sudo-discuss

sudo-discuss@sudoroom.org

6 participants
7482 discussions

important Omni Commons issue we need to discuss

by Jake

Dear Sudoroom, There is an issue of great importance to Omni Commons being discussed on the public Consensus email list, and Sudoroom needs to convene and discuss our position so that our delegate can represent us in this discussion. Basically a relatively new member collective of Omni (CLP) is unilaterally blocking TANC (Tenant And Neighborhood Councils) from joining Omni Commons. https://baytanc.com/ They have given shifting reasons for their opposition but it's starting to look like CLP is actually some sort of radical group that is trying to control Omni. They literally say so on their website: "Omni Commons Reorganization Program May 2022-Present (Oakland, CA) Our organization was invited to be a part of the Omni Commons in May of 2022. CLP has revitalized the work at the Omni, making efforts to engage the local community and host events in the space. We are seeking to revitalize and revolutionize the space as a base for building revolutionary power and programs in the East Bay." https://www.communityliberationprograms.org/our-programs This needs to get figured out right away. TANC has the enthusiastic approval of all collectives of Omni except for CLP and they were ready to move into the building and start paying rent (something that CLP does not do at all) which is something we really need if we have any hope of keeping the building. Meeting notes from September 7th delegates meeting: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2023/09/07_Delegates Public archive of Omni Consensus mailing list for September: https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2023-September/date.html We (sudoroom) really need to discuss this -jake (sometimes delegate of sudoroom) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2023 11:22:50 -0700 From: Z Silver Zahn <natashazahn27(a)gmail.com> To: Sarah Lockhart <sarah.ee.el(a)gmail.com> Cc: "consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org" <consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org>, communityliberationprograms <communityliberationprograms(a)proton.me> Subject: Re: [omni-consensus] Follow-up 9/7 Delegates Meeting Over the past few months, TANC has been diligently working through the Omnis collective process to propose becoming a collective organization within Omni. Unfortunately, CLP has launched a counterattack aimed at blocking our proposal from moving forward. I would like to highlight some concerning actions that CLP has taken, which have raised alarms within the Omni community and appear to be driven more by personal political agendas than the collective interest of Omni. CLP's actions have stirred deep mistrust among the collectives, but I believe this issue should be framed as CLP versus TANC, rather than Omni versus TANC. The nature of the concerns raised by CLP should be shared with the collectives during our meetings rather than springing them on us without prior consensus. During our recent meeting, CLP raised concerns about the composition of TANC's membership, specifically that it is predominantly made up of DSA members. DSA, a nationwide socialist organization, had previously disbanded the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) from decision-making roles in one of its chapters. It's essential to clarify that this viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the beliefs of East Bay DSA, an organization that we collaborate with and host at Omni. During the meeting, many articles and pieces of information were presented hastily, making it challenging to understand the full context. It was also mentioned that TANC originated from DSA but diverged due to shifting political views, which led to its independent organizing. Members of TANC at the delegate meeting clarified that some of them were not affiliated with DSA, and those who were represented a small portion of TANC's overall membership. However, CLP continued to press for more information about DSA, turning the discussion into an examination of DSA rather than focusing on TANC as a collective. CLP's actions demonstrated a lack of trust and an unwavering fixation on their assumptions. This behavior can be seen as gaslighting and hindered our efforts to build a productive relationship. It denied us the opportunity to truly connect and collaborate. Such accusations, withholding valuable resources from a mission-aligned collective, resembles an abusive weaponization of power. CLP's motives remain unclear, but their tactics bear resemblance to colonization—imposing a superior ideology on others. It is worth noting that every other collective expressed support for TANC joining Omni, and I personally have built trust and enthusiasm for this prospect. However, CLP has remained private and closed off in the past year, contributing to a sense of isolation. In addition to gaslighting and a fixation on a superior ideology, CLP weaponized the suffering and struggles of PYM as a defense mechanism. They implied that PYM must grant their blessings to TANC if they were to change their vote, without obtaining consent. Amirah, a Palestinian individual who joined the delegate meeting for the first time to support the media lab proposal, initially felt solidarity but became uncomfortable when her words were used for political gain. She asked CLP to respect her country and remove it from the conversation, a request that was ignored. CLP's actions sought to undermine TANC and Omni as a collective. During this discussion, another delegate, John, was facing an urgent situation, but CLP did not pause their agenda to acknowledge his safety. CLP's behavior has become hostile, harmful to the Palestinian struggle, and exploitative of Omni's volunteer labor. In light of these developments, I propose that we move forward with voting by consensus, with the exception of one vote against. Furthermore, I suggest suspending CLP's voting power until the end of 2023. During this time, I hope CLP can gain clarity regarding collectivity, rebuild trust, and foster better relationships within Omni Commons. On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 9:21 AM Sarah Lockhart <sarah.ee.el(a)gmail.com> wrote: > to follow up on Patrik's thoughts -- in re PYM having had regular meetings > and events at Omni: both TANC and EBDSA have regular events and meetings at > Omni. TANC, currently, has more frequent use of Omni for events than > CLP does. These facts were what had led me to hope that, like the > stereotypical bumper sticker, CLP could "coexist" with TANC as a member > collective. > > It appears that the problem isn't TANC or DSA using Omni's space and being > present at Omni on a regular basis, as I would have assumed CLP would have > expressed opposition to their events prior to this. > > So it seems that CLP's concern is over TANC becoming a member collective > and participating in building governance? I am wondering what specific > things, if any, there are concerns about in that regard? > > Sarah L > > On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 3:33 AM Patrik D'haeseleer <patrikd(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > >> A quick correction first: you may have missed this in the chat during the >> delegates meeting, but some of the TANC representatives very explicitly >> identified themselves as NOT being part of DSA. I believe it was also >> mentioned that most of TANC's membership is not part of DSA. >> >> I definitely did not get the impression that the TANC folks were >> dismissing CLP's questions, or were being disingenuous in their answers. I >> felt that CLP was being adversarial in how they questioned TANC from the >> start, but that the TANC folks did their best to answer questions and >> clarify the relationship between TANC and DSA, the national DSA's >> banning to its Palestinian WG, and the East Bay DSA's opposition to that >> ban. >> >> I asked at the meeting whether there was a record of EBDSA speaking up in >> favor of the Palestinian WG. Someone forwarded me the following doc >> afterwards, which contains a resolution by the EBDSA to reaffirm their >> "Commitment to the Liberation of Palestine and to Endorse the statement For >> an Internationalist DSA": >> https://www.eastbaydsa.org/general-membership-meeting-april-30-2022/ I >> think that definitely satisfies my own concern that the East Bay branch of >> the DSA at least should not be tarred with the same brush when it comes to >> their position on Palestine. >> >> CLP kept bringing up as justification of their veto against TANC that >> they wanted to respect the Palestinian Youth Movement's boycott of DSA >> (PYM has held regular meetings at Omni before), to the point that the only >> Palestinian present at the meeting got frustrated and asked the >> participants to leave Palestine out of this. Has anyone actually *asked* >> PYM whether they have an opinion about TANC? >> >> I really wish CLP had brought up this objection to TANC based on their >> association with DSA sooner, because that could have avoided a lot of >> wasted effort, confusion, and frustration. Omni has been in discussion with >> TANC for two months, and we've already made some significant space >> rearrangements to be able to accommodate them. If you were "alarmed by the >> pressure to agree with the rest of the Omni collectives", perhaps that's >> because none of the other collectives had heard a word about this >> issue with DSA before, and CLP's veto of TANC seriously adds to Omni's >> existential financial crisis. >> >> Patrik >> (not affiliated with TANC, and had to ask someone what DSA stands for...) >> >> On Sat, Sep 9, 2023 at 5:08 PM communityliberationprograms < >> communityliberationprograms(a)proton.me> wrote: >> >>> Good morning everyone, >>> >>> On September 7th, we held a delegates meeting to discuss various topics, >>> including the decision to vote for TANC to join as a member collective. We >>> posed a question to TANC representatives about how many of their members >>> are in DSA, due to DSA's decision to bar their Palestinian Working Group >>> from national leadership. They deflected the question by claiming that TANC >>> is not a DSA project—despite the attending members admitting to being in >>> DSA themselves, TANC being originally founded by DSA members, as well as >>> having approved an official partnership with EBDSA in March 2021. It is >>> hard for us to seriously consider inviting an organization into power at >>> Omni when they are already dismissing a fellow member collective's >>> questions in their own candidacy meeting, and being disingenuous in how >>> they represent this information. We were alarmed by the pressure put on >>> us to agree with the rest of the Omni collectives while we have >>> legitimate concerns that need to be addressed in order for our membership >>> and community partners to feel safe bringing TANC into Omni's >>> decision-making processes. Stating that CLP based our vote on "guilt by >>> association" is an unfair analysis of the situation; CLP membership's >>> concern stems from our fundamental organizing principles and mission. The >>> reaction we received from TANC's membership when we asked for transparency >>> was unprofessional. We ask that other member collectives respect our >>> decision in this process. >>> >>> In solidarity, >>> >>> CLP >>> _______________________________________________ >>> consensus mailing list >>> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org >>> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> consensus mailing list >> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org >> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >> > _______________________________________________ > consensus mailing list > consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org > https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >

2 years, 6 months

Sudo's September meeting is Wednesday, September 6th!

by Andrew R Gross

As always, participate in person or remotely from 8 - 9 PM! http://meet.waag.org/turtlesturtlesturtles We will be discussing plans to do a member outreach event at Temescal Brewery on the 21st of September! We'll also discuss our complicated, onerous new member process. If you'd like to add something to the agenda, reply below! Cheers, *Andrew R Gross, (he/him)* 412.657.5332 - shrad.org <http://www.shrad.org>

2 years, 6 months

[Donation] Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB RAM, Pisound Audio and MIDI Interface hat, and case

by Muirén Ní Sídach

MIDI 2.0 development for Arm64 lags way behind, so I'm switching to Intel and-or AMD architecture. Who do I talk to about donating my Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB RAM, Pisound Audio and MIDI Interface hat, and case? Image link to my build here: https://wp.me/aeX3Aj-75 Technical specs here https://blokas.io/pisound/

2 years, 6 months

Hardware and softWEAR* Hacking Tuesday is tonight

by Jake

Hi everyone, You're getting this email either because 1) you're on the sudoroom discuss email list, or 2) because I BCC'd you directly. Tonight I'll be hosting Sudoroom for those who want to come hack on whatever, in person, or through telepresence (see the last link in this email) ALSO NOW FEATURING: SoftWEAR hacking too: the Media Lab / Sewing area at Omni Commons (in the basement) is also active so bring your fabric and textile projects and technical repairs; we've got heavy duty and serger sewing machines available. You're also welcome to bring your own machine to have it checked out and tuned up for tip-top operation or to just sew alongside others. in the past few weeks, we've had about 5-15 people over the course of the evening, not including remote participants who logged in through telepresence Here it is on the sudoroom page: https://sudoroom.org/events/categories/sudo-room-events/ I am usually there by 8PM but people do show up before me! if you get to the door (at the corner of 48th and shattuck) and you can't get in, call me or someone else who's there to let you in! Email me if you don't have my phone number. Actually a great way to get our attention is to join the video chat link at the end of this email! We don't always hear the doorbell and I don't answer it anyway! You should get on this sudoroom discuss mailinglist! click here: https://sudoroom.org/lists/postorius/lists/sudo-discuss.sudoroom.org/ and you should donate monthly to sudoroom, monthly, by signing up here: https://sudoroom.org/humans and if you want to make a one-time donation, you can go here: https://sudoroom.org/donate if you can't make it in person: join the jitsi videochat with the room, and chat with each other as well as a giant TV screen/speakerphone on the wall: https://meet.waag.org/turtlesturtlesturtles see you soon! -jake

2 years, 6 months

[sudo-info] Rent-Free Housing in Berkeley for Shop Manager/Handy Human (fwd)

by Jake

I know this might look like spam but it is actually a real opportunity for someone who wants to manage a makerspace in exchange for housing! -jake ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2023 11:53:38 -0700 From: Jason Price <jason(a)stochasticlabs.org> To: info(a)sudoroom.org Subject: [sudo-info] Rent-Free Housing in Berkeley for Shop Manager/Handy Human Dear Sudo, Greetings! Could you please share the following unique opportunity among your communities, colleagues, and circuits? Flyer attached. Thank you, Jason *** Stochastic Labs <http://stochasticlabs.org/>* (*located just a few blocks north of the UC Berkeley campus) is currently looking for a* very part-time shop manager and all around handy human *to keep our building and workshop in tip-top shape! *This live-work position includes* *a fully private, beautiful 1-bedroom apartment,* rent-free, all utilities included, in one of Berkeley's most sought after neighborhoods. You will have 24-7 access to all onsite tools, including laser cutter, 3d printers, shopbot etc. Stochastic Labs supports world-class artists, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs working at the uncharted intersections of their fields. This is truly a dream opportunity to engage with, support, (and build!) an incredible community of creative and dedicated innovators. *To apply: *Please send resume/cover letter to work(a)stochasticlabs.org highlighting any specific carpentry, handyperson, and shop experience. -- Jason J Price, PhD Program Manager Stochastic Labs <https://stochasticlabs.org/> pronouns: he/him/his

2 years, 6 months

Laptop De-Branding?

by Jonathan Cadle

So, I had an idea that I wanted to run past everyone: What if we invited people (both within Sudoroom, and perhaps some of the creative/art groups at the Omni) to redecorate our giveaway laptops? My reasons for suggesting this are as follows: - It's fun - It's an opportunity to introduce other Omni people to Sudoroom - People who might not be comfortable coming to sudoroom for technical stuff might be interested in a creative project, and find us friendlier than they'd expected - A lot of the laptops just have IT stickers on them indicating machine iDs and such, that don't mean anything anymore. What do you all think? Would a weekend be good for this? Maybe a Saturday?

2 years, 7 months

[Outreach Porject] Linux for Seniors

by Muirén Ní Sídach

I've been thinking about network and computer access for seniors this for a couple of years, and recently finding a YouTube channel named Linux for Seniors gave me just the little extra push I needed. https://www.youtube.com/@linuxforseniors I've committed to trying to be regularly present and helpful at sudo room on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday evenings, so if anyone is available with knowledge about what hardware is available their help would be appreciated as would the support of those experienced with configuring systems for people with visual and physical disabilities.

2 years, 7 months

Sudoroom on Matrix

by Jonathan Cadle

So, I was looking into setting up a Matrix space for Sudoroom (I think it'd be a great way to improve internal communication, and could be a helpful collaboration tool on software projects), and I was surprised to learn that there is already a Matrix channel (not space) already set up, with integrations with the IRC channel, video chat, and the website. I was wondering who set this up, and if they'd be interested in combining our efforts to set up a more robust Sudoroom presence on Matrix.

2 years, 7 months

Reimagining the new member process

by Andrew R Gross

Hey everyone, I've been focusing on serving the membership working group for a few months, and I'd like to highlight some issues I see with our new member joining process. *1. It's not clear what membership means.* Longtime sudo room members have told me that membership isn't necessary to participate, it's just a designation that allows you to weigh in on consensus proposals and endorse members. This isn't the impression the word has with any new members I've spoken to, though. The term for most people signifies belonging, and an allowance to attend events, and this misunderstanding is particularly accute in my experience when dealing with BiPOC folks, women, anyone new to tech or hackerspaces... just anyone who doesn't arrive with a preexisting sense of belonging to the dominant cultural ingroup. *2. The new member process puts up a lot of barriers to joining.* When people discover Sudo Room, they often arrive with a sense of excitement to dive in, and then when I start walking through the steps, I watch all that excitement dissipate. The endorsement process, for instance, feels like a massive mud patch on a foot track. It seems to interrupt people's ability to focus on learning about who we are by creating an open-ended social challenge. Once again, I don't think tech bros who show up or have been members since the begining experience this at all, but if you're new to the town, or you've never been part of a hackerspace, this is stressful and confusing. I felt this way when I joined, and a new member just told me exactly this: they're non-white, their non-male, and they've never felt like tech spaces were built with them in mind. They really went outside their comfort zone and met people at events and got the endorsements, but it seems to be working completely against our interests to put up an obstacle that selectively filters people like this. Then there's a long wait where nothing happens, and often no one ever tells a new member that their membership was approved. As an exercise I would like to invite people to respond to this email and answer these two questions: *What roles you think exist in our community?* and *What processes are effective for helping people enter into it?* I'm not interested in hearing defenses of the current system. That's not the exercise. Imagine we're starting from scratch. Maybe, we'll come to find that the current system actually fulfills certain aims well, but I don't want to frame this as a change, I want to imagine the process for helping people become at home at Sudo from a blank page. Cheers, Andy *Andrew R Gross, (he/him)* 412.657.5332 - shrad.org <http://www.shrad.org>

2 years, 7 months

high-speed oscilloscopes for sale (need work)

by Jake Watters

A friend of mine is selling some four high-speed oscilloscopes that need work. They are posted on ebay but you can make an offer directly if you want and i'll pass it along "4 Tektronix digital oscilloscopes? 2xTDS540, 2xTDS520 in various state of repair. One converted from picture tube to LCD. Likely enough good parts to assemble 2 working scopes and part out the rest for good money. 2Ms sampling rate" https://www.ebay.com/itm/285452652435 -jake

2 years, 7 months

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