Meeting Notes 2013 10 22

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Agenda[edit]

This is the standing agenda of a Noisebridge meeting.

Introduction and Names[edit]

  • Norman -- Noisebridge Radio
  • Kinnard -- working on bitcoin donation
  • Rhodey -- is annoyed with Google Play service
  • Ken -- is just programming here, what's going on
  • Melissa -- repair modify and make desktop computers
  • Danny -- I'm typing this sentence.
  • Jason -- hacking on stuff
  • Hilaire -- says the first aid kit needs to be restocked
  • Tom -- works for the Tor project
  • Kevin -- is facilitating
  • Chris -- digital archivists, irc goofball

Short Announcements[edit]

Danny announces Aaron Swartz memorial hackathon, November 8

Halloween Ghost in the Machine performance! This weekend

Membership Binder[edit]

  • Invite a knowledgeable volunteer to describe membership, and the application process.

Being a member of Noisebridge is not like being a member of a gym or your local chess club. Anyone can come to Noisebridge to hack and learn: you don't need to be a member for that. At Noisebridge, membership is something different: it means taking responsibility and committing to help to maintain, improve, and govern Noisebridge. As a member of Noisebridge, you don't just come here to hack and learn, you actively work to improve what you see around you, help to deal with problems, and make this community better than it is today.

If you want to show your commitment to Noisebridge and the community here without becoming a capital-M-Member, consider being a Noisebridge associate. Associates pay their dues to the treasurer just like members, use the space just like members, and are valued participants in the community just like members. The difference is that associate membership doesn't involve consensus: there's no need to go through consensus to become an associate, but associates don't get to block consensus either.

  • Read off any names from the binder for the past month. Write a check on every open application.
  • Anyone eligible to join this week should
    • introduce themselves,
    • answer any questions members may have for them, then
    • leave the area in search of gifts (traditionally beer and a lime, or cookies) for the rest of the group.
  • The rest of the meeting should reach consensus on whether they may join.
  • Remember to applaud new members when they return.

Financial Report[edit]

Consensus items[edit]

You may wish to invite a knowledgeable volunteer to repeat a brief primer on the consensus process.


Jake (spaz) proposed a change to his proposal from last week, to this:

Membership Changes[edit]

Jake proposes the following new modification to his previous membership change suggestions:

A new Tier of Membership to Noisebridge shall exist, called Associate Member. People can become Associate Members through the normal membership process. Associate Members are not required to contribute to Noisebridge financially, only to "contribute regularly" to Noisebridge. Associate Members, while present, can host non-members in the space just like Full Members. But Associate Members cannot block consensus like Members.

Also the policy of Noisebridge as a space open only to Members and their guests shall be changed to 24 hours a day instead of 23:00 to 10:00. This means that at any time, a person who is without a live sponsor in the space can be told that if they cannot find a new live sponsor promptly they should pack up and come back another time, perhaps Tuesday night.

Pigeon[edit]

It was proposed to make this a new consensus item for agreement next week. Jake suggested that the first paragraf could be discussed today as a change to the text of the last propsal, with the second paragraf for next week as a substantially different proposal.

We moved on to banning Pigeon.

Monad says that Pigeon is storing luggage and stuff in the space while he goes dumpster diving. I've find zer sleeping a lot. Zie's homeless. Ze brings all these boxes of dumpster dived foods and stuffs the refridgerator with it. This morning, I came in, in the freezer was a bowl that ze made last Friday. And a bowl of rotten vegetables.

When I asked to leave, zie refused to leave, and said that no-one can make me leave. I told zir to respect our process. Since then zie's agreed not to store stuff, zie's going to leave at 11, but ze hasn't honored that.

I am willing to defer the proposal if he would change his attitude.

Jarrod -- around in 6.30 i attempted some lightning round negotiation. Pigeon agreed to comply with the proposal that zie comply with the 11 o'clock deadline, to not use Noisebridge for personal storage, and to be more careful about food storage.

Rayc: When Pigeon was asked to leave, zie didn't leave and came back.

Jake: I think Pigeon's behaviour is why the kitchen is being sabotaged.

Pigeon: I prefer a gender neutral pronoun. I feel like a lot of this is a scapegoating process because I aggressively brought up the issue of Dru still being in the place. I think I have been bullied here. I have seen people turn against me. I think the way that I was asked to leave. I've asked Rayc to leave, and noone has done anything about that. But as soon as Monad -- as I was asked to leave. I store stuff here as many people have in the past, I've brought food here to share with people here. I will eat the food I've cooked to. I used to sleep here. My schedule is hard, because I dumpster dive at 9. I was taking stuff out when I was aggressively asked to leave.

I came back, in protest, because SOMEBODY has harassed me and bullied me. I don't know what to do about that, except stay away from THAT PERSON and ignore them. I'm doing my best.

Vaughn -- I lived in the city for a decade. There's a few people who like ot push boundaries. I think Pigeon pushes boundaries. I like zie, but it makes it more difficult to discuss. It's an entitlement attitude. I understand that there's personal politics going on, but you need to actually listen to people. It's not very excellent.

Dan -- I've known Pigeon for a year or so. He's muddied the waters with civil disobedience. He contributes a lot. He's a real hacker. He's very frustrating.I see his behaviour as provoked as well as provocative.

Tom -- Every interaction I've had with you has been great. If you were asked to leave, and you didn't, and then you came back.

Jarrod -- three behaviours said there were three behaviours that were bannable: storing personal items, food, and not leaving. If people don't like Pigeon using the kitchen often, it seems unfair to blame pigeon for the sabotage. Is leaving mess in the kitchen something we would ban somebody for? He brings diverse perspective, and sensitivity. Regarding the ask to leave process. Pigeon was asked to leave by Rayc. Pigeon refused to leave because he was being asked in bad faith. There's some extenuating circumstances that he has previously experienced a bad faith attempt to leave.

Rodey -- I don't thing that anything Pigeon has done is bannable. But if somebody asks you to leave, you should leave because you get an audience at the next meeting.

Norman -- the discussion started with the kitchen. I have found a Pigeon to be a nice friendly person. You could solve a lot of this by saying that you would take all that stuff from the fridge and freezer right now.

Pigeon -- I can't do my projects without storing my food somewhere. I don't have anywhere else to put it.

Johnny Radio -- you've always been a very nice person. I don't approve of bullying. I have two quick questions -- were you told to leave in a meeting? I don't consider making food hacking, so what do you do that is hacking.

Pigeon -- I don't have enough stability in my life to learn programming etc. I want to learn these things, but how I have been treated here. I spoke at another collective, and they said "it would never happen here". I don't know how to code a program.

Hannah -- Monad you said you were worried about abuse of the rules, and yet you asked Pigeon to leave.

Martin -- I think pigeon belongs here. Monad and other people are trying to get retribution in some other way. If anyone was fucked up, it was Monad calling the police.

Rayc -- The fact that Pigeon was asked to leave, and returned to make a shake. And came back. And then they refused to leave. I think they are using the place to live. I think they aren't trustworthy.

Ramone -- I don't think there's any ill intent to Pigeon. I think it's important for people to step in to moderate.

Jarrod -- hacking is taking something exists, making it better, shares with others. I think under that -- which is Mitch's definition -- Pigeon is.

Consensus Minus One[edit]

It was proposed that we amend the last portion of Jake (spaz)'s proposal from consensus-minus-one to consensus-minus-two. Discussion was extensive. We agreed to consent to consensus-minus-one this week, and have further discussion of membership and membership suspension next week. That future discussion might include an increase to consensus-minus-two or possibly other modifications to that process that Jake and others might suggest.

Discussion Items[edit]

Fundraising

End of Meeting[edit]

  • Reprise of the Hackernationale. [This is anarchy - we do what the wiki says!]
  • PGP Key Signing could happen now (if it doesn't happen before any given Meeting). Ask others around the space or check the list to see who wants in on the action.
  • Return the membership binder to its rightful location.
  • Clean and tidy the meeting notes, then save them to the wiki.
  • Send a summary of the meeting notes to the discussion list.
  • Enjoy the company of your fellow hacker or robot.
  • Discuss any items for which there was not time during the meeting.