[IPSM] Fwd: URGENT MESSAGE to supporters of the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy

[Jaggi Singh]

Hi everyone --

I would like to express that the posting of the message below is an 
inappropriate use of this list.

I would also like to convey that the letter below represents, in my 
opinion, an unfair attack on the integrity of members of the staff and 
board at the 2110 Centre, as well as a large part of its membership and 
supporters.

Disagreement between individuals, or a difference of vision within an 
organization or broader movement, is normal; but the letter below goes 
beyond disagreement over vision or process to make serious and slanderous 
allegations -- publicly -- about individuals and an entire organization.

To be clear, there is no problem to petition for a membership meeting, or 
to debate the vision of the 2110 Centre, or to complain about particular 
procedures or process and to seek redress. But the letter below goes 
beyond that and makes slanderous allegations, stating things like:
- "it's okay for staff to take a paycheck without fulfilling the basic 
requirements of their jobs"
- "some staff have taken advantage of these resources, in what is 
tantamount to theft of student and activist resources"
- "there are some whose vision of the center is as a place for a few to 
derive social and economic benefits."
- there are also allegations of "misappropriation of funds" and "abuse of 
power"

Also, the framing of the issues involved is highly problematic, in my 
opinion, and ignores the varied (and often invisible) contributions that 
people make to an organization or campaigns for social justice, especially 
in support or administrative roles that go unrecognized.

People have been asked "to endorse this statement and petition". I 
encourage people on this list who might want to have more context beyond 
the one-sided letter below to speak directly with board and staff members 
at 2110 who have not signed the letter, as well as community members who 
have not signed the letter either and consider the letter below to be 
inappropriate and slanderous. Consider different opinions -- and they are 
varied -- that are being expressed around the situation at the 2110 
Centre, not just any one position, and then decide for yourself. That may 
be an obvious point, but I feel it needs to be re-iterated.

I am writing this reply on the list, because the letter below was posted 
on the list.

Respectfully,
-- Jaggi Singh
(writing strictly in a personal capacity)

On Fri, 9 Oct 2009, Dru Oja Jay wrote:

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Centre 2110 <centre2110 at gmail.com>
> Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2009 at 4:42 PM
> Subject: [Centre2110] URGENT MESSAGE to supporters of the 2110 Centre for
> Gender Advocacy
> To: centre2110 at lists.mutualaid.org
>
>
> To friends and members of the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy,
>
> To friends and members of the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy, we need your
> help to overcome an impasse in the political vision at the organization:
>
> The 2110 has come a long way since the turnover of staff and board 18 months
> ago. From a point of almost total stagnation, the Centre has emerged,
> putting on or co-sponsoring at least 75 political events (film screenings,
> workshops, panel discussions etc.) on many different issues (abortion
> access, trans inclusion, Israeli apartheid week, gendered and racialized
> violence etc.) In its biggest success on October 4th, the 2110 spearheaded a
> 250-person march down St. Catherine's to demand government action on the
> epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women.
>
> Despite these successes, the organization could and should do a lot more.
> Unfortunately, there is still a culture that says it's okay for staff to
> take a paycheck without fulfilling the basic requirements of their jobs
> (employees start at $18 an hour and receive several thousand dollars in
> benefits). The events mentioned above were largely organized without the
> help of two permanent full time (32 hours a week) staff members. To put it
> bluntly, there are some whose vision of the center is as a place for a few
> to derive social and economic benefits.
>
> The problem lies in the fact that the 2110 Centre (which has an annual
> budget of nearly $250,000), could and should be doing much more. Since its
> budget comes through a secure student fee levy, the organization has the
> potential to do amazing and influential political work. It could and should
> be at the forefront of a wide variety of campaigns on and off campus,
> including: the struggle for abortion access, sexual assault awareness, trans
> access to healthcare, attacks on sexist advertising and gender-focused
> international solidarity work, to name a few. In short, the 2110 Center has
> the potential to be a much more valuable resource for the Montréal and
> Concordia activist communities.
>
> Sadly, some staff have taken advantage of these resources, in what is
> tantamount to theft of student and activist resources, a violation of the
> 2110's obligations to its membership, and an unjust compromise of its social
> justice mandate.
>
> We have tried, in recent weeks, to push the board to address many issues,
> (including misappropriation of funds, bad labor practice, abuse of power
> etc.) The board and some staff have responded by blocking and side-lining
> our many attempts to do so. Members of the board have threatened our jobs in
> response to our insistence that these issues be addressed.
>
> We feel that we have no recourse to address our grievances internally, and
> are turning to you, the membership, in order to establish a process that
> will allow the Centre to address serious violations of the Centre's mandate
> and operating principles that are recent and ongoing. In doing so, we aim to
> address these issues in a transparent fashion, and to ensure the Centre's
> future as a vibrant, public advocate on behalf of those who face
> gender-based oppression.
>
> We are working to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) of the 2110 Centre at
> the earliest possible date, in order to bring these issues before the
> membership. The board blocked, and then delayed this process.
>
> The only way to hold an SGM without consensus of the board is for 1000
> members of the 2110 Centre to sign a petition demanding a meeting be called.
> Upon receipt of 1000 signatures, a public meeting will be called and we
> invite you to attend, discuss and vote on the issues at hand.
>
> As Montrealers with a desire to build the social justice community, we
> believe you have a stake in the organization?s future. We ask you to endorse
> this statement and petition.
> For information on how to do either, or for additional details on the
> above-listed issues, please visit:
>
> http://www.2110democracy.ca
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Bianca Mugyenyi (Full time Programming and Campaigns Coordinator)
> Maya Rolbin-Ghanie (Interim Volunteer Coordinator)
> Aly Stillman (Part time Promotions and Publicity coordinator)
> Katie Earle (Orientation Coordinator)
>
> Supporters:
>
> Nick Barry Shaw, Haiti Action Montreal
> Anna Luisa Daigneault, Université de Montréal, Missing Justice
> Eliane Ellbogen, Eastern Bloc
> Yves Engler, Author, Blackbook of Canadian Foreign Policy
> Lex Gill, Head and Hands
> Nadia Housefather, Graduate Student's Association
> Dru Oja Jay, The Dominion
> Courtney Kirkby, CKUT 90.3FM & Barriere Lake Solidarity Collective
> Aimee Louw, Missing Justice
> Martin Lukacs, independent journalist and activist
> Amy Miller, Wide Open Exposure
> Svea Vikander, Missing Justice
> Lise Weil, Trivia: Voices of Feminism
>
>
>
>
> --
> 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy
> 2110 Mackay (metro Guy-Concordia)
> tel: 514-848-2424 ext. 7431
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