[Noisebridge-discuss] Noisebridge must police itself

[travis+ml-noisebridge at subspacefield.org]

On Mon, Sep 05, 2011 at 04:40:22PM -0700, Jake wrote:
> A friend of mine works in a low income clinic and says that when a person
> is being problematic and has to leave, all the workers stop what they're
> doing and stand shoulder to shoulder, forming a human wall that causes the
> person to move toward the exit.  This usually does the trick with no
> touching necessary.  It is important to remember that a person acting
> irrational may be able to be convinced that leaving is less scary than
> staying, and they will choose to do so forthwith.

In the spirit of solutions:

Dr. Allcome: Serious emergency. "Doctor Allcome to Ward 5." would
indicate that all medical staff not presently occupied are needed.

Dr. Strong: Patient needing either physical assistance or physical
restraint.  "Paging Dr. Strong" indicates that any physically capable
personnel (orderlies, police or security officers, EMTs or firemen,
etc.) in the proximity should report and be prepared either to move a
patient fell and cannot get back up or "capture and restrain" an
uncooperative patient.

Maybe big red button, and a klaxon, indicating a refusal to leave on
request and the need for action?  I'm sure many people might be
hesitant to get involved.  The alarm makes it clear that action is
required, and the social pressure and attention may make staying
uncomfortable for the perp.  The alarm doesn't go off until the
problem is solved, so you either endure it or pitch in.

Police *are* often used as society's janitorial staff, but more
importantly, they don't necessarily arrive before the offender is
gone.  So either you either become physically dependent on them for
your security, or you DIY.  As the guy who created the world's first
police force said, police are just citizens paid to do what people
would normally be expected to do on their own time.

Problem people tend to be loners, not because they're introverted and
socially awkward (no problem with that), but because they annoy
people.  A simple majority rule should be fine.  If you get out-voted,
bring it up on the list later.  If ALL parties agree to leave, then
it's less confusing for the ejectors, who may not want to take sides
and don't have time to sort it out on the spot (heck the police often
can't, and they've got way more experience).  However, generally one
is going to be obviously agitated and unreasonable - that is the one
who needs to leave.  The person who complains that everyone is out to
get him is usually annoying everyone and oblivious to anyone else's
concerns, so he's technically right, but it's irrelevant.

I want to mention that I don't discriminate against "crazy" or "not in
consensus reality".  But I do care about drama - you can be all the
crazy you want, all the time, as long as it stays in your head.

The Principle of Personality seems to apply though:

http://www.subspacefield.org/security/security_concepts/index.html#toc-Subsection-34.16

Maybe we need a bouncer :-) j/k

BTW, are there technical solutions for sleepers, such as bright lights
and/or loud noise at random times during the night?  Or that can be
triggered anonymously?  Would make enforcement non-personal for both
the enforcer and enforcee.  Just an idea.  I personally don't feel
offended by unconscious people, as long as they aren't vomiting, a
danger to themselves, or dead and smelling up the place.  However, I
also understand there's lease issues.  Maybe we need a coffin hotel
bank :-)

I also don't much care about drunk people, unless they are vomiting,
losing coordination and causing damage, or losing self-control and
being un-excellent.

These social rules and procedures are getting a little complicated -
maybe something for the wiki?  How to deal with...  what to do...
no sleeping... etc.  For those of us who care about being excellent,
this might be handy.  For those who don't care, we can show them the
rules, and then they can't claim ignorance the second time.

Incidentally, I'm not there often, but I've never felt unsafe at the
space, so this list is a distillation of problems and not
representative IMHO.

Sad to see that you can't create a comfortable, fun place without
attracting problem people - but IMHO it's still functioning, to
a certain extent.
-- 
http://www.subspacefield.org/~travis/
Nisi mecum concubueris, phobistae vicerint!
If you are a spammer, please email john at subspacefield.org to get blacklisted.
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