The Conversation Starts Here

It is disappointing to report that my calls for the resignation of Jake Distel as the executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network has been met with the tradition response by Distel– ignore, shame and shift blames to everyone else.

But more troubling is that in an email exchange with Board President Maxine Thome, I was made to believe I had done something wrong by publicly calling for Distel’s resignation. In that email, Thome, a person I have a great deal of respect for, made a plea for “respect.” I had to admit a very deep and troubling disappointment in this plea.

Respect is something which requires both sides to engage, dialog and explore solutions together. Sadly, as this blog has hinted at over the years, that has not been the case with LAAN. Instead, any attempt at activism and engagement has been met with silencing, shaming and defensiveness by the agency.

Respect also requires that when an agency has been presented with an in-depth series of complaints, all backed up with evidence, that the agency not promise a nebulous time frame for action. It requires immediate, forceful action. That action may be simple, like saying an executive committee meeting will be scheduled by x date to discuss the group’s next action. People deserve, in a respectful environment, to know how things will proceed, and how to participate.

Respect also dictates that ASOs engage their clients with The Denver Principles. That means the opinions, involvement and engagement of HIV positives is actively sought, encouraged and engaged. I would expand beyond that and note that ASOs have an obligation to hold board meetings which are open to the public, and publicized. The board should also be easily reached via email or phone and that information should be available on the ASOs website.

Respect also dictates openness. That means, in this era of the internet, transparency in the electronic frontier. It is not difficult to place the group’s bylaws, and minutes of meetings, policies and budgets on line. The budgets would be presented in the so-called “check book” style of transparency. Afterall, the money used by the agency is either tax dollar funds, or donations (although a vast majority of LAAN’s money is grant money, with a very small amount being raised in fundraiser). That means its our money. We should be able to see how it is being spent, month to month, and we should be able to point to a place where we know how accountable that spending is. Right now, as I pointed out yesterday, we have spent thousands in prevention efforts and we have failed on that account.

So, if LAAN would like things to be respectful, then LAAN can start the process by engaging in fundamental ways to be respectful themselves.