Will give my personal reply also then. Though I don't want to participate in some public mud-throwing, so please keep it respectful.
For those who don't know me, I've been working in the ACU since 1997. I've been doing administration and finances since 2004. I'm probably one of the people viewed at as having a power position.
To explain a bit of history about my involvement. Since the legalisation until 2004, ACU was mainly run by a group of people having a Melkert-baan (social funded job) and I was volunteering to help out. In 2004 this project was ended and the ACU was facing a closure. As a group of active volunteers, we decided to try and run the place on a strictly voluntary basis. Since I had a little experience in finances, me and three others took the responsibility over that part. After two years, two of them had quit and till 2010 we were doing it mostly with the two of us, with some help of few others.
In 2010, a group of people posted heavy criticism on our position in the ACU. In my view, this was done in a rather aggressive way, at least by part of the group. Our reaction was probably pretty defensive at first. There were also people who wanted to solve things in a more constructive way, and after a series of meetings we came to conclusions on how to solve some of the problems.
After the storm was over, things unfortunately fell back to "normal" pretty quickly. Some things changed though, I transferred my key to the safe and the tasks of daily finances to a third person, there came some help with the administration, we're having financial meetings twice a year and there is an online repository of financial documents. Some of the "old" problems are coming back now, since most people involved have quit unfortunately. I am training new people for the administration at the moment, to try and make new start. Some more involvement is definitely needed.
Some of the problems mentioned in several posts I can recognise. Some documents like the "balans" are lagging behind, this is because the administration is checked up and finalised by an accountant and I'm often waiting for her to finalise it. I can make a balans myself, but it won't be official nor accurate. Regarding missing papers, I normally have a part at home because the office is more a hang-out for people to drink beer and smoke cigarettes than a healthy environment to work. It's true they should better be kept at ACU. Yes, there is racism and sexism like in any public place. It ain't pretty or good or should be accepted, but throwing everybody out to create a safe space ain't gonna work either. I know many people are taking efforts, but it is fighting a big rotten core in our society and it ain't gonna change overnight. For many people it's a learning process and approaching them in agressive ways with high standards will only alienate them from the process. I personally think the learning process is more important than a safe space, to certain limits of course.
Some problems I don't recognise. I don't have a power position because I do administration. It's recording facts after they happened and doesn't involve much decison making about them. I don't have access to any money either, a random person behind the bar can spend more money than me and they actually do. But I do know the ACU inside-out after many years on the work-floor, I know what to expect or not and it gives me a certain advantage. I'm not as active as I used to be though. We are not undemocratic, the disputed Amnesty benefit actually got refused the year after, to my personal disappointment I must say. But in any democracy, you can't always have it your way. It's not that we never reach consensus, but sometimes we don't indeed. ACU is not non-political, but it is not strictly a "political centre" either and it has never been or advertised that way. It's a centre that mixes many things and can only exist as such. There ain't a place I know where so many people have key to the front door either, which sometimes means you need to change a lock indeed. I'm sure many people will have a key in no-time, the certificate is just a sales-farce.
Regarding power positions. I often noticed that people think they can run the ACU from a meeting. It won't work, ACU is being run from the work-floor. You can decide whatever you like in a meeting, if the people on the work-floor don't agree, there is no consensus and it often won't happen either. The meeting is just there to facilitate consensus, not as a power structure on it's own. This is true for anyone, whether you have a "power position" or not. It can be frustrating sometimes, though I always liked it as being typically ACU. And please don't think I agree to everything that happens, I just learned to live with it, which can sometimes be difficult too. Power positions mostly exists because of a higher involvement or better understanding of the process.
About the disputed lights. There is indeed a large amount of lights, but when I look at the costs, it's not that high. It facilitates the activities that generate most of the income and the costs are way less than at Tivoli or Ekko. Much of it is second-hand, rented or otherwise bargained for. There is somewhat of a distorted view at it, because most of the people who need it like dj's and organisers of parties, normally don't come to meetings. And yes, I understand that if you run a kitchen or organise info-nights, you don't need many party-lights. Don't need them myself either, but other people do. I suggest people look a bit more at the ratio of what it costs and how much money it makes, and try to think what would happen to ACU if we didn't have all these "stupid" parties. It would be bankrupt in no time. Yes, that's the disadvantage of legalisation and ACU is no longer a squat. If it had not been legalised, it would have been lost.
Last but not least. If you want to change things, don't expect the people stuck in their positions to do it for you. They are overloaded with tasks and responsibilties already. Making prososals, having meetings and raising ideas is a good start, but it is nothing more than a slight start. You finally have to Do It Yourself, by taking responsibility and initiative. Fortunately, I still see many people in the ACU who understand this concept, but it's also missing a lot of times.
I could have endless discussions, but I'll leave it with this. Feel free to ask me anything in real life.
personal opinion
Will give my personal reply also then. Though I don't want to participate in some public mud-throwing, so please keep it respectful.
For those who don't know me, I've been working in the ACU since 1997. I've been doing administration and finances since 2004. I'm probably one of the people viewed at as having a power position.
To explain a bit of history about my involvement. Since the legalisation until 2004, ACU was mainly run by a group of people having a Melkert-baan (social funded job) and I was volunteering to help out. In 2004 this project was ended and the ACU was facing a closure. As a group of active volunteers, we decided to try and run the place on a strictly voluntary basis. Since I had a little experience in finances, me and three others took the responsibility over that part. After two years, two of them had quit and till 2010 we were doing it mostly with the two of us, with some help of few others.
In 2010, a group of people posted heavy criticism on our position in the ACU. In my view, this was done in a rather aggressive way, at least by part of the group. Our reaction was probably pretty defensive at first. There were also people who wanted to solve things in a more constructive way, and after a series of meetings we came to conclusions on how to solve some of the problems.
After the storm was over, things unfortunately fell back to "normal" pretty quickly. Some things changed though, I transferred my key to the safe and the tasks of daily finances to a third person, there came some help with the administration, we're having financial meetings twice a year and there is an online repository of financial documents. Some of the "old" problems are coming back now, since most people involved have quit unfortunately. I am training new people for the administration at the moment, to try and make new start. Some more involvement is definitely needed.
Some of the problems mentioned in several posts I can recognise. Some documents like the "balans" are lagging behind, this is because the administration is checked up and finalised by an accountant and I'm often waiting for her to finalise it. I can make a balans myself, but it won't be official nor accurate. Regarding missing papers, I normally have a part at home because the office is more a hang-out for people to drink beer and smoke cigarettes than a healthy environment to work. It's true they should better be kept at ACU. Yes, there is racism and sexism like in any public place. It ain't pretty or good or should be accepted, but throwing everybody out to create a safe space ain't gonna work either. I know many people are taking efforts, but it is fighting a big rotten core in our society and it ain't gonna change overnight. For many people it's a learning process and approaching them in agressive ways with high standards will only alienate them from the process. I personally think the learning process is more important than a safe space, to certain limits of course.
Some problems I don't recognise. I don't have a power position because I do administration. It's recording facts after they happened and doesn't involve much decison making about them. I don't have access to any money either, a random person behind the bar can spend more money than me and they actually do. But I do know the ACU inside-out after many years on the work-floor, I know what to expect or not and it gives me a certain advantage. I'm not as active as I used to be though. We are not undemocratic, the disputed Amnesty benefit actually got refused the year after, to my personal disappointment I must say. But in any democracy, you can't always have it your way. It's not that we never reach consensus, but sometimes we don't indeed. ACU is not non-political, but it is not strictly a "political centre" either and it has never been or advertised that way. It's a centre that mixes many things and can only exist as such. There ain't a place I know where so many people have key to the front door either, which sometimes means you need to change a lock indeed. I'm sure many people will have a key in no-time, the certificate is just a sales-farce.
Regarding power positions. I often noticed that people think they can run the ACU from a meeting. It won't work, ACU is being run from the work-floor. You can decide whatever you like in a meeting, if the people on the work-floor don't agree, there is no consensus and it often won't happen either. The meeting is just there to facilitate consensus, not as a power structure on it's own. This is true for anyone, whether you have a "power position" or not. It can be frustrating sometimes, though I always liked it as being typically ACU. And please don't think I agree to everything that happens, I just learned to live with it, which can sometimes be difficult too. Power positions mostly exists because of a higher involvement or better understanding of the process.
About the disputed lights. There is indeed a large amount of lights, but when I look at the costs, it's not that high. It facilitates the activities that generate most of the income and the costs are way less than at Tivoli or Ekko. Much of it is second-hand, rented or otherwise bargained for. There is somewhat of a distorted view at it, because most of the people who need it like dj's and organisers of parties, normally don't come to meetings. And yes, I understand that if you run a kitchen or organise info-nights, you don't need many party-lights. Don't need them myself either, but other people do. I suggest people look a bit more at the ratio of what it costs and how much money it makes, and try to think what would happen to ACU if we didn't have all these "stupid" parties. It would be bankrupt in no time. Yes, that's the disadvantage of legalisation and ACU is no longer a squat. If it had not been legalised, it would have been lost.
Last but not least. If you want to change things, don't expect the people stuck in their positions to do it for you. They are overloaded with tasks and responsibilties already. Making prososals, having meetings and raising ideas is a good start, but it is nothing more than a slight start. You finally have to Do It Yourself, by taking responsibility and initiative. Fortunately, I still see many people in the ACU who understand this concept, but it's also missing a lot of times.
I could have endless discussions, but I'll leave it with this. Feel free to ask me anything in real life.