[sudo-discuss] a very racist encounter from a man named Rob

Fri Jul 12 11:48:26 PDT 2019

@Autonomous
i recall the incident & i apologize for my direct inquiry into you being in
the building & how it made you feel
prior to our interaction, Tony, a member of phat beets, came to me with a
concern that there was a strange person walking around the building acting
suspicious & he had never done this before so i thought it was serious
i don't know what caused him to seek me out but i felt obligated to help
it had been awhile since i had seen you & it took me a minute to recognize
you
when you said you were a sudo member, i accepted your answer & went about
my business

On Fri, Jul 12, 2019 at 11:28 AM Autonomous <autonomous666 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I would like to share an encounter I had with Robb prior to this most
> recent incident with Deon.
>
> I swiped my card at the front door and entered the building. As I was
> looking around for Marc who I was meeting at Sudo Room, I was accosted by
> Robb in a hallway who said in a loud voice "MAY I HELP YOU". I said that I
> was a Sudo Room member and was looking for Marc, and that I was "surprised
> that you don't recognize me, Robb". The entire time I was speaking, Robb
> was glaring at me in a hostile manner. I have not been back to Sudo Room
> since.
>
> I would like to point out that 90% of communication is non-verbal and
> Robb's attitude towards people he doesn't recognize or like could be
> interpreted as hateful or racist without the use of specific derogatory
> words. Since Robb now says "he hasn't heard from anybody" on the encounter
> with Deon I am wondering if the views, opinions and attitudes expressed by
> Robb are also those of Sudo Room and the Omni,  and reflect the official
> policy or position of Sudo Room or the Omni towards unwanted guests.
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 28, 2019 at 4:31 PM D. Scott Nanos <scott.nanos at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Greetings Sudo et al, I'm so sorry but I have to bring to your attention
>> a recent, very unfortunate, inappropriate, and violent encounter a friend
>> of mine, Deon Saunders, had with a guy named "Rob", who I don't think I
>> know personally, although I'm sure he's well known around Omni in general.
>> I don't believe he's a sudo member specifically, but I believe this
>> incident sort of came into Sudo territory when Marc became involved; I also
>> really respect and love what Sudo room provides to the community, and I
>> know that Sudo is a powerful force within the Omni; as such, I'm writing to
>> you all now because I believe this issue definitely needs to be dealt with,
>> and not ignored or brushed aside.
>>
>> Basically, Deon is friends with Phat Beets and Food First, and has been
>> frequenting the Omni in order to do work and access the community resources
>> that are available. To my understanding, he often works in the Sudo room
>> space. Although this should not need to be said, I can personally vouch for
>> Deon as an upstanding and generous member of the Oakland community.
>>
>> Deon was having trouble accessing the space the other day and rung the
>> Omni doorbell several times, at which point guy named Rob opened the door
>> and started cursing at him and being very aggressive. After Deon was able
>> to enter Omni, Rob then started following him around and harassing him,
>> acting like a cop. Although this is egregious in and of itself, and a
>> terrible counter-representation of the Omni's values, this all came to a
>> head when Rob accused Deon of not being "an actual, normal, human being".
>> Whether or not this was intentional, it evoked longstanding racist
>> attitudes that black folks have been subjected to, suggesting that Deon was
>> less-than, or sub-human. Deon was so offended that he promptly left the
>> Omni and has not been back since.
>>
>> Besides this very loaded and hateful comment, this general kind of
>> treatment and attitude, overall, is the EXACT opposite of the way black
>> folks should be treated when interfacing with the Omni. Rob's actions are
>> not okay, at all, and I strongly feel that a serious accountability process
>> should be implemented for this incident. This is not a small matter. I've
>> spoken with Deon, and he has agreed to participate.
>>
>> I've also heard that this type of incident has happened before at the
>> Omni, specifically involving Rob. Correct me if I'm wrong, but apparently,
>> the attitude that was expressed to Deon was that Rob is one of the main
>> people that operates (i.e. helps to reproduce and sustain,) the Omni, and
>> as such, people basically go along with what he says and does. If this is
>> in fact the case, then an accountability process is even more imperative.
>> In no way should labor, and by proxy, "power" derived from labor, enable a
>> person to act with racism against members of the Oakland community. I think
>> it's in the best interest of the Omni to address this issue immediately,
>> for Deon, for the Omni, and for the Omni's relationship with the greater
>> community of Oakland.
>>
>> I believe Marc was present for part of this incident as well, and
>> although I know, Marc is so busy doing vital work for Sudo and Omni, it
>> might behoove him to also participate in this process, as a witness.
>>
>> I am writing this email not because I am trying to "cancel" or ruin
>> anyone, but because I care about Deon, The Omni, Sudo, and the Oakland
>> community at large. This issue seems indicative of larger problems, and if
>> addressed with love and respect and accountability, could seriously benefit
>> all parties listed above, and improve the Omni and it's relationship with
>> Oakland.
>>
>> I'm not sure where to take it from here, as I am personally extremely
>> busy with other community-based activities in Oakland right now, but a
>> mediator/facilitator should be sought out, ideally a black person, but at
>> the very least, a non-black poc, and probably someone that isn't personally
>> involved in the day-to-day operations at Omni, sudo etc. If i am able, I
>> could possibly be this mediator, but I hope other options are sought out
>> first, because a.) I'm a non-black, mixed race poc, and b.) I have very
>> little capacity at the moment.
>>
>> But please keep me in the loop regarding an accountability process for
>> Rob, and I'll do whatever I can to help move this along and reach a fair
>> and just conclusion.
>>
>> Sorry to bring such difficult news to you all, but I could not stay
>> silent.
>>
>> With love and Solidarity,
>>
>> Scott
>>
>>
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