“It’s hard to speak for a neighborhood if you don't look like the neighborhood, if you can't embody or give voice to the neighborhood's lived experiences...They've co-opted the neighborhood's power, without actually giving the neighborhood a forum.” 1/ https://twitter.com/cambridgechron/status/1329091190453661697?s=20

An update: After hurling queerphobic, and sexualized attacks at me in response to an Op-Ed I'd written regarding neighborhood housing policy, Chris Matthews has resigned from the board of the East Cambridge Planning Team (ECPT), my neighborhood's resident association. #CambMA 2/

The leadership of the ECPT has since gone into a bunker, taking down their Google Group and Facebook pages and forbidding discussion of the incident at a public meeting. No one reached out to me in any way...until this article mentioning council action posted last night 3/

As the article indicates, two City Councillors, @Marc_C_McGovern and @Ammallon, have taken this incident very seriously and are co-sponsoring a policy order condemning homophobia in Cambridge and suggesting a path to ensure something like this can't happen again 4/

Neighborhood groups should be open to the neighborhood, and while this was the first time the ECPT had crossed into overt homophobia, it's been common for ECPT leaders to fire personal attacks at those they find inconvenient to their preferred political outcomes. 5/

Since I got involved 18 months ago (my first foray into local politics!), I was immediately smeared as a paid shill, a developer lackey, and a troll in response to well researched and factual posts about an important but controversial development the ECPT was trying to block. 6/

ECPT Board Member Chris Matthews and Vice President Ilan Levy led the attacks. Matthews quickly Googled me, discovered that I'd been in the Army or that I'd been shot overseas, and tried to paint me as a gun nut (For the record: I'm not. I've never owned a gun in my life) 7/

Matthews posted taunting messages to the ECPT listserve and sent me direct emails about guns that were, frankly, random and incomprehensible. I was never sure if he assumed that all vets are gun bros or if he was taunting me for having been shot overseas.

Either way, f'd up 8/

Ilan would angrily accuse me of being on the developer's payroll. It was common for him to assume bad faith or worse of anyone who disagreed with him.

Ilan once joked openly about murdering city officials who disagreed with him about tree policies. 9/

Ilan's violent "jokes" caused at least one long time ECPT member to dissociate from the group.

Many neighbors have said that they want nothing to do with the ECPT because of how hostile they are to new residents and anyone with different opinions. 10/

When I got involved, I stuck with it despite a barrage of abuse because I thought it was important to get accurate information to my neighbors, and also because I thought I could take the heat.

It *sucked*, but I wanted to do my bit to help 11/

Last summer, ECPT President Chuck Hinds would occasionally step in and call off personal attacks made against me when things got too heated online. I offered to help him write a listserv moderation policy and he told me that THE ECPT BOARD AND OFFICERS WOULDN'T ALLOW ONE. 12/

Keep in mind that Board Members and ECPT officers (not Chuck) were, by far, the most vitriolic posters to the listserv. Any moderation policy would have affected them most of all, so it's not shocking they blocked one, however disappointing. 13/

That said, the entire ECPT leadership chose to run the organization as a safe space for toxic attacks on other residents. 14/

Being in charge means being responsible. I don't hold anyone but Chris Matthews responsible for his homophobic, sexualized, harassing attacks.

But I hold the entire ECPT leadership responsible for overseeing and cultivating a toxic culture where Matthews could do what he did 15/

In the article, ECPT Vice President Ilan Levy wonders why more people don't get involved in the ECPT.

Toxicity. It's the toxicity. 100%

If you don't fit in, you're run out #CambMA

16/ https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/cambridge-chronicle-tab/2020/11/17/ecpt-members-speak-against-hostile-culture-after-board-member-resigns/6309006002/

The article correctly notes that the ECPT leadership is composed of older white homeowners. Almost all of their active membership is too.

You can't be what you can't see, and a neighborhood association that doesn't look like the neighborhood can't speak for the neighborhood 17/

Ilan says in the article, "The ECPT represents those from the neighborhood who choose to participate. There are no barriers to entry..."

Well, those who choose to participate are mostly the people who aren't targeted for harassment or don't mind hanging out with harassers 18/

Matthews resigning was a good first step. The ECPT leadership should now:

1) Apologize to the neighborhood for its role in creating a toxic environment in which Matthews and others were free to bully neighbors while purporting to speak for the neighborhood. 19/

2) Any ECPT leader who believes they've personally contributed to the culture of bullying should resign

3) Remaining leaders should work with the city and neighbors to write a meaningful inclusion policy that includes diversity goals along with listserv moderation policies 20/

Following that, we as a city need to learn to see neighborhood associations for what they actually are - small, often homogenous, groups of residents entitled to their opinions - and not for what they claim to be - groups entitled to speak for their diverse neighborhoods 21/

I am grateful to @Ammallon and @Marc_C_McGovern for their support and their calls for tolerance during this incident, as well as other councillors who have reached out privately.

I look forward to whatever discussion comes on Monday. 22/

One should not have to put the immutable essence of one’s being up for public scrutiny and ridicule as the cost to participate in a public debate.

I hope that this never happens again to anyone in this city and that we learn from this and take steps to prevent it. /fin #CambMA