Tag Archives: columbus ga

The Short Life and Quiet End of the CV Pride Center

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I really wanted the CV Pride Center to succeed, but I knew that it was burning through money from the moment it opened. I was constantly reminded of this by its operators, every time I vocalized my idea that the center should reach out to CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers.

The building, formerly a storage facility for ad signs, was of poor architecture, had huge glass windows on the front, and had poor insulation. It was never built to hold people, and even renting half of the building and operating the AC/Heat was very expensive.

The center was open for barely a year. I did what I could by voluntarily building a website for it as a personal project.

So I find it a weird sort of justice to know that the former CV Pride LGBT Community Center, which closed in October 2015, is now the Trump/Pence campaign office for Columbus.

But some of the most dedicated volunteers for the center now regret ever having worked for it, or for those who owned it. I don’t regret my work for it, but it should be a warning and reminder to those who want to plan another, better LGBT center here in Columbus, GA.

In the meantime, we have Colgay PRIDE of Columbus Georgia, which is operated by people who are more observant and dedicated to LGBT-inclusive social justice and community organizing. Even without a dedicated building, Colgay Pride is doing the non-partisan activism and outreach to LGBT people and their friends and family which is needed here in #ColumbusGA.

#LGBT

My First #BlackLivesMatter Protest

I can also say that I’ve now participated in a #BlackLivesMatter protest.

It’s one thing to see it on video. It’s another thing to be there in person –

to see Black people from all backgrounds carrying children, wearing dashikis and suspenders, holding up their fists and open palms in fulsome protest under the gray, heavily-cloudy sky;

to see smiling onlookers wave and thumbs-up as you walk the pavement screaming #HandsUpDontShoot up and down the road;

to vocally worry about what’s going to happen to you when you cross the asphalt Rubicon in the face of assembled LEO cars;

to see colleagues of yours arrested by heavily-armored LEOs amidst flashing blue and red lights;

to see the genuine pain and anguish coupled with retellings of Black civilian survival tactics on the streets of Everytown, USA;

to see Euro-Americans walk with us and be in the midst of civil disobedience for Black lives;

to speak with your stutter from the top of your head on the history of the country and what is at stake –

all under the shadow and binoculars and unmarked vehicles of the militarized police force of Columbus, GA.

Get as much video and photo as possible.

Columbus, GA is a Small Pond

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After talking with Nikki yesterday, I’ve decided to go wherever a job offer takes me. I like Columbus, Lucas, and I know that this is a place for pioneers in the tech/media/design fields, but I don’t have the capital to be a pioneer here. I just got an exemption from paying the healthcare insurance fine, since I don’t have a job but did tell the HC.gov agent of my Stafford loan payments over the last year.

I also just rejected a pyramid scheme which almost drew me and my mother in: 5linx.com. After two meetings at my mother’s church friend’s house with a 5linx IMR (independent marketing representative), it sounded too good to be true. Too much like Amway. Too much like Scientology. No matter how much the guy claimed that “we are NOT a Ponzi scheme. All businesses are structured in pyramids (shows slide of pyramid graphic with tiers of position levels), but we are NOT like other companies which focus on recruitment. We focus on selling products. But you get points for the number of recruits you bring in, even getting to levels like Silver Senior Vice President and Diamond Senior Vice President if you get enough points”.

While in that meeting, I read the RipoffReport and PissedConsumer.com reports on 5linx on my phone. Figured, “Yep, this is bullshit.” Saw our way out by saying that I needed to meet Bill Harlan over the UUFC site. Walked out, then told Mom, “NO”. I can’t live with this.

I am disgusted with myself. Between this and what’s going on with one of my clients, I need to leave the area.

Civic Hacking

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The National Day of Civic Hacking – Columbus Ga Hackathon was very engaging.

I haven’t been around that many fellow techies since the last time I went to Linux group meets in Warner Robins (which is how I met Jeff Hatfield, Reginal Cross and others). Reminds me that I still need to learn Python. And I met many folks at the Hackathon, including Gil Strickland, Frank Braski, Wayne Summers, Patrick Smith, Brian Bolton, Geoffrey Gwdub Shoultz, Lucas Shaffer, Bryce Jackson, Fred Johnson, Savannah Sosa and Walker Randolph Smith.

Congrats to Patrick, Brian and Geoffrey for winning the competition, and I was really impressed by their app! It would definitely help with political literacy in Columbus.

I, however, came into the competition just out of curiosity, but I came out with a presentation which called for an overhaul of the city’s web infrastructure to an FOSS platform in order to facilitate transparency for residents. I was surprised that my presentation was so well-received. And after that, I went with Lucas and the winners of the competition to The Cannon Brew Pub.

Thank you, Lucas, for covering us. Anyway, an eventful two days to mark the beginning of summer 2014.