[sudo-discuss] Fwd: [omni-discuss] Omni Member Application — Sudo Mesh

Fri Apr 3 00:46:47 PDT 2020

Yep. Also am I an Omni delegate? I can't remember what the final outcome of
that discussion was.

On Fri, Apr 3, 2020, 12:19 AM Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:

> Yayyyyy!!!!!!  I 100% support this happening!!!!!!!!!!
>
> -jake
>
> On Thu, 2 Apr 2020, Yardena Cohen wrote:
>
> > Hey Sudoers, what do you all think about the mesh project becoming an
> > Omni member collective?
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ---------
> > From: Mai Sutton <mai.ishikawa.sutton at gmail.com>
> > Date: Wed, Apr 1, 2020 at 9:20 PM
> > Subject: [omni-discuss] Omni Member Application — Sudo Mesh
> > To: <consensus at omnicommons.org>, <discuss at omnicommons.org>
> > Cc: <info at peoplesopen.net>
> >
> >
> > Dear Omni Collective Delegates,
> >
> > Below you will find Sudo Mesh's application to become a member
> > collective of the Omni Commons. We welcome your questions and any and
> > all input you may have about our application!
> >
> > I plan to be present at the Omni Delegates meeting tomorrow, April 2,
> > to formally present our application and receive your feedback.
> >
> > Best,
> > Mai
> >
> > ---
> >
> > OMNI MEMBER APPLICATION - SUDO MESH
> >
> > What do you do that makes a difference in the world?
> >
> > Sudo Mesh develops software and assembles hardware systems to build
> > open community networks. We are building open technology that helps
> > connect our neighbors, support local businesses, and enable community
> > collaboration and cultural production. In the event of a natural
> > disaster or state censorship, community mesh networks can be a
> > resilient means of communication and sharing of information.
> >
> >
> > Our projects include People's Open Network, a community-owned and
> > -operated non-profit digital network in Oakland and disaster.radio, an
> > off-grid, solar-powered, long-range mesh network built on free, open
> > source software and affordable, open hardware.
> >
> > Briefly recap your history as an organization.
> >
> > Meetings to build the People’s Open Network began in January of 2013
> > at Sudo Room. Several founding members of the project, including Marc
> > Juul, Jenny Ryan, Daniel Arauz, Lesley Bell, Jehan Tremback, Jake
> > Sternberg, and Matthew Senate, continue to be involved to this day.
> >
> >
> > We have continued to build off of the contributions and experiments of
> > people who have been involved over the years. Our accomplishments over
> > the last seven years include:
> >
> >
> > Development of our own version of mesh routing firmware, SudoWRT,
> > which was built off of existing open source operating system OpenWRT
> > in addition to open source mesh routing protocol Babel.
> >
> > Organized six Build Your Own Internet (BYOI) events where we’ve hosted
> > hands-on activities and presentations about how the internet works and
> > our digital network commons initiatives.
> >
> > Installed 30+ antennas and routers in homes and businesses to become
> > wireless nodes in People’s Open Network. One includes a node at the
> > Internet Archive building in Richmond, CA, which we placed there in
> > order to distribute gigabits of donated, free bandwidth.
> >
> > Raised over $180,000 in grants and individual donations to support our
> > work, including a $30,000 donation to Omni Commons and a $10,000
> > donation to Sudo Room (where we have hosted our meetings and storage
> > for years).
> >
> > Laptops for All (another Sudo Mesh project) has given out dozens of
> > laptops to high-need individuals.
> >
> >
> > Our most active projects are the People's Open Network and Disaster
> Radio.
> >
> >
> > People’s Open Network empowers communities to build and operate their
> > own wireless networks without relying on last-mile ISPs. Using our
> > design built on open source software, off-the-shelf hardware, and open
> > educational materials, small groups of people can utilize existing
> > bandwidth to share their internet connections and cover public and
> > underserved areas. Those who connect to the network are not customers,
> > but community members, encouraged to learn, participate, host a node
> > or contribute to code.
> >
> >
> > Disaster Radio is an off-grid, solar-powered, long-range mesh network
> > built on free, open source software and affordable, open hardware. It
> > is being designed to be rapidly implemented in disaster areas by
> > anyone who can follow written instructions, acquire the necessary
> > components, and mount a nominal number of nodes. The nodes will be
> > small, entirely self-contained units running low-bandwidth web apps
> > that anyone can access with a WiFi-enabled device. We are designing
> > them to be solar-powered.
> >
> > What is your incorporation status? (501c3? Unincorporated Association?
> etc.)
> >
> > We are an incorporated 501c3 organization as Sudo Mesh, with EIN
> > 46-4226376. We have our own bank account with UNIFY Credit Union,
> > including sub-accounts for each of our projects.
> >
> > How do you make decisions?
> >
> > We are currently undergoing a transition in our decision-making
> > process, which has been slowly evolving over the last two years.
> >
> > Until 2018, major decisions were made by in-person votes at weekly
> > Tuesday night meetings by those actively involved in Sudo Mesh
> > projects. Otherwise, decisions were made on an ad hoc, individual
> > basis by those who had the capacity to work on different aspects of a
> > project.
> >
> > For the last two years, we have been experimenting with the
> > decision-making platform, Loomio. We collectively selected active
> > members as “Stewards” who are empowered to vote on any major
> > decisions, particularly those involving financial expenditures. We are
> > also using Loomio to discuss ideas and proposals before they go up for
> > a vote. Currently, proposals must be approved by consensus of approved
> > Stewards. Stewards are not able to block if they are the sole person
> > opposed to the decision — they must work with the proposer to come to
> > a proposal that works for them.
> >
> > This has largely worked for us, but we still lack many protocols that
> > could ensure a stable governance process. For example, we do not have
> > minimum involvement requirements for those to remain as Stewards. We
> > hope to address such issues in the coming months.
> >
> > State your goals for becoming an Omni member collective. How would
> > your presence in the Omni contribute to its purpose and Statement of
> > Solidarity?
> >
> > We believe in the power and potential of the commons as an alternative
> > to capitalism, which justifies the extractive, violent, and depraved
> > treatment of humans, animals, and the Earth. Networked communication
> > has not only become critical for people to access and share
> > information, it’s a necessity for community connection, social justice
> > organizing, and to inspire and disseminate stories and art.
> >
> >
> > Sudo Mesh is a small project out of many thousands of digital commons
> > organizations that are fighting for a more just and equitable
> > internet. Our goal is to build network infrastructure that is truly
> > owned by and for the public, with a more specific aim to create
> > technology that addresses the information and communication needs of
> > Bay Area neighborhoods.
> >
> >
> > Sudo Mesh has also long been a pillar organization of Omni Commons.
> > Several of its members have and continue to contribute their time and
> > expertise to maintain the wireless network in the space. Our members
> > have helped with building maintenance and we have also used the space
> > for our BYOI events. Our donation of $30,000 to the Omni Commons in
> > 2018 is also a testament to our commitment to support Omni as a
> > critical community resource in Oakland.
> >
> >
> > Explain how you will finance your Omni membership dues/rent.
> >
> > We currently have some savings that would allow us to pay our
> > membership dues for the near future. However, we will continue to
> > apply for grants, seek individual donations and other recurring
> > sources of funding to fund our work and all our expenses, including
> > our rent and Omni membership dues.
> >
> > Describe what dedicated physical space (if any) you need. What will
> > you do in the dedicated space? What can you do in shared space? Will
> > you need to make any modifications of the building? Include floor
> > plans if that makes your proposal clearer.
> >
> > We already use some space in Sudo Room: a walk-in storage space in the
> > southeast corner mezzanine. We have considered using more space at the
> > Omni as a regular workspace, but we currently do not have plans to
> > expand our use beyond that space.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > discuss mailing list
> > discuss at lists.omnicommons.org
> > https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/discuss
> > _______________________________________________
> > sudo-discuss mailing list
> > sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
> > https://sudoroom.org/lists/listinfo/sudo-discuss
> >_______________________________________________
> sudo-discuss mailing list
> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
> https://sudoroom.org/lists/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>
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