[P2P-F] local community development in Egypt

Sun Feb 20 19:52:04 CET 2011

I'm cc'ing this to the P2P Foundation's list.
Kevin

On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 2:12 PM, Keith Taylor <taylorkeith at gmail.com> 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 <taylorkeith at gmail.com>
> Date: February 18, 2011 2:11:30 PM CST
> To: Omar El Bassiouny <omarelbassiouny at gmail.com>
> Cc: Tahreer Araj <tahreer.uiuc at gmail.com>
> 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 <taylorkeith at gmail.com> 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