Hello All,
While we face multiple hurdles as a collective we ask for any support to
keep us going to face these difficult conversations and transformations.
Please spread and share our givebutter. $1, $5, whatever amounts will help
us keep operations going!
https://givebutter.com/gHpD3e
[image: Solidarity for Palestinian Liberation (5).png]
Omni Commons <https://omnicommons.org/>is one of the largest collectively
owned and operated community buildings in the East Bay, housing many
organizations doing crucial grassroots organizing and mutual aid efforts
essential to the future of a healthy and thriving community. With a looming
foreclosure, we are asking for your support to keep our doors open.
You can make a one-time donation here or - even better - support us with a
monthly financial donation through our Patreon Campaign.
<https://www.patreon.com/omnicommons>
With community spaces are becoming more and more rare as rents rise and
developers sell these spaces for condos, Omni Commons makes full use of our
12,000 space by serving crucial roles for the community:
- We are housing 8 different collectives to support some of the East
Bay’s most vulnerable and underserved communities. Their inspiring work
includes surplus food distribution to thousands of individuals, AA
meetings, generic insulin research, and internet access for the unhoused.
- As one of the few remaining affordable large event venues in the area,
we are hosting numerous events at an affordable rate for emerging artists
and nonprofits, from hip hop shows to dance performances and fashion
shows.
- We coordinate mutual aid efforts, both in emergency situations and
day-to-day, when we open our free store three times a week and give away
clothing.
* In January, during one of the most severe atmospheric rivers of the
season, intrepid Omni volunteers came together to open the doors to the
unhoused populations, who were getting drenched and needing shelter. More
than 50 individuals came through the doors, with donations pouring in from
around the region. It was a testament to the power and potential of OMNI
Commons. *
We are proud of our work, but are a turning point in our history and are
asking for your support again.
Dear Omni Commons Community,
I hope this message finds you well. In our recent delegate meeting, a
crucial decision was made that requires your immediate attention. The
upcoming delegate meeting on 12/21/23, scheduled from 7 pm to 9 pm, will be
opened to our larger community, welcoming members from various collectives
and Omni projects. This session is dedicated to discussing different
proposal options and determining our collective path forward.
As a critical reminder, our private lender has notified us that the
outstanding $876k must be repaid by the end of December 2023. Failure to
meet this balloon payment deadline will initiate a foreclosure process,
with a subsequent 90-day period before the property is sold to housing
developers.
Originally, our strategy aimed to generate revenue from events and
fundraising over consecutive months, enabling us to pursue a million-dollar
loan from self-help, with a 30-year return agreement. However, faced with a
boycott affecting our cash flow and struggling Omni operations, we must now
explore alternative options to prevent the property from entering the
speculative market.
One significant proposal on the table is the People's Program, where they
would assume operational responsibility as new owners, undertaking the debt
payment and already securing donors. Their commitment includes ensuring the
continuity of current projects and tenants at Omni.
Additionally, Sudo Room proposes the creation of an LLC to allocate funds
from individual community loans, with community members contributing $50k
each to the LLC, aimed at settling the Mulberry Trust debt.
Discussions have also emerged about approaching a land trust to potentially
become the landlord of Omni Commons.
We urge all community members to contribute their ideas and proposals to an
open Google doc, allowing us to collectively evaluate the pros and cons of
each option. In the absence of action, Omni Commons faces the risk of sale
post-foreclosure, necessitating a discussion on equity reallocation.
To facilitate an organized and productive discussion on 12/21, we will be
contracting a facilitator. Your input is vital, and we encourage everyone
to share thoughts on how we want to vote on this critical matter.
Please contribute your ideas to the Google doc before 12/21, ensuring we
have a comprehensive list to consider. Together, we can navigate this
challenge and determine the best course of action for the future of Omni
Commons.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wDzotx3D07brWXLkylRlSb9r_alI8fqaBFUDxki…
I’m out of town for Christmas - who’s here this week?
I’m at the space at the very least on Monday and Tuesday -
More and more people are asking about having a meetup at the Omni commons - they’re often at company offices but would be willing to focus on open spruce as the women who code east bay day when we did the stable diffusion isntlalfest
Sent from my iPhone
Sorry for the short notice, Pi.BerkeleyLUG starts in 20 minutes at
Sudoroom. Please come out support Tom in this great initiative for Omni.
-Peter
tom r lopes <tomrlopes(a)gmail.com>: Dec 16 11:59AM -0800
Sorry for the late notice.
Tomorrow at SudoRoom 11am to 2pm.
Press the buzzer for access (white button in black case) or call or text me
at 5109842455.
My probably agenda will be to work on the pole of Chromebooks. Bypassing
the enterprise enrollment and installing Linux. Not sure what distro to use
as these are limited machines. 4gb ram but only 16gb storage. I've tried
Lubuntu but it fills storage real quick. Others have tried more minimal
distros (AntiX?) and they have trouble with hardware drivers.
Aaron, maybe you can take a look. Free Chromebook for you.
As always you are welcome to work on your own projects.
Thomas