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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 >

7 years, 5 months

Fwd: Does Anyone Have a Nintendo Wii?

by Jared Null

> > Bc I want to learn to play fake guitar :) > :

7 years, 5 months

Does Anyone Have a Nintendo Wii?

by Jared Null

Does anyone have a Nintendo Wii that they can bring to SudoRoom? Thanks, Null

7 years, 5 months

Electricity party 3/23 12pm

by Yardena Cohen

A lot of upcoming Omni projects depend on having an accurate map of where all the electricity goes and how much. We started a wiki page a while ago but it's incomplete: https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Electrical Next Saturday at 12pm a bunch of us will get together and try to fill all the gaps. We will have nightlights, multimeters, walkie talkies and so on. Cafe Chanti will be open at the same time in the entrance hall, and I will treat all volunteers to coffee, jamaica, tostadas, etc. Hope to see you there!

7 years, 5 months

Invoice 1742 from Omni Commons

by Omni Commons

Dear Sudo Room, Here's your invoice! We appreciate your prompt payment. Thank you for stewarding the commons. Love and solidarity, Omni Commons ------------------------ Pledge Summary -------------------------- Invoice # : 1742 Invoice Date: 04/01/2019 Due Date: 04/25/2019 Terms: Net 25 Amount Due: $8,000.00 The complete version has been provided as an attachment to this email. ---------------------------------------------------------------------

7 years, 5 months

Fwd: [omni-consensus] GCEA Lease Termination Proposal

by Yardena Cohen

This proposal is currently being blocked by BAPS but it's still important for Sudoroom to discuss it. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Laura Turiano <scylla(a)riseup.net> Date: Thu, Mar 7, 2019 at 7:07 PM Subject: [omni-consensus] GCEA Lease Termination Proposal To: consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org <consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org> GCEA Lease Termination Proposal This proposal was developed with input from Chiapas Solidarity Committee and Global Women’s Strike, and represents GWS consensus. Laura and Jenny also contributed. OC will send a 3 day notice (prepared by OC's attorney Jesse Palmer) to GCEA and to Oakland Public Education Fund advising them that they have 3 days to remedy the unauthorized signature on the lease, any other breaches of the lease, and pay all back rent - or vacate the Omni. This step is necessary for several reasons: The pattern of misrepresentation of GCEA’s legal status and finances, and failure to pay its agreed-upon rent, undermines the spirit of trust and cooperation that is necessary for collective sustainability. To protect OC from a situation in which the lack of a legal agreement with a resident unincorporated organization leads to inadequate insurance coverage, or threatens OC’s 501c3 status (via Jesse: “Omni has an obligation to use its assets exclusively for charitable purposes and if parties are using space but not paying rent, that may be conferring a benefit on private persons unless they are using the space exclusively for charitable purposes. This is one of the required provisions in Omni's articles of incorporation, which read (in relevant part): ‘The property of this corporation is irrevocably dedicated to charitable purposes and no part of the net income or assets of the organization shall ever inure to the benefit ... any private person.’” ). Given GCEA’s false claim of being a 501c3, lack of transparent accounting, and Almaz’s possible use of GCEA funds for personal expenses, this is a real issue. To clarify that GCEA has no right under our policies and bylaws to delegate a representative to the OC board as it has no legal contract with OC. To reduce conflict during the day to day operation of OC until the proposed mediation has concluded. Until a new lease is negotiated, GCEA may have events and classes at OC by reserving space through the normal event request and scheduling process. Almaz and other members of GCEA are welcome to participate in Omni activities as individuals. _______________________________________________ consensus mailing list consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus

7 years, 5 months

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

by Yardena Cohen

Hi folks, sorry I've been a bad delegate and forgot to forward these proposals before now. I haven't made up my mind personally about whether this is a good idea. Back in 2013 BAPS and Sudoroom were the formative members of Omni. They are a very different group today. In some ways, we are too. I don't take this lightly at all, and I feel it may be one of the most consequential decisions we've made in years. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Laura Turiano <scylla(a)riseup.net> Date: Thu, Mar 21, 2019 at 6:08 PM Subject: [omni-consensus] Proposal to Immediately Terminate Bay Area Public School Fiscal Sponsorship Contract and Member Collective Status To: consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org <consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org> 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

7 years, 5 months

vacuum gauge

by robb

anyone haz vacuum gauge I can borrow or know where any are in sudo? thought we had some but couldnt find one i need to diagnose a lean fuel condition on my van thx

7 years, 5 months

Anyone have a 3D scanner?

by Lisha Sterling

Hello Sudoers! LTNS... My friend Roberto Monge is in the Bay Area with the chief of the Lenca Nation, chief Chevez. A sculptor has made a replica of a piece of artwork that was taken from Lenca territory, and they would like to get a 3D scan of the sculpture. I've cc'd Roberto on this email. If anyone in the sudoroom community has an idea that could help then find a 3D scanner they could borrow/use, please reach out to Roberto via rmonge at p o box dot com Thank you! Lisha Sterling Geeks Without Bounds

7 years, 5 months

SudoRoom Clear Plastic Bins - Data Entry and Labels

by Jared Null

As of today i've labeled all the clear plastic bin shelves (5 total) A0-A5, B0-B5, C0-C5, D0-D5, E0-E5, each individual shelf is now in a Google Sheet <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRe0_0tT3Txr8tkh47LwZBPmX0z…>, items are entered from top bottom left to right first. Cheers! Null

7 years, 5 months

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