codex-vitae/cursedWitnesses/cursedWitness_JamesHenningson__verbatimStatement_Report.md

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High-Fidelity Report: Verbatim Statements by James Henningson

Page 2

• Statement: "This video is full of outright lies."
  • Context: Henningson, as mrjimmy, President of the Dallas Makerspace (DMS) Board of Directors, posts in July 2020 on Discord, responding to a video by Mark Havens. He accuses Havens of lying, initiating a critique of Havens’ claims about DMS history and financial status.

Page 3

• Statement: "You can see in the notes from DPRG that Mark was "on the steering committee" bt he was not the "Principal Founder." It's interesting to note that another person on t list is the one and only @AndrewLeCody. I am sure he can provide more detail."
  • Context: Henningson continues his critique of Havens’ video, addressing Havens’ claim of being a “Principal Founder” of DMS. He references DPRG notes to argue Havens was only on the steering committee and suggests Andrew LeCody, also listed, could corroborate this.
• Statement: "Point 2. Mark says he isn't going into specific details, there is a reason for that, this video isn't a "case study," it's gaslighting."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Havens of avoiding specifics in his video to manipulate the audience, labeling it as gaslighting rather than a legitimate case study.
• Statement: "Point 3. The chart is based on public data, Mark holds no copyright on it in any wa shape, or form."
  • Context: Henningson addresses a chart in Havens’ video, asserting it uses public data and dismissing any claim Havens might have to its ownership or copyright.
• Statement: "Point 4. In the data you can see how even though he presents it like we are in dire trouble, we have actually improved our position through sound financial managems"
  • Context: Henningson counters Havens’ portrayal of DMS as financially troubled, claiming the board’s sound financial management has improved the organization’s position despite membership decline.
• Statement: "Our net income is up even with a decline in membership."
  • Context: Henningson reinforces his point about financial improvement, stating that DMS’s net income has increased despite a drop in membership numbers.
• Statement: "Point 5. Mark is including red herrings in the data to try and make the makerspace look bad. For example, the data point of banned members. He is attempting to impl that the board has been mean and this is somehow destroying the space, when in fa those bans have all been for legitimate well-documented reasons. When directly asl about who he would unban, Mark never has an answer. Yes, the current board didn' ban very many people, and we did. Our reasons were:
• Threats against members
• Physical assaults
• Financial fraud by officers or representatives of the space
• Theft of assets from the space
  Do any of those sound acceptable to any of you?"
  • Context: Henningson accuses Havens of using misleading data, specifically the number of banned members, to portray the board negatively. He defends the board’s bans as justified due to serious offenses and challenges Havens’ inability to specify who should be unbanned.

Page 4

• Statement: "Another piece of garbage data Mark includes to try and make us look bad is the number of board meetings. Minutes are published for all of our meetings, no meeti is "secret" many are unscheduled. The reason for so many unscheduled meetings is twofold. First, due to the severity of the very first ban we had to handle, it was necessary to hold the meeting in private to protect the victim. After that, we moved discipline meetings private to protect all parties involved. The second part is Expansion. It is not in the interest of the membership to create unnecessary delays waiting for the scheduled board meeting to approve every expenditure. These meetings are documented, and we will probably have to have another one soon to approve the AC repair estimate. I am sure we would all agree that's OK and we shouldn't wait for the next board to schedule the August meeting to vote on if we should fix the AC."
  • Context: Henningson addresses Havens’ criticism of the number of board meetings, defending the board’s practice of unscheduled meetings as necessary for privacy in disciplinary matters and efficiency in approving expenditures like AC repairs.
• Statement: "In summary, what Mark is doing here is offensive, harmful to the makerspace, and dishonest. He is misrepresenting himself and the data. He is gaslighting the entire membership and he's doing it publicly to try and con his way onto the board."
  • Context: Henningson summarizes his critique of Havens’ video, accusing him of dishonesty, misrepresentation, and gaslighting to manipulate the membership and gain a board position.
• Statement: "Don't fall for Mark and the Blue Tape groups attempt at gaslighting."
  • Context: Henningson concludes his post by urging members not to be swayed by Havens and the “Blue Tape” group, whom he accuses of gaslighting the membership.
• Statement: "Hello Makers,"
  • Context: Henningson begins a new post addressing the DMS membership, setting the stage for a discussion about the organization’s recent history and the “Blue Tape” group.

Page 5

• Statement: "It pains me to have to write this but there is something the membership needs to understand about our recent history. Many of the newer members may not be aware this, but Blue Tape is part of the rally cry of the principal people that have been expelled from the makerspace and reported to the police for financial crimes."
  • Context: Henningson introduces a narrative about the “Blue Tape” group, linking it to expelled members involved in financial crimes, framing it as a cautionary tale for newer members.
• Statement: "When the current board was seated in 2019 we were in bad financial shape, we were bleeding money. We began an effort to tighten our belts and put us on sound financ footing to complete expansion. This included cutting back on needless expenses su as red solo cups and blue painters tape. It may not sound like a big deal but we wer spending a lot of money on them. This simple act of belt tightening became a publi point for Kris Anderson and Stan Simmons to attack the board with. Their claim w. we were not supporting the community."
  • Context: Henningson describes the board’s financial reforms in 2019, including cutting expenses like blue painter’s tape, which he claims was used by Kris Anderson and Stan Simmons to criticize the board and distract from their own misconduct.
• Statement: "What we didn't know at the time is that they were trying to distract us from their bigger crimes. In Stan's case he was issuing himself gift cards by bypassing the ban and creating them directly in our billing system. He would then use these gift cards pay his membership. This is wire fraud."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Stan Simmons of committing wire fraud by issuing himself gift cards, suggesting this was part of a broader effort to distract from financial crimes.
• Statement: "In Kris's case she was using the DMS credit card to rent Uhauls for personal use. St did this to the tune of several thousand dollars. When she was on the board it was noticed and the treasurer and members of the finance committee tried to investigat She then retaliated by banning them."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Kris Anderson of misusing a DMS credit card for personal U-Haul rentals and retaliating against the finance committee by banning them when they investigated.
• Statement: "All of the evidence is publicly posted for the membership to review."
  • Context: Henningson asserts that evidence of the financial crimes by Simmons and Anderson is publicly available, encouraging members to review it to validate his claims.
• Statement: "It bears remembering what we had when we had More Blue Tape the first time:
• Rampant alcohol and substance abuse at the space
• Drug addicts threatening violence against members
• A homeless encampment behind the space in violation of our lease
• Theft from the organization by the leadership of the organization
• Intimidation and bullying from the leadership of the organization
• Assaults on members that went unaddressed by the leadership"
  • Context: Henningson lists negative conditions associated with the “Blue Tape” era, framing it as a period of chaos and misconduct to dissuade members from supporting the group.
• Statement: "It truly breaks my heart that I have to post this. The vast majority of our membersh is amazing people. I don't believe the blue tape candidates represent the overall membership, but I do believe based on their own campaign website and Mark Have recent gaslighting video that they do intend to take advantage of the low voter turn due to Covid-19 and the new members that didn't know Kris to try and return to the old days."
  • Context: Henningson expresses regret for posting but accuses the “Blue Tape” candidates, including Havens, of exploiting low voter turnout during COVID-19 to revive problematic past practices.
• Statement: "I hope I am not alone in wanting to avoid a return to those days."
  • Context: Henningson appeals to the membership to share his desire to prevent a return to the chaotic “Blue Tape” era, rallying support against Havens’ campaign.
• Statement: "Thank you, James"
  • Context: Henningson signs off his post, personalizing his message to the membership.

Page 6

• Statement: "It's unlikely that Mark will provide any real data or explanation, that's not his inten His intent is to gaslight the membership and scare them into voting for him and hi: crew."
  • Context: Henningson, replying to Lampy’s comment about cherry-picked data in Havens’ graph, accuses Havens of gaslighting to manipulate voters rather than providing substantive data.

Page 7

• Statement: "It would be funnier if we weren't busting our ass trying to keep the place safe and running while these members are actively gaslighting the membership against us."
  • Context: Henningson responds to rlssona, expressing frustration that Havens and others are gaslighting the membership while the board works hard to maintain safety and operations.
• Statement: "I try to keep perspective by remembering that the vast majority of members are like you, and the other people who have commented here. They are awesome, creative people who care about the space and their fellow members and are willing to contribute to the space for the betterment of the space, not just their own self-inter"
  • Context: Henningson continues his reply to rlssona, praising the majority of members as supportive and creative, contrasting them with Havens’ alleged self-serving actions.
• Statement: "There are so many things in Mark Havens' chart that are misleading... He's not goir to defend them because his only intent was to gaslight us."
  • Context: Henningson replies to Lampy, reiterating that Havens’ chart is misleading and accusing him of gaslighting rather than engaging in honest defense of his data.
• Statement: "He's already produced two other videos, neither of which addresses the stuff he is "working on" in this video."
  • Context: Henningson further criticizes Havens, noting that Havens’ previous videos also fail to address the issues raised, reinforcing his claim of manipulative intent.

Page 8

• Statement: "This is something we have actively been trying to address. There are multiple three about it on talk. We have listened to the membership and made adjustments to the honorarium system that are financially sound and encourage more teaching."
  • Context: Henningson responds to an interviewee’s claim in Havens’ video that classes require payment, asserting that the board has addressed this by adjusting the honorarium system based on member feedback.
• Statement: "There are many others to choose from."
  • Context: Henningson notes that multiple threads on the DMS Talk forum discuss the honorarium issue, suggesting ample evidence of the board’s efforts.
• Statement: "Mark is implying that we are not addressing this concern and that's just a lie."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Havens of falsely implying that the board ignores the honorarium issue, labeling it a deliberate lie.
• Statement: "The issues with the calendar system and honorarium the interviewee is describing happened 2.5 years ago, and have long been addressed with both improved code and improved process. Mark knows this, his fellow candidate reply Max is a prolific teacher who has no issues using the system and collecting honorarium for himself : the committee."
  • Context: Henningson claims the calendar and honorarium issues raised in Havens’ video are outdated, resolved 2.5 years ago, and known to Havens, citing Max’s successful use of the system as evidence.
• Statement: "Excuse me? What on earth does he think it means to serve on a volunteer board?"
  • Context: Henningson reacts to Havens’ statement at 10:20 in the video that serving on the board shouldn’t feel like a second job, questioning Havens’ understanding of board responsibilities.
• Statement: "The amount of tasks the board faces every day is a second job. We do it for free because we love the space and the community."
  • Context: Henningson emphasizes the demanding nature of board service, performed voluntarily out of dedication to DMS, contrasting this with Havens’ apparent reluctance.
• Statement: "I have no idea what he expects is going to happen should he get on the board but I think this is a clear indication of what the Dallas makerspace will get from him on 1 board."
  • Context: Henningson suggests Havens’ comment reveals his unpreparedness for board duties, predicting poor performance if elected.
• Statement: "That should be their slogan 'I don't work all day, just to go work at the makerspace!'"
  • Context: Henningson sarcastically proposes Havens’ statement as a campaign slogan, mocking his attitude toward board responsibilities.
• Statement: "Their trolling is insulting to the directors and officers who give work every day to k the makerspace open, well operating, and safe for its members."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Havens and his group of trolling, which he finds offensive to the hardworking directors and officers of DMS.

Page 9

• Statement: "We don't dispute he's been here since the beginning, but as it's been pointed out by many of the people who were there and involved, it was a group effort that began w before him and well before the paperwork."
  • Context: Henningson responds to zmetzing, acknowledging Havens’ early involvement but emphasizing that DMS’s founding was a collective effort predating Havens’ role.
• Statement: "To claim principal founder is just more evidence of that creepy/slimy feeling."
  • Context: Henningson criticizes Havens’ claim of being the “Principal Founder,” describing it as manipulative and unsettling.
• Statement: "In every business I've worked at a principal is the main stakeholder of the line of business. They supply the vision and direction for the whole line of business they a: in charge of."
  • Context: Henningson defines “principal” in a business context to argue that Havens’ claim of being the “Principal Founder” implies sole leadership, which he disputes.
• Statement: "That's the offensive part to me, it's clear from the published history and the people here who were there then, that it was a group effort. Everyone, even Mark, deserves equal credit."
  • Context: Henningson reiterates that DMS’s founding was a group effort, asserting that Havens’ claim diminishes others’ contributions, though he concedes Havens deserves equal credit.
• Statement: "Now a decade later he's trying to play it off that he was the "principal" founder. Lik was his vision and his leadership that guided all of his assistants to build this place. never outright says it, he just implies it to gaslight everyone who was there or who questions his version of history."
  • Context: Henningson accuses Havens of implying he was the sole visionary behind DMS, using gaslighting to manipulate perceptions of its history.

Page 10

• Statement: "I, James Henningson, am submitting my Statement of Intent to run for the Board o Directors."
  • Context: Henningson submits his 2024 Statement of Intent for the DMS Board, introducing himself and his candidacy in a formal document.
• Statement: "Many of you already know me, but for those that don't here is some background on me, and the work I've been involved in at the space."
  • Context: Henningson provides background information for members unfamiliar with him, setting the stage for his qualifications and involvement.
• Statement: "I've been a member for almost 9 years now. Lately I'm most active in Jewelry, but I' done projects in almost every area of the space. I am currently the president of the space, and I have served on 4 previous boards, including during the first round of expansion and during the pandemic. I also give tours to new members almost every Saturday, so if you don't know me by name you still may have met me on your tour."
  • Context: Henningson outlines his nine-year membership, current role as president, past board service, and community engagement through weekly tours.
• Statement: "I truly enjoy the time I spend at the space. I find it incredibly rewarding to be able t be a part of our shared maker journey."
  • Context: Henningson expresses personal satisfaction with his involvement in DMS, emphasizing his commitment to the community.
• Statement: "I didn't run for the board last term because we had a good set of candidates and my was taking a lot of my time. I knew I couldn't give the space and its membership th. time and focus it deserves."
  • Context: Henningson explains his absence from the previous board election, citing strong candidates and personal time constraints.
• Statement: "Since then I have started a new job and will be able to devote time to focus on my volunteer work."
  • Context: Henningson notes a new job that allows him more time for volunteer work, justifying his current candidacy.
• Statement: "If elected to the board again I pledge to work with the same dedication that I gave c my previous terms. I also have some goals I would like to accomplish in the upcomi term."
  • Context: Henningson commits to dedicated service if re-elected and introduces his goals for the upcoming term.
• Statement: "1. Improve our integration with the city of Carrollton. This process began throu my PR work as president, we will be taking part in a few upcoming city events I would like to see that grow. It will aid us in growing our membership as well : raising awareness in the community."
  • Context: Henningson outlines his first goal to enhance DMS’s relationship with Carrollton through continued PR efforts, aiming to boost membership and community awareness.
• Statement: "2. Complete the expansion. We are in the final stretch, the estimates are coming as I write this. I bring a wealth of historical knowledge to the project and woul like to see it through to the end."
  • Context: Henningson’s second goal is to finalize DMS’s expansion, leveraging his historical knowledge to ensure its completion.
• Statement: "3. Improve our volunteer engagement. This is another initiative that began durir my term as president. We have upcoming Teacher Appreciation events and Member Appreciation events that I would like to see become part of our regula member outreach to build a more cohesive community."
  • Context: Henningson’s third goal is to enhance volunteer engagement through events like Teacher and Member Appreciation, building on initiatives from his presidency.
• Statement: "4. Increase membership. I believe this will come organically when expansion is completed, but it must be managed properly to ensure that new members are onboarded and have a clear path to making. If we don't actively coordinate this will see a lot of churn in our new membership which isn't good for the commu as a whole. Increasing membership will also improve our cash flow, which is necessary for the long-term success of DMS."
  • Context: Henningson’s fourth goal is to increase membership post-expansion, emphasizing proper onboarding to reduce churn and improve cash flow.
• Statement: "I hope that I can count on your vote and thank you for your consideration."
  • Context: Henningson concludes his Statement of Intent by requesting members’ votes and expressing gratitude for their consideration.

Page 27

• Statement: "@mark.randall I guess you are high again. Still a crime in Texas by the way."
  • Context: On May 16, 2020, at 10:07 PM, Henningson, as quattroquattro, responds to Havens’ accusations against Andrew LeCody, mocking Havens by suggesting he is using marijuana, which remains illegal in Texas, to undermine his credibility.
• Statement: "@mark.randall I suppose that you could add people to create the appearance of legitimacy"
  • Context: At 10:08 PM, Henningson responds to Havens’ claim about naming specific individuals, suggesting Havens included names to falsely bolster his legitimacy.
• Statement: "Since you don't have any of that"
  • Context: At 10:08 PM, Henningson continues, directly attacking Havens’ legitimacy, implying he lacks credibility.

Page 29

• Statement: "@mark.randall who to believe, the guy that was proven right about Kris Anderson's fraud and has been transparent in everything he's done or the drug dealer who commits fraud? Tough call there"
  • Context: At 10:10 PM, Henningson contrasts Andrew LeCody’s transparency and role in exposing Kris Anderson’s fraud with Havens, whom he labels a “drug dealer” and fraudster, to discredit Havens.
• Statement: "The drug dealing issue or the fraud issue@"
  • Context: At 10:12 PM, Henningson responds to Havens’ claim that accusations against him are fictional, sarcastically asking which issue—drug dealing or fraud—he refers to, reinforcing the allegations.
• Statement: "The court records seem to indicate otherwise chief"
  • Context: At 10:13 PM, Henningson counters Havens’ denial of drug dealing, citing court records to support his accusations.
• Statement: "Actually that was Raffi"
  • Context: At 10:13 PM, Henningson clarifies that Raffi, not LeCody, was defending Havens’ drug charges, correcting Havens’ attribution.
• Statement: "He was defending your conviction because it was only skunk weed"
  • Context: At 10:14 PM, Henningson mocks Havens by referencing Raffi’s defense that the marijuana was low-quality (“skunk weed”), further belittling him.
• Statement: "But then I guess he was only doing that because you are running for the board"
  • Context: At 10:14 PM, Henningson suggests Raffi’s defense of Havens was motivated by Havens’ board candidacy, implying political motives.

Page 31

• Statement: "You mean the deferred adjudication where you plead out to a lesser charge"
  • Context: At 10:16 PM, Henningson responds to Havens’ claim that court documents show no drug dealing, pointing out Havens’ deferred adjudication and plea to a lesser charge to challenge his narrative.

Page 32

• Statement: "Or you could have not been in possession of all that weed"
  • Context: At 10:18 PM, Henningson retorts to Havens’ admission of taking a risk with marijuana, arguing he could have avoided trouble by not possessing it.
• Statement: "Which is why you would suck as an office or director at the space"
  • Context: At 10:19 PM, Henningson argues that Havens’ poor judgment in possessing marijuana makes him unfit for a leadership role at DMS.
• Statement: "You have shit judgement and zero credibility"
  • Context: At 10:19 PM, Henningson directly attacks Havens’ judgment and credibility, reinforcing his unfitness for the board.

Page 33

• Statement: "True, I think you have Raffi and dracos votes"
  • Context: At 10:20 PM, Henningson sarcastically suggests Havens only has support from Raffi and Draco, implying limited backing within DMS.
• Statement: "Why you want my name? We gonna start a charity together?"
  • Context: At 10:21 PM, Henningson responds to Havens’ request for his real name, mocking the idea with a sarcastic suggestion of starting a charity, deflecting the question.

Page 41

• Statement: "How is it false and baseless? The paperwork is all posted for everyone to read. I me one side has evidence the other has claims of fake news."
  • Context: On May 17, 2020, at 7:55 AM, Henningson challenges Havens’ claim that accusations against him are false, citing publicly available paperwork as evidence.
• Statement: "I mean for fuck sake, you start trying to claim you successfully mediated a dispute v someone and moments later they are here saying "no, you didn't""
  • Context: At 8:00 AM, Henningson points out the contradiction between Havens’ claim of mediating a dispute with Haley and Haley’s denial, using it to question Havens’ credibility.
• Statement: "You admit to having kept a spreadsheet of members to track their attitude, like son kind of stalker hit list."
  • Context: At 8:00 AM, Henningson criticizes Havens for admitting to maintaining a spreadsheet tracking members’ attitudes, likening it to a “stalker hit list” to highlight unethical behavior.
• Statement: "You deny the severity of your arrest and deferred adjudication, and yet the court papers are publicly available..."
  • Context: At 8:00 AM, Henningson reiterates that Havens downplays his drug-related arrest, emphasizing that court documents contradict his narrative.
• Statement: "I'd ask what you are smoking, but we already know that, it's in your arrest record..."
• Context: At 8:05 AM, Henningson sarcastically references Havens’ marijuana arrest to mock his behavior and denials.

Page 42

• Statement: "I've read about and experienced enough Draco personally to know if that's your support then you don't have any. Jury is out on Raffi. He's nice in person but damn he an edgelord when he's on the keyboard. I think he just needs this covid shit to br over and he'll be ok again. As it stands I don't see myself ever sinking to the level where I would proclaim anything supportive of someone like you."
  • Context: At 9:06 AM, Henningson dismisses Havens’ support from Draco as meaningless, questions Raffi’s online behavior, and firmly states he would never support Havens due to his character.
• Statement: "Mark, my issue with you is that you are running for the board and all these people bring up valid questions about your ethics and behavior. All your answers either brt asside your poor behavior or they try and throw the blame on the people that point out your behavior. I have yet to see any meaningful answer from you. The answers v do get are trite and sarcastic and don't address the behavior in question. In short it seems clear that you have not changed your ways on any of the matters anyone has reported about you."
  • Context: At 9:16 AM, Henningson criticizes Havens’ candidacy, arguing that he fails to address valid concerns about his ethics and behavior, instead deflecting blame with sarcastic responses.

Page 43

• Statement: "See, there it is right there. Right here in this thread You brought up the lawsuit wit Haley, she shows up and says your story is false. And now you imply it's not a valid question and tell me to get the details from whomever made up the "bullshit" but a: we can see right here in your own responses, that's you..."
  • Context: At 9:38 AM, Henningson highlights Havens’ contradiction in claiming a resolved lawsuit with Haley, which she denies, accusing Havens of fabricating the narrative.
• Statement: "Bless your heart..."
  • Context: At 9:38 AM, Henningson uses a sarcastic Southern phrase to mock Havens after pointing out his contradictory statements.

Page 50

• Statement: "@mark.randall what Andrew is describing is literally how git is supposed to work. Your way of doing it is definitely shady"
  • Context: At 2:09 PM, Henningson supports LeCody’s criticism of Havens’ GitHub repository practices, calling Havens’ method of cloning rather than forking “shady.”

Page 51

• Statement: "Why are we wasting our time arguing with him? He's obviously never done anythin wrong and everyone else is mistaken"
  • Context: At 2:11 PM, Henningson expresses frustration with arguing with Havens, sarcastically noting Havens’ refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing.

Page 52

• Statement: "As mark himself established higher up the thread all evidence against him is false, even when he provided said evidence as he did when he claimed all that noise about the lawsuit with Haley that has been shown to be false."
  • Context: At 2:14 PM, Henningson reiterates that Havens dismisses evidence as false, even when contradicted by others, like Haley regarding the lawsuit.
• Statement: "His statement only became made-up petty bullshit when it was shown to be false"
  • Context: At 2:15 PM, Henningson sarcastically notes that Havens’ claims are only deemed false when proven so, referencing the Haley lawsuit contradiction.

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