On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 5:36 PM, DancesWithCars <danceswithcars@gmail.com> wrote:

I've traveled around the Washington DC area
(few times to Baltimore) to different Coops,
Community Bike Shops and
Youth Programs volunteering when I can,
and I'd like to see what ABW (I think I met or saw
Jonathan at the BikeFilmFestival one or more
of the three years in Washington DC)
thinks of the grass roots work by Critical Mass
and other similar Kidical Mass, etc...

Something like the Democratic National Committee/
Republican National Committee or forming
a Bike National Committee and declaring the party line
is something many would be cautious about for the reasons
others have already stated plus Gridlock in
large organizations (not unlike Congress/Parliament, eh?),
funding over people, and non profit vs. profit models.

If as large member organization, ABW wants
more members, (AFL + CIO comes to mind)
what are the rates that small and individuals
can and would pay to participate/ join?
What are the volunteer rates that people
participate to become members?
How many Coops and other places have
people who can not pay memberships?
But may have some time to help,
and learn even if they don't have money
to donate or contribute? Limited Income/
Senior and Student Rates are common
methods for this in many non profits
member run organizations.

Can everyone afford to go to Bike!Bike! or
Bike Summit? No. I live here and can't
but for disabled reasons. According to the League,
there were only two main events open to the public,
a ride with Congress and a meeting.

The summit held the non open meeting
and now it's reported out and decided?

What is the memorandum of understanding?
Who are the authorities that speak for all?
I certainly don't, even for the organizations
I go to, some of which aren't even really coops
anymore, the collective methods were too slow
and painful for many, that top down is
what is becoming the default, instead of what
I spent over a year volunteering to help
create, as some were starting,
much less all the customers who come in
the doors looking for help with bikes, clubs,
riding groups or roads or other infrastructure
on up to Advocacy (usually means write your
Congress / Government person,
a free action item, BTW...

I can see that WABA (Washington Area Bicycle
Association and other regional organizations
around the country and world are probably
good places to start MORE community organizing,
if say we have a transportation bill that is going
to kill us financially and / or otherwise practically
with construction, detours, train/ trolley tracks on roads,
etc...

But a top down approach probably isn't going to work,
IMO, in the long run. Both bottom up and top down,
and middle around probably are necessary,
and There Will Be Rebels, CM or otherwise,
that aren't going to want to do what others
are going to do, following other leaders,
(or we would be driving cars/trucks/ SUV's, no?)
so I look forward to hearing what others think
on this list and elsewhere, even when we
aren't on the chopping block from Congress..

(yeah, more Abbie Hoffman than Exec Dir material)

On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 12:17 PM, Joshua Hoffman
<joshua@healthykidsinitiative.org> wrote:
> There are two wonderful things about community bike shops that will ensure
> their continued existence. The first is that they are like weeds (pioneer
> plant species). They can grow anywhere, don't need much water, and are
> essential to restructuring (healing) the soil. The second great thing about
> community bike shops is that they are like infectious diseases. They have no
> regard for income, skill level, skin tone or creed and will make anyone and
> everyone lovesick for bikes. As long as ABW and the bicycle advocacy machine
> don't begin to think of themselves as a landscapers or doctors trying to
> tidy everything up, and instead considers themselves coauthors and
> biographers helping to write/tell the unfolding story of bicycling, we'll
> all be okay.
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 2:09 PM, Wanda Pelegrina Caldas
> <wanda@communitycycles.org> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I think the ABW is doing great things! We've (Community Cycles in Boulder,
>> CO) used their resources/help/guidance since they were the Thunderhead
>> Alliance. They (and LAB and Bikes Belong) have been supportive of our
>> efforts.
>>
>> I agree with all of Jonathan's comments especially the ones abt how we can
>> benefit as collectives. CC is also an advocacy organization and we're
>> growing like crazy and making big differences in our community. The support
>> of the Alliance absolutely gives us much higher level resource and
>> credibility. (FYI: CC was one of the shops that received the donations of
>> fixtures, racks, etc that Jonathan mentions below. CC has a small space and
>> these items have much helped us...but that's a side note)
>>
>> BUT: I understand the concerns that not all of us are advocacy orgs, not
>> all of our goals, etc are 100% the same to AWB, but bottom line, they're
>> looking to put people on bikes as we are. Yes, we have different ways to go
>> abt this, different philosophies, different reaches, different
>> community-oriented goals specific to where we're located -and that's fine.
>> We all cater to our communities and that's what makes us really succeed at
>> what we do.
>>
>> I would love if someone from AWB could come to Bike Bike so we can
>> continue discussing these possibilities/concerns/questions/needs/how we can
>> work together...all that good stuff. When CC started 6 yrs ago, I felt like
>> orgs like the League and Bikes Belong were so up there, so out of touch with
>> collectives, so inaccessible but I've seen change that Jonathan describes.
>> While there's still higher level advocacy efforts that might not pertain to
>> all of us, they definitely have put grassroots back into their efforts.
>>
>> I don't think there's any veiled agenda or a desire to take over the
>> little guys. I just think they realize the work we do and that working
>> together -them at their level, us at ours- only makes our efforts stronger
>> and our voices louder.
>>
>> Wanda
>>
>>
>> Wanda Pelegrina Caldas
>> Community Cycles, Boulder's only non-profit bike shop
>> Become a member today. using the secure online donation form.
>> Thanks!!
>>
>> ________________________________
>> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:37:09 -0600
>> From: jonathan@slcbikecollective.org
>> To: thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
>> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and
>> Biking
>>
>> Godwin,
>>
>> This is an open discussion, there is nothing closed. Let's help them keep
>> it open.
>>
>> The Alliance wants to keep all the information free and open, on an
>> international level. They want to help smaller organizations get started,
>> and they want to help larger organizations grow. In particular, they are
>> experts at helping organizations get their non-profit paperwork done, find
>> spaces, find people, build a sustainable organization that is able to raise
>> funds -- regardless of what their goals are. We have an opportunity to help
>> the Alliance help us, which is fill in the gaps in their current knowledge
>> base, specifically how Community Bike Shops and youth programs work. Which
>> will enable them to help more organizations like ours get started.
>>
>> What is the catch, how would the Alliance benefit? As organizations grow,
>> such as Community Cycling Center (Portland), Recycle-a-Bicycle (NYC), and
>> the Bicycle Collective (Provo - Salt Lake - Ogden), we need higher level
>> resources to grow that we are willing to pay for -- as a result we are paid
>> members of the Alliance. Again, we weren't forced into it, their member
>> resources are just that good.
>>
>> Here is a fun example of something the Alliance did; a little while ago
>> one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world contacted the Alliance
>> and asked them which non-profit Community Bike Shops they knew of needed a
>> donation of [brand new] fixtures (bike display racks, counters, displays,
>> etc.,...) that they decided not to use for all of their concept stores.
>> Raise your hand if your Community Bike Shop could have used a donation like
>> this!
>>
>> Keeping an open mind and an open heart, please read the following
>> redundant mission statements:
>>
>> "The Alliance for Biking & Walking creates, strengthens and unites
>> state/province and local bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organizations."
>>
>> "The mission of the Bike Collective Network is to strengthen and encourage
>> communication and resource sharing between existing and future community
>> bike shops. Collectively we can improve a bigger wheel as opposed to
>> re-inventing smaller ones."
>>
>> Now let's take a deeper look and put faces to the young people behind the
>> Alliance for Walking and Biking ("Alliance"). This is most of the staff
>> (http://www.peoplepoweredmovement.org/site/index.php/site/about/C190), which
>> lacks a new Communications Coordinator who ironically is from the
>> Bloomington Community Bike Project.
>>
>> Frankly, they are a small bunch of young, idealistic, bike obsessed,
>> passionate people who strive to get more people riding bikes more often and
>> get paid virtually nothing compared to the energy they give. Most
>> republicans would call them a bunch of dirty hippies. Sound familiar? It
>> does to me, because that is how I describe the people from Community Bike
>> Shops including myself.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Jonathan Morrison
>> Executive Director
>> Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
>> 2312 S. West Temple
>> Salt Lake City, UT 84115
>> w: 801-328-2453
>> c: 801-688-0183
>> f: 801-466-3856
>> www.slcbikecollective.org
>>
>> The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling
>> as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone
>> of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides
>> refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on
>> children and lower income households.
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Personally I love this quote from Steven seagal's film, Under Seige II
>> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg4trPZFUwc). While crude, it gets to the
>> point. So let's start with identifying some assumptions.
>>
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend
>> Bike!Bike!"
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that attend
>> Bike!Bike! represent everyone else."
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend the
>> National Bike Summit"
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that attend
>> the National Bike Summit represent everyone else."
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations attend the
>> Youth Bike Summit"
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations that attend
>> the Youth Bike Summit represent everyone else."
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations are members
>> of TheThinkTank email list"
>> "Representatives from 100% of all Community Bike Organizations represented
>> on the TheThinkTank email list actually read their email"
>>
>> All of these assumptions have a common truth hidden in them, which is that
>> there is no single forum that will accurately represent all of "us." The
>> only thing we can strive for is that all of "us" reach out in all forums,
>> including calling people, and give enough time for information to trickle
>> out to those that aren't represented in the known forums above.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 28, 2012 at 10:52 AM, Godwin ! <goodgodwin@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> This involves all of us, why not keep the discussion open for now?
>>
>> My first thoughts are that an alliance (with the alliance) would be of
>> interest, however a partnership may be going too far. We have similar
>> interests and possibly end goals, however I feel that our immediate goals
>> are very different.
>>
>> The mission of the Bike Collective Network is to strengthen and encourage
>> communication and resource sharing between existing and future community
>> bike shops. Collectively we can improve a bigger wheel as opposed to
>> re-inventing smaller ones.
>>
>> From what I have understood of the AWB is that the primary interest is
>> advocacy in general while to me, the BCN exists to help people start up
>> their own collectives and keep them going. While most of us are likely
>> advocates and want to promote cycling (and walking I guess), that I feel
>> comes second or is even a byproduct of what we do.
>>
>> I'm not sure where this would go in the end but we had some initial
>> discussions at last year's Bike!Bike! concerning creating stronger ties
>> between our organizations and possibly making the organization more
>> formalized. There seemed to be some interest, however there was some
>> backlash at the thought of a having a parent organization to encompass all
>> of our organizations. The consensus seemed to be that this would not be of
>> interest, however creating a third party organization to help with research
>> and funding may be. Perhaps this is where such a partnership could take us.
>>
>> My other concern is that the AWB is a US/Canada wide project, while it's
>> awesome to hear that we've been included up here, the BCN has been helping
>> organizations world-wide. I'm not sure how such a partnership would effect
>> these relationships.
>>
>> I really like that we're talking about this! Is there any chance that
>> anyone from the AWB will be able to make it out to Vancouver this June? It
>> would be a great opportunity to get this discussion going in person
>> and gauge the feelings of the general community.
>>
>> .godwin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:47:54 -0400
>> From: Mike@PeoplePoweredMovement.org
>> To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org
>> Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and
>> Biking
>>
>>
>> As Jonathan mentioned, we have been in discussions about establishing a
>> partnership with the Bike Collective Network as part of a larger effort by
>> the Alliance to work with Community Bike Shops. I encourage you to call or
>> email me with your thoughts and ideas as we continue to determine how this
>> partnership will look.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Mike Samuelson
>> Member Services and Open Streets Coordinator
>> Alliance for Biking & Walking
>>
>> P.O. Box 65150
>> Washington, DC 20035
>>
>> Phone: 202-449-9692 x 7
>> Mike@PeoplePoweredMovement.org
>>
>>
>> The Open Streets Project has just released the Open Streets Guide! A
>> great resource for anyone looking to further open streets in their
>> community.
>>
>> From: Jonathan Morrison <jonathan@slcbikecollective.org>
>> Reply-To: The Think Tank <thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org>
>> Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2012 15:43:32 -0600
>> To: The Think Tank <thethinktank@bikecollectives.org>
>> Subject: [TheThinkTank] Partnership with the Alliance for Walking and
>> Biking
>>
>> We have been working with the Alliance for Walking and Biking to establish
>> a partnership that will help Community Bike Shops grow and achieve their
>> goals, as well as help bridge the gaps in the bicycle advocacy community at
>> large.
>>
>>
>> http://bikeportland.org/2012/03/26/community-bike-shops-are-changing-the-face-of-cycling-in-america-69372
>>
>> We invite you to join in the conversation.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Jonathan Morrison
>> Executive Director
>> Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
>> 2312 S. West Temple
>> Salt Lake City, UT 84115
>> w: 801-328-2453
>> c: 801-688-0183
>> f: 801-466-3856
>> www.slcbikecollective.org
>>
>> The mission of the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective is to promote cycling
>> as an effective and sustainable form of transportation and as a cornerstone
>> of a cleaner, healthier, and safer society. The Bicycle Collective provides
>> refurbished bicycles and educational programs to the community, focusing on
>> children and lower income households.
>> _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list
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>
>
>
> --
> Joshua Hoffman
>
> Safe Routes Organizer
> Rosedale Development Association
> Rosedale Healthy Kids Initiative
> 1403 S.W. Boulevard
> Kansas City, KS 66103
> 913-645-7826
>
>
>
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--

DancesWithCars
leave the wolves behind ;-)

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