Kraken sent 17.5 Bitcoin as a donation to help keep anarchist hackerspace Noisebridge running

By Selena On Mar 1, 2020

On February 27, about 17,513 Bitcoin – the equivalent of about $ 156,000 at the time. – was sent from U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken to Noisebridge’s digital wallet. It seems that Kraken was very generous when sending this money for donating in response to a tweet Backus had made the day before, calling for funding to help Noisebridge work.

Noisebridge is being forced out of its home of 10+ years b/c an SF inspector said equipment that “generates heat” isn’t allowed w/o $150k worth of sprinkler equipment

Noisebridge can’t afford $150k, landlord wont split

Frustrating to watch for an (IMO) iconic SF institution ? https://t.co/P1h7LuOWyL

— John Backus (@backus) February 26, 2020

Kraken donates 17,513 BTC to collaborative hackerspace Noisebridge

Noisebridge’s sponsor and treasurer, Tyler Maran, said Noisebridge’s sprinkler system inside the building did not follow San Francisco’s city code. And it takes about $ 150,000 to repair the building’s sprinkler system.

Cointelegraph Reporter Rachel Wolfson pictured with Noisebridge treasurer and advocate Tyler Maran | Photo Credit: Steve D’Agostino

In an interview with Cointelegraph on February 27 in Noisebridge, Noisebridge advocate and attendee, John Backus, said:

“I was shocked to find that 17.5 Bitcoin was deposited into the Noisebridge wallet. I sent my tweet asking for donations on the afternoon of February 26. By the end of the night, I was excited to see that we had raised $ 200. I woke up the next morning and checked Twitter and then saw the tweet from the Kraken account.”

Backus said that he didn’t know how to interpret the tweet Kraken sent out at first, saying something like this:

Sounds like a subtle way of saying “ya’ll neckbeards need a shower”. Anyway, we got you. @noisebridge?https://t.co/CdzTvWQHId https://t.co/JYoGnMCSEA

— Kraken Exchange (@krakenfx) February 27, 2020

Then Backus said:

“There were about thirty imputs and fifty outputs associated with the link, so I couldn’t tell how much money there was at first. I then saw the Noisebridge address with 17.5 Bitcoin in it. I wasn’t sure if this was real at first. I went on the Noisebridge Slack channel, and another member confirmed that it was indeed real.”

Backus explained that anarchist hacking space is at the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District relies entirely on funds from donors:

“No one, in particular, runs Noisebridge. The area has been around for twelve years now, and our funding has always come from donations. Anyone is welcome to come in and work here. But there have been many times in the past where we’ve almost run out of money. In this case, it was true – we were out of money, so I turned to crypto Twitter for help.”

According to a San Francisco Examiner article published in April 2019, the necessary improvements and necessary funding of Noisebridge to keep the operating space is extremely important.

Noisebridge member, Victoria Fierce, said:

“Noisebridge was facing a $ 30,000 fine for code violations and was cited by The City for unpermitted construction. According to the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection, the violations include two bathrooms that were semi-constructed without historic, unpermitted partitions and the addition of an industrial laser cutter.”

Maran said Noisebridge contained the oldest elevators in San Francisco, nearly 100 years old, and had not run for more than a year. This has restricted the accessibility of space. Therefore, Noisebridge will need new enhancements and start with at least $ 150,000.

A part of Noisebridge’s office

What will Noisebridge do with the $ 156,000 donation?

Maran said open source and decentralization are values that Noisebridge supporters are proud of. He noted that many people working from Noisebridge are involved in the cryptocurrency and blockchain community.

Maran said:

“Building hardware wallets is a big focus here, and touch to pay lightening payment systems are also being built here.”

Maran also stated that Kraken’s 17.5 Bitcoin donation was the largest one Noisebridge has ever received.

He explained:

“We are run entirely by the community. Anyone can come and work here. No one will be rejected for lack of capital. Most people will donate $ 5 a month and donations.” That made us pay rent for twelve years.”

Asked what Noisebridge would do now when the $ 156,000 donation was made, Maran explained that he was still unsure.

“We are run purely by the community. Anyone can come in and work here. No one has ever turned away for lack of funds. Most people will donate $ 5 a month, and those contributions have kept us paying rent for twelve years.”

He said moving was a possibility, although it would be difficult to change locations, saying:

“We might put the money towards sprinkler upgrades, or maybe we will move the space somewhere else. We’ve been here for twelve years now, and there are lots of attachments to the area. But, there are also limitations.”

This article is referenced based on the original article from Cointelegraph.

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