Corina’s Destruction of the Group

Instead of replying to my email, Corina sent the following message to every member of my group:

[philosophical-self-inquiry] We are dissolving the PSI group and re-starting from scratch due to one of our members, lack of financial transparency

Date: Thu, 8 May 2014 09:58:02 -0400
From: Corina <cora_cb@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: philosophical-self-inquiry-list@meetup.com
To: philosophical-self-inquiry-list@meetup.com

Hello all,
There has recently been a schism within our PSI group (unfortunately), as one of our members has gone on a power trip and decided to go ‘rogue’. I’m talking about Xxxx Xxxxxx [I have chosen to remove my name from this document], the so-called ‘group organizer’, although nobody has ever nominated him or made him so. Now, he was a member of PSI for about a year, and I have been the facilitator of it from way before he came around (well, this group first belonged to the initial creator of it, Art Ticknor, who left me to facilitate/monitor the group when he left).

When Art (original founder) left, we decided to put this meeting on meetup (which was then a ‘new’ thing), and Phil volunteered to do the meetup page. He said he’ll do it for free. I said ‘ok, go ahead’. Now, he put himself as the ‘organizer’ and I said that’s ok, he made the meetup page so he can do that. (but ONLY as meetup page creator, NOT the actual group organizer, which he’s clearly become very confused about).

The very NEXT thing that happened is that Phil all of a sudden announced that he is paying for the group out of his own pocket (many members were there who can testify for this, and who were surprised to hear it), and that nobody helps him. All the members who were present that night gave him enough cash to cover for the last 6 months. (there were at least 8 of them present, which can testify for this) He has received money SINCE THEN which he has NOT REPORTED to the group, and constantly keeps complaining that he doesn’t have enough money, although he refuses to be transparent about it.

So, to put it mildly, this group is no longer going to function as is. If Phil WANTS TO HAVE HIS OWN GROUP (where he can be financially transparent OR NOT, apparently that’s something that fluctuates according to his moods), he can MAKE HIS OWN GROUP. But, he cannot USE the Philosophical Self Inquiry name, this name was copy-righted by the original founder Art Ticknor, and if he’ll have to find a new name for his group.

Also, effective immediately HE’LL BE UNABLE to use the room in the library we have been using (on the third floor) and HE IS DENIED ACCESS TO IT. The PSI group will choose another venue/location for meeting, and you are all welcome to attend that new venue. (please answer to this email and let me know if you would like to be included in the new group we will re-start from scratch, as this one clearly has gone down the drain 🙂

You are all free if you want to keep attending ‘Phil’s group’ (although he’ll have to change the name of it since it is copy-right protected) and if you are all willing to put up with his lack of financial transparency and all that, by all means, feel free to go with it.

If you would like to do some real self-inquiry, the way the original founder of this group set the rules for discussion, and are looking for something ‘that’s missing’ to find in your life, and are willing to find it, then you are welcome to join us for the new group we will form. (which, btw, will be financially transparent). If you answer this email, or just email me directly at cora_cb@hotmail.com, I will make sure you are added to out next group meeting email, and I will send you that location.

Good night, and good luck. May the force be with you : )

Corina
(PSI group facilitator/monitor)

I am still shocked that Corina posted this email about me, containing so many false claims. I have never been attacked in this way or so publicly. I do not know what the right course of action I should take is. Should hire a lawyer and file libel case against Corina? If so, what would I hope to gain?

Worse, after sending out this mail, Corina kicked out all of the members from the Meetup group so that I could not contact them again. Further, she did everything she could to destroy our group’s relationship with our meeting space, a central location where the group had met for ten years. It was upsetting to me when weeks after our last meeting a security guard in the building showed me a paper with my name highlighted in yellow saying that I was not welcome in the building. She said that she had been warned that I would come into the building and say that the Philosophical Self Inquiry group was mine. Apparently, Corina had talked with the security staff in the building in an attempt to prevent me from meeting there.

Further, it appears that Corina even went so far as to talk with individual administrators at our meeting space. What I know for a fact is that at our last meeting in that space, there was sign on the door stating that the Self Inquiry group had disbanded. Later, I was told that the meeting space administrators were the only ones who could have authorized that sign being put there. I was also told that during our last meeting held in that space, Corina called the meeting location staff three times on the phone to have them come into our meeting and tell us to leave. Fortunately they did not, but I do think that Corina did some permanent damage with our group’s rapport with that organization. I am still trying to repair the damage that Corina did now months after her tirade.