[Imc-communication] [Resolve] A summary of the Darwin dispute
Pim VDP
pimvdp at yahoo.com
Tue Aug 29 05:43:39 PDT 2006
Hi,
Looking at this issue from the other side of the world, getting an idea
of what's happening in Oceania seems difficult. However, after reading
a lot of mails about this it becomes clear that the problems with
Darwin imc and Mick Lambe are no mere personal feelings, but rather the
sentiment of a large and diverse group in Oceania.
Comparing the two previous mails on this subject by Takver and Mick:
While Takver's summary is informative and factual, Mick's mail is a
rag-tag collection of copy-paste mails and personal insults which
doesn't adress the core of the problem. In my opinion these kind of
mails (Mick's, not Takver's) have only one purpose: to create
confusion, wear people down and sabotage the process of
decision-making.
I believe the people who want to have a say in this issue have to
gather their own information and look at the facts from a neutral point
of view. Of course, this is not possible nor necessary for all
imc-ista's, but then they shouldn't block the proposals by the ones who
choose to get involved.
Love&respect,
Pim. (imc-ovl, belgium)
--- mick lambe PARIAH <pariahnt at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Totally inaccurate and biased.
>
> Fiona was screaming obscenities at Gary during the meet at OMD. We
> calmed her down. The circumstances of using police against activists
> by so-called activists was obviously going to make any meet emotive.
>
> by Fiona
>
> Monday, December 27, 2004 12:55:14 (properties date)
>
> "Recent events have convinced me I must say something re Rob
> Inder-Smith.
>
> I seconded him to the AIVL e-list at Gary's request despite disliking
> the man intensely. But having discovered he is a police informer I
> feel I must warn others on the list.
>
> He called the police after Gary asked him to in an attempt to
> intimidate a friend who was moving out of the NAP/TUF house.
>
> I must state that at no time was Gary or Rob in danger from this man.
> In fact, they were the ones doing the threatening.
>
> Due to a personality clash my friend was moving out. I assured Gary
> there were no problems and that he would be out that day.
>
> Previously Gary had told me that he was going to get some blokes to
> "do over" my friend and/or he would call the police. He also told
> another TUF committee member that he intended to call the police.
>
> Gary had called Inder-Smith to come round in an attempt to intimidate
> my friend.
>
> While my friend was moving his stuff into his car, under the watchful
> eye of the NT police, Inder-Smith was taunting my friend. He's a
> gutless pig.
>
> Fortunately, the police didn't search my friend as he had green
> matter on him somewhere. I must also point
>
> I was there for the whole scenario and have avoided Gary and Rob
> since (therefore not being involved in TUF although I am secretary)
> as I don't trust dogs.
>
> Whatever spin (lies) Gary comes up with now are irrelevant. The fact
> is (he) called the police after threatening this man."
>
> (Fiona B) - NAP member
>
> --------------------------------------
>
> We handled a difficult situation as best we could with people who
> treated us so unethically.
>
> You were not there - and 'testimony' from Stuart Highway and Co, was
> proven to be a pack of lies. He never attended the darwin indy meets
> or witnessed other events he raves incoherently about.
>
> None of our collective - including Vikki (silent for a year) and
> Fiona would even associate with Meyerhoff and Inder-Smith for four
> months.
>
> There was no dissent until Fiona started lying to oceania due to
> personal reasons. No local activists have done anything but show
> support for the darwin collective's expulsions.
>
> Our collective has grown despite this hate campaign.
>
> Stacy Scheff orchestrated the campaign of hate that saw our people
> stalked and villified at our homes and in the streets by the expelled
> people.
>
> They admit these attempts to provoke and intimidate our members. So
> the expulsions are entirely justified and were later ratified by
> locals who know all participants.
>
> No one has a right to dictate who we meet. As perth imc tried to -
> despite our saying NO.
>
> No-one had a right to seize our site - because we refused to obey
> them and then to hand it over to people who had lied to harm us.
> Making us appear to be liars.
>
> The race/hate campaign on sydney went on for months and was continued
> later on NZ imc with images of dead and battered Aboriginal people we
> worked with.
>
> You are attempting to ignore and whitewash the bias and the breach of
> POU your proposal represents.
>
> It is nothing more than a personal hate campaign -
> http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/120563.php
>
> MIM censoring their own proposal shows the hypocrisy of their hate
> posts aginst me/the DIMC which have been hosted for years - despite
> objections.
>
> The proposal has no logical legs. It is designed to harm an
> anti-racism activist and proposed by a person described as "racist"
> by our Aboriginal members.
>
> http://www.melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/120037.php
>
>
> your 'proposal' demonstrates your personal animosity towards people
> who refuse to be bullied by lies, threats, stalking and hate/race
> campaigns.
>
> Darwin Indymedia would
> therefore require, as part of
> it's constitution, to exclude this
> individual(mick lambe) and would
> automatically forfeit it's place as an IMC if
> he were ever to become a member." [1]
>
>
>
> What a disgusting assault on our right to free association.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
>
> MIM stuff
>
>
> why is imc disriminating against me
> by first nations human rights activist Friday August 25, 2006 at
> 11:11 AM
>
>
> By choosing not to publish my comments just because they do not
> like honest cririzicism about the use of indy media being used as a
> public forum for personal shit slinging matches between people using
> indugenous pain and suffering heart aches and stories of oppression
> then all of a sudden some one takes the whole story and turns it
> right around to have personal word slinging matches about this one or
> that one.
>
> oh well we dont have to own a car to run any one down.
>
>
> But i do know if indy media keeps blocking me from using the indy
> media forum i will lay a racial discrimination statement through
> equal opportunity.
>
>
> I have done nothing wrong to indy media except to comment on certain
> articles giving my perspective as an indigenous person.
>
> thanks indy media
>
>
> susan charles rankin
>
>
> jaara person
> of the kulin nation
>
>
> http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/119869_comment.php#119932
>
> __________________________________________
>
>
> "He (mick) has been 'kicked out' of a few Aboriginal communities
> including Redfern in Sydney none the less."
>
> Just more lies about an Aboriginal community I have strong bonds
> with. Nasty stuff - and years of it. Long before their attack on
> darwin.indymedia.
>
>
> http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2006/08/120037.php
>
>
> Go and do something useful takver like actually deconstructing our
> argument of bias and the use of the Oz IMC to harm an afilliated
> collective.
>
> Didn't happen?
>
>
> Whitewash - takver.
>
>
> The proposal is in breach of all autonomous principles. It is
> nazi-like. I feel singled out and that my integrity is being
> questioned - your bullshit hasn't helped matters.
>
>
> Again - take on the facts presented for a change.
>
> Again - stop ignoring causes to condemn our understandable revulsion
> at the Oz IMC's ugly race/hate campaigns and abuse of process.
>
> A view shared by others...
>
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2006-August/0822-g4.html
>
> your obvious bias makes your 'presentation' worthless.
>
>
>
>
> - mick DIMC
> ___________
>
>
> takver <tirin at takver.com> wrote: A summary of the Darwin dispute
>
> I am a features editor with Melbourne Indymedia, and with global
> features (www-features) I have been active as a features editor for
> about 3 years, and have been a journalist contributor since 2000.
>
> I have not made any pronouncements on any email lists besides
> Melbourne previously on the Darwin dispute, but I have contributed to
> the collective decision of Melbourne Indymedia Collective to
> disaffiliate Darwin with a deadline of 4 September.
> http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-August/0820-c3.html
>
> I am writing this as a response to Pina to give some background
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-communication/2006-August/0825-78.html
>
> ==Synopsis==
>
> A falling out between individuals in the Darwin Collective in
> February
> 2005 has resulted in the collective being dysfunctional and delisted
> from Indymedia. Two factions predominate. One faction has applied
> (February 2006) to NEW-IMC to register Arafura IMC. The faction whose
> primary member is Mick Lambe continues to demand use of
> darwin.indymedia.org, and has conducted an 18 month campaign of
> personal attack and abuse against other Darwin activists, Indymedia
> activists around Australia, Indymedia Collectives via Indymedia email
> lists and Indymedia newswires to achieve that end. The Melbourne
> Indymedia Collective believes "as Mick Lambe is unable to work with
> so many Indymedia collectives, has been banned from several lists and
> whose behaviour has resulted in two hosting collectives refusing to
> continue work with him, that the time has long past to part company
> and work separately."
>
> ==Sources==
>
> For the genesis of the dispute in March 2005 also refer to
> http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/
> http://lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/imc-oceania/
>
> An attempt was made to resolve the Darwin issues on the Resolve Email
> List (February 2006 - present)
> http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/
>
> ==Detailed Background==
>
>
> The essential element in this dispute surrounds the events at a
> Darwin
> Indymedia Collective Meeting on February 6 2005, held at One Mile Dam
> Community. Prior to this meeting the collective consisted of Mick
> Lambe, Fiona Clarke, Viki Zangari, Gary Meyerhoff and Rob
> Inder-Smith.
> At One Mile Dam, Mick ropes in David Timber, Mindy and Freddy (who is
> sleeping in a corner) as new members. When Gary turns up, Mick tells
> him to "fuck off" as it is his home, and Mick later claims that
> Meyeroff and Inder-Smith were expelled at this meeting.
>
> On 12th March Mick announces expulsion of Gary and Robert on the
> Oceania list
> http://lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/imc-oceania/2005-March/002550.html
> It takes another 7 days before Mick announces the expulsions on the
> Darwin List
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-March/0319-nk.html
>
> Although it is claimed that Meyeroff and Indersmith were expelled at
> this meeting, Fiona claims this was a sham meeting. In an email to
> the
> Darwin list on 31 March 2005 she says: "Neither Rob Inder-Smith nor
> Gary Meyerhoff were
> expelled from the DIM Collective"
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-March/0331-8f.html
>
> Vikki was also at the meeting (first meeting) and verified Fiona's
> account.
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0401-u9.html
>
> Fiona "In the interest of free and open discussion and to try to save
> Darwin Indy from destruction I am calling for a Special Darwin
> Indymedia Collective
> Meeting to be held on Saturday 16 April, 2005, 9am at The Roma Bar,
> Cavenagh St, Darwin."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0402-na.html
>
> Around the 2 April Mick expels Fiona. Gary Meyerhoff contests the
> membership of Darwin: "You and the three NEW collective members do
> not
> constitute the Darwin Indymedia Collective. Rob, Viki, Fiona and I
> are
> as much members of the collective as you."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0403-18.html
>
> By the 5th April 2005 Mick was posting abusive and "slanderous
> statements" on the Darwin Newswire against other Darwin media
> activists arising from the dispute.
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0406-9q.html
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0406-9k.html
>
> On April 7 Mick explained the reasons for 4 expulsions:
> "Gary and Rob are not fit to run or belong to anything. That's why
> they were expelled. Viki and Fiona lied about that expulsion that's
> why they were expelled."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0407-8p.html
>
> On April 14 Mick is accused of restoring hidden newswire comments
> that
> breached edpol and were personal attacks on other activists
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0414-bl.html
>
> Perth sends a statement that challenges whether the expulsion of 4
> members was legal. "Now, when darwin indymedia joined the imc
> network,
> it agreed to use
> 'consensus decision making'. *Thats* the *official* indymedia
> methodology. The problem for us, is that based on this, you cant kick
> out four members
> of a collective if even one of those members disagrees with being
> kicked
> out. The alternative that has been adopted is generally "Consensus +
> 1".
> Whereby the individual doesnt have a say in that decision. Its not
> considered to be a particularly GOOD model, but perhaps as good as it
> gets. However, in a collective of 8, "Consensus + 4" just isnt
> consensus.
> Its not even voting! Even the original decision to remove gary and
> rob was debatable in its correctness policy wise. When fi said that
> she did not support that decision, then it means that the decision is
> withdrawn. Consensus is always retractable."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0415-0b.html
>
> The next meeting, advertised by Fiona for Darwin Indymedia
> Collective,
> was held on 16 April with Viki Zangari, Fiona Clarke, Stuart Highway,
> Gary Meyerhoff, Rob Inder-Smith attending, and apologies from Vikki
> Riley. This meeting authorised the changing of admin passwords and
> suspention of Mick's admin access. See minutes:
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0416-n7.html
>
> Vicki, Gary, Stuart Highway confirm the minutes
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0416-0s.html
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0416-v7.html
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0416-kt.html
>
> See also Statement by the Darwin Indymedia Collective and members of
> the Darwin activist community including an early history of Darwin
> Indy
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2005-April/0416-my.html
>
> This then begins a long period where Mick attacks other Darwin
> Activists, Perth IMC (who acted as sponsor and host to Darwin IMC),
> and later Sydney IMC, Melbourne IMC. Even collectives such as
> Adelaide
> and Aotearoa whave been attacked by spam messages to their newswires
> by Mick. In late 2005 and early 2006 Adelaide argued for the domain
> name to be returned to Mick's group, and still received abusive
> newswire posts.
>
> ===Comments on the meeting from 2006 (Resolve list)==
>
> Fiona (Darwin IMC) on the expulsions meeting in February 2005. She
> claims she "was bullied into going to that "meeting", I wrote, you
> spoke, then long
> after, you typed up minutes that elaborate on my rough notes to the
> point of
> fabrication. Fact is, the "meetinng" itself was a sham, my
> participation was coerced, not voluntary, and I since withdraw all
> support for you and any implied support for your claiming unanimous
> expulsion of Gary Meyerhoff and Rob Inder-Smith."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-February/0225-s3.html
>
> Fiona again:
> "Mick Lambe's meeting at OMD which kicked off his whole hate campaign
> was at
> best – unconstitutional, unethical, unfair, discriminatory, illegal -
> breached the Points of Unity, and DIMC at the time had a 'rule' that
> you had
> to have been to two DIMC meetings in order to vote – only Mick
> fulfilled
> that criteria, therefore the "meeting" is invalid. It was wrong.
> Nasty, manipulative and wrong."
> http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-July/0723-ho.html
>
> Stacy (Sydney IMC) also made this the essential issue:
> "that the collective responsible for Darwin.indymedia.org became
> disfunctional when one member (Mick Lambe) claims to have expelled
> four members
> of the collective in the period around March 2005. I do not
> understand the
> basis for these actions, nor do I understand Mick's arguments that
> they were
> justified by the actions of those people. I do assert that if the
> actions of
> any of the members are serious enough to either justify expulsion of
> a majority
> of the collective, or if the expulsions were not justified but
> pursued
> regardless, then the collective is effectively disbanded."
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-February/0208-9r.html
>
> Gary Meyeroff provides a fairly long summary history of the whole
> affair, but as he was 'expelled' at the meeting in March 2005, Mick
> believes this is a biased account.
> NAPNT, Darwin Indymedia and Mick Lambe - A brief history
> http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-March/0325-x4.html
>
>
> In January 2006 Gary tried to get things up and running again.
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2006-January/0101-t8.html
>
> However, Mick used this as an opportunity to mislead the indymedia
> DNS
> people to point http://darwin.indymedia.org to his rogue IMC site
> hosted on axxs. Gary sent an email to the DNS people and the
> situation
> was rectified once the deception had been identified. And_ from
> Melbourne also objected to the DNS redirection without being formally
> discussed as part of resolving the Darwin dispute. He has since come
> under personal abuse and attack from Mick on the newswires for
> raising
> this as a process issue.
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-darwin/2006-January/0109-1l.html
>
http://lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/imc-oceania/2006-January/003044.html
>
http://lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/imc-oceania/2006-January/003053.html
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------
>
> After reading the Darwin list archives, the Resolve list archives
> (Feb
> 2006 to present), and Oceania list archives, it is my belief that the
> expulsions at the meeting on February 6 were illegal as they did not
> conform to consensus decision making and the local membership
> criteria
> : "DIMC at the time had a 'rule' that you had to have been to two
> DIMC
> meetings in order to vote" (Fiona).
>
> The following meeting on April 16 was widely advertised (at least on
> the Darwin list) and the minutes are clear, concise and show
> commitment by those attending to work for a resolution. Effectively
> the Darwin Collective was dysfunctional with two factions, one of
> which has maintained a level of public personal abuse and attack on
> anyone who challenges Mick as the rightful Darwin Collective on both
> indy email lists and newswires.
>
> It has consumed an enormous amount of energy by people trying to sort
> this out and find a solution, even to the point of encouraging both
> groups in Darwin to apply to NEW-IMC for a site. Mick has repeatedly
> rejected the option of reapplying through NEW-IMC.
> See "A Proposal for a new Darwin IMC"
>
http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/resolve/2006-February/0226-2d.html
>
> During August 2006 the Melbourne Collective hid at least 20 newswire
> articles which we attributed to Mick posting, and an even greater
> number of comments which we attributed to him. All of these posts
> breached our editorial policy in at least one or more grounds. We
> also
> had to hide a significant number of personal attacks on Mick or the
> Darwin collective. Mick's reputation is such that he has built up a
> substantial number of antagonistic readers some of whom reply
> provocatively to his statements.
>
> I think Mick has shown he is incapable of working in solidarity in a
> network environment, personally attacking other activists in public
> rather than trying to resolve conflict, almost continuosly for a
> period of 18 months.
>
> Takver - one of
> Melbourne Indymedia |
> Climate Indymedia |
> Global Features
> _______________________________________________
> Resolve mailing list
> Resolve at lists.indymedia.org
> http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/listinfo/resolve
>
>
>
> mick lambe - coordinator: PARIAH - BETTER A PARIAH - THAN A LIAR
> People Against Racism In Aboriginal Homelands - Northern Territory
> Australia
>
> Archived by the National Library of Australia for preservation
> as a site of national significance and lasting cultural value
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pariahnt - (spam free zone)
>
> PARIAH Mobile: 0404772989
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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