[mobglob-discuss] Fw: [van-announce] Statement on Fire This Time

[Paul Browning]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ivan D. Drury" <ivanddrury at yahoo.ca>
To: <van-announce at lists.resist.ca>
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 5:05 AM
Subject: [SPAM] [van-announce] Statement on Fire This Time


> February 3, 2008
>
> An open letter to the left and progressive community
> on Ivan Drury's resignation from Fire This Time;
>
> My name is Ivan Drury. I'm writing this letter to inform the left and 
> progressive community that I have broken with Fire This Time, MAWO, and 
> all other related groups. Through this letter I also hope to begin to 
> stand accountable for the many irresponsible and destructive things I am 
> responsible for having done when I was a member of these groups.
>
> I have been an activist in Vancouver for more than ten years. In 2002-03 I 
> helped to found the Fire This Time Movement for Social Justice. FTT formed 
> out of an ugly split within the Anti-Poverty Committee. I also played a 
> big part of this split and remained in FTT, Youth Third World Alliance 
> (Y3WA), Mobilization Against War and Occupation (MAWO) and other related 
> organizations* as an active member and organizer until the beginning of 
> January last year. I resigned quietly in January 2007, but did not send an 
> 'official' resignation letter until October 2007.
>
> This letter has been a long time coming. For better or for worse, I've not 
> been up to writing it and going public until now. If it is necessary to 
> explain why it's taken a year to write, I will just say that leaving FTT 
> was very hard. Emotionally and personally, my experience in the group 
> really messed me up.
>
> There are three things I want to deal with in this letter. And I'll keep 
> it as short as possible:
>
> 1. Why I left FTT;
> 2. The Fire This Time and the damage done (an apology);
> 3. What I believe in now.
>
> Over the last two months I have had some discussions with some people in 
> the left about these general themes. While I have apologized to these 
> individuals, I feel that there is a lot of ground left to cover. These 
> apologies have really only been openings to a longer rectification process 
> involving a lot of responsibility-taking and work.
>
> I understand that even those who have never had a direct negative 
> experience with me or with  FTT have been negatively impacted by the 
> lousy, sectarian, and confrontational atmosphere kicked up by FTT groups. 
> If you feel that you are owed more than a general apology from me and feel 
> that I should (or have neglected to) contact you directly; I am probably 
> planning to and am just working up the nerve. If you want to, please feel 
> free to contact me: ivanddrury at yahoo.ca
>
> This letter is meant for the broad left-progressive community. There is 
> one additional group that I'd like to speak to that is sadly separate from 
> this community: the remaining members of FTT/Y3WA. However, this group has 
> been forbidden by the leadership (ie. by Ali Yerevani) from speaking to or 
> even receiving emails from me. This letter, as well as another letter 
> directed specifically to them is posted here: 
> http://ivandrury.wordpress.com
>
> [...clip...]
>
> Cont'd here: http://ivandrury.wordpress.com
>
>
>
>      Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr!
>
> http://www.flickr.com/gift/
>
> _______________________________________________
> van-announce mailing list
> van-announce at lists.resist.ca
> https://lists.resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/van-announce
>
>
> !DSPAM:982,47a7a88d61851545127375!
>