sudo-discuss

sudo-discuss@sudoroom.org

6 participants
7255 discussions

by Yardena Cohen

On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 10:28 PM Steve Martinot <martinot4(a)gmail.com> wrote: > It is important to understand the details. Derick was working with FNB. He had been around all day, coming in and out of the building. Yet he was unseen by Ed and others, until midafternoon. Well, you know, black people tend to be invisible to a white racialized consciousness. Somehow, in the middle of the afternoon, somewhere in the Entrance Hall (not at the door), he came to Ed’s attention, and Ed accosted him. When Derick resists this disrespect, they face off. And that is where I stepped in. It was a clear case of profiling, but even more, of the tunnel vision of white racialized identity. As racial profiling, it was an attack on Ed’s part. This becomes central to the way I now look critically at the Omni, and especially at the sequence of such events that have occurred with respect to Almaz. Wait wait wait wait ... what happened between Steve, Derick and Ed? The words attack, accost, face off - I can't tell if you are describing a physical confrontation or something else. Are you choosing vague words on purpose? Either way this deserves way more detail and I would like to hear perspectives from anybody who was there. Folks, can we take this seriously? It's buried in a bunch of other nonsense but it's important. I think this deserves its own thread and a new subject line. The original subject was "[omni-consensus] Proposal to Immediately Terminate Bay Area Public School Fiscal Sponsorship Contract and Member Collective Status"

5 years, 9 months

Visiting from The Shire

by Jonathan Bryant

Hey Sudoers! I represent a small tech group from The Shire Community Space in Modesto, CA. We're looking at making a field-trip on 04/27/19 to check out some makerspaces in the bay area to get some inspiration. Last month, I talked with Jenny Ryan a bit about the visit and, so far, I've got 6-8 people interested in coming. Is it cool if we visit that day? Looking forward to hearing from you, Jonathan Bryant

5 years, 9 months

Last Month's Income & Expenses

by Omni Commons

5 years, 9 months

Problems on the Shattuck steps

by Laura Turiano

Hi everyone, I have received messages from a neighbor saying that she is increasingly concerned about the situation on the ballroom steps. It seems to have deteriorated lately. She says there are often "lots of people" out there and loud music is being played at various times of the day and night. The people are drinking openly and intoxicated. Lee and Danny's health problems have been getting worse so folks are frequently calling ambulances to take them to the hospital when they have seizures. She also believes someone (she did not accuse Lee or Danny) is dealing there at night. I asked if she could describe the person who is dealing and she couldn't. She has noticed cops patrolling more frequently and thinks that other neighbors may be calling them or complaining that they they feel unsafe. I think we need to have another discussion about how to handle this. There may be new people coming around. In the meantime, if you see people playing music loud enough for neighbors to hear, please ask whoever is playing it to turn it down. If you feel comfortable asking people not to drink alcohol, please also do so. What I say is something to the effect of, "we don't mind people hanging out on the steps, but if there is drinking, loud music or yelling, trash, or illegal behavior, neighbors are going to complain, call the cops, and that threatens Omni's existence. If we go away, whoever owns the building next is almost definitely NOT going to let folks sit here. So if it continues, then we won't be able to let people sit here." If anyone has any information about any dealing that might be happening, please contact me directly. I will keep your identity confidential. I have been encouraging Danny and Lee to get into a recovery program. Their friend Andrew is also trying to convince them and is willing to drive them to the program we have discussed. Laura

5 years, 9 months

Re: [sudo-discuss] [omni-consensus] Proposal: Hire or Replace Me as Omni's Bookkeeper

by Jenny Ryan

Re: Timing - A quick glance at the edit history of the Google Doc I linked to in my proposal <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pZwwjGPjsCryp78dySTHFbrmiTZR-Q5FqQf82S5…> can demonstrate that I've been writing it since last October, knowing I would need to start generating my household's income this year and acutely aware of how much time Omni's bookkeeping work has taken in the past. It should be noted I'm essentially doing the bookkeeping for not one, but 6 collectives (Omni writ large, Sudo, LibLens, partial DIY [they have a secondary fiscal sponsor as well], The Village [a significant amount of work], and BAPS [tho they contributed $0 in 2019 and have no expenses]) and tax season is now upon us. I am unable to attend the Delegate's Meeting this Thursday as I'll be out of town, but happy to answer any questions or concerns remotely. On Mon, Mar 18, 2019 at 11:56 AM Yardena Cohen <yardenack(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Mon, Mar 18, 2019, 6:58 AM Steve Martinot <martinot4(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Ironically, people raise the fact that I haven't responded to this > thread. But I didn't see any responses or discussion concerning what I > raised in my last two emails. I guess some people like to have it both ways. > > > > The suggestion has been made that I should fulfill certain criteria in > order to speak (like shoeing up for meetings that I'm not sure will > actually occur). If that is the case, then please give me the full list of > criteria I need to meet in order to speak (when I feel like speaking), with > the source or foundation for the items on the list. That way, some brave > soul can tell me to shut the fuck up if I don't fulfill all the terms of > the list. At least, that is the logic of some of the statements made in > which my name is bandied about. > > Steve, who's telling you not to speak? Quite the opposite, I'm asking > you to say something substantial about the issue of paying Jenny (or > somebody else) to do Omni's bookkeeping, which IIRC you still haven't > done, and which I think should be a bare minimum requirement in a > consensus process where you're the only person blocking, which appears > to be the case here. > > For the record, the past 3 delegates meetings have had full or nearly > full quorum. > _______________________________________________ > consensus mailing list > consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org > https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >

5 years, 9 months

2019 Musicians and DIY Electronics Swap Meet this Sunday!

by Jenny Ryan

Hey sudoers, This just came across my radar and I don't think anyone's posted it to the list, but the annual Musicians & DIY Electronics Swap Meet is this Sunday at Omni starting at 10am: Event descrip: > 12th Annual Musicians and DIY Electronics Swap Meet! Buy, sell, trade, and > give or get for free electronic components, test equpiment, guitars, > pedals, drums, accessories, new products, old products, unfinished > projects, microphones, vacuum tubes, cables, stands, parts, tools, and so > much more! Meet like-minded people and local industry and hobby notables! > > This year I personally have a TON of electronic components I'll be giving > away, so come and stock up for your experimenting pleasure. Transistors, op > amps, diodes, capacitors, voltage regulators, I have a bunch of stuff that > a friend rescued when his company moved. > > Shoppers get in free, sellers pay a $20 per table donation to Omni Commons. > > Free Admission for shoppers! Kid Friendly! > fedbook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/381412202591707/ <3

5 years, 9 months

monthly meeting?

by Yardena Cohen

We're supposed to have Sudoroom meetings every third Wednesday. I forgot about it and didn't show up yesterday even though I'm supposed to be the Omni delegate. Oops. Did anybody show up? Did a meeting happen? Were any of the Omni proposals discussed or should I abstain on them all?

5 years, 9 months

New printer up starts @ mesh meeting room HP LJ address is npib78003.local

by Arthur Transformation

Please do not abuse it.

5 years, 9 months

older model Logitech MX mice that use darkfield illumination

by Cere Davis

Does anyone have a ^^^^ that they would like to donate to sudo? I am keen to look at the innards of one of these things and see if it could be used for some form of alternate imaging. Probably involves reverse engineering the signaling chip but I am starting from zero here, so who knows. -Cere -- *Cere Davis* Science-Art | Kinetic Sculpture CereDavis.com @ceremona <http://Twitter.com/Ceremona>

5 years, 9 months

Re: [sudo-discuss] [omni-consensus] Proposal to Immediately Terminate Bay Area Public School Fiscal Sponsorship Contract and Member Collective Status

by Jenny Ryan

Speaking from my own experience here: I left a career in academia 7 years ago, shedding the arrogance and inertia inherent in that life to instead actively serve the people and projects that inspired and educated me. For years I have voluntarily and without (much) complaint done a great deal of the administrative crap work Omni needed doing so that these incredible people and projects could have the needed space and resources to do their work, by and large sacrificing my own desire to work directly on the more enjoyable aspects of activism (such as leisurely sitting around reading and writing manifestos and poetry - and I genuinely love those activities! Steve, Julian and I have much in common, tbh - we're all hypereducated and love writing. i wish i had time to do more of it). That's hardly 'elitism' - it's essentially janitorial work in paper form. Steve, is this merely a term you use for those who do Actual Work in the building so as to paint yourself superior? Steve does not understand, nor has he even attempted to grasp, the amount of labor this has involved over the years, and I have lost patience for his misogynistic devaluing of the difficult work that Laura and I do, in particular, wrangling all the excruciatingly boring bureaucracy needed to be done to ensure Omni doesn't end up like virtually every other collective space in the Bay Area. And for the record, I'm a bureaucracy _hacker_, and believe that the more we understand the innards of the system, the more we can shape it to serve our mission. Would you like to take a class taught by me? I've no desire to attend any more "classes" in my lifetime that are merely pulpits for old white men to tell me what to think, having already spent nearly two decades of my life doing that (with an extensive focus on Marxian critical theory, for that matter, and I've zero appetite for more such lectures). Do you really think offering yourself as an 'instructor' of Omninoms' "low level of political awareness" is the solution? Because across the board I see decades of experience in direct action, coalition-building, grassroots activism and international organizing that I'm constantly learning about from this "elite" and am grateful to and humbled by all who contribute to this project's survival in a spirit of good faith. Anyone can participate in the Finance WG, for the record - it's just that only 2-3 people ever consistently do. >From what I know of the unfortunate situation with Jericho, Ed (a longtime sudoroom member) answered the door and asked the person (a FNB volunteer I believe) why he was there, which is standard protocol when answering the door to someone you've not seen around the building before. I wish more people did this consistently - some do, some don't, and if anyone has ideas on how to ensure every single person who happens to be in the building at any given point answers the door in the same way, please share them! When I answer the door to someone I don't know, I am usually already in a meeting and simply say hello, ask them why they're there and point them in the direction of the event/space they're there for if they seem disoriented (which is usually the case for firsttimers). For a long time, we tried to fill volunteer front door shifts to make this process more welcoming - Laura and I, evidently both members of Steve's racist "Omni elite" - were two of the most consistent volunteers. I never once saw Steve's name on the signup spreadsheet, which was circulated with a call for more volunteers many times. Good faith collective action is: identifying an issue (eg; front door etiquette and equity); coming up with solutions (eg; re-forming a welcoming committee with front door shifts and protocol); communicating to the larger community (eg; calls for volunteers); and participating in the execution of those solutions. Not communicating an issue to the collective when it occurred, harboring resentment for ~2 years, and then using said incident as ammunition is the opposite of good faith collective action, imho. I fully support Laura's proposal, principally because the reality of BAPS is such that two white male intellectuals have equal blocking power over our otherwise collective-of-collectives structure, in direct contradiction to our shared values. Let's make healthy decisions, people, and stop letting two individuals (whose very "collective" is emblematic of white supremacy) dominate Omni's culture. Thanks for reading, Jenny On Sat, Mar 23, 2019 at 5:20 PM Steve Martinot <martinot4(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Laura notices the paucity of classes held over the last year by BAPS in > the Omni. But I would ask, why should I organize classes in the Omni when I > can’t guarantee to black or brown members of such a class that they will > not be profiled, nor treated with disrespect? This became a serious concern > after the Jericho group left. I raised it with those I could identify as > having been involved in a case of profiling at that time, and never got any > response. I have raised it here during the present discussion, and have > gotten no response on the issue of racial profiling. Well, I guess Laura’s > exclusionist proposal can be seen as the essential response. > > I have been trying to get a good clear approach to the racial problem in > this establishment (and I use that term advisedly) for a while now, in > order to deal with it. For me, that has become a precondition for > organizing more classes in it. (I have continued to teach, but not here.) > With respect to the Omni elite, I chose to move slowly, so that I would not > end up making statements that would effectively turn people against simply > looking in the direction of a racial problem, knowing that people already > didn’t want to do so. When you suggest to white people that their white > racialized identity might be a problem, and that they should perhaps look > in the mirror, or that their implicit bias might be a problem, a fairly > usual reaction is that they turn around and walk away. The difference > between the white left wing response and the right wing response is that > the rightwinger will often come at you swinging. That has happened to me. > (I won a few, and lost a few.) But essentially, the response is the same, a > refusal (aka chickening out) from dialogue on the issue. So I felt I had to > be careful. > > Well, Laura has called the question on that, so there is no point in going > slow any more. > > I have taught many classes here in the Omni. They have ranged from race, > and the structures of racialization, to the corporate structure, and > questions of fascism in the US. No one of the elite of the Omni have seen > fit to attend any. They were apparently not interested in that. But after > all, why should they be? They had a business to run. I assumed they were > simply more interested in the operation of the establishment, with no > inkling that perhaps the topics I taught related to any internal problems > they may have inherited from the surrounding corporate environment, with > its insistence (going back to the Jamestown colony) on racialization (aka > white supremacy). But I think they have now shown me that I was wrong. To > raise these topics as issues invokes a reaction and response whose > essential character is extreme exclusionism. Like any sect, their response > is to root out the heresy. > > What we face here in the Omni is a structure that has immersed itself in > the corporate form, and has become seriously property-oriented. The labels > that are used in Omni organization are cute, but the hierarchy, the sense > of control, the need for control, the exclusionism, the property ethic, the > hiding behind administrative rules, the hiding behind administrative > issues, and the refusal to take responsibility for what has become an > obvious product of the establishment’s operations, are the same as the > corporate. > > The corporate structure is necessary for an organization to handle > property. That is why city governments and trade unions are organized on > the coroporate model. And most people simply ignore the fact that, for > cities, the corporate structure prevents them from being democratic; and > for unions, it prevents them from being truly fighting organizations. Here > at the Omni, we have an establishment that is more interested in money than > in the ideals and topics of its humble beginnings – some of which are > listed at the beginning of Laura’s desire to fire us – that is to say, her > “pink slip.” Well, lets take a look at the first line. > > In the first line of her pink slip, it says (quoting from a BAPS mission > statement), “enlarge movement and collective understanding of the > structures we face.” Precisely what I was teaching in my classes. And it > was precisely what I attempted to bring into the Omni by giving space to > Oakland Jericho. > > But all that is outside and extraneous to the corporate structure, and > what it sets at the center for itself. Insofar as that structure has taken > over the thinking of the elite in the Omni, it makes it clear why none of > the elite were interested in regarding, or critiquing, or rising above the > corporate structure they had chosen. Cultural critique would have > distracted them from their innermost desire, to become the rulers of a > corporate establishment. Which is what has happened. > > The corporate structure will make hypocrites of the damnedest people. I > remember when the dream of the Omni was to be a center for left wing and > popular resistance to the colonialist culture and the corporate state. At > that time, the place was always full, and the activities were often > earthshaking. Well, money put an end to that, and it did it by making it > look as if money was the essential way to accomplish it all -- that is, to > shake the world. And there were those who fell for it, and followed the > temptation of becoming an elite. > > For myself, I have my own ideas about the beauty and virtue of free > education, that education for which we, like Mr. Twain, should not let > school get in the way. But it became a problem when I could not longer > guarantee the safety of the sentiments of any of the students who I might > bring to this establishment. > > Of course, the above critique only scratches the surface. But it points to > a clear axiomatic foundation for Laura’s pink slip. > > Actually, when our critique began, more than a year ago, it was simply the > question of how to deal with a really low level of political consciousness > in the Omni. It emerged when the issue of whether the CCL should or could > bring in FBI agents who were working on mushrooms arose. We saw that as > representing something missing in political awareness, and started a group > to begin to deal with it. That group got sidetracked into the issue of > banning, which was then transformed into the issue of policing conduct in > the Omni. And that’s when we knew we had a much bigger problem than we > thought. > > Banning is the essential operation of an exclusionist perspective. And it > has gotten to the point where the issue has its own guaranteed place in DA > agendas. Well, the corporate structure is nothing if not exclusionist. So > lets call the Laura Pink Slip form of that exclusionism what it really is, > and go from there. It is repression. And like all repression, it is > essentially cowardly. > > Steve > > > > > > On Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 6:08 PM Laura Turiano <scylla(a)riseup.net> wrote: > >> *Proposal to Immediately Terminate Bay Area Public School Fiscal >> Sponsorship Contract and Member Collective Status * >> >> *Bay Area Public School was fiscally sponsored by OC to:* >> >> * ● enlarge movement and collective understanding of the structures we >> face; ● place our present activities in their relevant history; ● >> understand the forces of evolution acting on our actions and organizations; >> ● study the extant literature addressing political forms and structures, >> varieties of party and organization forms, the archive of movement politics >> and principles, and strategies of organizing; ● organize classes, seminars, >> workshops and educational events on the above topics; ● coordinate space >> for these activities in the Omni and elsewhere; ● develop syllabi, >> outlines, focus topics, lists of references, etc. Since January 2018, BAPS >> has only held the following 4 classes: Marx was Right Reading Group - >> 2-6/2018 Poets’ House - Intermittent events 2-11/2018 The East: Solo >> Performance Laboratory - 5-10/2018 Writing with World Stuff - 10/2018 to >> the present. BAPS has made little to no effort to recruit new classes, >> research what kind of classes would be of interest and benefit to OC or the >> neighborhood community, or otherwise use OC fiscal sponsorship to develop >> the activities for which it was sponsored. BAPS has made no effort to ask >> for donations from class participants or do any other fundraising and has >> made no material contributions to OC in over a year. BAPS has had only >> between 1-5 active members for at least 2 years. Only 2 people have >> consistently attended BAPS meetings. With usually only 2 members from >> similar backgrounds discussing and deciding upon any proposal or issue, >> they only hear a very limited range of opinions. Most collectives have to >> reach some level of agreement between many more people from more diverse >> perspectives. Currently, BAPS and its delegate are blocking the proposal to >> hire Jenny Ryan as bookkeeper on a temporary contract. This proposal is >> urgent and supported by everyone else in the organization. This block shows >> that BAPS does not take seriously the main duty of a Delegate to support >> sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management of Omni >> Commons as an organization. Given BAPS minimal activities at OC, it’s lack >> of any unified organizing effort, its lack of support by participating >> members, it’s failure to fulfill its responsibility to support the >> continued healthy functioning of the organization, and its lack of need for >> fiscal sponsorship (since they collect no donations), BAPS’ fiscal >> sponsorship agreement should be discontinued. Per the agreement: 8. The >> board retains the right to terminate collection of funds for the Project at >> any time upon giving written notice to the Committee. Taking into account >> the large workload of the Treasurer, bookkeeper, and Finance Working Group >> over the next several months, and the length of time the proposal to hire >> Jenny has been stalled, this decision should be made and enacted >> immediately. Since member collectives are required to be either fiscally >> sponsored projects of OC or tenants of OC, termination of the fiscal >> sponsorship contract also ends BAPS status as a member collective. Current >> or future classes that members of BAPS would like to hold can be scheduled >> at OC through event contracts via the Commons working group. Should an >> actual collective come together to undertake similar activities to BAPS in >> the future, it is welcome to apply to be a member collective or for fiscal >> sponsorship. * >> >> _______________________________________________ >> consensus mailing list >> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org >> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >> > > > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_cam…> Virus-free. > www.avg.com > <http://www.avg.com/email-signature?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_cam…> > <#m_4143797760984497172_DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> > _______________________________________________ > consensus mailing list > consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org > https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus >

5 years, 9 months

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