[Noisebridge-discuss] Broken Elevator Incident and Ideas for Improvement

[Revolt]

<<sending this from another address since my emails keep bouncing from
my other addy>>

I am very concerned about the incident that happened at Noisebridge
recently regarding the police coming and breaking the elevator and
arresting a homeless transgender person.  Completely aside from the
fact that this broken elevator keeps me from entering the space now (I
use a wheelchair) and will probably keep me out of the space for
weeks, there are some thoughts I would like to share:

As a longtime member of the community I believe NB has struggled over
the years with de-escalation and people have been far too quick to
include law enforcement.  The police in San Francsico are infamous for
their unnecessary use of force and I do not want Noisebridge to be
associated with violence of this or any kind.  I was told by someone
present at the arrest that the police had come in with weapons,
including an assault rifle.  This is /completely unacceptable/ and
presents a far greater threat to safety and people visiting the space
than just some person yelling in an elevator.

The fact that a person got trapped in our notoriously unsafe and
confusing elevator and was then confronted with police brandishing
fatal weapons and what sounds like homophobic responses is really
problematic on all fronts.  Even if the elevator hadn't been broken,
this would not be cool.

I propose the following:

1.  Let us educate ourselves as a community on de-escalation
techniques.  Keeping incidents like this from escalating will also
keep up in better favor with landlords and police and everyone else.
I have worked with the homeless population over the years and have
been close with people living on the streets and people in the LGBTQ
an POC communities.  Let's create better dialogue by:

	a)  Hosting a de-escalation event at Noisebridge.  I am happy to help
with this.  I am sure there are others with knowledge to share and
many simple techniques can prevent problematic incidents.

	b)  Host a "get to know your neighbors" type event where we could
learn more about those that have lost their homes in this economic
recession and create a more humanizing image and dialog.  I bet
organizations like the Coalition on Homelessness and others would be
willing to speak or help out.

	c)  Host an LGBTQ awareness event at NB  (it's Pride week after all!)
 There are a lot of people at NB who have recently moved to SF and
might not know the dos and don'ts of respectful communication with
people in the LGBTQ community.  Let's learn from each other.
Conversations have been happening on a one-on-one basis but I think NB
would greatly benefit from a larger discussion.

and
2. Let's make a /clear typed posting/ in the elevator of what to do in
emergencies or if you feel trapped.  An emergency contact number and
basic safety procedures would go a long way.

I have friends who identify as female and friends that identify as
transgender who no longer come to Noisebridge because they feel unsafe
and discriminated against in the space.  They are very talented people
that have a lot to contribute and there are others as well.  Let's
step up our game our educate one another and keep the space safe and
as drama-free as possible with less police and broken elevators.


-Zach