<ambellerby@xxxxxxxxx> togrc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx date Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 12:14 PM subjectRe: [grc] KPFA-FM Calls Police on Volunteer mailed-bymaillist.peak.org hide details 12:14 PM (2 hours ago) Reply "Privacy" vs. Worker Safety First of all, the harm done to Nadra, and the unfolding wriggling and excuse-making of the perpetrators, is strait-up unforgivable. But before we point our fingers, before we call for justice for Nadra, I need to say this: We are all culpable because, to some extent or other, we have all let petty tyrants run amok around KPFA and Pacifica radio for years. Kept our heads down, lest they be lopped off. Now Nadra and her kids are paying for that, among many others who have been abused, humiliated, fired and/or psychologically terrorized for speaking up. I am not there, I am only reading the emails and talking on the phone, and just watched the You Tube video of Nadra's interview yesterday. (link below) As far as I can tell, only a select few people were made aware that this "unwanted visitor" was "banned." The staffperson who unlocked the door so Nadra could work in the studio was not told she was banned. All the folks who work right there on the ground floor should've been told that this "dangerous" person needed to be kept out. They weren't, which suggests that there wasn't much of a danger to begin with. (turns out the "problem" was about Nadra making photocopies of some school work for her kids to do while she was there volunteering a long shift during pledge drive! ) Even if there WAS a good reason to ban Nadra, the fact that next to no-one was TOLD about it endangered everyone in the building. That is beyond bad management. It's reckless endangerment. Cops or no cops. The discussion going on about "what's the policy for dealing with scary people, how should it be implemented" is neatly avoiding a thornier and much larger problem, and begs these questions: Who else is banned? Are they dangerous? Or just out of favour? What makes workers "safe" or "unsafe" in the KPFA workplace? Can we expect that police will be called to remove some unloved person that's taking too long in the restroom? Seriously: as Wayland (Hard Knock Radio) pointed out on Flashpoints, this arrogant stupidity and lack of transparency creates situations that get people killed. Particularly by cops. We report on it all the time. (alarmingly, Wayland's video documentation of unbridled police brutality inside KPFA was blocked by none other than Nicole Sawaya) So, who's the clear and present danger to workers at KPFA? The bannees or the ban-ERS? Secretive, arbitrary blacklists are a hallmark of insecure despots and paranoid control freaks. Management now claims in their damage-control memo that they are concerned for the "unwanted visitor"'s privacy. But how did this bizarre situation arise in the first place? Was "privacy" an issue before the shitstorm arrived on management's doorstep? Or was it more of the same autocratic, secretive decision-making that has marred Pacifica's internal landscapes lo these many years? The banning of this person, without letting the bulk of the staff know about it, led directly to Lemlem's apparently panicked, in-the-know-about-Nadra-as-dangerous colleagues calling the cops. Managers now claim they didn't anticipate the cops going berserk beating on a KPFA volunteer, who would predictably be outraged by their presence. Ya right, the cops are just like that rattlesnake that won't bite your kid's ankle even though it's making that funny noise. (I can only imagine their glee at being invited into the lion's den to kick some KPFA programmer ass.) Now instead of coming clean, managers are hiding details, passing the blame around while citing concern for Nadra's "privacy." Well, management sure acted without regard for Nadra's human rights, civil rights, or her right to be in a safe workplace, forget about her PRIVACY. Haven't the COPS pretty much done away with Nadra's "privacy" ? Folks at KPFA need to take a hard look at ALL the issues of workplace "safety" and "security" if they are to deal with this bad powertrip honestly. How about the banning of guests without cause or explanation, and refusal to meet with people to resolve workers' complaints? Where on the scale of "intimidation" and "security" does that stuff go? How about the castrating of the programming council? Those outside KPFA should know that the list of arbitrary bullying actions from this gang in charge is long, I am sorry to say it. People don't want to talk about it, are afraid they'll be next. It's got to stop. The listeners, if they knew, would probably shut us down in grand style. Just like they did when it was time to save the station on 1999. Let's not forget Camp KPFA and the coup. Oh ya, and the Berkeley cops, er, beating on Kahlil in the street, as he was, er, defending KPFA...protesting Nicole's firing... Meanwhile, where is Nadra? She's got a broken arm, unimaginable emotional trauma, and serious charges against her. What she's going through, and her kids, brings great shame on KPFA as a whole, not just the managers. This is a disgusting and heartbreaking thing to happen inside the station we all love and cherish SO MUCH and I cannot believe that people are actually making excuses for it. A stunning lack of respect for Nadra, the rest of KPFA's staff, KPFA as an institution of social justice and tolerance, and Pacifica's mission. This arbitrary rule by intimidation and spite has run it's lousy, unnatural course and crashed miserably. There are no excuses. NO CONFIDENCE ! - Amanda You can watch the interview with Nadra and others, (made yesterday) here: "Beaten and arrested by KPFA bosses" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REbDCcLkaxg Listen to coverage of this crisis on Flashpoints last week, Thursday and Friday, including some audio of the arrest here: http://www.flashpoints.net You Tube videos of KPFA shutdown, and the victorious struggle to reclaim the station and the network, 1999: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8aX1QUeDz4&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5S9NWQbkww&feature=related