Look what the mailman brought
You think you've got spam problems...
Six weeks ago, I wanted to switch to a larger email box, so I had to unsubscribe from a listserv I'd been on for almost five years. Today, I discovered 60 new messages in my old email account - mostly spam. I've ever had this problem before, just a few targeted spam on days when harassment's been heating up.
Death threats, or...?
Among the 60 messages, I found this one, presumably from Mark Beaupre, whom I've worked with at a large Toronto venue. He was one of my first clues to undercover surveillance at this particular workplace; I have notes about our interactions.
That's not my email addy, yet I feel this message was for my benefit - and not a 'group message.' It was marked, '[no subject];' I edited out Mark's email address.
I've been claiming threats to both my and others' safety recently, and discover the message above, from someone whom I suspect of being a government 'plant'. Strange. This is just one of many slightly sinister emails I've received at odd times.
Two days before Mark's email was sent, I happened to sign up for shifts at this workplace for the first time in months. (More about Mark below.)
Random spam attack?
It could be coincidence that Mark’s message was in amidst this sudden spam attack, at a time when I'm feeling very threatened. The problem with email manipulation is everything is easily dismissed as a fluke. So let's break this down.
1. This was my primary email box for five years. I've been a rabble-rouser on this list, so unsubscribing could be a 'good riddance' gesture from my detractors. Yet I think not.
2. Internet harassment I experience requires a high level of computer knowledge and skills - plus, extensive knowledge about me, my activities, interests, personal life, and so on.
3. There are close parallels between my email spam and crank calls I get, for example:
- Email: 16 of the 60 messages in this recent blitz are from ‘Sustainable Africa Newsletter.' I don't know how I got on their list, but I had long questioned whether this may be another NGO fronting for undercover government activities.
- Phone: Once received a 3-minute rap song about ni*gers from a person of African-Caribbean background.
- Email: I was also signed onto Al Awda, a Canadian-Palestinian newsletter, without my permission, and have received messages at odd times.
(Note: It's possible someone signed me up for both newsletters. But it doesn't explain the frequency, timing, volume, and even topics (will explain later).)
- Phone: I get many strange calls from South Asian people. (Take a listen.)
4. Listserv I signed off my email from had received rebellious posts, at one time. Seemed like anonymous people of African-Caribbean background were making a political statement about lack of inclusion by sending notices of reggae events, as being a form of socio-environmental activism. Yet some of these posts felt more like snipes, and tensions brewed.
- With so much internet hacking and targeted spam, it dawned on me that these messages - both phone and email - could be arranged by conservative entities to stir things up. I posted an email about this in 2002.
5. Very specific spam: these aren't just ads for sexual enhancement, it’s a whole cross-section of stuff that relates to the list or to me, personally.
More About Mark
What got me about Mark is how much I initially believed he was a compadre. I've warned people before about how convincing government 'moles' can be. Mark was part of this learning curve.
During a political dinner we both served at, he griped about the damage being done to the province's well-being, citing education cuts, and underfunding in the arts. He also seemed to understand about learning disabilities and depression. Like a real humanistic, progressive type, Mark said all the right things.
At the end of that dinner, he urgently handed me one of the table ornaments as a sort of patriotic gesture: it's a stand holding both the Canadian and Ontario flags. I still have it.
After I realized Mark is probably a 'plant,' every time I saw him, he'd stutter in a mocking fashion, or do weird nervous gestures. His contemptuous attitude was like, Gotcha!
Struck Dumb
Mark is but a small part of my experiences at this workplace. I've had a few harsh moments, but one incident was particularly threatening.
While being briefed for an event, I was standing at the back. Two new women, whom I'd never seen or met before, both turned suddenly, and looked right at me with sheer dislike. If looks could kill, these two would've been commandos.
An hour later, I was in a pantry room, getting ice. Three others with me, but I didn't pay much attention. They were: killer-gaze woman, another guy whom I suspect of being a 'plant,' and another person, who comes up a lot in my work interactions. While scooping ice from a machine, this woman unlatched the steel door and let it drop on my head. Ouch!
She never apologized. When I rubbed my head in obvious pain, she asked coldly, 'Are you okay?'
This happened at a time when I had specifically told my therapists I was being threatened. Several other incidents happened during this same week.
Also, I was hit on the head the night of my uncle's funeral, while sobbing into a payphone. Again, no apologies. See November 2003.)
What makes me think this was a deliberate set-up? How is all this possible?
People will call me paranoid, yet I feel this employer began co-operating with the government a few months after I was hired. This would not be the first venue to implement 'post-911 security measures.'
I also believe the staff have been briefed, and I've become part of a case study. This place offers endless opportunities for studying group dynamics and social interactions. Walky-talkies are often used to co-ordinate people at large venues. This place has many hidden cameras. They're able to zoom in anywhere - both for security reasons, and for entertainment purposes.
All this may sound like Hollywood-style theories, but it's hard to explain.
(More on harassment in hospitality workplaces below.)
Work and Politics
Mark stood in contrast to most of the other staff: he was politically interested. Most others tend to be concerned only about day-to-day stuff. I've never asked people, but my experiences in hospitality suggest a total lack of interest in politics and civic engagement.
That’s a massive generalization. But it seems to be true of the hospitality industry, and also, of more recent immigrants, who often work in hospitality for various reasons.
To be fair, more recent immigrants aren't usually encouraged to be part of Canada's political process, and often lack adequate awareness of Canadian culture, history, and current politics, to make informed voting decisions, or to even want to participate. Of equal concern is how little - if any - sense of civic duty, ethics, or social consciousness exists in the overall hospitality industry. It really is 'survival of the fittest.'
Note: These are both sizable groups. About 150,000 people work in Ontario's hospitality industry, and about 40% of Toronto's current population have arrived in the last 10 years.
The vast majority of workers at this particular venue are originally immigrants. (Some may have lived in Canada for up to 20 years, yet their English or French-language skills aren't always strong.) There are a lot of ethno-cultural cliques (eg, South Asian, Russian, East Asian, African-Caribbean, Latin American, etc). I mention this because it's an important part of why and how, I believe, government has convinced the administration to explore different 'security' tactics, and to try out test-case scenarios.
What bothers (enrages?) me is how willing and compliant people are to the wishes of the authorities, regardless of legality or personal rights.
All this may sound fantastical, and I understand why people don't believe me. Yet somewhere in this is more than just my whining suspicions and conspiracy views. Some things only make sense from a surveillance and security perspective.
(Note: I do not discuss politics at work. Mark was an exception, and I believe he prompted much of our exchange. It was also a very specific dinner. There's also no reason for me to be singled out for dislike in a place with so many other staff. People barely remember each other's names.)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Other resources:
For another story about workplace harassment in hospitality, see eye magazine's 'Mayday at the Met,' April 29, 2004.
Read more activist thoughts about working in the hospitality industry from the Metropolitan Hotel Workers' website.
Six weeks ago, I wanted to switch to a larger email box, so I had to unsubscribe from a listserv I'd been on for almost five years. Today, I discovered 60 new messages in my old email account - mostly spam. I've ever had this problem before, just a few targeted spam on days when harassment's been heating up.
Death threats, or...?
Among the 60 messages, I found this one, presumably from Mark Beaupre, whom I've worked with at a large Toronto venue. He was one of my first clues to undercover surveillance at this particular workplace; I have notes about our interactions.
From: "Mark Beaupre" <@.com>
To: adonline@sympatico.ca
Date: Sat, 16 Oct 2004 17:43:09 +0000
howdy
ain't dead quite yet
work lots
play lots
maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarky
That's not my email addy, yet I feel this message was for my benefit - and not a 'group message.' It was marked, '[no subject];' I edited out Mark's email address.
I've been claiming threats to both my and others' safety recently, and discover the message above, from someone whom I suspect of being a government 'plant'. Strange. This is just one of many slightly sinister emails I've received at odd times.
Two days before Mark's email was sent, I happened to sign up for shifts at this workplace for the first time in months. (More about Mark below.)
Random spam attack?
It could be coincidence that Mark’s message was in amidst this sudden spam attack, at a time when I'm feeling very threatened. The problem with email manipulation is everything is easily dismissed as a fluke. So let's break this down.
1. This was my primary email box for five years. I've been a rabble-rouser on this list, so unsubscribing could be a 'good riddance' gesture from my detractors. Yet I think not.
2. Internet harassment I experience requires a high level of computer knowledge and skills - plus, extensive knowledge about me, my activities, interests, personal life, and so on.
3. There are close parallels between my email spam and crank calls I get, for example:
- Email: 16 of the 60 messages in this recent blitz are from ‘Sustainable Africa Newsletter.' I don't know how I got on their list, but I had long questioned whether this may be another NGO fronting for undercover government activities.
- Phone: Once received a 3-minute rap song about ni*gers from a person of African-Caribbean background.
- Email: I was also signed onto Al Awda, a Canadian-Palestinian newsletter, without my permission, and have received messages at odd times.
(Note: It's possible someone signed me up for both newsletters. But it doesn't explain the frequency, timing, volume, and even topics (will explain later).)
- Phone: I get many strange calls from South Asian people. (Take a listen.)
4. Listserv I signed off my email from had received rebellious posts, at one time. Seemed like anonymous people of African-Caribbean background were making a political statement about lack of inclusion by sending notices of reggae events, as being a form of socio-environmental activism. Yet some of these posts felt more like snipes, and tensions brewed.
- With so much internet hacking and targeted spam, it dawned on me that these messages - both phone and email - could be arranged by conservative entities to stir things up. I posted an email about this in 2002.
5. Very specific spam: these aren't just ads for sexual enhancement, it’s a whole cross-section of stuff that relates to the list or to me, personally.
More About Mark
What got me about Mark is how much I initially believed he was a compadre. I've warned people before about how convincing government 'moles' can be. Mark was part of this learning curve.
During a political dinner we both served at, he griped about the damage being done to the province's well-being, citing education cuts, and underfunding in the arts. He also seemed to understand about learning disabilities and depression. Like a real humanistic, progressive type, Mark said all the right things.
At the end of that dinner, he urgently handed me one of the table ornaments as a sort of patriotic gesture: it's a stand holding both the Canadian and Ontario flags. I still have it.
After I realized Mark is probably a 'plant,' every time I saw him, he'd stutter in a mocking fashion, or do weird nervous gestures. His contemptuous attitude was like, Gotcha!
Struck Dumb
Mark is but a small part of my experiences at this workplace. I've had a few harsh moments, but one incident was particularly threatening.
While being briefed for an event, I was standing at the back. Two new women, whom I'd never seen or met before, both turned suddenly, and looked right at me with sheer dislike. If looks could kill, these two would've been commandos.
An hour later, I was in a pantry room, getting ice. Three others with me, but I didn't pay much attention. They were: killer-gaze woman, another guy whom I suspect of being a 'plant,' and another person, who comes up a lot in my work interactions. While scooping ice from a machine, this woman unlatched the steel door and let it drop on my head. Ouch!
She never apologized. When I rubbed my head in obvious pain, she asked coldly, 'Are you okay?'
This happened at a time when I had specifically told my therapists I was being threatened. Several other incidents happened during this same week.
Also, I was hit on the head the night of my uncle's funeral, while sobbing into a payphone. Again, no apologies. See November 2003.)
What makes me think this was a deliberate set-up? How is all this possible?
People will call me paranoid, yet I feel this employer began co-operating with the government a few months after I was hired. This would not be the first venue to implement 'post-911 security measures.'
I also believe the staff have been briefed, and I've become part of a case study. This place offers endless opportunities for studying group dynamics and social interactions. Walky-talkies are often used to co-ordinate people at large venues. This place has many hidden cameras. They're able to zoom in anywhere - both for security reasons, and for entertainment purposes.
All this may sound like Hollywood-style theories, but it's hard to explain.
(More on harassment in hospitality workplaces below.)
Work and Politics
Mark stood in contrast to most of the other staff: he was politically interested. Most others tend to be concerned only about day-to-day stuff. I've never asked people, but my experiences in hospitality suggest a total lack of interest in politics and civic engagement.
That’s a massive generalization. But it seems to be true of the hospitality industry, and also, of more recent immigrants, who often work in hospitality for various reasons.
To be fair, more recent immigrants aren't usually encouraged to be part of Canada's political process, and often lack adequate awareness of Canadian culture, history, and current politics, to make informed voting decisions, or to even want to participate. Of equal concern is how little - if any - sense of civic duty, ethics, or social consciousness exists in the overall hospitality industry. It really is 'survival of the fittest.'
Note: These are both sizable groups. About 150,000 people work in Ontario's hospitality industry, and about 40% of Toronto's current population have arrived in the last 10 years.
The vast majority of workers at this particular venue are originally immigrants. (Some may have lived in Canada for up to 20 years, yet their English or French-language skills aren't always strong.) There are a lot of ethno-cultural cliques (eg, South Asian, Russian, East Asian, African-Caribbean, Latin American, etc). I mention this because it's an important part of why and how, I believe, government has convinced the administration to explore different 'security' tactics, and to try out test-case scenarios.
What bothers (enrages?) me is how willing and compliant people are to the wishes of the authorities, regardless of legality or personal rights.
All this may sound fantastical, and I understand why people don't believe me. Yet somewhere in this is more than just my whining suspicions and conspiracy views. Some things only make sense from a surveillance and security perspective.
(Note: I do not discuss politics at work. Mark was an exception, and I believe he prompted much of our exchange. It was also a very specific dinner. There's also no reason for me to be singled out for dislike in a place with so many other staff. People barely remember each other's names.)
-------------------------------------------------------------
Other resources:
For another story about workplace harassment in hospitality, see eye magazine's 'Mayday at the Met,' April 29, 2004.
Read more activist thoughts about working in the hospitality industry from the Metropolitan Hotel Workers' website.
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