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Eduardo Vera's false claims about Friends of KOOP
by Michael Bluejay

Accusing Friends of KOOP of being anonymous

At the 8/10/98 Board of Trustees meeting, Friends of KOOP member Vickie Benitez invited the board to a mediation with Friends of KOOP. Eduardo Vera, chair of the Community Board, tried to change the topic and said that Friends of KOOP is a "nebulous" group, and its members and agenda are unknown.

This is absolutely absurd. The letter we sent out to KOOP's entire membership was clearly signed by a long list of supporters. As for letting the public know who we are, how much more open can you get than that? As for our agenda, we clearly stated that in our letter as well: to hold a general membership meeting for the purpose of recalling the board of trustees and community board. Then, of course, there's this whole website, which explains our feelings in exhaustive detail.

Another curious fact is that Eduardo used the term "nebulous" to describe us, since some months ago he said that Friends of KOOP member Ricardo Guerrero was offensive for using that same term when Ricardo asked what "nebulous" community the board and their supporters are supposedly serving. (Read about that here.)

Accusing Friends of KOOP of trying to change the Mission Statement

On several occasions, board members and their supporters (Eduardo Vera & Paul Odekirk) have falsely claimed that Friends of KOOP is trying to change KOOP's Mission Statement. (For example, Eduardo made this charge at that same 8/10/98 Board meeting mentioned above. So first he complained that our agenda was unknown, then he claimed an agenda for us that doesn't exist.) I replied to Eduardo at the meeting that Friends of KOOP has never considered changing the Mission Statement. John Hitzfelder then handed Eduardo a copy of the interim bylaws I had proposed, which clearly showed the Mission Statement intact. Eduardo didn't comment. I thought maybe we had finally gotten through to Eduardo, but then on his 8/12 radio program, Eduardo again claimed that we're trying to change the Mission Statement. We don't know whether Eduardo has such a poor grasp of reality that he actually BELIEVES we're trying to change the Mission Statement, or whether he knows that we're not and is just intentionally lying about us in order to try to turn the public against us. Whichever it is, it's certainly disappointing. (Note: Since the above was written, Eduardo wrote to the Chronicle acknowledging that we've said we have no intention of changing the Mission Statement, but that they believe this to be outright deception on our part. Go figure.)

Saying that Friends of KOOP are racists, sexists, and homophobes

On several occasions, board members and their supporters (Eduardo Vera & Paul Odekirk) have charged that Friends of KOOP is comprised of racists, sexists, and homophobes (including on that 8/12 radio program mentioned above). Naturally, we categorically deny this assertion. We fully support a diverse radio station, and anyone who has followed the history of this struggle knows that to be true. We're Friends of Diversity as much as we're Friends of KOOP. The board and their few supporters typically don't provide any specific examples of these charges (only broad generalizations), so there's nothing else for us to respond to here.

Claiming that Michael Bluejay doesn't "dare" go to the East side

Many of Eduardo's claims are not just untrue, they're downright bizarre. In a public email exchange in April 1998, Eduardo said that I never dare go to the East side. I refuted this bizarre claim, and then Paul Odekirk suggested I was a racist for doing so. Here are excerpts from that exchange:

Eduardo: If we don't mention the communities under attack by the system of domination they become invisible (like the homeless , the poor, or the east side you never dare go to)

Michael: Well, that's an outright lie. I lived on the East side for years. My best friends live on the East side. One of my bands has played repeatedly on the East side. And another band I'm in is led by a Latino who lives on the East side. I spend a majority of my shopping money on the East side (on dining, bicycle repairs, building materials, stage makeup, etc.). And I'm obviously making an *effort* to do so since I no longer live there. Critical Mass bike rides often go through the East side, and other bike rides I've been on originated there.

Paul: So Michael is saying the old "Some of my best friends are black" line.

Michael: Paul, how else would you have me reply to the charge that I "never dare to go to the East side"? Eduardo said I never dared go there, so I listed several specific examples which prove that he's lying, and the best that you can do is to claim that I'm saying something akin to "Some of my best friends are black"? Perhaps you would elaborate on exactly what you mean by your comment? Also, please explain how else I should refute the charge that I "never dare to go to East Austin" if I'm not allowed to provide specific examples demonstrating that I do?

I still haven't heard from Eduardo. Again, Eduardo, I would like you to explain to me and everyone else on this list why you charged that I "never dare" to go to the East side (especially since you barely know me).

(I asked Eduardo three times to explain why he charged that I "never dare" go to the East side, but he never replied.)

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