Motion to Suspend LSB Member Paul DeRienzo for Severe, Persistent Disruption of LSB Meetings and Extreme, Abusive Attacks Against Other LSB Members

[The following motion by LSB member Lisa Davis was adopted by the WBAI Local Station Board at its March 9, 2005 meeting by a vote of 12 to 7.]

Whereas, Robert's Rules of Order, which the Pacifica Bylaws require this board to follow, prohibits board members from engaging in personal attacks on other members during meetings, and further states (10th edition, p. 624, line 7) that "an organization or assembly has the ultimate right to make and enforce its own rules, and to require that its members refrain from conduct injurious to the organization or its purposes. No one should be allowed to remain a member if his retention will do that kind of harm," and further states that allowable penalties for serious disciplinary breaches include mandatory apology, suspension, and expulsion; and

Whereas board members are required to conduct themselves in a manner that maintains order and allows business to be conducted at meetings; and

Whereas consistently disruptive and abusive conduct would not be tolerated in meetings of other non-profit organization boards, unions, community boards, or city councils; and

Whereas LSB member Paul DeRienzo has consistently engaged in conduct over the course of several LSB meetings that has been disruptive, abusive, threatening, and obscene, including repeatedly hurling vicious epithets at the chair and other board members, specifically:

* At the January 5, 2005 public LSB meeting, held at New York Community Church, Mr. DeRienzo repeatedly spoke out of turn with verbal abuse, including launching a five-minute stream of invective at other board members, sometimes getting out of his seat and thrusting himself to within inches of the faces of other board members, and shouting such things as the Nazi salute, "Sieg Heil!", "You are a Fascist!" "Nazi! When are you going to open BAI's ovens?" "Nazi scum! Adolph Vajra!," "Burn the Reichstag!" and "Open the camps and gulags!" and refused to respond to any efforts to call him to order; and

* At the January 25, 2005 public LSB meeting, held at the Harlem State Office Building, Mr. DeRienzo taunted African American board member Father Lawrence Lucas, calling him a "lame ass" and a "loser"; and

* At the February 16, 2005 public LSB meeting, held at the AFSCME District Council 1707 offices, Mr. DeRienzo passed all bounds of egregious and abusive conduct by loudly shouting five times at the chair the profanity "F--K YOU!", making such red-baiting attacks as "Stalin curse!" and "Phony sell-out communists!" and continually engaging (when not recognized to speak) in loud, baiting, taunting and insulting attacks on African American male board members, such as demanding of attorney Michael Tarif Warren: "Did you pass the bar in New York state"?; and of Omowale Clay: "Did you demonstrate against 'The Color Purple'?"; and making derisive comments to Father Lawrence Lucas about his role as a prison chaplain; and

Whereas Mr. DeRienzo was repeatedly called out of order by the Chair for these and other violations of the rules, and refused all reasonable efforts by the Chair to persuade him to follow the basic norms of mutual respect necessary on any board, again as evidenced by his behavior today; and

Whereas hate language is universally condemned because it can be a predecessor to and create the climate for violent action; and

Whereas no one in a progressive organization should enable or tolerate such conduct; and

Whereas it is vital that the LSB protect the rights of its members not to be the targets of racist, sexist, anti-semitic, and other hateful and abusive conduct by LSB members and that the LSB insure its ability to conduct its business without persistent disruption from its own members;

Therefore be it resolved that LSB member Paul DeRienzo be suspended from membership on the WBAI Local Station Board for a period of six months, effective immediately upon adoption of this motion; and

Be it further resolved that before Paul DeRienzo is allowed to return to the LSB, he must apologize in writing to the LSB for his racist, sexist, anti-semitic and personal attacks, and pledge to conduct himself in an orderly manner in future meetings; and

Be it further resolved, that the Secretary shall forthwith publish the text of this motion and the results of the vote on the LSB section of the WBAI website and arrange for printed copies to be made available at the station and at future LSB meetings for the duration of the suspension.

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Roll Call vote on Suspending DeRienzo for six months

Birden - No
Borenstein - Yes
Brown - No
Clay - Yes
Cohen - No
Davis - Yes
DeRienzo - No
Flounders - Yes
Gaston - Yes
Griffin - Yes
Heffley - No
Laforest - Yes
Lederer - Yes
Lucas - Yes
Martin - No
Rhodes - Abstain
Roberts - Yes
Surovell - No
Tobias - Yes
Warren - Yes

Vote: 12 - 7 - 1 Passes