[Peace-discuss] [SDaS] Could we legally shut down the IMC?

Tue Nov 6 17:17:15 UTC 2012

It isn't necessary to get into specifics here, because everyone in a
position of responsibility or authority in the IMC knows exactly what we're
talking about. The next move belongs to the IMC.

On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 10:07 AM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com>wrote:

>      Wow, Bob.... I know about a huge number of IMC events involving a
> very large number of people (IMC staff, local/area event organizers,
> local/area event attendees) whom I know well, and *I've never heard one
> word about anything dangerous!!*  And btw, I'm talking about the last 10+
> years, ever since the IMC bo't the bldg from the PO.
>      Yes, institutions must be open and accountable, and names and contact
> info should be posted clearly for Qs and complaints, but when you post this
> kind of accusation as a given on Peace-discuss, you owe us specifics,
> speaking of open and accountable.
>       Looking forward to yr response. Thanks.
>          --Jenifer
>
> --- On *Tue, 11/6/12, Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com>* wrote:
>
> From: Danielle Chynoweth <chyn at ojctech.com>
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] [SDaS] Could we legally shut down the IMC?
> To: "Robert Naiman" <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
> Cc: "sdas" <sdas-list at googlegroups.com>, "Peace-discuss List" <
> peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>, "SFcore" <sf-core at yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2012, 9:31 AM
>
>
> Hi Bob,
>
>
> Are you in charge of the IMC? I want to know who's in charge. Normal
> institutions have a clear address for accountability.
>
> Yes, the board of directors which is elected annually by the membership by
> 2/3 majority vote is responsible for the IMC.  I am a board member.  Gary
> Storm is President.  Read about our structure and list of board members
> here <http://www.ucimc.org/content/uc-imc-structure-legal-docs>.
>
> We have a board meeting at 2pm Nov 18th at the IMC where we will vote on
> the board of directors positions (I am one of two women and am recruiting
> wildly for women - nominations are due this Sunday).  I will be
> facilitating a vision session for the IMC on that day and welcome visions,
> revisions, and re-evolution.
>
>
> > I have been discussing with a number of people about hosting a
> conversation
> > about the intersection of race and sexism and what justice can we forge
> when
> > someone is harmed as well as when the accused is facing a criminal
> justice
> > system that is neither just nor restorative. Some of these conversations
> > have already happened informally.
>
> I'm interested in a different discussion: whether and how the IMC can
> become an institution which is accountable to the community in which
> it resides.
>
>
> I am interested in that discussion too.  We used to have a very active
> volunteer base that governed the IMC through the steering committee.  That
> dissolved and we constituted an elected board which has become the main
> institutional actors, along with some stalwart volunteers in the working
> groups. The board was meant to deal with financial issues, not programming,
> but it is expanding its role as the need for coordination is clear. I don't
> think the structure we have yet works to get us where we want to go.  So we
> need to talk first about where we want to go and then about how to get
> there.  Your input very welcome.
>
> I do ALSO want to have a conversation also about how to restore this
> community when harm is done, especially in light of a criminal justice
> system that doesn't support victim or offender in healing.
>
>
> > It has been hard to figure out how to hold a semi-public conversation in
> > light of a pending legal case.  But I think we should.
>
> I think that there are issues that the IMC needs to address which can
> be addressed regardless of the legal case.
>
>
> I agree.  I am happy to make a separate meeting, although the membership
> meeting could be a good place to begin the conversation.
>
>
> > I personally have been heartbroken for many weeks, remembering all my
> > sisters who have been raped with no consequence and remembering all my
> > brothers who spent time being victimized by the criminal justice system.
> >
> > I want to talk and be part of the solution.  My cell phone is
> 217.721.7223.
>
> I'm happy to be part of the solution; I'm happy to participate in any
> conversation which is premised on the understanding that the IMC has
> become an unaccountable and dangerous institution and it needs to
> become accountable and this is an urgent priority.
>
>
> I am not disagreeing, but I would like specifics. I would like you to send
> me, on or off list, a list of those ways you see the IMC is dangerous and
> unaccountable.  I think working from specific stories would help.
>
> in solidarity,
> Danielle
>
>
> > in solidarity,
> >
> > - Danielle
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 8:05 AM, Robert Naiman <
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
> >
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> Dear friends,
> >>
> >> I've become convinced that the IMC has become a kind of Frankenstein
> >> monster, a clear and present danger to the community. I've also become
> >> convinced that there is little realistic prospect that the IMC will
> >> reform itself to become a responsible and accountable institution,
> >> answerable to the community in which it resides.
> >>
> >> The reason I have become convinced of this is that, unlike other
> >> community institutions, when something bad happens in the IMC, there
> >> is no clear address for responsibility and accountability. If a bad
> >> thing happened in some other community institution, there would be a
> >> clear address for complaint and redress. You could call the Executive
> >> Director. You could contact someone on the Board. Responsible people
> >> would tell you what their plans were for redress. There would be a
> >> meeting of responsible people, empowered to take action. The meeting
> >> would discuss: why did this happen, what can we do and what will we do
> >> to try to stop this from happening in the future. But when something
> >> bad happens in the IMC, there is no meeting of responsible people,
> >> empowered to take action, for the simple reason that there can't be.
> >> There's no such thing in the IMC as a group of responsible people,
> >> empowered to take action. Because this is the case, there is a culture
> >> of impunity in the IMC. And this is intrinsically dangerous to the
> >> community. If the Urbana police announced, "in this three block
> >> radius, we are no longer going to enforce the law," that would be
> >> intrinsically dangerous to the community. That hasn't happened in this
> >> case, of course. But there is a culture in the IMC of being above the
> >> law and beyond accountability, and that is intrinsically dangerous to
> >> the community.
> >>
> >> Therefore, since effective reform of the IMC seems impossible, I have
> >> come to the conclusion that legal avenues should be explored to force
> >> the IMC to shut down.
> >>
> >> I'm interested in brainstorming means by which the community could
> >> legally force the IMC to shut down. Broadly speaking, I have two
> >> ideas.
> >>
> >> 1. Civil lawsuit. The community could launch a civil lawsuit against
> >> the IMC, seeking to force it to disgorge its assets, including its
> >> building. Once the building had been seized, it could be sold off to a
> >> developer who would raze it and construct something of use to the
> >> community, like housing.
> >>
> >> 2. Action by the City of Urbana.
> >>
> >> A. The City of Urbana is legally empowered to seize the building by
> >> eminent domain for a public purpose. The legal standard for this is
> >> actually quite low. If the community came up with a reasonable plan
> >> for seizing the building by eminent domain and using the land for a
> >> public purpose, I have no doubt that we could get five votes on the
> >> Urbana City Council for it.
> >>
> >> B. Zoning change or other legal change. The zoning of the IMC could be
> >> changed so that it would be no longer possible to maintain an IMC-like
> >> no-accountability institution there. The City could require that any
> >> non-profit in the area have a legally accountable Executive Director.
> >>
> >> C. Vigorous enforcement of existing law. Typically, it's the case that
> >> laws aren't enforced to the letter. A community pressure campaign
> >> could push the City of Urbana to vigorously enforce all existing laws
> >> with respect to the IMC. The IMC building is old. Probably it has code
> >> violations. These could be enforced. Also, I think a regular parade of
> >> uniformed city officials marching through the building would be
> >> salutary. These things could help foster the perception inside the IMC
> >> that it's not a Lord of the Flies island of no accountability, but
> >> physically exists inside the City of Urbana where the rule of law
> >> prevails.
> >>
> >> I'm sure others have ideas for legal means that we can use to end the
> >> threat that the IMC represents to the community. I would be very
> >> interested to hear them.
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Robert Naiman
> >> Policy Director
> >> Just Foreign Policy
> >> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> >> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
> >>
> >> --
> >> School for Designing a Society listserv:
> >> http://groups.google.com/group/sdas-list
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> >>
> >>
> >
> > --
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> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
>
>
>
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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