Re: [P2P-F] local community development in Egypt
I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list. Kevin On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :) Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
Begin forwarded message:
From: Keith Taylor <[email protected]> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST To: Omar El Bassiouny <[email protected]> Cc: Tahreer Araj <[email protected]> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
Omar, AMAZING idea! Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed (cooperatives!). We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture resources for individualistic purposes through the government. I think to keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!). I am excited about this, Omar! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
People’s Committees
Introduction:
Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases kill the local residents.
The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in shaping their future.
Objectives:
Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to empower citizens and encourage activism. Create a local forum for discussion and awareness Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time. I look forward to it, Omar "Revolution" Bassiouny
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Hey guys,
I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
Best, Omar
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
Kevin, It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils. This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions. Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021 On Feb 20, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:
I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list. Kevin
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :) Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
Begin forwarded message:
From: Keith Taylor <[email protected]> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST To: Omar El Bassiouny <[email protected]> Cc: Tahreer Araj <[email protected]> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
Omar, AMAZING idea! Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed (cooperatives!). We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture resources for individualistic purposes through the government. I think to keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!). I am excited about this, Omar! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
People’s Committees
Introduction:
Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases kill the local residents.
The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in shaping their future.
Objectives:
Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to empower citizens and encourage activism. Create a local forum for discussion and awareness Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time. I look forward to it, Omar "Revolution" Bassiouny
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Hey guys,
I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
Best, Omar
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.
This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.
It's a bit like what happened in Argentina a few years ago. Kevin -- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
I think so! But this time the protestors are heartened by the Tunisia example. Which is to say: don't EVER give up until ever last demand is met. It's not that the Argentines gave up, but they had a government solidly in place that still demanded acquiessence... in Egypt, the people are firm in their commitment of a government literally for the people. My greatest hope is a weak central government that encourages alternative economic and governance systems at the local level. I think that is quite possible depending on the long term tenacity of these amazing revolutionaries. One other comment... I am extremely inspired to see that the folks in Wisconsin are identifying their struggle with Egypt and Tunisia. Perhaps this is the beginning of the global movement we have been waiting for? Instead of being exported from the West in an elitist manner, this is authentically a populist movement incorporating diverse views (and being exported for the so-called "near-East"). When Westerners can start identifying with peoples of all of the other cardinal-regions (the Global South, the Middle East), then I think true solidarity has begun to form. Just my two cents! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021 On Feb 20, 2011, at 1:02 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:
On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.
This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.
It's a bit like what happened in Argentina a few years ago. Kevin
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
Thanks for pointing Omar to the resource-base, and of course, it's not per se about the resources but the people behind it and who could be put in touch with Omar, Michel (for example, for urban and peri-urban agri-food communities, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Agrifood, complemented with http://delicious.com/mbauwens/P2P-Food and P2P-Agriculture) see: P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 1:58 AM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Kevin,
It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.
This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 20, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:
I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list. Kevin
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :) Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
Begin forwarded message:
From: Keith Taylor <[email protected]> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST To: Omar El Bassiouny <[email protected]> Cc: Tahreer Araj <[email protected]> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
Omar, AMAZING idea! Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed (cooperatives!). We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture resources for individualistic purposes through the government. I think to keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!). I am excited about this, Omar! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
People’s Committees
Introduction:
Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases kill the local residents.
The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in shaping their future.
Objectives:
Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to empower citizens and encourage activism. Create a local forum for discussion and awareness Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time. I look forward to it, Omar
"Revolution"
Bassiouny
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Hey guys,
I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
Best, Omar
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective
http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
_______________________________________________ P2P Foundation - Mailing list http://www.p2pfoundation.net https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
-- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens Commons Strategies Group, http://www.commonsstrategies.org/
Michel, I just emailed with Omar. I asked him if he would be interested in contributing a diary/blog of the efforts in Egypt. Would P2P be interested in letting him post, for an English speaking audience? James, it could then be cross-posted to black crescent (I think Omar doesn't want to affiliate as LL or anarchist, so he would not want to post directly, yknow)? Anyway, here is Omar's last communique from today...
Keith ! Thank you for pointing out those resources.
I started contacting several people and got some positive feedback. I updated the info document a bit, especially the "next steps" section to be able to translate it into concrete action. A friend of mine is an expert in mapping areas and dividing them into sectors, so we might start together on Step 1: defining the area for the pilot committee. Yesterday there was a large meeting for a forum called "Gessoor" (which is Bridges in Arabic). The idea is to get enthusiastic individuals, groups and various initiatives together in one place to connect, interact and learn. I estimate there were more than 200 people there. There was an interesting panel discussion on how to move things forward. I proposed the committees idea and it was well received. Some people came up to me later and told me they were interested. We'll see how it goes ! Omar<<<<<< Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021 On Feb 20, 2011, at 7:59 PM, Michel Bauwens wrote:
Thanks for pointing Omar to the resource-base, and of course, it's not per se about the resources but the people behind it and who could be put in touch with Omar,
Michel
(for example, for urban and peri-urban agri-food communities, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Agrifood, complemented with http://delicious.com/mbauwens/P2P-Food and P2P-Agriculture)
see:
P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 1:58 AM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote: Kevin,
It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.
This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 20, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:
I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list. Kevin
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :) Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
Begin forwarded message:
From: Keith Taylor <[email protected]> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST To: Omar El Bassiouny <[email protected]> Cc: Tahreer Araj <[email protected]> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
Omar, AMAZING idea! Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed (cooperatives!). We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture resources for individualistic purposes through the government. I think to keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!). I am excited about this, Omar! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
People’s Committees
Introduction:
Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases kill the local residents.
The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in shaping their future.
Objectives:
Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to empower citizens and encourage activism. Create a local forum for discussion and awareness Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time. I look forward to it, Omar "Revolution" Bassiouny
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Hey guys,
I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
Best, Omar
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
_______________________________________________ P2P Foundation - Mailing list http://www.p2pfoundation.net https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
-- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
Commons Strategies Group, http://www.commonsstrategies.org/
Dear Keith, yes, it would be great to have our p2p correspondent in Egypt! are you saying the articles would be unsigned or under a pseudo? It's not our normal practice but given special circumstances, that would be fine, how frequent would this be? I think what would be most interesting would be to refract the debates taking place in Egypt, Michel On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 12:39 AM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]>wrote:
Michel,
I just emailed with Omar. I asked him if he would be interested in contributing a diary/blog of the efforts in Egypt. Would P2P be interested in letting him post, for an English speaking audience?
James, it could then be cross-posted to black crescent (I think Omar doesn't want to affiliate as LL or anarchist, so he would not want to post directly, yknow)?
Anyway, here is Omar's last communique from today...
*>>>>Keith ! Thank you for pointing out those resources.* * * *I started contacting several people and got some positive feedback. I updated the info document a bit, especially the "next steps" section to be able to translate it into concrete action. * * * *A friend of mine is an expert in mapping areas and dividing them into sectors, so we might start together on Step 1: defining the area for the pilot committee.* * * *Yesterday there was a large meeting for a forum called "Gessoor" (which is Bridges in Arabic). The idea is to get enthusiastic individuals, groups and various initiatives together in one place to connect, interact and learn. I estimate there were more than 200 people there. There was an interesting panel discussion on how to move things forward.* * * *I proposed the committees idea and it was well received. Some people came up to me later and told me they were interested. We'll see how it goes !
* *Omar<<<<<<*
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 20, 2011, at 7:59 PM, Michel Bauwens wrote:
Thanks for pointing Omar to the resource-base, and of course, it's not per se about the resources but the people behind it and who could be put in touch with Omar,
Michel
(for example, for urban and peri-urban agri-food communities, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Agrifood, complemented with http://delicious.com/mbauwens/P2P-Food and P2P-Agriculture)
see:
P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
On Mon, Feb 21, 2011 at 1:58 AM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]>wrote:
Kevin,
It would be great if folks from P2P want to be in touch with Omar as things develop. What he and others are doing reminds me very much of Hayek's concept of spontaneous action... they want to create ad hoc neighborhood groups that each take on unique characteristics for their neighborhood. From there, they hope to be connected in a loosely confederated system that trickles upward into a larger social order of some kind. As they do so, the hope is the ea. council will learn from the successes and failures of other councils.
This is all very initial, but they are doing it! And they have space to do so! I mean, it MIGHT not happen, but what's most important is that the current military government is on its heels and letting folks attempt innovative governing solutions.
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 20, 2011, at 12:52 PM, Kevin Carson wrote:
I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list. Kevin
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
My friend Omar in Egypt and I are talking about this... who knows where it will go, but I am excited! Omar is a force :) Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
Begin forwarded message:
From: Keith Taylor <[email protected]> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST To: Omar El Bassiouny <[email protected]> Cc: Tahreer Araj <[email protected]> Subject: Re: local community development in Egypt
Omar, AMAZING idea! Personally, I think as much as possible, services should stem from the community level and be collectively owned and democratically governed (cooperatives!). We know that in Egypt, there is a tendency to capture resources for individualistic purposes through the government. I think to keep these services community-oriented is one approach to prevent capture by special interests, and create diverse, democratic institutions throughout Egypt (imagine if democracy was in the workplace AND government?!). I am excited about this, Omar! Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Sounds good. Below is a small intro I quickly put together on the subject:
People’s Committees
Introduction:
Starting Friday night, January 28, Egypt witnessed a systematic withdrawal of any police presence from all streets countrywide. This opened the door for thugs and thieves – often armed – to roam the streets to vandalize and rob stores and office buildings, and to terrorize, harm and in some cases kill the local residents.
The dangerous situation stimulated an immediate reaction from citizens all over the country to take their security in their own hands. Every street organized road blocks, widely known as ‘People’s Committees’ which were guarded overnight by several shifts. Creative systems were developed to enable communication between neighboring road blocks.
In a relatively short time this efficient scheme significantly improved the security situation and lead to the capture of hundreds of thieves which were handed over to the army. A similar scenario, although less organized, was witnessed with respect to garbage collection.
In general, government capabilities are limited and there is a lot of room for civic participation that would enable the achievement of important goals. This Egyptian experience – while somewhat extreme – highlights that citizens can efficiently solve their problems when they take their matters in their own hands without relying too much on the government.
This initiative aims to build on the ‘People’s Committees’ experience and to create a sustainable local organizational scheme to empower citizens in shaping their future.
Objectives:
Create a grassroots organizational structure composed of local units to empower citizens and encourage activism. Create a local forum for discussion and awareness Community problem solving: trash, recycling, parking, utilities, etc.
On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 9:31 PM, Keith Taylor <[email protected]> wrote:
Ill be on Skype at 5pm my time. I look forward to it, Omar
"Revolution"
Bassiouny
Keith Taylor Doctoral Student Human and Community Development University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ph: (217) 689-4021
On Feb 18, 2011, at 1:00 PM, Omar El Bassiouny wrote:
Hey guys,
I have a community development idea that I would like to discuss with you. Let's set up a Skype conference sometime soon. Tonight would be perfect 5-6 pm your time, but I'm also flexible otherwise.
Best, Omar
-- Kevin Carson Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org Mutualist Blog: Free Market Anti-Capitalism http://mutualist.blogspot.com The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low-Overhead Manifesto http://homebrewindustrialrevolution.wordpress.com Organization Theory: A Libertarian Perspective
http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
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participants (3)
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Keith Taylor -
Kevin Carson -
Michel Bauwens