Hearing Laurie's perspective about this conflict makes me feel like the Sound Room is justified in arriving. So long as no illegal action was taken on the part of Laurie and George, it seems the meditation center unfortunately must adapt or move on. <div>
<br></div><div>I have prior commitments tonight and cannot make it, but if anyone can go, please let me know if you can include the following note (if we can meet beforehand, I can give you a printed copy):</div><div>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">To the City of Oakland
Planning Commission:</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">I am a proud member of <b>Sudo
Room</b>, a group of excited, thoughtful, creative people who pursue
community participation, resource sharing, and involvement with
technology and other valuable resources that benefit the public and
contribute to social good.</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">Similar to the <b>Sound
Room</b>, we are in the process of moving into Laurie and George's
building (in the contiguous address of 2135 Broadway).</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">I have had the personal
pleasure to meet a few of the Sound Room folks during “First
Fridays” open house events, where both they and Sudo Room displayed
local artists' work and celebrated Oakland's sense of community. Last
month's crowd at First Fridays was enormously large! Larger than I
have <b>ever</b> seen it! It was truly inspirational to see such
excitement in downtown/uptown Oakland. This is just one example of
the kinds of creative, inclusive endeavors we expect and all want to
see thrive in Oakland.</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">Not speaking on behalf of
Sudo Room, I am personally moved by the intentions and <b>actions</b>
of Sound Room. They deserve the opportunity to thrive. We should
respect their right to exist and utilize resources for which they
have and will continue to fairly exchange. I look forward to their
positive local impact.</font></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0in">
<font color="#000000">In Love and Solidarity,<br></font>Matt Senate</p><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 28, 2012 at 7:55 PM, Eddan Katz <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:eddan@oaklandlocal.com" target="_blank">eddan@oaklandlocal.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>From Laurie, our landlord, about the Planning Commission hearing tomorrow night.</div><div>
<br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><b>From:</b> "Laurie Cooperman Rosen" <<a href="mailto:lscoop@comcast.net" target="_blank">lscoop@comcast.net</a>><br><b>Date:</b> August 28, 2012 6:30:08 PM PDT<br>
<b>To:</b> "'Laurie Cooperman Rosen'" <<a href="mailto:lscoop@comcast.net" target="_blank">lscoop@comcast.net</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> <b>Tomorrow Night.....</b><br><br></div></blockquote><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">Tomorrow night at 6pm is a Planning Commission hearing which has the possibility of changing the future of our building—specifically 2147 Broadway. For those of you who have met Robert Bradsby and Karen van Leuven, you know that they are delightful people who have taken over the recently-vacated BACS kitchen, and plan to put a non-profit club that supports jazz and the arts into 2147 Broadway. In addition, they have a kind of collective happening in the kitchen and will be inviting guest chefs to provide varied menus for their Jazz Venue nights. Robert also is a wine maker, so some of his wines will be featured. This is a complete labor of love for them—both have regular professional jobs by day, but they have been supporting this venue in their spare time for years and feel that it is finally time to give the Sound Room—their labor of love—a permanent venue. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The problem is that East Bay Meditation Center refuses to move out of 2147 Broadway, where they are not paying rent. This has escalated into a game of spite on their part; they are trying to hold us up for ransom by playing games to delay our day in court to vacate the space. At the last planning committee meeting we did not expect domination by a slew of spokespeople from the Meditation Center, (who spoke as if a criminal brothel were about to go in downstairs!!), while they had no interest at all in speaking out against a TRUE nightclub that will be open into the wee hours of the morning on a regular basis directly across the street from our building, with much more direct sound impact on their venue. That told us all that we needed to know—that they were playing games in order to blackmail us to give them money. . <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Should East Bay Meditaiton Center get their way tomorrow night 2147 Broadway might just lose the best tenant we all could have possibly had. Robert and Karen would love your support tomorrow evening, and so would we.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The meeting is at City Hall, 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor (in Frank Ogawa Plaza) at 6pm sharp. We urge you to be there prior to 6pm to sign up as a speaker in favor of the Sound Room. Should you not wish to speak, we would still urge (and appreciate it immensely!) you to sign up as a speaker and turn your time over to another who might need extra time to speak in favor of the project.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you all so much for your willingness to come out and help turn the tides in favor of the Sound Room!<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">Laurie & George <u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div></div></blockquote></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>