Austin ACM SIGKDD needs a new place we can meet weekly

[David G. Boney]

Dear Members,

I regret to inform you that Austin Parks and Recreation will no longer allow Austin ACM SIGKDD to meet weekly at Northwest Recreation Center. We can still meet there monthly if we choose. As we have been able to meet there weekly for the past 18 months, this is a sad news. It is a great central location, with free parking, and free WIFI. Furthermore, we have had free rent for the classroom that we use at Northwest Recreation Center.

If anyone wants to volunteer their workplace, please let me know. The requirements for a meeting space are:

1. The building can be accessed after hours or on the weekends without someone having to wait at a locked door to let people in.
2. The air conditioning and lights can be turned on after hours or weekends.
3. Free parking.
4. Free WIFI.

I am alleging that Austin Parks and Recreation stopped letting us use Northwest Recreation Center weekly because last month the manager of Northwest Recreation Center, Christa McCarthy, was late in processing our request for a reservation, so I wrote the Director of Parks & Recreation about the issue, and now Austin ACM SIGKDD is receiving retaliation from Ms. McCarthy. Ms. McCarthy is pregnant and about to take maternity leave. I was concerned that our request had got lost in the transition of personnel at Northwest Recreation Center. The month before, the rental request was processed by a person who was training to take over Ms. McCathy's position. I wrote the Director because it was the only email address of an Austin Parks and Recreation manager on their website. After Ms. McCarthy processed our rental agreement, after her supervisor contacted her, the next correspondence I received from Austin Parks and Recreation is that Austin ACM SIGKDD can no longer meet weekly at Northwest Recreation Center.

On face value, it appears, or I allege (to cover myself legally :) that a low level bureaucrat, who did not do her job, and when reprimanded about her failure to do her job by her supervisor, engaged in retaliation against Austin ACM SIGKKD by not letting us continue to use the facility weekly, after we had been meeting there weekly over the past 18 months. This is not fair and we should not allow a low level bureaucrat engage in a personal vendetta against Austin ACM SIGKDD. We can fight back.

I have written ACM and notified them of the situation. I have requested the assistance of the ACM legal department. Also, I will be writing Vint Cerf, President of ACM, and founder of the Internet, of our group's plight. I will be requesting assistance from ACM publications to publicize the situation and hopefully bring national attention to the policies and actions of Austin Parks and Recreation. Many people get very upset over abuses by government employees, particularly in a conservative red state like Texas. Hopefully, we can bring some media pressure on the City to change its policy toward Austin ACM SIGKDD.

We can also work locally. I will be attending the next Austin City Council meeting to complain about this issue. I am requesting our local membership to show up with me. We can also write our Austin City Council members about the issue. If anyone is active in local Austin politics, or has a relationship with any of the city council members, please write me. Lastly, I will work on getting this into the Austin American Statesman. I went to high school with one of the reporters at the Statesman, Clair Osborn. I will be writing her to see if I can get our story in the paper.

While I am ready to put up a good fight for the cause of injustice by cruel and heartless bureaucrats, given the saying that "You can't fight city hall", I think we should plan on finding a new location where we can meet weekly.

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Sincerely,
David G. Boney
Chair, Austin ACM SIGKDD
ch...@austin-acm-sigkdd.org
http://www.meetup.com/Austin-ACM-SIGKDD/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/austinsigkdd/