The real story about the LAB Meeting 
Patty Heffley, Aug 1, 2001

Last night's LAB Meeting at the Dominican Club did not bring out hardly any members of the Dominican community. I was sad to see that even though the LAB had come to the community the community had not come to the LAB. Why is this?

The meeting was as contentious as any I have seen. They voted to make a committee to seek a new general management when utrice goes they will have someone in place. It is to be no more than 11 members made up of groups that care about the situation and one of the groups was the producers. It is not clear how many of each will be on the committee but CdPNY hopes to have a seat along with the concerned friends and CPR, the outlying groups as well. All was vague in a way but we are moving forward...

The CF letter was read ( it can be read at http://www.wbai.net ) asking them to not seat people as they had agreed that elections should happen when they signed the CF declaration.

In fact they did not seat anyone but will attempt to next month.

On the seating appointed members to the LAB there was mayhem. In the climate of denouncing the National board for seating self appointed unaccountable people to the board, the LAB was ready to seat four new people because they need the energy and people to do the work of the LAB.

Of the four only two could make it to their coronation. I was told that one guy backed out in the morning because he saw it as the wrong thing to be doing at this time in history. Good for him. Now I am not sure if that is the same guy as the young man of about 19 or 20. He was gleefully announced as a young man and what came of that was that he couldn't make it because he is involved in so many things. Therefore I ask you what help could he be if he has no time? How much energy could he donate to the LAB?

The explanation about the LAB needing more people to be on the Board and the fact said by one member was that in the recent past 2 asians had left the board. Not one of the four new appointees was asian that I could tell from their names anyhow and the two that were there were not. It was mentioned also in passing later that they couldn't find any asian people to join the LAB. This is a touchy issue I realize but those are the facts.

When someone asked "what about the Asian people?" One of the new appointees took offense and that was the beginning of the end of civility according to some people and then our behavior was addressed as well as the issues concerning appointing new people.

Now the two new people that did come were not prepared to be interviewed and one Rasheeda was pretty defensive the whole time. As I said at the CC meeting the night before it would be good if they prosective appointees knew what they might be in for. I'm sorry she took it personal, it was not.

Now here is the CLENCHER to me. It seems that the LAB search committee outreached to the community to find these people, right? Well look no further than the group CPR. Both Rasheeda and Bokeem are members of CPR Community of Progressive Radio. Yes the same group that has in its membership Valerie Van Isler, the former union busting shill for Pacifica, and Bernard White as well as several other "fired and banned" producers in its membership. I understand that Bokeem also works for the Pacifica campaign. YET none of these affiliations were mentioned when they were introduced by Marion Borenstein. Is that some memory loss or what? Let it be known that Anthony MacKall was the last member to be seated to the self selected self appointed board. He is also from CPR. He had his voice to Rasheeda's ear throughout the conflict at the meeting and tried as best he could to get them seated last night, NO MATTER WHAT THE CONTROVERSY!!!!!

The set up is a triangulation by the former staff at WBAI to make sure that they will be sitting in the catbird seat when this is all over with. They will not only have the airwaves to control but are placing people in the hopeful position to be writing the by laws or to be Appointed to the National Board. Half a billion dollar network under a small group of peoples' control? not bad.

With this kind of behavior how can we imagine that when they get the station back through our hard work and dollars that they will then just hand over democracy to us? Don't make me laugh.

I have seen this coming and it is a pretty crappy thing to do to the other board members who are supposed to approve of them and they don't even know them or the shenanigans that they are up to .

You won't convince me of anything else.

PS I was told by the Chair Miguel to stop talking to Rasheeda and to be quiet as I was "sabatoging the meeting". The Elections committee is so frustrated by the insincerity of some on the LAB and the slaps in the face by their refusal to speak to us and to many of us. Only some of us and it ain't happened yet, What do you expect? Emotions run high and when BS is the order of the day well people get mad.

Yes I have an agenda. Democratic Elections as soon as possible. And that ain't now because of all this anti-listener sentiment. But if anyone thinks that people are just putting this off for better times. it ain't true, it's so they will get a grip on it. Wanna Bet?

Patty 
CdPNY http://www.wbai.net

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