This is the absolute worst time for anyone in a power position in our community to do anything but support and strengthen the organization they are working with. Authoritarianism is naked and clearly being seen as the fear-based posturing that it is. Collaboration, cooperation, and right livelihood is the most important thing in the minds of most of the country and most of our community. Nobody at the top is safe from the community forum for justice.
Back in December when I heard about the termination of Tia Maria Pizzaria, I was shocked and horrified, even though I had seen it coming and witnessed much of the targeting and misrepresentation that was being shoved in her direction. I have known Sarah for ten years, and her partner Richard his whole life. I've been a leader and important member of the Saturday Market community for 50 years now. Fifty years of work, dedication, and patient untangling of the messes we get ourselves in, which have been many, and which apparently have not taught us anything that sticks. Edit: the Board voted on March 5th to rescind the termination!
Back in July I was blocked from participation in the mediation that was supposed to solve the problems. I advocated for it, as I thought some historical perspective about our values would help. We have always tried to "keep everyone in the basket." We support our members while they learn and grow, we mentor them for success, and we rarely give up on them. Even when they really lose it, we graciously find a way to let them keep making their living among us and make whatever changes or amends are needed for us all to work together. We don't all get along. We sometimes go years avoiding each other while we work through our inconvenient differences. And we try not to make them public. I thought with the support of the mediators, the right actions would be found, and I think they would have, but that didn't happen.
So I wrote a blog post in December about my anger, but I took it down as I realized how triggered I was and how being more rational would help avoid blowing things up. My motive was partly selfish...I knew how things were likely to play out for market and I didn't want to fix them this time. I am tired of being the person who always comes up with the strength and vision needed to keep us on track. I used to have more help with it, but people have retired and been pushed out and I felt alone. I resigned as Secretary, an important officer position, so I wouldn't be held responsible for the decisions and actions I could see were fixed in some people's minds already. I didn't make a big statement at the time. Mostly I needed to remove myself from the manipulation that was happening to me, the withholding of information, the misrepresentations, and the many dismissals I was feeling for me personally. I couldn't operate with integrity, and wasn't being treated as a leader for the first time. I had to do a lot of processing just to not hate the org that is my lifeline.
Frankly, I didn't think this time it was fixable, after I witnessed the lying, gaslighting, and misrepresentation involved in the termination and other situations that were happening between staff and members. I knew what I saw, and I know how it works in our organization. The members have the power. When they want something different, they will make that happen.
I have tried to lead from the middle. I will support the status quo, as long as I am not morally compromised, but when I see that the membership has decided, I would never stand in the way and try to defend something not defensible. Right now we are at that point, where the Board did something not defensible, prodded by the inexpert leadership, and they don't seem to see the big picture.
We are headed into an economic collapse, recession, and today the tariffs take effect while our safety net is being shredded. To think that our little happy event every week will not be affected is crazy. All of our costs will be going up. We have many, many members who were already struggling to maintain their lives, buy gas, supplies, pay rent, all of those things. Market is their lifeline. Some of us can manage the increased costs, but many will not be able to. They will have to quit, move, cut spending, not volunteer, or manage their mental health rather than make money in a craft or food business like the ones we have. We are not essential as far as consuming goes. What makes us that is our social capital.
We may get a flood of new members, who will all need all kinds of support while they learn how to succeed in our world, which is not easy. Customers could disappear. Veterans, retired people, students, so many of our regular customers might have to pull back and won't have disposable income. More people will need us, but it won't just make more money for us. It will increase all of our costs.
One thing that we take for granted is the goodwill that we have earned over the 55 years of trying to do our best. We have been honored as an org that cares about our community, has the best values, is working for a better world, and can be counted on. When this public finds out that the pizza booth is gone, they will ask questions. What will the answers be? Did she commit a crime? Were there health department violations that were dangerous? She did not even violate policies. She was targeted and harassed for two years instead of getting the mentoring she deserved as a new food booth. She showed great courage as she took the stand that she had free will, free speech, and the right to resist control and domination tactics. She did not do anything that would be considered a crime, and there really were not any serious issues. I have seen the "evidence."
Many of us saw this happening and were quiet about it, not knowing if we had all the facts. Even the Board who made the decision never met with her, never heard her side of any of it. Some did not even know her, at all, but just believed what they were told by a manipulative and deceptive power structure.
Now we have the facts, and the Board was wrong. They have so far refused to reverse the decision, as the GM has threatened and manipulated them. They are fearful and confused, but they are acting as their own worst enemy.
I've worked with probably 20 managers over the years, and been involved in at least four times when we had to fire or accept the resignation of ones who just couldn't do the job. There were lots of reasons, but some of them were social. Playing favorites, lying to the Board, being less than transparent and wielding power inappropriately were some of them. When they lost the members' trust, it was over for them. We are there.
This will be public, and if we lose the trust of the community, we can fail. We could lose our market, and this isn't hyperbole. We've watched the erosion of values and trust at OCF, and although you may not see it from the outside, there has been enormous cost. Many professional and valuable volunteers have stepped away, permanently. This is happening to Market.
I gave and gave. I never charged full value for my services, which were varied. I promoted the market always, went on TV, worked on the archives, applied for and got grants, assisted staff in so many ways, but I am not doing those things now. I know of others doing the same reversal. I am honest, so I would not consider working the honor system by not paying my full fees, but not everyone has that red line. People who are struggling to survive might not pay that full percentage, especially if their income goes down and they can't buy food and gas after putting in a full day's work. We have our ways of "quiet quitting" and we make moral choices without telling anyone. We may just pay the minimum when previously we included contributions or supported the Kareng Fund. We may only come once a month to save on gas, childcare, and other costs.
No one is required to support the market. They do it because they believe in us. They trust us. When that is gone, it may never come back. When this makes it to the general knowledge of the community, it could hurt us in ways we won't even realize. Throwing more of the members money at promotions, staff salaries, or feel good social media posts will just ring even more hollow.
I'm not going to protect the Market like I used to. The people who did this have to reach within and think again at all that they are responsible for. They did this wrong, it was a mistake, and it is time to make it right.
Reinstate Sarah Marie Jones, and stop all punitive actions directed at all members. Put any drive for strict compliance on hold as we hang on and try to navigate a changed world. We need each other. Take another look at things like "consequences" and start treating the members like the independent, capable business owners we are. We have to work together, or we will sink.
