Tag: support
B.A.N.G Lab and EDT under attack
A friend and colleague of ours at UCSD, Ricardo Dominguez, is facing a series of charges, freezing of research funds and the possibility of losing his job over the B.A.N.G. Lab’s Transborder Immigrant Tool and a Virtual Sit-in held in conjunction with the UC Strikes.
Here are a few of things happening:
“Since the November of 2009 the Transborder Immigrant Tool has become a media event with many groups and individuals, such as Congressman Duncan Hunter in his Op-ed in the San Diego Union Tribune, calling for the defunding of the Transborder Immigrant Tool, the University of California system began a financial audit of the project on January 11, 2010, in which they requested that every member involved be interviewed by Audit & Management Advisory Services (UCSD). The exact investigations (they claim that they are multiple) under way have yet to be clarified by UCOP or other UC entities, but in the interviews thus far, TBT members have been questioned about the usage of the funds and the originality of the project. The investigation has ‘arrested’ TBT’s developmental process and core research matrix.”
“On March 4th, bang.calit2.net hosted a virtual sit-in against the UCOP website, providing a space for many people concerned with public education to embody their dissent online. As a result, UCSD IT Security shut down our server’s access to the Internet for eight days. After that, we were informed that an investigation by the Senior Vice Chancellor (SVC) was begun by the UCOP of Ricardo Dominguez seeking criminal charges for the virtual sit-in, despite the legal precedent that a virtual sit-in is political speech, not a DDOS attack. This investigation has been framed by SVC as potential reason to end Professor Dominguez’s tenure.”
Here is the full list of developments.
Please support Ricardo in anyway you can.
Support 16 Beaver Group
Please read below for information on how you can help 16 Beaver Group:
An Open Letter to Friends / Comrades / Readers / Thinkers / Do-ers /
Silent partners
CONTENTS:
1. About this Letter
2. The Letter
3. How you can help
___________________________________________________
1. About this Letter
What: Letter Asking for Support
When: Deadline April 13, 2010
Where: 16 Beaver Street, 4th Floor
Who: 16 Beaver Group
This is a letter asking friends and supporters of the space for
assistance. We have never asked for money for sustaining the space.
Unfortunately, in these last months, we have encountered some challenges
which require this unprecedented step.
We thank you all in advance.
___________________________________________________
2. The Letter
Dear Friends/Comrades/Readers/Thinkers/Do-ers/Silent partners, …
In the past 6 months, we have been struggling over our lease renewal with
the building owner of 16 Beaver Street. We are doing our best to resolve
this situation directly and through legal channels. However, the inability
to clarify our status in the space has prevented us from bringing in a new
partner to share the 4th floor with us, thus denying us a significant
portion of our monthly rent for the space. And thus, since September have
been accruing debt.
Unable to pay the full rent, without clarifying our status, we have sought
the help of pro-bono attorneys. After a recent hearing, the situation is
both more clear and more urgent: our current understanding is that we will
not be forced out of the space if we pay the full rent up to April. In
order to do so, we have to make up the accrued debt. We would like to
raise enough to cover our outstanding rent obligation and also have some
funds in reserve to help support us over the next several months as we
reorganize ourselves and attempt to expand the horizon for how a political
space in Lower Manhattan can function today.
Our target is $30,000, and we have until our next court date on April 13
to meet it. This may seem like a lot, but if everyone on this list donated
what they can, we could quickly surpass it. From $10 to $1000, whatever
you can give, we will be very appreciative.
We did not want to ask for money, as other contributions of energy and
participation from many on this list have sustained 16Beaver as a project
for so long. It has been important for us to make all events free and open
to the public, and this can not change. But the sum seems attainable and
the space and our program is important to too many people for us not to
try something distributed and collective.
We are approaching our mailing list first, because it seems the most
direct, interesting and ethical way to raise this money. That is, ask for
smaller contributions from a broad network of friends and supporters.
Although we are not a registered 501(c)3 non-profit and do not plan to
become one, we felt given this outreach for money, we needed to have clear
accounting and a basic infrastructure for accepting support.
We are now fiscally sponsored through Fractured Atlas. You can contribute
directly by going online:
http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=3217
Of course, all contributions are tax-deductible (if this helps anyone).
Fractured Atlas receives 6% from the donations, which is fair, for the
help they are providing us.
We’re asking for two things: please support us financially if you can
(international donations are possible, if you are wondering) and please
send to people who might be invested in the continued and ongoing
existence of 16Beaver. If you can help us identify and approach
individuals or foundations who might also be interested in additional
assistance please write to us at: <donations AT 16beavergroup DOT org>
We know that while this may be a familiar narrative, the news of our
situation may be upsetting to you (it is to us). We hope 16Beaver Group as
a public and ongoing framework for collective conversations and inquiry
will go on regardless, but we need your support in this period.
We have two tasks in front of us: remaining in our space and implementing
our plan for sustaining it. We still would like to base our sustenance on
sharing space with others, but we would like to house a more open and
shared daytime working space that could support groups who have more
affinity with us. Ideally, we would like to set up a day-time working
space, with a base composed of small groups who need office space, and
individual artists and activists who would like to share a communal work
environment. We welcome queries from anyone who might want to join such an
undertaking.
We plan to continue doing the important work we’ve been doing and we need
your support and involvement over the next few weeks to make this
possible.
Please contact us if you have any further questions at the email address
provided in this letter.
___________________________________________________
3. How you can you help
3.1 by monetary contribution online through Fractured Atlas who is now
fiscally sponsoring us.
http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/fiscal/profile?id=3217
3.2 If you know a group / individuals who would like to share a space and
has an affinity to what we are doing please direct them to us and this
email <space AT 16beavergroup DOT org>
3.3 If you are a part of or know an organization who may want to offer us
financial assistance, or other forms of help contact us to <donations AT
16beavergroup DOT org>