Executive Summary
Over 18 months, Elle consistently escalated conflicts beyond what situations warranted—transforming technical disagreements into sexism accusations, fabricating community rules to gain advantage, weaponizing safety mechanisms for punishment, and recruiting allies through mischaracterized narratives. The pattern drove away contributors, consumed mediator resources, and eroded trust in community governance.
Sorted by strength of evidence: Documented departures first, hearsay last.
| Contributor | Expertise | Outcome | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoda | Mediation, Steward, Core member | Quit mediating, left Noisebridge | Documented (Discord statement) |
| Wyatt | CNC, Teaching classes | Considered leaving, didn't want to teach | Documented (Discord messages) |
| Justin Morrison | Nonprofit fundraising | Disengaged from fundraising-wg | Documented (Discord messages) |
| Selim | Parachutes, balloons (Spacebridge) | Disappeared from project | Hearsay |
| Woman with motors | Unknown | Left shortly after confrontation | Hearsay |
Note: Selim (Spacebridge technical expertise) and "woman with motors" are hearsay reports without direct documentation.
| Resource | Impact |
|---|---|
| Mediator capacity (4 attempts) | Julius (EigenVexer), Elan, zoda, cocomittens — multiple mediators quit or deteriorated relationships |
| Julius (EigenVexer) mediation | First mediator (Summer 2024) — "felt it was off," sensed something wrong and withdrew |
| Elan mediation | Late 2025 attempt — Cloud's relationship with Elan deteriorated, Cloud lost faith in process and left community |
| Zoda mediation | 19 days, quit with "bad sleep and compulsive thoughts," eventually left Noisebridge |
| Mediator time total | Months of effort across 4 attempts by multiple mediators — no resolution |
| nthmost explaining context to LX | "An hour" of clarification after mischaracterization |
| EigenVexer response to ATL abuse | Proposed ATL rule changes to prevent misuse during mediation |
| "Mediation concerns" chat | ~12 community members formed private discussion |
| Bravespace threads | Multiple extended conflicts requiring community attention |
Elle's pattern creates organizational damage through a predictable three-phase feedback loop that exploits volunteer goodwill and leads to systemic fragility:
Positions as "single point of failure" for events/projects. Critical information flows only through her, preventing proactive volunteering.
Fails to deliver concrete work at critical "crunch time" (e.g., 10 days before NB16), forcing community into "invisible rescue work."
Reclaims narrative after others save the event. Credit ratio 0.33 = takes 3x more credit than gives, erasing rescuers' labor.
Stage 2 → 4-5: Technical disagreement → character attack
Transform substantive disagreements into identity accusations (sexism, racism, ableism). Makes the conflict about opponent's character rather than the issue.
See full analysis →Stage 2 → 3-4: Fabricate rules for procedural advantage
State fabricated rules as established community policy. Benefits Elle in the current situation while creating verification burden for others.
See full analysis →Stage 2-3 → 4: Recruit allies through reframed narratives
Involve third parties by providing mischaracterized versions of conflicts. Third party applies pressure based on incomplete information.
See full analysis →Stage 3 → 6: Use safety tools as punishment
Use ATL and disengagement mechanisms for punishment rather than safety. "There had to be consequences."
See full analysis →"I've informed her that's not what Ask To Leave is for and have said this feels like an abuse of process."— zoda (mediator)
"I felt that your tone was out of proportion to the situation, and might leave her feeling unwelcome."— EigenVexer
"I feel like I'm being bullied at this point... I don't want to come to noisebridge this week or like teach the class I've been working on."— Wyatt
"Elle uses my gender to attack other people she does not like and ropes me into discussions I did not consent to be a part of."— Cloud
If you read only one incident, read the September 2025 ATL abuse. It's the strongest evidence because:
Zoda, the mediator, publicly called it "abuse of process" — an experienced mediator directly naming the behavior.
Elle filed ATL during active mediation while both parties had agreed to "do not engage" and stay off Bravespace. Cloud honored it; Elle didn't.
When asked why, Elle said "There had to be consequences" — explicitly using a safety tool for punishment, not safety.
19 days later, Zoda quit with "bad sleep and compulsive thoughts" and eventually left Noisebridge entirely.
→ Read Zoda's story (starts with narrative, then full evidence)
→ Read the detailed timeline (primary sources and quotes)
Other incidents involve interpretation or ambiguity. This one has a mediator on record, documented intent, and direct causation. Start here, then see the pattern repeat.
Elle consistently claims the public rewards of leadership (visibility and status) while externalizing the actual labor and operational risks to other volunteers. This is not a series of isolated incidents, but a functional cycle that exploits volunteer goodwill and leads to organizational fragility.
The damage to the makerspace occurs through a predictable three-phase feedback loop:
The subject positions themselves as the "single point of failure" for an event or project, ensuring that critical information or permissions flow only through them. This prevents proactive volunteering by making others feel they would "step on toes" if they started work independently.
Once leadership is secured, the subject fails to deliver concrete work (e.g., advertising, booking). At the most critical "crunch time"—such as 10 days before the NB16 Anniversary—the subject becomes "out of pocket" due to personal drama, forcing the community into "invisible rescue work" to prevent total failure.
After others save the event, the subject uses public communication to reclaim the narrative. Data shows the subject has a credit-taking ratio of 0.33, meaning for every 3 times they claim credit for themselves, they only acknowledge others once. This effectively erases the labor of the rescuers.
This cycle is organizationally unsustainable because it creates:
This documentation uses Friedrich Glasl's 9-Stage Conflict Escalation Model to analyze Elle's pattern of stage-skipping—bypassing early stages where dialogue and resolution are possible, jumping directly to coalition-building and character attacks.
| Stages | Zone | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | WIN-WIN Possible | Resolution through dialogue still possible |
| 4-6 | WIN-LOSE | One party must "lose" for other to "win" |
| 7-9 | LOSE-LOSE | Mutual destruction |
Key finding: Elle's escalation moves consistently jump from Stage 2 (debate) directly to Stages 4-6, eliminating opportunities for resolution.