Meeting Notes 2026 01 06

These are the notes from the 847th Meeting of Noisebridge.

Date	January 6, 2025
Note-takers	Julius, Naomi (nthmost)
Moderators	Naomi

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Meeting focused on building repairs, membership restructuring, and resolving a significant community conflict.

Meeting Summary

TLDR of what happened at the meeting:

• Fundraising Update: Identified grantwriting as critical gap; proposal for dedicated grants@noisebridge.net email
• Announcements: South Korean contingent visiting from AI open source group
• Finances: Treasurer's guild volunteers offered assistance; group authorized to contact CPAs for accounting services
• New members: None
• New associates: None
• Consensus Items: Discussion of membership tier restructuring (supporting/access/steward/501c3 legal member categories)
• Discussion Items:
  • Building infrastructure crisis (roof collapse, water damage)
  • CPA outreach for financial management
  • Community standards enforcement (permanent departure request for member with ongoing behavioral issues)
  • Grantwriting capacity building

Introductions

Attendees shared their name, access needs, and preferred gender pronouns, and what they do at Noisebridge:

• South Korea Contingent - Minseong and Dongeon from Nomadamas, an AI open source group backed by MarkrAI
• JD - Teaches laser classes and handles various tasks
• Ken - Also does tasks
• Zack - Newer laser teacher, raises butterflies, uses the space as a sandbox
• Null - Retired musician
• Julius - Note-taker
• Will - Lives in neighborhood, interested in using the space
• Brad - Visited NB once, interested in 3D printing
• HB (Hungry Bogart) - BDS/BBS
• Soderfumez (Daniel) - Working on dual axis control system for coffee equipment
• Zacchae - Hosts the decentralized web meetup, known for AR setup
• Josh - Community member
• WE-Z - ML infrastructure and musician
• Daniel - Does many things
• Travis - Visiting from Joshua Tree; read the Noisebridge manifesto a decade ago and created a hackerspace (though not a social space)
• Naomi (nthmost) - Hacking since 2009
• Frank - Interested in computer stuff
• Alex Peake - Gamebridge

Short Announcements and Events

60-second announcements from the community. See https://www.noisebridge.net/ and https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Events for more events.

Excellence

Our One Rule is to Be Excellent to Each Other.

Being emotionally intelligent and kind, putting your best foot forward. Don't sleep in the space, don't poop on the floor. Use common sense. People who come here sometimes think they can do anything because there are no surveillance cameras. But we are all friends here - we look out for each other and the space.

For more details, please see https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Excellence

Anti-Harassment Policy & Community Standards

Noisebridge has an Anti-Harassment Policy: https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Anti-Harassment_Policy

Everyone is expected to follow it. More approachable & specific guidelines at https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Community_Standards

https://safespace.noisebridge.net/ is one way to quickly raise issues which will be seen by people in Slack.

Brief Kudos

Recent examples of excellent behavior:

• Sean - Showed up for the first time, asked if he could fix the laser computer, fixed it, and left. Only here for one week, so the community hopes to get more fixes from him.
• JD - For coming in to help check out the moisture situation.
• Julius and Daniel - Removed trash and debris dumped on sidewalk, avoiding a $1000 fine.

Zoning, Permitting, & Improvements

Building Infrastructure Crisis

Critical damage discovered:

• Ceiling collapsed in downstairs bathroom
• Water penetrations in music room and RNA lounge near window
• Mold exposure in multiple areas

The landlord has called in the original contractor whose work is under warranty to perform repairs. JD inspected the damage and punched exploratory holes to assess the extent of the problem.

Draft Letter to Landlord

A draft letter was composed in leetspeak style documenting the roof failure and requesting:

1. Rent reduction to compensate for the contractor's mistakes
2. Licensed contractors only for future work
3. Improved tenant rights and conditions
4. Better response time and accountability

The letter emphasizes documentation of all receipts, photos, and evidence of the unlicensed contractor's work, with legal options available.

Status: Repairs in progress under warranty. Community awaits resolution.

Related Working Group: NB City Bureaucracy WG (JD, Alice, and others)

Guilds & Working Groups

Reports from guilds & working groups. Guilds are self-organized groups that maintain specific areas or functions of Noisebridge.

Music Guild

• Wheezy reported that the Music Guild now has a lock on the door
• Discussion: Community agreed to add metal wire clamps to reduce equipment walkaway
  • Wheezy noted the PS4 he bolted down years ago hasn't gone anywhere
  • Naomi suggested creating aesthetic enclosures for equipment security
• Electrical concerns: Alex noted that the "recording in progress" sign has problematic electrical work
  • JD noted that 2-3 quad boxes were added this past year
  • Wheezy confirmed many outlets previously blocked by junk are now accessible

Spacebridge

No report this meeting.

Treasurer's Guild

• Zacchae, Web Daniel - Volunteered as additional treasurers to help unblock financial processes
  • Goal: Create workflow where financial information is not stored on just one computer
• JD - Discussed establishing a group to look at hiring an accountant to handle day-to-day financial tasks

New Members/Associate Members

No new members or associate members this meeting.

Financial Report

Anarchist societies under a capitalist state need money to survive and thrive.

Latest financial reports available at: https://noisebridge.net/wiki/Finances

Spending Needs

Immediate expenses requiring payment:

• Ken - Dump run receipts building up, last one was $84
• Signage - $200 for front window signage

General note: We need people who can sign checks or lend credit cards. Agreeing to spend money is meaningless if no one can actually pay for it.

Fundraising Update

• Null - In conversation with someone working on outreach to monied institutions, reminding them that Noisebridge exists and suggesting they donate to support the space's continued existence.

Consensus Items

https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Current_Consensus_Items

Membership Structure Proposal

Presenter: Daniel

Proposal: Reorganize membership categories to simplify participation pathways and clarify terminology.

Proposed tier structure:

1. Supporting Member - Donation-based entry level (lowers threshold to participation)
2. Access Member - 24/7 space access (requires trust)
3. Steward Member / Policy Member - Policy-making capability (current "Member" status)
4. 501c3 Legal Member - Formal voting rights as required by nonprofit law

Key discussion points:

• Wheezy: Big fan of removing the word "BIG" from "Big Member" terminology because it attracts people for the wrong reasons
• Ken: Suggested "acting member" or "active member" as alternatives
• Zacchae: Emphasized that clear, simple language is important because people want straightforward answers about how to get involved and how to give money
• Alex: Asked about differentiating recurring vs. non-recurring donors (general negative response)
• Feedback on "Steward": Good word but describes what Access members do too. Perhaps better to describe those who can block consensus.
• Null: Suggested "501c3 legal member" for the voting body required by nonprofit law
• Alex: Also considered "501c3 member" or "formal member" as value-neutral terminology

Next steps: Continue refining terminology through small-c discussions. General agreement to focus on clarity and removing value judgments from membership language.

Implementation needs:

• Change all door access configurations
• Update wiki documentation
• Review and potentially amend 501c3 bylaws regarding membership language

Discussion Items

Discussion Item 1: Hiring a CPA/Accountant

From/Raised by: JD, Julius

Seeking: Decision to empower group to research and contact CPAs

Outcome: Group empowered to reach out to registered CPAs and gather information about costs and availability for accounting services on behalf of Noisebridge.

Context and discussion:

• Goal is to distribute financial responsibilities beyond a single person
• Alex noted that in years past, the treasurer job was simply reading information that others updated on the wiki - the treasurer wasn't always even at meetings
• Question raised: Should we automate more of this process?
• Null's response: "Perfect is the enemy of done. The world doesn't have APIs for everything. PG&E saying your bill was $20k because someone installed a miner isn't something we can automate our way out of."

Resolution: The group has backing to tell CPAs that Noisebridge is potentially interested in hiring them.

Discussion Item 2: Community Standards Enforcement

From/Raised by: Naomi

Seeking: Documentation of outcome

Context: Naomi asked Elle to leave permanently due to persistent behavioral patterns affecting community health.

Documentation: Detailed timeline and analysis available at https://nthmost.com/NB_Ellewrites/

Key patterns identified:

• Conflicts escalating disproportionately from minor disagreements
• Making up rules on the spot (e.g., claiming private conflict resolution violates "bravespace" policy)
• Credit-taking patterns that discourage collaboration
• Differential treatment of community members
• Multiple mediations attempted (3 times) without lasting behavior change

Community Impact - Members who pulled back:

• Zoda - Mediator who eventually stepped back due to exhaustion and sleepless nights
• Wyatt - Started dreading coming to the space after previously being excited to teach
• Justin - Pulled back from fundraising work
• Zack - Stopped organizing events after negative experiences; hasn't run a class in over a year despite initial enthusiasm

Specific incidents shared:

Zack's experience:

• During Arts and Crafts open studios, had organized participation with high energy
• Elle physically took over half the space during Zack's "How to Bank You" class
• Paint from Elle's activity got on Zack's students
• This was the last time Zack organized a class (over a year ago)
• "I literally think that's part of why we have such low membership. We literally could go out of business... because of one person, but it's also because of us not responding correctly."

Julius' experience:

• Observed that Elle is "very good at identifying whose side she needs to stay on in order to not experience consequences"
• During discussion about follow-up to the quinceañera fundraiser (which actually lost money except for $2000 in raffle tickets from one person), Julius tried to redirect toward a simpler party
• Elle's response when she didn't realize it was Julius: "How dare you, I don't care about parties... I care about making money and keeping us open, basically screw you"
• When Elle realized who she was talking to, she immediately backed off - demonstrating differential treatment

Discussion of consequences:

• David: Hasn't had bad experiences with Elle; questioned if permanent ban is appropriate vs. 6-month cooldown
• Null: Raised concern about "condemning someone with absolution" - is there a path to redemption?
• Josh: Doesn't think specific time limit makes sense. If Elle returned in 7.5 months having been to therapy and demonstrating change, that would be worth considering.
• General agreement: Focus should be on demonstrated behavioral change rather than arbitrary time limits

David's question: Have we attempted group-context mediation with multiple members? Naomi's response: That's not mediation, that's a tribunal or reprimand. Mediation is about repairing relationships between two people.

Wheezy's observation: Provided example of Elle's pattern - making up rules on the spot for mediation processes, reframing disagreements into gender-based conflicts, and dragging others into arguments without their consent.

Josh on communication: "You don't deal with a high conflict individual by listing all the things they did wrong. That just opens up a firehose of conflict."

Naomi on systemic issues:

• References Anarchy Paralysis page on wiki about systemic failures
• Issue: "There was consensus and yet no one felt they could do anything"
• This meeting could have happened 3 months ago, maybe a year ago
• Need to develop better respect for mediators - treat them as expert witnesses, not just another opinion
• "We have to treat mediators as expert witnesses and we haven't been."

Julius: "Even though this was a hard thing to do, this was a successful meeting. This process was the result of a lot of hard work by people willing to frankly put themselves at risk and get some bruises and engage with the community."

Zack's closing: "Speaking up tonight is very hard for me. My face is hot, my heart is beating... I feel really stressed out and I'm not sure if speaking up was the right thing for my physical mental health, but fuck it, Noisebridge needs it. We have to speak up, we have to testify, or else we keep dying."

Outcome: Community supports the decision to ask Elle to leave permanently, with redemption possible through demonstrated behavioral change rather than time-based reinstatement.

Discussion Item 3: Grantwriting Capacity

From/Raised by: Zack

Seeking: Call for volunteers and/or announcement

Context: Noisebridge lacks regular grantwriting capacity, which is affecting everything. This could be a major source of money to afford equipment, CPA services, and other needs. Most nonprofits do this regularly.

Discussion:

• Naomi: "Grantwriting is one of those things that feels like it requires group consensus but it doesn't. You can just do it. You can just apply on behalf of Noisebridge and come back with $50k."
• JD: We can give people more legitimacy by creating a noisebridge.net email address, such as grants@noisebridge.net
• David: Has anybody actually done successful grantwriting at NB?
• JD: Yes - the door grant was successful.

Outcome: Community supports creating infrastructure (email address) to bolster grantwriting efforts.

Action Items & Do-ocratic Task Board

Tasks identified:

• Create noisebridge.net email addresses to bolster fundraising/grantwriting success (specifically grants@noisebridge.net)
• Write an empathetic community letter to Elle (see draft below)

Draft Community Letter to Elle

Note: Null drafted this during the meeting. Naomi noted: "It just has to come from not-me. I am Bad Cop in this whole thing. Someone who has an actual friendly relationship with her."

A Letter About Moving Forward Together

Dear Elle,

We're writing to you because we care about you as a person and about our community. This isn't easy to write, and we imagine it won't be easy to read. We ask that you try to receive this in the spirit it's intended—not as an attack, but as an honest conversation about patterns that have been hurting people, including you.

What We've Observed

Over the past year and a half, we've noticed something that concerns us. When disagreements arise—even small, technical ones—they seem to grow quickly into something much bigger. What starts as a difference of opinion sometimes becomes about character, or about values like fairness and safety, in ways that feel disproportionate to the original issue.

We've seen people leave our community who didn't want to leave. Zoda, who gave so much as a mediator, eventually stepped back—exhausted and struggling with sleepless nights. Wyatt, who was excited to teach, started dreading coming to the space. Justin pulled back from fundraising work he cared about. These losses hurt all of us.

The Pattern We're Hoping You Can See

When conflicts happen, we've noticed a tendency to:

• Skip past the early stages where people can just talk things through, and move quickly to bringing in allies or making it about bigger principles
• Use community safety processes in ways they weren't designed for—as consequences rather than protection
• Take on visible leadership roles but struggle to follow through on the behind-the-scenes work, then not fully acknowledge others who stepped in to help

We don't believe you're doing this to be hurtful. We think you care deeply about this community and about doing what's right. But the impact has been painful for people, regardless of intent.

What We Are Asking

We're asking you to pause and reflect honestly. When a conflict arises, can you try staying in the conversation longer before escalating? Can you ask yourself whether this disagreement really needs to become about someone's character, or whether it can stay about the specific issue?

When you take on a leadership role, can you either commit to the unglamorous parts—the emails, the booking, the follow-through—or openly share that responsibility from the start?

And when others help, can you make sure they're acknowledged? A community only works when people feel seen.

You Are Not the Villain

We want to be clear: you are not a bad person. You have brought energy and ideas to this space. But right now, the way conflicts are being handled is unsustainable—for you and for everyone else.

People are afraid to disagree with you because they've seen what happens. That's not the community any of us want. We believe you don't want that either.

Moving Forward

We're not asking you to be perfect. We're asking you to be willing to look at this honestly, maybe with support from someone you trust—a therapist, a mentor, a friend outside the community who can help you see what's hard to see from the inside.

We want your positive energy. But we need things to change.

With care and hope for what's possible,

The Noisebridge Community

Other Tasks

Participation means contributing to the space. Propose new tasks or pick tasks from Github, from what needs to be done around you, or whatever needs doing!

Wiki maintenance needed:

• What wiki pages need updating based on this meeting?
• What new wiki pages do we need?

End of Meeting

Note taker checklist:

• Clean and tidy the meeting notes
• Fill out the short summary at the top
• Copy paste the notes to the next meeting page
• Email the meeting summary to Noisebridge Discuss and Noisebridge Announce lists
• CC treasurer@noisebridge.net and secretary@noisebridge.net if there are new members and philanthropists
• Edit Current_Consensus_Items if anything is proposed for consensus next week
• Edit Consensus_Items_History if anything reached or failed consensus this week

Fun things to do after:

• Do a 10 minute cleanup, bring dishes upstairs and wash them, clean the bathroom
• Have some beers on the patio
• Prepare next week's meeting notes
• Lick the walls. Or just draw on them
• Sing the Hackernationale (this almost never happens)