[New-imc] to Rogue IMC

[Jay]

Hi Rogue IMC (and the new-imc group by cc),

This is Jay from the Philadelphia IMC, and also from the new-imc working 
group.  I'm sorry to see the issue of your acceptance into the Indymedia 
network has been so controversial.  I know there have been a lot of really 
intense e-mails flying around.  I'm sure this has been really difficult for 
your group internally, as well as draining, and time-consuming.  In the 
below e-mail I just sent to the imc-process list I'm suggesting that we 
de-escalate the tensions by taking this discussion back to the new-imc 
working group for a bit.  On new-imc at indymedia.org we should be able to 
come up with a plan for how to proceed, and I hope we can do so calmly.

I sense that there's a lot of great energy around the Rogue IMC group, and 
I certainly hope that won't hit too big of a speedbump because of all of 
this.  I think the thing to do will be to address Andy's (and now 
IMC-Ithaca's) concerns as concretely as possible.  The questions, in and of 
themselves, are valid -- is the Rogue IMC doing enough outreach?  are there 
enough people involved to sustain the IMC?  The problem is that there are 
no concrete answers.  What exactly constitutes "enough outreach?"  Exactly 
how many people are necessary to "sustain an IMC?"

I don't think anyone can, or should, quantify these answers in a blanket 
way, to apply to every IMC.  Each IMC's situation is so 
different.  However, since these are the questions that are at the crux of 
Ithaca's block, and Andy's dissent, I do think the new-imc working group 
would benefit from some more context.  What kind of 
geographic/racial/economic landscape does the Rogue IMC face?  What has the 
group done to make itself known all across this landscape?  What concrete 
goals does the Rogue IMC have for outreach, and what kind of plan does it 
have for reaching those goals?  Also, assuming Andy, and Arc from the 
Ithaca IMC, are reading this, the same question goes to you -- what kind of 
outreach plan/accomplishments do you envision the Rogue IMC 
fulfilling?  Andy, you keep saying the Rogue IMC hasn't done enough of this 
sort of work.  What, specifically, would "enough" look like?

I don't think anyone in the new-imc group expects any IMC to be fully 
formed when it joins the network.  The heart of the matter is whether the 
IMC group has a real understanding of the outreach obstacles it faces, a 
sincere commitment to overcoming them, and a concrete plan for doing 
so.  My sense is that the Rogue IMC group has the understanding and 
commitment, but perhaps, since this has become such a big issue, the 
collective could take this opportunity to clarify its plan.

As for the internal issues, obviously the Rogue IMC will have to figure out 
whether/how to work, or potentially, without Andy.  Sometimes, 
unfortunately, the best way to proceed is for people to agree to disagree, 
and for people to realize they simply can't work together 
productively.  That doesn't mean they can't be working toward the same 
goals, just that they don't have to be working together in the same room, 
in the same organization, to do it.  This kind of approach is obviously the 
last resort, and I'm sure we'd all hate to see something like that have to 
happen so soon in the Rogue IMC's life.

No one wants to see a situation develop like it has in Houston, with the 
bulk of the collective having to sign a statement saying it can't work with 
certain individuals in the community.  Andy, assuming you're reading this, 
I'm sure you don't want this to happen either.  I do agree that having a 
conflict resolution mechanism in place is essential to sustainaing any 
collective.  I always suggest bringing in some kind of outside moderator to 
work with internal conflicts.  That often works.  Sometimes it doesn't, but 
it's definitely a step well worth taking, especially before taking any more 
drastic measures.

Whether or not you solve this internal problem shouldn't in and of itself 
impact the Rogue IMC's acceptance into the Indymedia network -- a lot of 
local IMCs have pretty substantial internal problems but they still 
function as a positive part of the network -- but how you're able to work 
it out will certainly speak to the character of your collective.

I'm really optimistic this will all turn out well, with some hard work, 
both on the new-imc working group and internally in your IMC 
collective.  I'm hopeful we'll have the Rogue IMC on its way toward joining 
the Indymedia network in no time.

Jay