected communities into the process of preventing their own displacement. “Our policies are never going to be visionary enough to take on the problem,” she said, without input from “the most impacted residents of neighborhoods” experiencing gentrification. Some of the proposals in the report are already being implemented in other cities. San Francisco is listed as a model for a number of the proposals. Yet displacement is, if anything, a bigger problem in that city than in Oakland. “We’re seeing a compounding of impacts,” said Zamudio. “Planning by the city has been in line with changes that the speculative market wants.” She noted that demographic shifts, as working class residents are pushed out, compound the problem by raising the median income and, with it, the threshold for affordable housing. “The income of the city is unbalanced,” she said, which leads to increasing challenges in finding housing affordable to working class residents. [image: Public development expenditures in Oakland. Chart by Causa Justa]<http://static.oaklandlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/i-3rCsd5nF7YeGPLF…> Public development expenditures in Oakland. Chart by Causa Justa Robbie Clark, Regional Housing Rights Campaign Lead Organizer with CJJC, sums up the recommendations as “Community health upheld over profit.” “Money shouldn’t dictate how much power people have in land use developments,” Zamudio said, adding that community investment should also have value. Clark sees several opportunities to put these policy recommendations into practice in Oakland, starting with keeping the pressure on the city council to make sure the proposed rent control changes which strengthen tenant protections, is approved when it comes before the council on April 22 and May 6<https://oakland.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=305862&GUID=D21765D0-49F…> . In May, CJJC will begin a campaign to put an ordinance on the November ballot that will go after some of the strategies landlords use to get around just cause eviction laws: allowing units to become uninhabitable and harassing tenants. “This is a problem that the city knows about,” Clark said, noting that landlords may threaten to call the police or ICE<http://www.ice.gov/> if tenants complain about unhealthy living conditions. “We believe some protections need to be put in place to punish landlords that do this.” The ballot measure would institute fines for failure to maintain habitable rental units and for threatening or harassing tenants. Pointing out that 90 percent of Oakland’s housing stock was built prior to 1978, Clark said the aim of the proposed law is “making sure that people can stay in the places where they live now.” [image: Art by Design Action Collective]<http://static.oaklandlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/k-Tvc1dYsAa5yQwr-…> Art by Design Action Collective “There has been a significant shift in who owns properties, especially in heavily gentrified areas,” Clark noted. The rise in investor ownership of previously owner-occupied properties has lead to more rentals in Oakland that aren’t covered by the tenant protection laws. “This would be a significant piece of legislation to protect all tenants and not just tenants covered under the rent stabilization law,” he said. “As we legislate against a problem, we’re never going to legislate a complete solution,” Zamudio said. “Policy interventions will always have loopholes and the market with continue to shift to find ways to make a profit.” This is why, she added, organizing and strong community involvement are crucial. Get a copy of the full report here<http://www.liberationink.org/content/development-without-displacement-resis…> . ============================= Romy Ilano romy(a)snowyla.com

11 years, 3 months

Re: [sudo-discuss] Medicine to the People: Stories from Community Health Projects (Sun May 25)

by Yar

On Sat, May 17, 2014 at 11:23 AM, Yar <yardenack(a)gmail.com> wrote: > https://www.facebook.com/events/1430569700530791/ > > Come for an evening celebrating healers building projects to reclaim > medicine in different communities and hear their stories! Just a reminder, this event is tonight at Sudo, 7pm! I'll be there early to help clean and set up, would appreciate company. :)

11 years, 3 months

Biotech 2.0: Rise of the Biohackers

by Ryan Bethencourt

Hi All, I just published my first Linkedin Article on the biohacker movement and I'd love your thoughts! Feel free to let me know if I missed anything (which I most likely did)! But it's my initial attempt of letting Big Pharma and Big Biotech know we're coming! R https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140523224352-2371689-biotech-… -- Ryan Bethencourt Tel: (415) 825 2705 Conf Call: (650) 741 5013 ryan.bethencourt(a)gmail.com http://www.litmususa.com/ http://berkeleybiolabs.com/ www.bamh1.com www.linkedin.com/in/bethencourt www.logos-press.com/books/biotechnology_business_development.php

11 years, 3 months

Gentrification and the Urban Garden : The New Yorker

by Romy Snowyla

http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/currency/2014/05/gentrification-and-the… GENTRIFICATION AND THE URBAN GARDEN In 2012, Linnette Edwards, a Bay Area real-estate agent, produced a video promoting NOBE, a name conjured up by developers for an area covering parts of Oakland, Berkeley, and the town of Emeryville. She posted it on NOBE Neighborhood, a Web site she created to drum up buzz among potential home buyers. The video includes interviews with enthusiastic young residents, a local cupcake maker, a bartender at a new watering hole, and with Edwards herself. It also features a local, volunteer-run enterprise called the Golden Gate Community Garden. “We’re super psyched that there’s a community garden across the street—it’s definitely a bonus to this block,” a new homeowner says, over footage of greenery. “The fabulous edible garden movement is in full swing,” the NOBE Web site notes. “It’s not uncommon to find neighbors crop swapping their homegrown edibles and frequenting the local Farmer’s Markets.” The site listed several neighborhood community-gardening programs, including one run by a nonprofit called Phat Beets Produce. NOBE is a fiction. It lumps together several longstanding neighborhoods that, since the fifties, have been largely inhabited by low- and middle-income African-Americans. The rebrand was designed to attract mostly young, upper-middle-class transplants who were fleeing high prices in neighboring San Francisco. When volunteers at Phat Beets saw Edwards’s video, and her Web site listing their programs, they were livid. The Golden Gate Community Garden is run by the city of Oakland, but many people involved in Phat Beets also used the space. “Our work wasn’t the cause of gentrification, but our programs and our aesthetics were being used to sell land and help displace people,” Max Cadji, a Phat Beets volunteer, told me. In December, 2012, Phat Beets created a caustic parody video on its own Web site, repurposing the term “NOBE” to stand for Neighbors Outing Blatant Exploitation. Phat Beets launched a campaign against the video, demanding that Edwards remove Phat Beets’s market from the NOBE Web site. Edwards understands the criticism, and is sympathetic to those forced out of their communities, but she believes that promoting local gardens and markets benefits longtime residents as well as newcomers. “The energy of community gardens helps curb crime,” she said. “Having a new park in the area creates a hub of community and conversation.” She went on, “First, there’s a community garden. Then what we hope will follow is a café, and a little market that might pop up, providing organic food. These all draw people to an area.” As an agent, Edwards represents both buyers and sellers. “The way that these community gardens translate into home prices is self-evident,” she said. “It impacts resale value.” She told me that she didn’t know of any real-estate agents actually funding community gardens, “but maybe they should.” Before the NOBE rebrand, it was hard to find grocery stores in the area; for years, there was an abundance of liquor stores and bodegas but a scarcity of healthy, affordable food. Such neighborhoods have been the focus of community organizations like Phat Beets, which strive to provide access to low-cost, high-nutrition food in low-income communities. Initiatives like theirs typically have an anti-commercial ethos: we don’t need to buy our food from big chain stores at a high markup, or rely on government handouts, because we can grow our own. But for house buyers, these community gardens simply have aesthetic appeal, contributing to a kind of rustic, down-home vibe that makes nearby real estate more attractive. And it hasn’t taken long for real-estate agents and developers to take advantage of that commercial potential. “It’s not uncommon for real-estate agents to stage veggie beds in the back yard,” Edwards told me. She often uses this strategy herself. (When my boyfriend and I attended an open house in West Berkeley, I noticed a small bed of vegetable sprouts in the backyard. It was obviously a gimmick, but—kale!—I was sold.) “It’s a life style that buyers buy into,” Edwards said. “The life style of growing food. Which they may or may not do, but they’re buying into that food culture.” The “blighted” lots suitable for urban agriculture are often found in lower-income neighborhoods like NOBE, as well as in post-industrial neighborhoods like West Oakland and West Berkeley. These also happen to be neighborhoods that developers see as ripe for construction. For decades, the overgrown grass across the street from Jeff DeMartini’s commercial property in West Berkeley (formerly his grandfather’s cabinet factory) had been giving him trouble: weeds encroaching on the sidewalk, phallic graffiti, dead trees that occasionally came crashing down. Last year, a community-agriculture organization called Urban Adamah acquired the space, and announced plans to install a small farm—chickens, goats, and all. At first, DeMartini worried that the animals might degrade the site even further. “I thought, Will it smell?” But, within a matter of weeks, interest in his property spiked, and prospective renters came calling. “One of the signs of a so-called ‘quality’ neighborhood is open space and green space,” Gopal Dayaneni, a member of Movement Generation, an advocacy organization, said. But quality, in real-estate terms, means higher prices. Many community gardens are started with the intention of supporting lower-income communities, Tiny Gray Garcia, an activist and journalist, said. But once they are built, she added, “the real-estate companies come in and start to reassess the land and use the property value to displace poor people of color. The community-gardening people may be well meaning, but they don’t always understand that they’re pawns in the game.” Ideological tensions can emerge even when relationships between developers and farming nonprofits are strong. Before the recession, the Emerald Fund, a San Francisco development company, invested in an undeveloped, two-acre lot in West Oakland, hoping to build housing. The lot abutted a gentrifying area, but it was also rimmed by run-down Victorians, abandoned industrial buildings, and tarp-covered vans and buses that were being used, presumably, as homes. When the recession hit, the Emerald Fund had to give up its housing plan, Marc Babsin, a principal at the Emerald Fund, said. To try to recuperate some of its lost costs, the company got in touch with City Slicker Farms, a community-agriculture organization, which sought and won a state grant to increase urban green space. The grant funds allowed City Slicker Farms to purchase much of the land. “We had to spend a lot of time and resources, when we owned it, keeping the homeless out. People would set up encampments, people would dump things there. Instead of that, having this very activated space where people are coming and going and growing vegetables—it’s got to be better for the neighborhood and property values,” Babsin said. Still hoping to build homes on its remaining swath of land, the Emerald Fund wanted to make sure that the farm was ultimately a draw to future condo residents, and not another form of blight. The developer suggested several minor changes. “We said, ‘The farm is for the whole community—not just for your condos,’ ” City Slicker Farm’s executive director, Barbara Finnin, said. Finnin pointed out that poor people have been gardening and raising chickens in low-income urban neighborhoods across America for years. “That it is now fashionable is more a function of whose stories get heard and whose don’t,” she told me. And those stories contribute to a broader association with gentrification—a transformation that is as painful for some as it is profitable for others. If young home buyers like chickens and goats and kale, real-estate agents like them even more. Lauren Markham writes about youth, migration, and the environment. Her work has been featured in the Virginia Quarterly Review, Guernica, Orion, Vice, and on “This American Life.” Above: A rendering of City Slicker Farms’ plans for a farm and park in West Oakland. Image courtesy City Slicker Farms. Sent from my iPhone

11 years, 3 months

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sudo-discuss