[Noisebridge-discuss] door "security": culture, not policy.

[Andrew Byrne]

I know some open source sandbox scheduling apps. Having someone at regular
hours might inspire people to pick up the slack in the non-regular hours.
Personally, I always thought there was a pretty strong culture of greeting
the newcomer or acknowledging the familiar, but maybe I see things
differently than the concerned. -dru
On Mar 23, 2013 5:23 AM, "Eric W. Rasmussen" <ewr at majortek.com> wrote:

>  *
>
> I’ve been watching this thread for a few days and I am disheartened to see
> that nothing has changed at Noisebridge. The same problems arise every few
> months and the same excuses / solutions are proposed. People talk and talk
> but nothing ever gets done. I left almost six months ago due to the
> problems being discussed and, coincidentally, some health issues. I’ve been
> considering a return but am having second thoughts.
> *
> *
>
> Noisebridge is a “Do-ocracy” in name but not in practice. I remember when
> I was new and had a question, a few of the veterans were openly hostile or
> apathetic. I decided to be the opposite.
> *
> *
>
> It seems like almost every time I tried to improve the space I got
> criticized in some way for my efforts. Once, I spent 16 hours cleaning up
> Hacker Alley. It was a wreck and I found the world supply of CAT5 in the
> process. Although I recieved a few appreciative comments, I received more
> complaints about how I didn’t organize it correctly (or that I shouldn’t
> throw away “junk”). I should remind you that I was relatively new and no
> one helped me... at all.
> *
> *
>
> People complain about “sleepers” in the space, but when I tried to kick
> one out I got very little support. The incident almost resulted in physical
> violence. Everyone in the area just ignored the situation. The belly
> aching about the sleeping problem had been festering for weeks at the
> Tuesday meetings and I decided to do something about it. Did I receive any
> appreciation for kicking someone out that was already banned? NOPE.
> *
> *
>
> One time I decided to sweep and mop the entire space. It took about 3
> hours. When I reached the Hackatorium, the occupants didn’t even notice
> that I was trying to reach under the table. No wonder there is a theft
> problem. Everyone is so damned obtuse to their surroundings.
> *
> *
>
> One night I had too many possessions and couldn’t carry it all home on my
> bicycle. Absentmindedly, I had bought some stuff at the thrift store and
> also had three computers because I had just given my Linux class. I decided
> that I would leave my netbook in its leather briefcase on the Arduino
> shelf, which I was asked to help curate. I figured it would be safe
> overnight. NOPE. One of the members saw it on the shelf and took it out to
> the main work table.... where he left it unattended for hours (I have
> witnesses). Another user recognized it as mine and took it. I learned that
> my laptop had grown legs the next morning via email. I was ultimately
> blamed for this “theft” by not only the member that removed it, but by
> others as well. I was told that I shouldn’t have put anything on the
> “Member” shelf because I am not a “Member”.  The member went so far as to
> say that he thought it was a donation.
> *
> *
>
> Once, I caught a chronic thief steal money out of a donation box. Did he
> get banned? NOPE.  When an entire donation box was stolen, I took it upon
> myself to construct cables and locks to secure them. Also, I replaced the
> stolen one. When I tried to hand the keys to THE PRESIDENT of Noisebridge,
> she looked at me like I was some kind of asshole. I only asked her because
> Danny didn’t want the responsibility of having keys to the cash. Somehow,
> by replacing and securing the donation boxes using my own money, I became
> responsible for collecting the donations as well. And let’s not forget the
> cries, “We don’t believe in locks, man!”. Is that so? Well, I don’t believe
> in theives and I left the keys with a non-member on my last day. I hope you
> got them. Did anyone thank me for that? NOPE.
> *
> *
>
> I was usually willing to give a thorough and cheerful tour for newcomers.
> Sometimes I gave as many as 4-5 tours a day. Sometimes it was a burden, but
> it was one of my ways of giving back because I’m poor. At the end of every
> tour I would say, "OK. Hang out. Talk to people. If you have any questions
> I'll be over there". Once I met a very smart, nice woman that I dated for
> a short while. Greeting people at the door is a great way to meet
> interesting people. That’s all I’m saying.
> *
> *
>
> I get it. Nerds are socially retarded. Weev, for instance. Why that
> asshole was never banned escapes me. People that defend that bigoted
> narcissist just don’t know him very well. It’s one thing to tell a joke
> that pokes fun at particular groups of people, it’s another to flaunt words
> like, “Faggot”, “Nigger” and “Bitch”, and mean it.
> *
> *
>
> The door is not the problem. There are six different ways to enter
> Noisebridge.
> *
> *
>
> A key
>
> A code
>
> Pony URL
>
> Android App (also Pony)
>
> Buzzing in
>
> Being let in at the gate by someone else
> *
> *
>
> Solution:
> *
> *
>
> Always have a Floor Monitor on duty. When one leaves, a new person is
> elected. A TRUSTED person. This person would leave what he/she is doing
> once an hour (or so) and walk the space to make sure no one is
> sleeping/stealing. This person would moderate any disputes that arise, if
> any. In fact, it would be a good way of making someone with a limited
> income an “Honorary Member”. Shifts could be established. Would this person
> get paid? NOPE. It’s quid pro quo. It could also be part of the Membership
> petition. If a person wants to become a member they have to be a monitor
> for 8 hours a week for a month. I’m just grabbing numbers out of the air.
> *
> *
>
> “But that doesn’t jive with my anarchistic ideology”, says the Chaos
> Major. Whatever...
> *
> **
> *
>
> The problem is that no one is taking responsibility for the space. Have I
> ever refused to let someone in? You betcha. Why? Because I didn’t know them
> and/or like their demeanor. I didn’t want to be responsible for them. It
> only happened a couple of times. But on the most part, I engaged people.
> *
> *
>
> You don’t have to act like the fucking TSA to have security and personal
> safety. You have to pay attention to the people around you and act on your
> instincts. You don’t have to be harsh, either. If someone is breaking a
> rule, correct it. If someone is not being EXCELLENT, call them on it (ahem,
> weev). Noisebridge lacks civility and authority.
> *
> *
>
> *
> *
>
> **
>
> ACT AS IF
> *
> **I'll keep watching the discuss list and decide at a later date if I
> want to return.
> *
>
> *
>
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.noisebridge.net/pipermail/noisebridge-discuss/attachments/20130324/78806b1c/attachment-0003.html>