Dear friends & neighbors,

As many of you know in 2005 I was hired for the position of live events coordinator at The Olympia Film Society. As an Olympia native I had grown up at The Capitol Theater and been an active participant in its endeavors including producing many fun and successful events like the Spearhead Sound Hours Benefit, the Music Between The Movies series, and live shows for acts like No Means No, Veda Hille, Sandman, and many more. My association with the theater had always been a source of joy for me so I took on my role as live events coordinator with relish. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was met with fear and hostility by members of the staff and board and within three months I was fired in a sneaky misuse of board authority. Many of you came to my support and attended the board meetings where my case was discussed and voiced your support for me. The resulting mediation revealed that my termination was informed by intolerance, ignorance and anti-semitism but neither the board nor the staff did anything to rectify my situation or address the systemic problems within the organization which led to my termination.

At the time of my firing I told my friend technical director Jeff Bartone that if he didn't stand by me he would be next. In the interest of keeping the peace within the organization (and protecting his job) he chose to stand with OFS despite his misgivings about their action. Now Jeff, who has been the heart and soul of OFS for over 20 years, has been fired. The reasons given are vague and the specifics of his dismissal are reminiscent of the sneaky manipulation of board processes which were used to affect my ouster. In response to this patently offensive action by the OFS board of directors most of the projectionists and many OFS volunteers have gone on strike.

Although I live downtown and love film, and even though many of my friends still work and play at The Capitol Theater, I have only attended two events at the theater since my termination. I still love the place and the possibility it represents but I cannot support an organization that so willfully disregards its mission and treats its most enthusiastic members, volunteers and staff with such disrespect and hostility. It has not been easy living in exile but having seen the vicious and (even worse) defiantly boring face that lies behind this beloved community organization, I felt that I had no other option.

I wonder how many of you share my warm feelings for The Capitol Theater and the magic that our community has enjoyed within its confines, and also share my frustration and sadness that this treasured community resource is administered by a board of directors which has consistently shown itself to be the source of problems rather than the venue for creative solutions.

The situation which OFS faces now is a rich opportunity for this community to take the theater back and insist that its administration represents the spirit of its members and volunteers. The projectionists are on strike and they need your support. I encourage you to join them on the picket line and to show your support for OFS by witholding your financial support for the organization until they address the concerns of the community. It is time to utter the word that empowers dissent and strikes fear in the hearts of those who would use our dollars against us…BOYCOTT.

The only way to support The Capitol Theater is stand up to OFS and let them know that their abuses of power will no longer be tolerated or accepted. This is not a battle for Jeff Bartone or for me. This is a battle for the soul of this city. Don't let the boring adminsitrators rule the day.

Support the strike. Join the boycott. Take back the theater. Solidarity,

Andras Jones

Pop Ghetto/Radio8Ball PO Box 7261 Olympia, WA 98507

http://www.myspace.com/radio8ball

http://www.andrasjones.com

http://www.radio8ball.com