Papercut and friends are cut

By KARI JACK

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Papercut and friends are cut

The final page of Papercut Zine, Cambridge's free, independent media library, was turned last Saturday, when their landlord at the Democracy Center evicted them from the space they've occupied for over four years. Meanwhile, just blocks away, the Cambridge chapter of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker social-justice nonprofit, trimmed any fat they could, cutting local programs.

Like many grassroots organizations in (here it comes) this economy, the two groups are struggling financially. The AFSC was forced to operate in proportion to donations ... which are, according to Sam Diener, former co-editor of AFSC's Peacework Magazine, "certainly going down." Here in the Northeast, that meant the end of Peacework's print edition, Critical Breakdown (a "spoken-word violence prevention program"), and both the Vermont and Connecticut regional chapters. Seven staff members were let go from the Cambridge office.

But the decision was a collective one. "We had a group of folks from our union and from management ... prioritize what programs to try to save," says Diener, who lost his job in the process. "When it came down to keeping Peacework alive versus keeping another local office open, we decided Peacework had to go."

For the Zine Library, the economy's effect on its landlord rang through the organization.

"We're currently there with our payments," says Ian Simmons, co-founder of the Foundation for Civic Leadership, which owns the Democracy Center. "We put the house on the market earlier this spring. We're definitely considering alternatives, like any nonprofit might have to."

Papercut didn't regularly pay rent; instead, it gave occasional "contributions," mostly funded by pie bake-offs and small concerts. Then, in March, Papercut learned of its probable eviction.

Staff members believe the Democracy Center was trying to appeal to investors. Librarian Masha Serdyukova explains that being officiated as a nonprofit with 501(c)3 status would complicate Papercut's nonhierarchical governance style. But without it, donations aren't tax deductible. "[Investors] don't want to walk into a space that they own a quarter of through their donation and see a bunch of punks and kids making zines," Serdyukova says. "Someone who doesn't understand or isn't familiar with our ethic would brush off and underestimate our value to the community."

"We're doing all we can to serve the community," says Simmons, "and that first-floor space was really designed for community space and not any one group."

Papercut is looking into borrowing space from art galleries. Diener hopes other area orgs will fill the holes in service. "It's a loss," he says. "To lose these organizing resources. ... It's going to be tough."

[KARI JAICK]