Main MenuPacifica Websites |
Elections Mainpage
 the Candidates WBAI Listener Candidates Tibby Brooks Candidate Statement Tibby Brooks Candidate Statement
I’m an activist/organizer with the New York Coalition to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, and a proud member of the National Writers Union. I’m honored to run for re-election to the Local Station Board with the WBAI Justice and Unity Campaign (www.justiceunity.org) to help our station face its current financial challenges and grow to meet the needs of our communities for progressive news, insightful analysis, and resistance to the dismantling of civil rights and liberties. During my past year’s term, I’ve been an active participant in the Membership, Outreach and Fundraising Committee (through which I helped recruit many new members and raise thousands of dollars for WBAI), Secretary of the Board, and a member of the Pacifica Archives National Task Force. I pledge to continue bringing in new listeners and persuading them to join WBAI, while working in cooperation – not confrontation – with management. I completely identify with Justice & Unity’s commitment to activist programming, particularly that based on self-expression of communities of color, and affirmative action outreach, especially in the face of hostility manifested to such programming by some on the board. These members claim independence, but serve as a faction that’s repeatedly defamed staff with unsubstantiated gossip, brazenly undermining listener confidence in WBAI’s integrity. One dared to attribute our financial problems to the glorious racial diversity of our city and station in contrast to the fiscal success of the Pacifica affiliate in 98% white Boulder, Colorado! WBAI is truly the voice of the Movement. I depend on it for on-thespot coverage of political crises and uprisings. WBAI practices a dialectic between producer and listener that results in a mutuality of information and activism. This summer, Justice & Unity former board member Michael Tarif Warren and his wife Evelyn Warren, both attorneys, were brutalized by Brooklyn cops when inquiring about a beating they witnessed. Within the hour, WBAI mobilized hundreds to descend upon the precinct and ensure that the Warrens did not stay overnight in lock-up. For the mass rally in Jena, Louisiana, it was WBAI that publicized how New Yorkers could actually get there. How vital has WBAI been in airing Mumia’s commentaries and publicizing actions to free him! On so many shows, activists are welcome to give report-backs and mobilize for actions. We organizers know we couldn’t hold a demo in this city without WBAI. Yet the faction that opposes the station’s current direction is bitterly resentful of the activist organizational base of Justice & Unity. Indeed, our slate has been endorsed by a wide range of well-known activists and progressive organizations, including among others Fred Ho and ACT UP. Through the years, I have met many people who were brought into
activism by listening to WBAI. Let’s keep it that way! Please vote
for me and every candidate of the Justice and Unity Campaign:
Long live the power of WBAI, based upon the people’s movements! Trackback(0)
Comments (5)
Virginia Browning: Remedy Required
Dear Casey Peters and Les Radke,
This "Open Letter to the Pacifica Community '' written by Interim Executive Director Dan Siegel, and posted for at least several days on the KPFA website, describes one slate of candidates' political assertions in the election pamphlet as ''personal attacks '' and later on uses the term ''hateful '' speech in an obvious reference to them. He goes on to strongly imply that voters should not vote for those who, at KPFA, engaged in such ''personal attacks. '' Siegel's letter has now been widely distributed via numerous email lists, reaching possibly thousands of potential voters. If there is press coverage of this matter even more will read these allegations. It is a blatant attempt to influence the election against one slate of candidates. The slate Siegel calls "attackers" resorted to this method of disseminating information because only that candidate or those slates of candidates who could raise over $14,000 for a mailing to all members could widely distribute information. Elections should not be bought. The $14,000 slate also has an even more powerful tool: airtime. Maybe you hear programs you like and say "well, they're good so where's the problem?" Aside from the problem with the same method being used, once it's sanctioned, by other than such wunderkinds, gaining access to the airwaves for even better programs is currently insurmountable for many creative, insightful souls. Siegel's ''Open Letter'' should immediately be removed from the KPFA website. There should also be mandated a public apology as widely distributed as the "open letter" was. And, because the many mailing lists used by station staff and ex-station staff are not something that can be monitored (of course!), it seems reasonable to me to call for airing the apology over the air multiple times Perhaps this could be in concert with even ONE announcement of the current election by the staff ? and if announcements are made, referring listeners to an apology that somehow sincerely attempts to de-bias the election. Some are calling for punitive measures to be taken against Mr. Siegel. I can't imagine how those could help create a fair election, but maybe the prospect of watching Dan Siegel dressed like Peggy Noonan crawling through tar singing show tunes might attract a big enough crowd to hear an actual debate by the candidates, something we'll not get otherwise. (Dan Siegel's comments are analogous to Peggy Noonan's saying those who don't like George Bush hate America.) I urge you to consider the mess that you have invited and spare no effort to stop it. Thank you, Virginia Browning 1
October 28, 2007
Virginia Browning: Still No Audio Pods Still Nothing from KPFA
this is a letter from a friend
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 From: Steve Gilmartin Subject: Re: KPFA Election Violations Dear Mr. Peters: Thank you for your ruling that calls on KPFA to repost the LSB candidates' statements on the KPFA website. I really do thank you for standing up for the First Amendment. However, it is extremely upsetting and an obvious violation of Pacifica's election laws that Dan Siegel's biased and distorted statement is allowed to stand on the KPFA website. Siegel characterizes as "personal attack" what is legitimate criticism of actions taken by individuals in positions of power within the station, statements entirely germane to the interests of KPFA's listenership in an important election period. (As such, it's unclear to me why you think that such speech is a violation of the spirit if not the letter of the bylaws.) In addition, Siegel tars with the same brush the true hate speech of a WBAI candidate and the legitimate political speech of the candidates running as the People's Radio slate. Siegel's statement is an outrageous interference in an election by a high-ranking Pacifica officer and is in blatant violation of Pacifica's Fair Campaign provisions. That his statement is allowed to remain while the candidates' statements have still not been posted to the KPFA (or Pacifica) website is unbelievable! I urge you to (1) stipulate a time frame (basically, now) and to *enforce* that time frame for the re-posting of candidate statements; (2) order removal of Dan Siegel's statement, which has already been disseminated far and wide, from the KPFA website immediately! And (3) issue a public statement, to all places within the Pacifica network in which the original statement appeared, demonstrating an awareness of Mr Siegel's misuse of his position to interfere in the election in violation of both Pacifica bylaws and California coproration law, and the mistake that was made in allowing his statement to be officially posted and to remain up. I am afraid that anything short of these actions will result in a contested KPFA election and, no doubt, a series of lawsuits. Please act quickly and forcefully to begin to restore the legitimacy of KPFA's election process. Sincerely, Steve Gilmartin KPFA listener-sponsor Note: Casey Peters has now removed his ruling from view (to which Steve refers. No podcasts of the well-done on-air forums (2 weeks of them) and several weeks ago...NOTHING but that outrageous letter from Siegel. 2
October 28, 2007
Virginia Browning: ...
Below: letter from a friend to "Election Supervisor" Casey Peters, followed by my letter -- Virginia Browning
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 From: Steve Gilmartin Subject: Re: KPFA Election Violations Dear Mr. Peters: Thank you for your ruling that calls on KPFA to repost the LSB candidates' statements on the KPFA website. I really do thank you for standing up for the First Amendment. However, it is extremely upsetting and an obvious violation of Pacifica's election laws that Dan Siegel's biased and distorted statement is allowed to stand on the KPFA website. Siegel characterizes as "personal attack" what is legitimate criticism of actions taken by individuals in positions of power within the station, statements entirely germane to the interests of KPFA's listenership in an important election period. (As such, it's unclear to me why you think that such speech is a violation of the spirit if not the letter of the bylaws.) In addition, Siegel tars with the same brush the true hate speech of a WBAI candidate and the legitimate political speech of the candidates running as the People's Radio slate. Siegel's statement is an outrageous interference in an election by a high-ranking Pacifica officer and is in blatant violation of Pacifica's Fair Campaign provisions. That his statement is allowed to remain while the candidates' statements have still not been posted to the KPFA (or Pacifica) website is unbelievable! I urge you to (1) stipulate a time frame (basically, now) and to *enforce* that time frame for the re-posting of candidate statements; (2) order removal of Dan Siegel's statement, which has already been disseminated far and wide, from the KPFA website immediately! And (3) issue a public statement, to all places within the Pacifica network in which the original statement appeared, demonstrating an awareness of Mr Siegel's misuse of his position to interfere in the election in violation of both Pacifica bylaws and California coproration law, and the mistake that was made in allowing his statement to be officially posted and to remain up. I am afraid that anything short of these actions will result in a contested KPFA election and, no doubt, a series of lawsuits. Please act quickly and forcefully to begin to restore the legitimacy of KPFA's election process. Sincerely, Steve Gilmartin KPFA listener-sponsor 3
October 28, 2007
Mitchel Cohen: ...
Tibby Brooks, the Just-Us elected secretary of the Local Station Board, has not produced minutes of the LSB meetings for almost a year, now.
The effect of this is to conceal the actual votes of her Just-Us cohorts. Votes such as to cut the salaries of all staff at WBAI, who are already very low-paid to address the financial crisis that they claim in their on-air statements doesn't even exist. All the non-Just-Us Board members voted against these cuts, and strenuously objected to this pathetic, anti-working class decision. When I and Alex Steinberg, as independent Marxists on the Board, commented: "Some socialists you are -- socialists against the working class. You should be ashamed of yourselves," Tibby Brooks lashed back at me the following brilliant rejoinder: "Get a job, asshole." You can see that for yourself on the videotape near the end of the meeting posted on google videos. Tibby Brooks -- votes for slashing workers' meager salaries. This is capitalism as usual. Meet the new boss -- same as the old boss. We don't need no stinkin' bosses at ALL -- we need people who will live by their stated principles and fight to save the station and the workers who make it happen, not destroy it, as Tibby Brooks and the Just-Us crew have been doing and will continue to do -- unless YOU join in stopping the madness, the lies, the wrecking crew NOW! Mitchel Cohen 4
October 28, 2007
Lila Flowers: ...
edix: The real Carol Spooner
Carol Spooner, or someone pretending to be Carol Spooner, has spammed these blogs with identical comments urging people to vote for what she wants, living in the Berkeley Hills in California. Spooner made sure, in a nasty offensive, that bylaws at Pacifica would not include affirmative action remedies in election results, which opened the foundation to control by whites majorities. Spooner is angry that WBAI is not controlled by whites yet, so she is sticking her nose in at WBAI. Her husband, Gregory Wonderwheel, regularly attacked many African Americans at WBAI in various attempts to force them out using lies, hyperbole and standard Republican-style put-downs. Make no mistake about it, Carol Spooner and her California cohorts want to control WBAI.1 October 27, 2007 Carol Spooner: ... If you haven't already received it, you soon will receive your ballot for the WBAI Local Station Board (LSB) 2007 election. Please don't lose your ballot -- vote! I'm endorsing -- #1 - James Ross #2 - Seth Goldberg and, in alphabetical order, Carla Cubit, Robert Gold, Jennifer Jager, Ken Laufer, Pat Logan, Don Mathiesen, Lee McClure, Stefan Neustatder, Bernardo Palombo. I hope you will rank James #1 and Seth #2 on your ballot, and then go on to rank the others listed above in order of your preference. James Ross is the only encumbent who deserves re-election this year. He has worked diligently to uncover and understand the station finances and to make recommendations to deal with the problems. Unfortunately, his efforts have been blocked by the current majority on the LSB (the "Justice & Unity" faction). Seth Goldberg has the financial and business skills that WBAI so desperately needs at this time. All of the above-named candidates are sincerely committed to helping to right the station by hiring station management that will strengthen & revitalize programming, restore the listener-base and rebuild financial stability. They can be the seeds of sanity at a very troubled institution if you elect them to serve this very important community resource. This is a critical election for WBAI. I believe it is absolutely essential that NON "Justice & Unity" slate candidates take a majority of the seats on the Local Board if WBAI is to survive, and perhaps even Pacifica itself. As I wrote to you a few weeks ago, WBAI is bankrupt. It is paying its bills by borrowing money from the Pacifica National Office which is borrowing the money from other Pacifica stations. This whole house of cards could come down if the problems at WBAI are not solved quickly. There have been very serious financial irregularities at WBAI, including use of "restricted" grant monies for unauthorized purposes. In addition, when WBAI terminated Gary Null's program it also terminated a major source of listener-support for the station. Regardless of what you think of Gary Null's program, the station needed a realistic plan to replace that income or to reduce its expenses to live within its reduced income. It did neither, and that is one of the causes of the current bankruptcy. Other causes are overall mis-management, waste, poor staff morale, not enough good programming, and competition from other alternative media sources, both on the radio and on the internet. The "Justice & Unity" faction has held the majority on the LSB for the past three years and has been blocking necessary management changes and other changes at the station. In addition, the LSB majority elects 3 of the 4 WBAI seats on the Pacifica National Board and they have been blocking necessary action by the Pacifica Executive Director and National Board. For this to change, at least 5 of the 9 listener seats , and 2 of the 3 staff seats on the LSB must be won by independents who are not part of the "Justice & Unity" slate. I honestly don't know why the "Justice & Unity" slate has been so destructive to WBAI, they have good "political" credentials and you would think they would want the station to grow and thrive. However, they have not acted that way, and if they are permitted to continue to control the Local board and to confuse and mislead the national board, then I am very very pessimistic about the future of WBAI and Pacifica. This is tragic in a time of national crisis where EVERY form of alternative media Again, please vote -- Every vote matters. With "ranked choice" voting just one vote can determine who wins the last seat on the board. Thanks, and best regards, Carol Spooner Pacifica National Board Member - Jan 2002-Jan 2005 Lead Plaintiff - Listeners' Lawsuit to remove the old Pacifica Board - 1999-Dec 2001 5
October 28, 2007
Write comment
You must be logged in to a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet.
|
Login FormWBAI Listener Candidates
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form