Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer,
someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
As a tall fairly fit white guy who shaves his head I've often gotten the suspicion of being the fuzz when attending radical events. Most memorably at a green anarchist gathering in the national Forest South of lake Tahoe in 2013 or so which eventually got shut down by usfs rangers.
Not sure what my point is but I didn't really begrudge them the suspicion. They didn't kick me out, a lot of people wore masks and would avoid IDing themselves.
Extreme radicals have a lot of "dont's" which when encountering certain Americans can set up a culture clash.
Another (slight) edge experience for me was participating with european velokarawane and ecotopia bike tour communities as the only US citizen where the main ethos is very strongly vegan and anti corporate, anti big tech.
But they were generally not militant vegans and were tolerant of my generally-out-of-the-norm-there experiences and ideas about obtaining food from animals.
It would definitely have sucked to be turned away from participating after having traveled so far (just having used a plane as part of my journey was something I didn't really want to mention). . . But I was on a larger personal trip and as part of that had managed to stay out of the US for more than a year.
You go into a space with enough differences and the people not used to the difference will often bark and not relax around you.
Unless the guy was being disruptive anti feminist this definitely seems to be a mistake on their part.
If they're practicing good security culture they should be able tolerate and function with the inevitable eventual informer in their space, who probably would not be openly announcing his differences and imperialist capitalist car and forex based lifestyle and big game hunting trips or what have you.
It's really tough though. There is a lot of violence in the white North American privilege, so to be excluded from a space like this until that space feels comfortable accepting a prime example of the white super man however friendly or different or clueless seems ok too.
A recent play about the Tennessee Highlander center could be informative.
https://news.utk.edu/2019/10/02/play-about-highlander-center-comes-to-claren...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_Research_and_Education_Center?wpr...
It is a center for labor and civil rights organizing.
In the play one of the characters represents the Man and even the KKK.
But all of them end up being attacked by the local rednecks and this white guy in a suit due partly to his cluelessness ends up getting the worst of it--he hadn't learned to hide from that kind of power. While the play was being written about 60s era events the Highlander center was again attacked by some probably local redneck maga types!
I don't know about this story and wasn't there, but I hope North American groups can keep learning from and benefiting others.
While we've got some of the most power and privilege here our personal lives are very impacted by the domination of car culture and military culture, authoritarian cop culture, and so on and in at least some ways others have things better. Visit la zad in France, for one example.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZAD_de_Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Activists took over and expelled authorities from a proposed airport site near Nantes. If you need a place to hide from immigration or whoever, you can stay here they told me. The cops will not come; they will be attacked. (Looks like the fight got a lot worse after I left) And activists in France had done this before as well with a huge proposed military base
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_for_the_Larzac
On the other hand cross the border into Spain into former Franco stronghold La Rioja, and the populace fears La Guarda Civil and will not jaywalk in the cities. Car drivers are more horrible to deal with in France but/and people fear the cops less. Maybe that's more white privilege though.
On a lighter note, has any body else here gotten into unicycles?
I've just started learning after being inspired by an article in that evil paper the WSJ about the unigeezer: https://unigeezer.com
And then finding Ed Pratt https://www.worldunicycletour.com
Very engaging YouTube videos.
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019, 7:22 AM Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates < mcbp.inc@gmail.com> wrote:
Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer, someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
--
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROJECT,
representing the following initiatives:
VULTURE SPACE http://vulturespace.org Hands-on Bicycle Workshop & Recyclery
BICYCLE BENEFITS http://bicyclebenefits.org Incentive Program
BIKE 100 DAYS http://bike100days.com Calendar of Events
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
Folks, I'd just like to reiterate here that the claim Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol made was that Eric had worked with U.S. intelligence, not that he was ex-military. There's a significant difference. Anyone able to cite the U.S. military being forbidden in policing matters should know that much. And nowhere was it mentioned that Eric had anything to do with the police.
I understand that as contributors to a wonderful movement (community bike spaces), it can feel crappy and threatening when collaborators single you out as a white male and get prickly or even angry around you
- or at you - when you've devoted so much to helping create these
worthwhile spaces. It feels like the work you've done should entitle you to be assumed and appreciated as an ally.
But this is part of being an ally - to realize that, as the process of succeeding in changing dominant cultures to be better proceeds, a lot of clashes will happen with those far-too-long disempowered. It can't be denied that however difficult a white person's personal journey, or how much work such a person has done to make the world a better place, they are still the recipient of unceasing favor and the carrier of a significant amount of questionable programming.
I'm not sure I would have agreed with their decision, even if I knew the full particulars. And it certainly sucks to go all that way and be turned away. But it's also a significant blunder to expect a clearly radicalized space - in central america, no less - to welcome you when you openly and without regret espouse association with a foreign nation's intelligence services that are known for an unending stream of shady and extrajudicial military actions.
In central and south america, the C.I.A. are, among other things, terrorists and assassins. I wouldn't want one of them or a friend of them at my meetings, either.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2019-11-11 17:10, Colin Leath wrote:
As a tall fairly fit white guy who shaves his head I've often gotten the suspicion of being the fuzz when attending radical events. Most memorably at a green anarchist gathering in the national Forest South of lake Tahoe in 2013 or so which eventually got shut down by usfs rangers.
Not sure what my point is but I didn't really begrudge them the suspicion. They didn't kick me out, a lot of people wore masks and would avoid IDing themselves.
Extreme radicals have a lot of "dont's" which when encountering certain Americans can set up a culture clash.
Another (slight) edge experience for me was participating with european velokarawane and ecotopia bike tour communities as the only US citizen where the main ethos is very strongly vegan and anti corporate, anti big tech.
But they were generally not militant vegans and were tolerant of my generally-out-of-the-norm-there experiences and ideas about obtaining food from animals.
It would definitely have sucked to be turned away from participating after having traveled so far (just having used a plane as part of my journey was something I didn't really want to mention). . . But I was on a larger personal trip and as part of that had managed to stay out of the US for more than a year.
You go into a space with enough differences and the people not used to the difference will often bark and not relax around you.
Unless the guy was being disruptive anti feminist this definitely seems to be a mistake on their part.
If they're practicing good security culture they should be able tolerate and function with the inevitable eventual informer in their space, who probably would not be openly announcing his differences and imperialist capitalist car and forex based lifestyle and big game hunting trips or what have you.
It's really tough though. There is a lot of violence in the white North American privilege, so to be excluded from a space like this until that space feels comfortable accepting a prime example of the white super man however friendly or different or clueless seems ok too.
A recent play about the Tennessee Highlander center could be informative.
https://news.utk.edu/2019/10/02/play-about-highlander-center-comes-to-claren...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_Research_and_Education_Center?wpr...
It is a center for labor and civil rights organizing.
In the play one of the characters represents the Man and even the KKK.
But all of them end up being attacked by the local rednecks and this white guy in a suit due partly to his cluelessness ends up getting the worst of it--he hadn't learned to hide from that kind of power. While the play was being written about 60s era events the Highlander center was again attacked by some probably local redneck maga types!
I don't know about this story and wasn't there, but I hope North American groups can keep learning from and benefiting others.
While we've got some of the most power and privilege here our personal lives are very impacted by the domination of car culture and military culture, authoritarian cop culture, and so on and in at least some ways others have things better. Visit la zad in France, for one example.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZAD_de_Notre-Dame-des-Landes
Activists took over and expelled authorities from a proposed airport site near Nantes. If you need a place to hide from immigration or whoever, you can stay here they told me. The cops will not come; they will be attacked. (Looks like the fight got a lot worse after I left) And activists in France had done this before as well with a huge proposed military base
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_for_the_Larzac
On the other hand cross the border into Spain into former Franco stronghold La Rioja, and the populace fears La Guarda Civil and will not jaywalk in the cities. Car drivers are more horrible to deal with in France but/and people fear the cops less. Maybe that's more white privilege though.
On a lighter note, has any body else here gotten into unicycles?
I've just started learning after being inspired by an article in that evil paper the WSJ about the unigeezer: https://unigeezer.com
And then finding Ed Pratt https://www.worldunicycletour.com
Very engaging YouTube videos.
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019, 7:22 AM Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates < mcbp.inc@gmail.com> wrote:
Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer, someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
--
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROJECT,
representing the following initiatives:
VULTURE SPACE http://vulturespace.org Hands-on Bicycle Workshop & Recyclery
BICYCLE BENEFITS http://bicyclebenefits.org Incentive Program
BIKE 100 DAYS http://bike100days.com Calendar of Events
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
The USA is the only global hegemon and the largest empire to have ever existed, with 800+ bases around the world, many of them denied and labeled in cryptic ways by official channels. As a privileged white male in the middle of the US, I'm disappointed in how many in this discussion have trivialized the intelligence aspect of Eric's ousting. We can assume as some have that he wasn't actually intelligence due to his sharing as much, but that is naive in the face of endlessly evolving strategy on the part of those with much control over the world, as in...if you don't know he wasn't/isn't intelligence, please make no assumption. Until eric can directly dispel myths, apprehension and caution toward the whole US military and security apparatus is, in my opinion, prudent.
But let me emphasize that's just my drunken opinion. Fuck the world. :)
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019, 9:22 AM Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates < mcbp.inc@gmail.com> wrote:
Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer, someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
--
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROJECT,
representing the following initiatives:
VULTURE SPACE http://vulturespace.org Hands-on Bicycle Workshop & Recyclery
BICYCLE BENEFITS http://bicyclebenefits.org Incentive Program
BIKE 100 DAYS http://bike100days.com Calendar of Events
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
white middle aged North American cis male here. Been working with community bikes shops for more than 16 years now in the city of Vancouver, Canada.
hello.
If you present and identify as such as I do, the best thing you can do if a radical (any) group feels threatened by you, is understand. Period. Generations of oppression, violence and worse by presentations and identities such as what I'm born with and have are to be respected when the traditionally oppressed say " get the fuck out " . ..
Inclusive spaces are inclusive. Even is such that someone presenting as an oppressor's image doesn't believe or engage in the same harmful activities. You should still respect the decision of the host and their needs and just GTFO! Reset somewhere else, and take a breath. Be empathetic to their needs to ask us to leave, reflect on their trauma, learn from it and move on.
The take away here for anyone told to leave the host city Bike!Bike! is that just leave. Deliberate another day, with your own peers, and seek reconciliation within your peer's groups. Reflection and acceptance come with time and work on your part, not on theirs. But mostly the host's need to create safe and inclusionary space is theirs to hold.
Those contesting this should only be that as to believe and support the decision of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol. They know best what their needs are and how their oppression has been. Not us. Not men. Not white men. Not cis white men. Seriously. They have legitimate experience that should be upheld as valid and respected.
Us presenting and identifying cis white dudes need to back off and give space when called on.
And simply challenging them on this is an act of further oppression, colonialist, and ultimately traumatic and violent in it's own end. Because really , white guy volunteer gets kicked out of a conference, goes back to volunteering, no real repercussion, but some hurt feelings, and maybe, hopefully some perspective on representation and privileged at the least. Meanwhile the group that is ousting said volunteer are dealing with a mountain of history of trauma, forever, the rest of their lives, everyday.
What's to question here? It's obvious to me that the needs of the oppressed are greater than the needs of the privileged. No questions.
If any Bike! Bike! would have me, I would love to attend. And I don't doubt that I would be accepted. If I'm not, then I'm empathetic, and would do best to reflect graciously on why and respectfully leave.
Jesse Cooper Our Community Bikes!
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019 at 9:12 PM Caleb Evenson caevenson@gmail.com wrote:
The USA is the only global hegemon and the largest empire to have ever existed, with 800+ bases around the world, many of them denied and labeled in cryptic ways by official channels. As a privileged white male in the middle of the US, I'm disappointed in how many in this discussion have trivialized the intelligence aspect of Eric's ousting. We can assume as some have that he wasn't actually intelligence due to his sharing as much, but that is naive in the face of endlessly evolving strategy on the part of those with much control over the world, as in...if you don't know he wasn't/isn't intelligence, please make no assumption. Until eric can directly dispel myths, apprehension and caution toward the whole US military and security apparatus is, in my opinion, prudent.
But let me emphasize that's just my drunken opinion. Fuck the world. :)
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019, 9:22 AM Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates < mcbp.inc@gmail.com> wrote:
Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer, someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
--
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROJECT,
representing the following initiatives:
VULTURE SPACE http://vulturespace.org Hands-on Bicycle Workshop & Recyclery
BICYCLE BENEFITS http://bicyclebenefits.org Incentive Program
BIKE 100 DAYS http://bike100days.com Calendar of Events
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
Without being long winded. I support Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol in their decision. I won't be boycotting B!B! in the future. Be well. pedal harder.
Sin ser largo sin aliento. Apoyo a Bicis Disidentes y Enclave Caracol en su decisión. No voy a boicotear a B! B! en el futuro. Que estes bien. pedal más duro.
Love from Detroit... amor de Detroit...
judith caroline feist (they/them)
*"*Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root'"- Angela Davis
"i don't think my art is political. i think it's about the stuff that doesn't let me sleep at night." -felix gonzalez-torres
I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world...It gives a woman a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.~Susan B. Anthony
On Tue, Nov 12, 2019 at 1:14 AM Jesse Cooper jessecooper0@gmail.com wrote:
white middle aged North American cis male here. Been working with community bikes shops for more than 16 years now in the city of Vancouver, Canada.
hello.
If you present and identify as such as I do, the best thing you can do if a radical (any) group feels threatened by you, is understand. Period. Generations of oppression, violence and worse by presentations and identities such as what I'm born with and have are to be respected when the traditionally oppressed say " get the fuck out " . ..
Inclusive spaces are inclusive. Even is such that someone presenting as an oppressor's image doesn't believe or engage in the same harmful activities. You should still respect the decision of the host and their needs and just GTFO! Reset somewhere else, and take a breath. Be empathetic to their needs to ask us to leave, reflect on their trauma, learn from it and move on.
The take away here for anyone told to leave the host city Bike!Bike! is that just leave. Deliberate another day, with your own peers, and seek reconciliation within your peer's groups. Reflection and acceptance come with time and work on your part, not on theirs. But mostly the host's need to create safe and inclusionary space is theirs to hold.
Those contesting this should only be that as to believe and support the decision of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol. They know best what their needs are and how their oppression has been. Not us. Not men. Not white men. Not cis white men. Seriously. They have legitimate experience that should be upheld as valid and respected.
Us presenting and identifying cis white dudes need to back off and give space when called on.
And simply challenging them on this is an act of further oppression, colonialist, and ultimately traumatic and violent in it's own end. Because really , white guy volunteer gets kicked out of a conference, goes back to volunteering, no real repercussion, but some hurt feelings, and maybe, hopefully some perspective on representation and privileged at the least. Meanwhile the group that is ousting said volunteer are dealing with a mountain of history of trauma, forever, the rest of their lives, everyday.
What's to question here? It's obvious to me that the needs of the oppressed are greater than the needs of the privileged. No questions.
If any Bike! Bike! would have me, I would love to attend. And I don't doubt that I would be accepted. If I'm not, then I'm empathetic, and would do best to reflect graciously on why and respectfully leave.
Jesse Cooper Our Community Bikes!
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019 at 9:12 PM Caleb Evenson caevenson@gmail.com wrote:
The USA is the only global hegemon and the largest empire to have ever existed, with 800+ bases around the world, many of them denied and labeled in cryptic ways by official channels. As a privileged white male in the middle of the US, I'm disappointed in how many in this discussion have trivialized the intelligence aspect of Eric's ousting. We can assume as some have that he wasn't actually intelligence due to his sharing as much, but that is naive in the face of endlessly evolving strategy on the part of those with much control over the world, as in...if you don't know he wasn't/isn't intelligence, please make no assumption. Until eric can directly dispel myths, apprehension and caution toward the whole US military and security apparatus is, in my opinion, prudent.
But let me emphasize that's just my drunken opinion. Fuck the world. :)
On Mon, Nov 11, 2019, 9:22 AM Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates < mcbp.inc@gmail.com> wrote:
Did anyone else know that being a FORMER (or current) member of the military would exclude you from Bike!Bike!? I sure didn't. Was anyone else criticized for their past or present work experience? Gosh, I'm glad I wasn't! If answers to these few questions can excommunicate someone from a seemingly inclusive group, let's foreshadow other barriers to attending next year's Bike!Bike!.
Has anyone in the US paid their taxes lately? Your answer might prove you guilty of financing a military "defense" program, jails, prisons, and possible torture facilities, and other horrendous acts of government like the auto-only interstate road system that rips through and destroys communities. Do you own stocks in companies or government bonds or even have a bank account? They're all investing your money in places that Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol (or future Bike!Bike! organizers) might not deem appropriate. Here's a big one: Do you regularly drive a car? This is the very antithesis of cycling, choosing to use a machine that kills indiscriminately, consumes petroleum, and farts pollution into the air we breath.
Maybe Eric was targeted by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol because he was a tall white male in a radical feminist space. Either way, it was wrong to kick Eric out of Bike!Bike!. He was a very helpful and kind person who was there to learn and take part in a community dedicated to getting people on bikes.
Bike!Bike! focuses on making sure that certain types of people are treated with respect. Gender, race, language barriers, children on board, and financial assistance are a few examples. And understandably so; they are too often marginalized. Now why can't we treat ALL humanoids as humanoids, and not through judgmental filters. Ultimately, I'm drawn back to this question: what's the purpose of Bike!Bike!? (The website doesn't specify). Are we meeting to motivate and inspire each other to get more people on bikes? If so, political, radical, and anarchistic ideals shouldn't be used to shame. These ideas should be shared as to inform others who might not be aware of them.
Eric came a long way to help out and learn from a tribe of humanoids who come together with bicycling as their bond. I can't help but put myself in his place and feel ousted from this community due to unrelated matters. Because of this incident, I'm not planning to attend next year's conference, and I suggest that others do the same if they feel this to be an injustice. At the very least, I hope people will voice any unsettled feelings about the exclusive actions made by members of Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol.
-Mama Vulture
(BACKSTORY BELOW)....
(Posted on the 11th of November)
To the participants of Bike Bike 2019 Tijuana,
We write to inform you all that a person attending the event has been asked to leave and excluded from the space/festival.
It has come to our attention that Eric, who is a volunteer with Working Bikes Chicago, has a history of working in the military and in intelligence/secret services of the United States. He/they currently work buying and selling gold, petroleum, gas, silver and other natural ´resources,’ and have said that they have no moral or ethical problem in this line of work.
Enclave Caracol has a strict ¨no police¨ policy which exists for the safety of people who use the building. We are actively involved in not only resisting the existing system, but in building alternatives for the future – both of which are things that bring us into regular conflict with state authorities and corporations. Furthermore, Enclave is a feminist, anti’capitalist and anti’authoritarian space. Due to this person’s proximity to violent state authority and the destruction of land, communities, cultures and livelihoods via resource extraction, they have been excluded. This is not only about the people attending Bike Bike 2019, but is also an act of solidarity with people resisting environmental destruction, colonization and dispossession all over the world.
The decision to exclude this person from the event was not made via consensus, meaning some people within the collectives do not agree with the decision, or were not present when the decision was being made. However they support the decision. We are aware that the decision is not easy, that we are not going to satisfy everyone, but we are open to dialogue and constantly learning.
With love and solidarity,
Members of
Bicis Disidentes and Enclave Caracol
(Posted on the 14th of Oct)
Eric, a 6’5” bright eyed volunteer from Working Bikes, flew from Chicago to attend his first Bike!Bike! We met Wednesday night while helping to bring bikes across the border (two at a time). On Thursday, he was helping in the basement to fix up the bikes.
By Thursday night, he was kicked out of Bike!Bike! I found out the next day only because the executive director of Working Bikes was worried and contacted me.
From the information I received from Eric and a Bike!Bike! organizer, someone involved with Enclave Caracol took Eric’s bike away and insisted he leave because of his former military experience and current employment as a commodities trader. WTF?
I‘ve always found Bike!Bike! to be an inclusive group of humanoids doing rad things with bikes. Now I question if my lifestyle or others might not fit the ideals imposed by a few.
Only a small group was informed about this decision, and it wasn’t shared with the entire group. Furthermore, what happened to the inclusive nature of Bike!Bike!?
Something about this doesn’t sit right with me, so I don’t think I will be returning to another Bike!Bike! without better understanding this situation. Then again, maybe I’m not even wanted..
--
THE MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY BICYCLE PROJECT,
representing the following initiatives:
VULTURE SPACE http://vulturespace.org Hands-on Bicycle Workshop & Recyclery
BICYCLE BENEFITS http://bicyclebenefits.org Incentive Program
BIKE 100 DAYS http://bike100days.com Calendar of Events
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
The ThinkTank mailing List
Unsubscribe from this list here: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/options.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.or...
Some thoughts… I agree that this e-list should stick to bikes… But I also see how bikes connect to the rest of life.
I’ve noticed that the Bike!Bike! safer space policy is open-ended as to what organizers can do. "They will decide what constitutes a warning and what constitutes expulsion from the conference.” …They do NOT have to be up front or consistent. Is that ok? I suppose nothing is perfect. So expect surprises? On who?
On Nov 12, 2019, at 2:08 AM, Jesse Cooper jessecooper0@gmail.com wrote:
[ ] The take away here for anyone told to leave the host city Bike!Bike! is that just leave. Deliberate another day, with your own peers, and seek reconciliation within your peer's groups.
What’s a peer group? Should we create segregated groups? What about unity? Can we refuse labels?
Because really , white guy volunteer gets kicked out of a conference, goes back to volunteering, no real repercussion, but some hurt feelings,
There's basic functionality: a conference should say who is welcome so that people can know what to expect.
If I make the effort to attend a BB, and my entry fee is accepted, I’d want to know that I was welcome. Panels that aren't inclusive shd say so in their description.
Also, if organizers are going to use special practices — such as the “men go to the back of the line” practice that was mentioned — this should be mentioned. Apparently it was just forgotten, but some “teaching” practices can be considered extreme so forgetting isn’t always acceptable.
[ ] What's to question here? It's obvious to me that the needs of the oppressed are greater than the needs of the privileged. No questions.
I don’t think it’s ever final how we should handle the inevitable rankings and proportions of these needs. Always involves discussion. Events can discuss it themselves. The bigger scene can ponder the bigger picture...
Jeff Potter Lansing Bike Co-op (Michigan)
thethinktank@lists.bikecollectives.org
-
Caleb Evenson -
Colin Leath -
Cyclista Nicholas -
Jeff Potter -
Jesse Cooper -
Judith Feist -
Milwaukee Bicycle Advocates