[occupyaustin-it] [occupyaustin-volunteers] Occupy Call

[Gregory Foster]

We could really use your perspective, Jim.  Space has been made on the 
non-agenda.

gf


On 11/14/11 11:06 PM, James Casey wrote:
> Morlog,
>
> Many, many of us will be very sorry to see you leave.  I'm sorry your 
> pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears.  I'm sorry to lose your voice 
> in our assembly. Personally, I was not aware that you and/or the 
> Occupy-Livestream group have made requests to Finance that have gone 
> unanswered (and/or that were not addressed to the GA).  There are 
> people who are trying to determine how to bring accountability to OA. 
>  I wish we were making faster progress.
>
> There's been quite a bit of conversation about agreements and 
> accountability at GAs and working group meetings in the last week, 
> some of which centered around the bad actor problem.  Could some space 
> be made during the   Occupy-IT meeting this Wednesday to discuss.
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Jim
>
> On Mon, Nov 14, 2011 at 10:34 PM, Gregory Foster 
> <gfoster at entersection.org <mailto:gfoster at entersection.org>> wrote:
>
>     Morlog, we are all sad to see you go, and we all applaud the
>     service you have graced Occupy Austin with.  This occupation is on
>     the map in no small part due to the continuous 24/7 livestream
>     coverage you have mustered on our behalf.  I am sad to see you go,
>     but I know I have made a solid friend in the process.  May the
>     wind be at your back in all your travels.
>
>     Visiting OA City Hall tonight, Morlog was not the only person I
>     talked to who is strongly considering moving on.  There is a
>     disconnect between the people who are on the ground (literally)
>     and those of us (myself included) who cannot spend nights on the
>     Plaza. The most frequently cited problem currently facing the
>     local occupation is the presence of bad actors who are accused of
>     theft, abuse of drugs and alcohol (including on premises), threats
>     of violence, and little to no participation in the occupation
>     beyond presence and consumption of resources. There are
>     discussions about moving the occupation, but if the shift is to
>     another public space then it is likely that the abusive element
>     will follow.  There have been various efforts to address these bad
>     actors including internal regulation by peacekeepers, but this
>     does not appear to have been consistently or continuously
>     applied.  It appears Occupy Austin is on the verge of a so-called
>     "tragedy of the commons
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons>" under
>     pressure from a self-created "free rider problem
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_rider_problem>" though
>     discerning political economists may correct my unschooled
>     application of these terms.
>
>     Earlier on the Google Group, I passed around an article about
>     dealing with bad actors in communities
>     <http://groups.google.com/group/occupyaustin/browse_thread/thread/1a10f88932c97b66>. 
>     That elicited a positive response, but no action.  I suggest we
>     will continue to lose some of our best people, such as Morlog,
>     unless this problem is addressed.  City Hall must be a safe and
>     welcoming space for all participants or the local occupation will
>     continue to shrink unto failure.
>
>     At risk of abusing my own rules against turning this into a
>     discussion list, the livestream team is regrouping after Morlog's
>     departure and working out a coverage schedule.  If you are
>     interested in working with the livestream team, join their
>     dedicated mailing list here
>     <http://foojutsu.org/mailman/listinfo/occupyaustin-livestream>. 
>     Please try to keep subsequent discussion on this thread
>     constructive and geared towards ways the individuals on this list
>     can contribute to make things better.
>
>     Onward.
>     gf
>
>
>
>     On 11/14/11 5:24 PM, Jim C wrote:
>>     Occupy Austin is dead.  The shear apathy that is taking place
>>     here is unberable.  I cannot maintain the livestream in these
>>     conditions anymore.  I am going to move onto anther city and see
>>     if I can help there.  The fact that everyone wants to talk abpout
>>     what needs to be done yet are not willing to do anything about
>>     it.  I cannot deal with this anymore.  I have had next to no help
>>     maintaining the stream even though I have asked for it on several
>>     occasions.  The finance commitee is either doing nothing with the
>>     money that is coming in or they are lining their own pockets with
>>     it.  I have had to buy my own equipment and pay for my own
>>     internet to keep the livestream up.  The only compensation that i
>>     hhave gotten is from people that participate in the livestream
>>     chat.  I have had physical violence threatened towards me for
>>     keeping the feed up and trying to protect the equipment I use to
>>     keep the feed up.
>>
>>     Sincerely,
>>
>>     morlog
>
-- 
Gregory Foster || gfoster at entersection.org
@gregoryfoster<>  http://entersection.com/

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