[Noisebridge-discuss] I want NoiseBridge to change.

[Ever Falling]

I'm hoping that all this stuff is finally a wake up call to start making
some strictly enforceable rules for the space. It's not that solutions are
hard to find and implement it's that there's always someone with some
bullshit issue with them because of some idealistic idea about how
passive-agressive we can be without actually doing something. You need
solutions for security? theft? sleeping? do something similar to what any
other place of business would do. Install one or two cameras in specific
locations of interest for theft and security (like the hack shelves and the
front door outside). Verbal 1 or 2 warnings and then booting from
the premises for sleepers no exceptions (they can come back the next day if
they like but their space privileges would be revoked for that day). Give
the space working hours and close shop at night or implement some sort of
ID sign-in for super late-night entry. Have easy to understand policies for
ejecting disruptive people from the space and having a healthy and friendly
relationship with the local police department who we are comfortable
allowing into the space if need be. These are cut and dry solutions that
any other organization would have implemented by now but for some reason
noisebridge seems too cowardly or touchy-feely to actually do anything even
close. It all comes down to how much you want a safe working environment
against how much you want not to have to confront people on their bullshit
and risk them getting angry at you for not bending the rules in their favor.

On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 3:36 PM, Crutcher Dunnavant <crutcher at gmail.com>wrote:

> There have been many discussions about the various cultural and
> security problems NoiseBridge currently has. I could jump into the
> threads, I could continue to talk to people at the space, I could even
> put forward a few ideas I have for consensus, based on other hacker
> spaces. Instead, I'm going to ask, who else wants it to change?
>
> We have very few active members (<40) paying for a large space. How
> many of you are active and happy with what we have now?
>
> I am an active member of NoiseBridge, and I want NoiseBridge to change.
>
> We have far past any point at which I'm concerned about preserving
> NB's culture. The space has been completely colonized by people with
> no interest in making, learning, or teaching. It has become a hostel
> for the disaffected remnants of Occupy SF, and a shelter for a random
> smattering of the city's homeless.
>
> So I'm not concerned about preserving NB's culture, the culture I
> liked has been occluded; and I personally want the current state of
> things to change rather dramatically.
>
> I'd like a future NB where the majority of people in the space at any
> given time were either members, or guests of members currently in the
> space. I'd like a future NB where we have 3-4x as many members as we
> currently do, and could afford a larger space with a street level
> rollup door and concrete floors and NICE TOOLS. I'd like to see a
> future noisebridge that does not tollerate the rampant
> anti-intellectual math-is-a-tool-of-the-man demographic that's so
> totally occupied the space. I'd like a future noisebridge where people
> are expected to have showered.
>
> I'm not sure if NB is worth my time anymore, because I don't really
> know where the other active members stand on this. I've talked to
> maybe 10 of them, and some form of change is clearly wanted.
>
> We could make it easier to join (less time, less money), and then
> start restricting access privileges.
> We could cut the buzzer (done a few times already).
> We could actively ban people caught sleeping in the space.
>
> We could do a lot of things.
>
> But I don't know if the membership is ready to set about actively
> changing things, or still at the bitching and slowly leaving phase.
>
> It seems to me, if NB was healthy, the active dues count would be growing.
>
> How many 'incidents' away are we from shutting down? How many people
> need to get pissed off, or disgusted, or just tired, before we can't
> afford the space?
>
> Are the holdouts so stalwart, and our consensus process so strong,
> that we should be talking about taking our dues and starting a new
> space instead?
>
> Why do we permit it to be this bad?
> --
> Crutcher Dunnavant <crutcher at gmail.com>
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>
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