{"id":1001,"date":"2018-07-30T21:47:46","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T21:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/words.deviating.net\/?p=1001"},"modified":"2022-01-25T02:01:31","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T02:01:31","slug":"what-i-hope-for-the-hope-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/?p=1001","title":{"rendered":"What I hope for the HOPE Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou can\u2019t write endless laws and expect to prevent every crime.\u00a0 All it does is reduce liberty without actually stopping criminals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a free society.\u00a0 Everyday we have opportunities and chances that others can only dream of\u2026 and the price we pay is the occasional tragedy.\u00a0 I and many others accept that price, when the alternative is a nanny state like England or Singapore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonal responsibility and rugged individualism are the pillars of who we are.\u00a0 We cannot expect anyone but ourselves to watch out for us or lord over us.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All of these quotes are more-or-less verbatim, and they come from many conversations I\u2019ve had over the years with fellow hackers, friends, and family.\u00a0 The conversation is sometimes about guns, sometimes about drugs, sometimes about freedom of speech or thought.\u00a0 I\u2019ve probably advanced something of the above thoughts in various contexts as often as I have heard them from others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Hackers on Planet Earth conference, from its very beginning, has been a magical place where the line between organizers and attendees has always been blurry.\u00a0 Sometimes this grey area has stemmed from the way that attendees and bystanders so often pitch in to raise banners, stand up activities, and fix technical glitches.\u00a0 Other times the \u201cleaderless\u201d nature of HOPE has manifested as a blind eye turned to shenanigans and pranks that would bring quick reprimand at other events.\u00a0 I have experienced more interesting conversations and made stronger and longer bonds with others at HOPE than perhaps any other event over the years, all-told.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This recent weekend in New York City, however, we all experienced the downside of what can happen at a semi-anarchistic event where almost anything goes and where it often feels that there\u2019s no one at the wheel.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I expect that almost all of you have by now read the assorted coverage of how the HOPE conference was descended upon by a small but willful cadre of instigators \/ alt-right \/ fascist boys whose mission was to infiltrate the event and cause disruption by harassing attendees and attempting to intimidate and stalk some of the speakers.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t seen the details there, Unicorn Riot were among the first to report directly from the scene<\/a> of the event. \u00a0 That piece is mostly accurate, and additional coverage from Motherboard<\/a> took a more measured tone but conveyed no less concern over the failings of the organizers, the staff, and the community as a whole at HOPE. There was also a later article<\/a> up on The Parallax by Seth Rosenblatt.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can take time to read the news if you haven\u2019t yet already.\u00a0 (Or, if you\u2019re a patron of the terrific Violet Blue you can check a recent Patreon entry in her Cybersecurity News feature<\/a> for the bullet.)\u00a0 But what I\u2019m writing here will not be about the incidents of disruption at HOPE this year as much as it will be about what I would have hoped to have seen in response.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Love all, Hack all<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The HOPE conference has adopted a Code of Conduct that, while not the most comprehensive and explicit that I\u2019ve ever seen, is remarkably in-line with their community values and conveys both support for the airing of diverse opinions while also expressing (with near-ironclad language) what is ostensibly a strong commitment to preserving diverse voices and guarding the dignity and safety of individuals in attendance\u2026 especially people who may be marginalized or more easily preyed upon or pushed out of mainstream positions of acceptance.<\/p>\n

The HOPE CoC urges everyone to \u201cstep beyond prejudices, societal norms, and other perspectives that lead to disrespect for people and groups\u201d and expresses explicit support for people of all ethnicities, gender identities, etc.\u00a0 The CoC states that HOPE does not want \u201cany [attendee] to feel marginalized or intimidated\u201d and calls out a number of specific behaviors that will be considered a violation of the event\u2019s rules, including \u201cstalking, following, harassing photography or recording, disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, or unwelcome sexual attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

It may be difficult for some to look at a document such as this and square it with the fact that a posse of MAGA-hat-wearing alt-right shitbags could have wandered around the Hotel Pennsylvania with what appeared to be total impunity, at liberty to harass or intimidate conference-goers.\u00a0 But a closer look at the history of HOPE and the east coast hacker scene (particularly in New York) can shed light on this topic, I believe.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Power Was Inside You All Along<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

To truly know and understand the east coast hacking scene, it is possible that you need to have experienced hacker events in New York, Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh in earlier years.\u00a0 Better still would be a history of attending the parties or crashing at the spaces and homes of various hacker collectives in the mid-Atlantic region.\u00a0 I can recall gatherings on the rooftop of the Hacker Halfway House in Brooklyn or PumpCon or even down in DC\u2026 occasions when most of the best things happened without explicit authorization because folk simply seized the moment and made coolness happen.\u00a0 Whether by slipping a maintenance man at a hotel $20 on the side in order to unofficially have a meeting room or by \u201chappening upon\u201d a source of electricity nearby a pool to set up a DJ\u2019s table\u2026 many of us were simply accustomed to asking forgiveness instead of permission.<\/p>\n

A lot of this mentality still percolates through the hacker scene in NYC.\u00a0 A classic example of this at HOPE could be seen with regard to the \u201csignage on the floor\u201d near the info booth.\u00a0 For those unaware, there were some raised eyebrows early-on in the conference regarding a message that was written on the floor using masking tape<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While it encouraged attendees to read published information before asking questions with obvious answers, the brusque delivery of such a message had some folk taken aback.\u00a0 And one can admit, while the sentiment is something with which most hackers would agree (learning on your own is better than immediately asking for help before you\u2019ve even tried) the manner in which this was being expressed was somewhat uncharitable.<\/p>\n

When this was pointed out to the con, their response was a distinct non-response.\u00a0 What unfolded was very characteristic of HOPE\u2026 they didn\u2019t immediately move to address the concern, but at the same time they didn\u2019t stand in the way of others who eventually chose to edit the sign themselves<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 When @ystvns & @dbateyko knelt down and rearranged the tape letters to spell out something different and more constructive, they weren\u2019t stopped by security or reprimanded by event staff.\u00a0 Quite the contrary, the official HOPE twitter account sung the praises<\/a> of folk who took it upon themselves to remake their environment in a way that better suited them and their needs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is part of what makes HOPE special.\u00a0 They show true support for the hacker ethos of \u201cif this thing isn\u2019t working for me they way I want, I should find out how to change this thing!\u201d\u00a0 And that\u2019s great\u2026 with regard to modifying technical systems, options for cheap food, or how to play your music at a party.\u00a0 Where this kind of thinking no longer really works at large events has to do with security of the group.\u00a0 For context, there are many hackers (particularly at HOPE) with deep roots in both the punk and Burning Man communities\u2026 such folk are familiar with places where groups self-police from top-to-bottom.<\/p>\n

The punk shows of my native Philadelphia in the 80s and 90s serve as an example here. \u00a0I can recall being in the basement of the Unitarian Church or the TLA on South Street\u2026 when white pride skinheads would show up and try to crash the concert, seldom did the crowd wait for event security to deal with them.\u00a0 Fists and elbows were thrown in the circle pit until the fascists understood that they weren\u2019t welcome and had to get the hell out.\u00a0 Scans of some very old photos of mine illustrate this point\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
\na lead singer admonishes fascists and encourages the crowd to stand up and protect one another.<\/h6>\n

 <\/td>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
\ncircle pit immediately in the aftermath of a fight.\u00a0 assholes were forcefully ejected from the venue.<\/h6>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
\ngroup unity and principles of relying on one another to be safe and be strong are reinforced by the band<\/h6>\n

 <\/td>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
\nanother anti-fascist \/ anti-racist band reminds everyone that we have to look out for and protect one another<\/h6>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

But the past is the past.\u00a0 Try that today and what do you think would happen?\u00a0 I guarantee you it would result in two things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Both the racists as well as<\/em> the regular attendees would be ejected and wind up next to one another on the same curb outside<\/li>\n
  2. Instead of just taking a punch and going home, the interlopers would call police who will respond and, quite likely, side with the proud boys<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Burning Man, too, has a strong philosophy of self-reliance and self-policing.\u00a0 Burners in the hacker world might take a similar view of how to handle intruders.\u00a0 They value immediate participation and principles such as civic responsibility and communal effort would likely have some folk thinking that the ideal of \u201cif you see a problem, step up and try to fix the problem!\u201d would apply even to security threats, not just faulty art installations or people who need more water.\u00a0 Indeed, the head of HOPE\u2019s security detail (a venerable member of the Burning Man crowd) expressed such a notion to some of the speakers and attendees who were inquiring why event security wasn\u2019t implementing the Code of Conduct more directly and immediately.\u00a0\u00a0 Here<\/a>, we see Roadie responding to two women who stated that they observed harassment and that reports the community made to staff were not acted upon.\u00a0 When one event speaker, Gus Andrews, acknowledged aloud that, \u201cThere is a need for somebody, hopefully someone with the spoons to handle it, to take point on the Code of Conduct,\u201d Roadie shot back later that day with an exasperated-sounding, \u201cOH MY GAWD! That person should be YOU. Why defer and hope \u2018someone\u2019 will do it? If you have better ideas don’t you think you should share them and help the process get better?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Permit me to assert that, while this is a fine viewpoint to have during the rest of the year, when people are all at their desks and have the time and the spoons to put in such efforts, it is a rather unhelpful comment during the actual event.<\/em>\u00a0 Attendees who came to NYC expected to spend their energy, time, and resources participating<\/em> in the con, not fixing<\/em> the con or protecting others who needed to stay safe.\u00a0 I, frankly, do<\/em> have the energy and willingness to work on this matter (which is why I\u2019m planning to engage with the organizers and staff if they will have my input) but that doesn\u2019t mean I feel great about missing out on more than half of the event because I spent time escorting LGBTQ folk around the con floor or walking speakers to and from their hotel rooms when they were being stalked and harassed.<\/p>\n

    During the event itself, the organizers and the security team could have done much more to become directly involved in the safety of the participants and speakers instead of waiting for the attendees to make the first move and report problems, urge action, etc.\u00a0 The HOPE official twitter account announced on Saturday afternoon<\/a>, \u201cAnyone who’s a nazi, preaching hatred\/racism or harassing someone will be booted from @hopeconf. \u00a0But you have to let our security team know!\u201d \u00a0 Again, this illustrates the wildly differing views that the organizers had compared with the expectations of attendees when it came to security proactively engaging with the alt right crowd who crashed the party.<\/p>\n

    Ask yourself, would you expect this kind of public statement from a major league baseball team if a loud, angry drunk was running amok in the upper deck of their stadium during a game or from a rock concert venue if someone was setting of fireworks in the aisles during songs?\u00a0 Yes, attendees should report problems to event staff\u2026 but the event itself should also have a significant enough presence on site and they should be in direct communication enough with their HQ and Dispatch so that their staff can step in before<\/em> things get bad enough for attendees to have to complain en masse.<\/p>\n

    Which leads directly to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Why Speak Up When There\u2019s No One Listening?<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The other side of the equation of the \u201cattendees need to step up and take responsibility and report problems to the conference so that staff can handle them\u201d argument (which, as mentioned above, isn\u2019t quite the best position to take in the first place) is the (one would think obvious) need for said staff to appear receptive and helpful in the eyes of the attendees.\u00a0 Yet \u2013 as we saw from multiple statements by many of the people at HOPE \u2013 a lot of the blue-shirted staff members at the conference reacted to reports of problems by the alt right trolls either by (a) informing people that they had told the \u201cwrong\u201d staff members and directed them elsewhere or (b) by actively shutting down reports of problems with pushback that ranged from \u201cthat doesn\u2019t fit the definition of harassment\u201d to \u201cdid you do anything to provoke them?\u201d\u00a0 This, in my view, was the biggest issue where HOPE did not meet the expected standard to which the community was rightfully holding them.<\/p>\n

    By now (especially if you\u2019ve read any of the above-linked articles or twitter threads from people who were in attendance) you are aware that many <\/em>individuals described interactions with HOPE staff members that left them shocked over what was seen as gross insensitivity toward victims attempting to report problems or what was interpreted as distinct camaraderie between certain staff members and the very instigators from the alt right who were causing trouble.<\/p>\n

    I\u2019m not here to complain about the fact that HOPE security forced one German kid to return a MAGA hat which he snatched off of the head of one of the alt right trolls.\u00a0 Physical actions, unwanted physical contact, and theft of personal property are all bright-line, clear-cut transgressions of any reasonable Code of Conduct and event rules.\u00a0 I agree that HOPE did the right thing in returning the stolen property.\u00a0 If this makes you stop reading, feel free.\u00a0 Please see the cashier in the ticket booth at the top of this page for a full refund of your internet dollars that you spent to browse my blog.<\/p>\n

    What I and others most certainly are <\/em>pretty justified in being shocked and appalled about, however, is the fact that many reports have surfaced of HOPE staff members speaking with dismissiveness or outright disdain to the attendees\u2026 and HOPE staff members being visibly chummy (or even laughing over drinks off-site) with the individuals who arrived intent on causing problems.\u00a0 That is not OK.<\/p>\n

    Any event of this scale should have staff who are trained in even a cursory<\/em> manner about how to interact with attendees (particularly attendees who appear to be in a crisis situation or who are attempting to solve a problem that\u2019s troubling them) with respect.\u00a0 Staff should be trained how to see things through a lens of professional detachment and how to avoid the perception of taking sides or being biased.<\/p>\n

    I have personally listened to the audio recording made by Unicorn Riot reporters while they attempted to describe problems taking place upstairs to staff, only to be hushed and dismissed\u2026 and part-way through that conversation Koosh arrives, very <\/em>loudly hollers at everyone, and proceeds to assert that any iconography (including Nazi apparel) is fine at HOPE, according to him.\u00a0 This as well as other accounts from different attendees who had similar conversations are going to be hard for HOPE to manage, given this tweet<\/a>… because I do not think that Koosh or other staff members are personally to blame for such interactions.\u00a0 They were under tremendous stress and were not equipped with a playbook and guidance from leadership before this event kicked off.<\/em><\/p>\n

    I personally watched Bernie S \u2013 a staff member who is older, is a cis het white guy, and is over 6\u2019 tall \u2013 aggressively talking down to a near-tears trans woman who was all of 5\u20194\u201d and weighed maybe 115 lbs soaking wet with rocks in her pockets.\u00a0 I kept stepping back since I wasn\u2019t directly in that conversation and I was trying to be polite and maintain a respectful distance, but his increasing volume levels resulted in my repeatedly overhearing what was being said.\u00a0 Bernie is a long-time friend of mine.\u00a0 He is a terrific hacker and event runner.\u00a0 But he should definitely not have been put into a position where he was interacting with victims.<\/p>\n

    Currently I am not aware of any single HOPE staff member (including individuals on the Code of Conduct team) who had any professional training in Incident Management, Crisis Intervention, or Victim Assistance.\u00a0 Diverse groups \u2013 everyone from NOVA<\/a> to the DOJ<\/a> \u2013 has training programs that are available, often online, for this kind of education.<\/p>\n

    While most staff members appeared to simply be un-equipped with the right tools to do emotional triaging and take statements in a neutral and supportive manner\u2026 there were a minority of HOPE staff (particularly on the security team) who appeared to be outright antagonistic to attendees with concerns.\u00a0 I have already mentioned above the widely-disseminated photos of HOPE security staff sharing laughs and beers at Hooters with a group of the disruptors.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter if these people are legitimately your friends in real life\u2026 at the con, when you are event staff, you are obliged to adopt a neutral and unbiased posture if you wish to convey to attendees that you have their safety and well-being at heart.<\/p>\n

    This is to say nothing <\/em>of the ongoing conversation that was taking place all weekend via IRC \/ SMS-IRC<\/a> which was full of HOPE staff members and their associates blatantly speaking ill of the event attendees and speakers.\u00a0 A small sampling of such chatter includes\u2026<\/p>\n

    <recoXXXXXX> Who else is in the room with the traitor giving the talk? \u00a0[the “traitor” being Chelsea Manning\u2026 the invited keynote speaker who reported large men who tried to corner her and who followed her back to her room, only to be told by event security that they would not kick out the individuals who were known to be causing havoc at the conference]<\/em><\/p>\n

    <ch0lXXXXXX> I think I will some wear nationalist t-shirts at defcon this year.<\/p>\n

    <ch0lXXXXXX> I should have kept my swastika tat.<\/p>\n

    <licuXXXXXX> maybe some trump challenge coins would be good for the lulz<\/p>\n

    <lameXXXXXX> Its all the fucking trannies causing shit woth their fucked up hormone levels and frahkle psychiatric state<\/p>\n

    <recoXXXXXX> Please force add (XXX) XXX-9274 chelseas-dick<\/p>\n

    <mathXXXXXX> Wow look at all you mofos not helping clean up hope<\/p>\n

    <recoXXXXXX> Get the coc crew to help<\/p>\n

    <recoXXXXXX> Since it’s their con according to them<\/p>\n

    NOTE – I’m redacting the names here because I cannot personally verify a primary source on that IRC chat log dump.\u00a0 But more than one person who allegedly was participating in (or was force-added to) the chat has acknowledged it took place.\u00a0 I will let internal HOPE investigations make their own determination of veracity there.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Disrespect for speakers, attendees, or fellow staff members makes an event look disorganized and chaotic.\u00a0 Again, to be totally clear\u2026 I think that everybody has the absolute, unquestioned right to hold whatever views and beliefs they wish in their own head and in their own heart.\u00a0 My criticism here is not about that.\u00a0 However, an event most assuredly is not out-of-line if they opt to instruct their staff (especially their security team) that when they are working and representing the conference, they are obliged to maintain a respectful and neutral attitude and decorum.\u00a0 I mean, can\u2019t you keep hatred and bullshit like this in check for just one bloody weekend?<\/em>\u00a0 Anything less than this, the attendee base as a whole begins to question whether the event has everyone\u2019s best interests at heart.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The Right to Be Anonymous<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    HOPE may be one of the last remaining events with what used to be the universal photo policy at all hacker gatherings.\u00a0 Explicitly stated in the program and reinforced verbally by staff if someone is breaking this rule, the HOPE conference values the privacy and anonymity of their attendees to such a degree that the working rule is \u201cdo not take crowd shots, and do not film or photograph individuals if they do not consent to being filmed.\u201d\u00a0 That is solid doctrine, in my view.\u00a0 It\u2019s harder and harder to enforce (both in terms of how covert many cameras are nowadays and also due to changing societal norms surrounding the use of camera phones, social media, etc) but HOPE has held to this policy for ages and I salute them for it.<\/p>\n

    However, on at least one occasion of which I\u2019m directly aware (and I have anecdotal but unconfirmed accounts of others) some of the alt right infiltrators either reported attendees filming them to security (in an attempt to have the regular attendees disciplined \/ thrown out) or they outright threatened other attendees in regard to being filmed.<\/p>\n

    I personally witnessed HOPE conference staff engaging in team debates about how to handle such matters.\u00a0 (Again, the staff members involved can hopefully confirm that I was not trying to eavesdrop and that I repeatedly backed off as I waited to speak with them.\u00a0 It was clear that they were engaged in heavy discussion and it wasn\u2019t my place to be a part of that conversation\u2026 but for as much as I stepped away, voices kept raising and I inadvertently overheard parts of what was being said.)\u00a0 <\/em>I recall one distinct conversation between CoC team mebers as they seemed to agonize over the language of the photo policy when one of the MAGA-hat wearing provocateurs reported another event attendee (a speaker, in fact) for \u201cfilming him without consent.\u201d<\/p>\n

    I stood by, dumbfounded, as they tried to dissect the situation and figure out whether this filming was a violation of HOPE\u2019s event rules (they appeared to decide that it was) and then determine what remediation action was going to be necessary.\u00a0 Again, hindsight is 20\/20 and I\u2019m going to try to word my thoughts in a supportive way that doesn\u2019t come across as Monday-morning quarterbacking\u2026 but any <\/em>event policy that prohibits photos should be naturally understood to not prohibit documentation of specific abuses or problems if the person doing the filming explicitly demonstrates that they are doing so in order to report an issue.<\/p>\n

    Group \/ crowd photos or harassing photos when someone says \u201cdon\u2019t film me\u201d which then get posted to Facebook or Twitter are naturally something that I support HOPE in working to prevent.<\/p>\n

    Covert photos of harassment or fights or other evidence of incidents which someone then privately shares with organizers or with authorities at the hotel in an effort to stop a problem are not at all something that I think should be prohibited.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    You Can\u2019t Define Good Faith\u2026 But You Know It When You See It<\/strong><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    The above-described problem illustrates exactly what was so insidious about the alt right infiltrators and agents provocateur at the HOPE conference this summer.\u00a0 Dedicated and well-prepared trolls have a specific plan for their actions.\u00a0 They know exactly<\/em> where the line is and they take great care to not cross it.\u00a0 Instigators like the MAGA hat crowd whom we saw at HOPE had a playbook and they kept to it like well-rehearsed professionals.\u00a0 They successfully weaponized the conference rules to their own advantage while catching the rest of the attendees with their guard down.<\/p>\n

    And here is where we see just how important it is for event staff to have the freedom to use their best judgement in edge cases.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say you\u2019re walking down 7th<\/sup> Avenue near the Hotel Penn one night and a stranger approaches you.\u00a0 They aren\u2019t doing anything that is outright illegal, but your spider sense tingles.\u00a0 You are pretty sure that they\u2019re up to no good and that you are maybe being set up for a mugging or for a street scam or something else undesirable.\u00a0 Everyone should pretty much understand that you are under no obligation to keep interacting with them and that no one would blame you if you want to get away from them.<\/em>\u00a0 So you cross the street or you quicken your stride\u2026 and perhaps are met with some string of objections from over your shoulder as they protest that they \u201cweren\u2019t doing anything wrong!\u201d and so on and so on.\u00a0 But, let\u2019s be honest, you knew<\/em> that they were up to no good and you took the proper steps to protect yourself.<\/p>\n

    Conference events have this same right.\u00a0 An attendee who is disrupting talk sessions (but not going so far as to make actual threats) or following women down hallways (but never actually getting close enough to touch them) or getting directly in someone\u2019s face (but not actually pushing them) knows exactly what they\u2019re doing.\u00a0 They are playing \u201cwithin the rules\u201d but finding ways to still make others feel threatened, unwelcome, or unable to participate in the conference.<\/p>\n

    This is nothing more than a grown-up version of the immature little kids\u2019 nonsense of \u201cI\u2019m not touching you!\u201d in the backseat of a car.\u00a0 Yes, technically<\/em> the person is \u201cfollowing the rules\u201d but (and here\u2019s the key thing) they\u2019re not acting in good faith<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    In such a hypothetical family road trip scenario, what happens next?\u00a0 Does anyone honestly <\/em>know of such a situation wherein the parent in the front seat would ever adjust their rearview mirror, look at what was happening, and then simply proclaim, \u201cWell, Chris, they\u2019re right\u2026 Sam honestly is not <\/em>touching you! \u00a0So there\u2019s nothing anybody can do about it.\u00a0 Sorry!\u201d<\/p>\n

    Of course<\/em> that\u2019s not what would happen!\u00a0 The parent would whip their head around, scowl at the misbehaving child, and sternly say, \u201cKnock it off, Sam!\u201d\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because the parent can easily see what presumably the HOPE conference leadership was unable to discern for an entire weekend:\u00a0 that it\u2019s possible to \u201cfollow the rules\u201d while acting in bad faith.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Let me be very clear: Bad faith attendees have no place at an event.\u00a0 They are not there to learn.\u00a0 They are not there to participate.\u00a0 They are not there to better the experience of others.\u00a0 While it may be true that such individuals are \u201cfollowing the rules\u201d it is completely<\/em> reasonable for event staff to take a proactive stance and confront them.\u00a0 How would such a possible interaction be handled?\u00a0 Allow me to quote from an actual example script that I offered to someone during the weekend of HOPE.\u00a0 (This tactic was not employed, but it\u2019s an example of exactly what I would have said to these instigators had they been at one of my events.)<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cPardon me.\u00a0 Can we speak with you for a minute?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Troublemaker: \u201cYeah, what’s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cSo, we noticed you wearing a lot of Trump symbolism and being very loud and full of bluster around a number of people here.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Troublemaker: \u201cYeah, I’m very passionate about my political views.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cWell, we’ve been getting some complaints about that, and folk are alleging that you’re intentionally just trying to cause trouble and sow discord.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Troublemaker: \u201cWhat damn snowflakes said that?!\u00a0 I’m not doing that!\u00a0 I’m just here to attend the event.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cOh, ok… So you’re not trying to start fights or anything like that?\u201d<\/p>\n

    Troublemaker: \u201cNo way, man, not at all!\u201d<\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cWow, that’s a relief.\u00a0 You had a lot of people worried and asking for you to be removed.\u00a0 I\u2019m very glad to hear that you\u2019re not here to cause problems or harass anybody.\u00a0 So then let me tell you how this is going to go…\u00a0 There are specific individuals at this event who have been targets of harassment campaigns.\u00a0 They have no desire to speak to you.\u00a0 I’m going to make sure you understand who they are, because you are going to not approach them or speak to them in any way.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Troublemaker: \u201cUhhh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

    Security: \u201cTo be clear, you said you\u2019re here just to enjoy the event and not cause a problem, right?\u00a0 People who do not want to speak to you are not obliged to speak to you. \u00a0And if you keep trying to speak to them, we consider that to be harassing behavior and you will be asked to leave. \u00a0Similarly, if any other attendee at any time decides they don’t want to talk to you and tells you \u2018don’t talk to me\u2019 you are not to speak to them. \u00a0Or else you will be asked to leave.\u00a0 So, if you are truly here with no intention of causing any trouble or getting anyone’s face and pressuring them speak to you when they don’t want to, you\u2019ve got nothing to worry about. \u00a0But if any of these individuals reports to us that you\u2019ve spoken to them or sends us photos of you coming anywhere near them, then we\u2019ll know you can\u2019t follow simple rules.\u00a0 You just told me you weren’t here to cause a problem. If you can follow the rules, I will believe you. \u00a0If you cannot follow these very simple rules, then I will not<\/em> believe you. \u00a0And you will be asked to leave.\u00a0 Now, if you think this is going to be too hard for you, I am happy to go get you a refund right now if you think this event is not for you.\u00a0 So, are you going to show me that you can be a grown-up, not cause trouble, refrain from speaking to people who have said they don’t want to speak to you, and not approach anyone who doesn\u2019t want you around them?\u00a0 The choice is entirely up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    You may criticize me and say that this would be putting the MAGA-hat wearing alt-right group into a \u201cno-win\u201d scenario.\u00a0 To say this is to miss the point entirely.\u00a0 These infiltrators put all of the attendees and the conference as a whole into a no-win scenario.\u00a0 Calling them out on their bullshit and giving them the choice of\u2026<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. behaving as expected (shocking everyone in the process)<\/li>\n
    2. getting the fuck out<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u2026 is the only appropriate course of action, in my view.<\/p>\n

      No amount of \u201cthat\u2019s not fair\u201d being screamed from the backseat of a car should change a parent\u2019s mind when they\u2019re dedicated to disciplining an unruly child.\u00a0 And no amount of butthurt from some proud boys on \/r\/theDonald should make a conference waver in their dedication to ensuring that their event runs smoothly and their attendees feel safe and able to enjoy themselves for the reason that they all came to town.<\/p>\n

      Matthew Garrett put it best on Sunday<\/a> after much of the shenanigans by troublemakers at HOPE. \u201cConferences are under no obligation to represent the community as it is,” he wrote.\u00a0 “Conference organisers get to choose to represent the community they want to see. \u00a0If your conference attendees are repugnant, you bear responsibility for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Specific Suggestions and Actionable Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      This massive brain dump was something that I felt compelled to do, but if we are serious about improving things for the future, perhaps it\u2019d be best if I were to distill my thoughts down to some specific suggestions:<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Security staff are mostly seen controlling the outer perimeter of HOPE. At the base of the escalators or at elevator landing on the 18th<\/sup> floor you can reliably encounter staff shirts and security engaging with folk, checking badges.\u00a0 However, there were many talk tracks where security or even staff presence seemed virtually non-existent, save for an A\/V person or two.\u00a0 Likewise, out on the main con floor on the Mezz level\u2026 security tends to gather at their dispatch desk, but was only infrequently seen walking around and getting a pulse of how the event was flowing.\u00a0 That is a posture for being reactive, not proactive.\u00a0 Please considering bringing on additional staff whose positions would entail being seated in talk tracks up by the stages, looking out at the crowd, and reporting regularly to Dispatch on the state of things in the rooms (not just security things\u2026 but even stuff as mundane as \u201cA\/V badly needs a replacement power strip\u201d or \u201cthe water coolers are all empty in here.\u201d)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

         <\/p>\n

          \n
        1. HOPE should acknowledge (indeed, anyone <\/em>running an event should acknowledge) that organizers and staff have an absolute right to confront someone who is perceived to be a jerk or causing problems. Furthermore, HOPE could acknowledge that they absolutely<\/em> have the power to take proactive steps and head problems off at the pass.\u00a0 I wrote as much<\/a> during the event, suggesting that organizers should step in and give everyone present (regardless of their politics or beliefs) the immediate choice to remove hateful iconography or leave.\u00a0 HOPE did not agree with my assertion, replying to attendees\u2019 concerns<\/a> with the curt (and inaccurate) statement, \u201cWe can’t ban MAGA hats. It’s absurd to think we can.\u201d\u00a0 This twitter thread<\/a> shows much of the debate seen on all sides of the issue.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

           <\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Please do not take criticism of your event as though it is a personal insult leveled at you directly. I genuinely fear that my decades-long friendship with individuals such as BernieS may be irreparably damaged after this past HOPE event.\u00a0 I witnessed Bernie replying to many attendees and speakers with a level of ire and contempt that would normally be reserved for persons who had called someone\u2019s mother unkind names.\u00a0 I witnessed other staff members treat attendee concerns as though they were playground squabbles, offering Judge Judy-esque \u201cdon\u2019t bother me with this nonsense\u201d kind of replies.\u00a0 It felt like some of the senior staff were taking these criticisms of the event personally.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

             <\/p>\n

              \n
            1. I believe many of these problems would be ameliorated if there were individuals on staff who had been afforded the benefit of professional training in crisis management and\/or victim advocacy. While this doesn\u2019t have to be something that every single staff member takes the time to do, department heads at the very least would be well-served by it.\u00a0 And, most of all, at any given time of the day or night there should be at least one<\/em> trained person on shift in the role of the official attendee ombudsman who is there to interface with people who are having major problems, to do emotional triaging, and to advise security or event management on what the next best steps to take would be.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

               <\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Part of such foresight and preparation involves tabletop planning. Think not just about the expected scenarios but about the worst-case scenarios.\u00a0 We have witnessed time and time again how the HOPE security staff excel at being positioned and prepped for exactly the kind of awful, unexpected events that take place occasionally when you combine unathletic hackers, plenty of recreational substances, and a hotel that was seemingly constructed before the notion of OSHA or general principles of safety were ever invented.\u00a0 Indeed, this year when one attendee had an awful accident on a Segway, his life was quite possibly saved thanks to the quick effort (and, equally important, the training<\/em> and planning)<\/em> on the part of HOPE security staff.\u00a0 Tawnie and others worked to maintain an open airway, stop bleeding, and coordinate with emergency responders.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it seems that the CoC crew was put into a very hard position given their newly-created status and what (I\u2019m so sorry to say) appears to have been an over-abundance of optimism.\u00a0 This is clearly seen, I believe, in this tweet exchange<\/a>, wherein a con staff member asserted that part of the difficulty this year stemmed from the fact that the HOPE conference \u201chad no idea that any of this would happen.\u201d\u00a0 I have a hard time wrapping my head around that.\u00a0 HOPE has always been a political event.\u00a0 They have always courted and danced with controversy.\u00a0 And this year, amid what is arguably the most tumultuous political climate that many of us can recall in our lives, they invited one of America\u2019s most controversial figures to be a keynote speaker.\u00a0 Forgive me if this sounds abrupt, but the event simply cannot claim that they had no way of knowing that some people may have had a problem with this.\u00a0 I am trying so very hard to speak in a supportive way about the event staff, especially the Code of Conduct team, given what they were put through.\u00a0 I hope that my feelings for all the staff were conveyed properly when I stepped out briefly and returned with armloads of gifts in the form of chocolates, fruit, crackers, protein bars, hand lotion, lip balm, Aleve, and NERF guns in the hope of helping them manage stress in the face of everything.\u00a0 My support for the staff remains, but I feel that it\u2019s disingenuous for the conference to say \u201chow could we have known?\u201d when all this was said and done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                 <\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. More than anything else, I would like to see the HOPE Conference empower their staff to make their own best judgement calls in situations where the organizers are not present or not reachable or whenever exigent circumstances arise. As I mentioned here<\/a>, I had a remarkable conversation with Doug, one of the HOPE staff members who was running A\/V during talk sessions.\u00a0 He explained that as news started to surface that alt right trolls were attempting to disrupt talks by taking over the Q&A sessions, one of the concerns on the part of some members of the A\/V team who were running sound was that they were \u201cworried it might happen in a talk track where [they] were working.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  I asked what he meant by this.\u00a0 I inquired if he wouldn\u2019t have simply cut such a person\u2019s microphone if they started to spew vitriolic hate speech.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  \u201cBut how could I know if I’m allowed to just cut their mic?\u201d he asked me in reply.\u00a0 \u201cDo I have that kind of authority?\u00a0 Would HOPE come down on me for stifling free speech?\u201d<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  I responded to him simply, \u201cIf not you\u2026 who?\u201d<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  So, yes, it felt to me that there was very little in the way of empowerment from the organizers regarding how to handle these situations.\u00a0 No instructions were given and no preparation of the staff appeared to have taken place in advance of what just about anyone could have predicted was going to be one of the most controversial HOPE events yet.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  I asked Doug, \u201cWhat if someone at the Q&A mic just started using the n-word or shouting ‘Kike!\u00a0 Faggots!\u00a0 Spicks!\u00a0 Fuck you all, goddamn commies!!’ or encouraging people to smash things?”\u00a0 I said, \u201cWould you have put a stop to that?\u201d\u00a0 He said yes, he would have.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  So, hopefully, perhaps we could agree that it was indeed<\/em> his place and within his power to regulate the room when that’s needed.\u00a0 When asked how he could know where the \u201cline\u201d was, I simply said… \u201cYou’re a decent person.\u00a0 Trust your gut and listen to your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  If someone is acting in bad faith and not making an honest attempt at dialog, then they don’t deserve the whole room as their audience.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  I\u2019ll conclude with another hat tip and head nod to the venerable Burning Man element in the hacker community.\u00a0 Without individuals who know how to pull together grand, life-changing things on a shoestring budget and very little sleep, many of the cons we all love to attend would simply not happen.\u00a0 But there will continue to be a tug-of-war between the Burners and the more \u201cmainstream\u201d citizens in hacker land.\u00a0 This manifests at many events.\u00a0 A dear friend and key figure at a number of cons is Scotland Symons\u2026 and she and I have had more than one discussion in the past about another magical and biennial hacker event: ToorCamp.\u00a0 Being a Burning Man veteran, Scotland is always keen to see ToorCamp operate using constrained resources that encourage attendees to do more with less and plan ahead so they can see to their own needs for a week at the very edge of our nation\u2019s boundaries.\u00a0 She and I might debate the merits of trash collection services on the campground, however there\u2019s one element of ToorCamp where self-reliance is never the order of business: attendee safety.<\/p>\n

                  Anyone who attends can reliably expect to be in a safe environment, free from harassment or abuse.\u00a0 That is not up for debate or discussion and efforts to ensure this are never farmed out to anyone except the event staff.\u00a0 And with everyone secure in the knowledge that their basic safety is taken care of, the attendees at ToorCamp are free to cast aside their concerns, their inhibitions, and often their clothes as they teach and learn and talk and create amazing technology and art.<\/p>\n

                  When you agree to stay on someone else\u2019s turf, certain things are \u201camenities\u201d or simply \u201cnice to have\u201d while other core needs are understood to be guaranteed and functional.\u00a0 Let\u2019s say a rock band who had been on hiatus for a long time decided to get back together and travel to a luxury cabin in the mountains for some secluded time that would afford them the opportunity to write new music and lay down new tracks.\u00a0 They\u2019d have little grounds to complain if there was no delivery food service or decent phone reception.\u00a0 But if they found that the power was out or they were asked to fix the plumbing in order to cook or take a shower, then they might start to object pretty loudly.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re paying you<\/em> to be here!\u00a0 How can you not have basic utilities functioning?\u201d they would ask.\u00a0 The cabin management wouldn\u2019t really have reasonable grounds to respond, \u201cWell, think of how empowering it is for you to discover all the ways that you can manage for yourself under these conditions!\u201d\u00a0 While such a test of will and skill may indeed be rewarding to some individuals, that wasn\u2019t the goal of the band\u2019s time away.\u00a0 They wanted to collaborate on art, making new music, and they hadn\u2019t planned on wasting much of their precious time doing maintenance labor.<\/p>\n

                  At HOPE this year, I missed out on many magic moments.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get to attend a number of talks I\u2019d been super excited to see.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get to say hi to many of the friends I encounter so rarely these days.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get nearly enough sleep.\u00a0 This is because I \u2013 and many others with me \u2013 spent so much of my time chasing down problems, intervening in tense situations, escorting speakers to their hotel rooms, and looking after my staff of volunteers.<\/p>\n

                  I very much hope that next time around in 2020, the event staff and security will be positioned for a more proactive approach to potential issues and all of us who attend HOPE will once again get to dedicate all <\/em>of our time to participating in the wonderful magic that exists there without having to look over our shoulders for troublemakers looming in hallways with undeserved confidence they won\u2019t be kicked out the moment they rear their heads.<\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Post Script 1 – For those of you who I’ll be seeing two weeks from now as opposed to two years from now, it looks like DT and his whole crew at DEF CON are totally spun up on this issue<\/a> and ready to confront any alt right interlopers, head-on.<\/em><\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Post Script 2 – I penned a feedback email to the HOPE Conference organizers summarizing some of the thoughts above and offering effort and help for them if they wished to do some things differently or better in the future.\u00a0 It was dispatched to their official feedback address as well as personal addresses of some of the senior conference staff with whom I have regularly corresponded in the past.\u00a0 No response was ever offered in return.<\/em><\/p>\n

                   <\/p>\n

                  Post Script 3 – One of the conference organizers mentioned in this blog post tried to call me.\u00a0 I texted him and he began immediately asking me for a phone call.\u00a0 Since I had reason to believe that the conversation being attempted may not have been in good faith, I explained that I preferred any conversation to remain written, either via SMS or email.\u00a0 My friend from HOPE continued to pressure for a voice call, in defiance of my clearly-expressed boundaries.\u00a0 The conversation wound up not taking place.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  \u201cYou can\u2019t write endless laws and expect to prevent every crime.\u00a0 All it does is reduce liberty without actually stopping criminals.\u201d \u201cWe live in a free society.\u00a0 Everyday we have opportunities and chances that others can only dream of\u2026 and the price we pay is the occasional tragedy.\u00a0 I and many others accept that price, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1001"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1243,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1001\/revisions\/1243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/words.deviating.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}