Revision as of 16:30, 25 July 2007

This is a page for working on Arbitration decisions. The Arbitrators, parties to the case, and other editors may draft proposals and post them to this page for review and comments. Proposals may include proposed general principles, findings of fact, remedies, and enforcement provisions—the same format as is used in Arbitration Committee decisions. The bottom of the page may be used for overall analysis of the /Evidence and for general discussion of the case.

Any user may edit this workshop page. Please sign all suggestions and comments. Arbitrators will place proposed items they believe should be part of the final decision on the /Proposed decision page, which only Arbitrators may edit, for voting.

Motions and requests by the parties

Template

1)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

2)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

3)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed temporary injunctions

Template

1)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

2)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

3)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

4)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Questions to the parties

Proposed final decision

Proposed principles

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

No legal threats

1) Threats of legal action intended to intimidate other editors are incompatible with the wiki method of collaborative editing. Editors with concerns about article content may attempt to address their concerns through the normal editing process, or they may contact the Wikimedia Foundation directly about legal remedies, but they may not do both.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 00:42, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

A rose by any other name

2) There is no material difference between a direct legal threat (I will sue you if you don't change the article to my liking) and an indirect legal threat (someone else may sue you if you don't allow me to change this article content to my liking); both are violations of the No legal threats policy.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Exactly correct. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Discussion of liability issues with affect all editors involved in mediation on a controversial topic is not a legal threat. It may be a violation of WP:CIVIL, but it is not a legal threat. You are also citing me making a statment I did not make. Please show me where the statements someone else may sue you if you don't allow me to change this article content to my liking or I will sue you if you don't change the article to my liking appears in any of my edits. Evidence is just that, not fabricated statements based upon you or anyone else's perceptions. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 06:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Move to strike "Rose by any other name" section. Section contains fabricated statements not present in the editing record. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:05, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Those statements are paraphrases of understood intent, and are not presented as direct quotes. The writer should probably have clarified that. Pfagerburg 15:44, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 00:42, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Sound in substance; wording may need to be narrowed slightly (e.g., "this material is a copyvio so we'd better delete it before the owner takes action" can be a legitimate comment). Newyorkbrad 03:08, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Principles are not evidence. They are principles that guide the decisions of the Arbitrators. Read a few past cases. There is nothing to strike. Thatcher131 07:42, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Harassment

3) Harassment is defined as a pattern of offensive behavior that appears to a reasonable observer to have the purpose of adversely affecting a targeted person or persons. Editors whose sole purpose is to oppose another editor or to bring outside drama to Misplaced Pages to negatively affect another editor may be banned from editing articles related to the harassed editor, or in extreme cases, from Wikpiedia itself.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 03:03, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Single-purpose accounts

4) Accounts whose contributions focus on only a single narrow topic area, especially one of heated dispute, can be banned if their behaviour is disruptive to the project, for instance if they persistently engage in edit wars or in POV advocacy that serves to inflame editorial conflicts.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 03:04, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages is not a battleground

5) Misplaced Pages is not a battleground. Editors should not import drama and conflict from other sites or fora.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 03:08, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Compare Misplaced Pages:Requests for arbitration/Zacheus-jkb/Proposed decision#Misplaced Pages is not a forum for disputes from elsewhere, in which the arbitrators are about to endorse this same principle. Newyorkbrad 03:18, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Double Jeopardy not Allowed - Mediation Evidence is Banned

Comment by Arbitrators:

Of course double jeopardy is allowed. This is not a court of law, and besides, the sole "jeopardy" here is the privilege to edit Misplaced Pages. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

The previous discussions of Native American Liability were within the framework of Mediation, which was successfully concluded by users involved. Given that mediation was successful, previous evidence is banned in these proceedings on this matter since settlement discussions are typically privileged and undiscoverable between the parties. Had these discussions been of such a serious nature to be considered by the arbcom, it should have been raised then. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:38, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Mr. Merkey, I do not understand your comment, and am unsure if you are referring to the AN/I that immediately preceded this ArbCom, or an earlier instance of mediation. For the benefit of involved parties and the arbitrators, can you please specify when mediation occurred and with whom? Pfagerburg 04:48, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Was the mediation formal (sponsored by WP:MEDCOM) or informal? Formal mediation may not be used in ArbCom cases but there is no rule about informal mediation or the mediation cabal being used in an arbitration case. In any event, I am not especially interested in the subject of the mediation, but rather the fact that Kebron jumped into the dispute then jumped out, suggesting he was not really interested in the content of the dispute but just wanted to wind you up. Thatcher131 04:46, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Formal. The materials and the purported legal threats (which were probably more accurately classified as uncivil comments during mediation) are banned as evidence here. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:07, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I think you mean something that happened off-wiki at the Office level, and not actually any of the forms of Misplaced Pages:Mediation. Thatcher131 07:41, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

This is the part where I contend no one reads anything around here. The mediation was formal. You will find it here -> Talk:Cherokee. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:50, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

In that case, the mediation was informal, as such things go on Misplaced Pages. ("Since this is not a formal Mediation process, but an attempt to solve the differences that have hindered the search for a solution.") The only type of mediation where the parties' statements and participation can not be used in Arbitration is mediation sponsored by MEDCOM and initiated by a formal Request for mediation. This is due to the fact that MEDCOM, like ArbCom, was formally established by Jimbo as part of the dispute resolution process. In any case, since the mediation seems to have turned out rather well, I'd say it works in your favor anyway. Thatcher131 10:41, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Wikimedia Foundation rights preemptive

Comment by Arbitrators:

If the Foundation wishes to make this point, they may. This is not a court of law. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Previous evidence of banning related to a previous Federal Lawsuit is banned pursuant to a settlement agreement between this party and Brad Patrick of the Wikimedia Foundation related to dismissed legal claims. Evidence of previous banning is barred pursuant to WP:OFFICE. The Wikimedia Foundation made binding promises to correct the problems caused by my lack of understanding of the project at the time and the legal dispute which was dismissed. Any such evidence is banned pursuant to these agreements. The Foundation is a "person" and as such has obligations to honor its promises. This project is obliged to honor them as well. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:42, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Well, this is not a principle for consideration in the final decision, but rather a point of order, which should either be brought up on the talk page or in motions and requests by the parties (i.e. a request to redact certain evidence). The problem is that if we are only going to consider the account User:Jeffrey Vernon Merkey then we can't discuss comments made by User:Kebron on various deleted talk pages, that would otherwise be evidence that his main purpose editing is to follow you around and wind you up. You may wish to e-mail your concern about this specific question to a member of ArbCom or Jimbo; they may wish to discuss it on their closed e-mail list. Thatcher131 04:52, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Irregardless, this agreement is binding on the parties and the project. Since the Foundation is an alter-ego of the Community due to elections of the Board of Trustees, there is no longer any distinction between the two. I guess the basic premise here is how good is the word of the Foundation and the Community. Sufficient postings exist on SCOX to substanciate these claims. Evidence related to previous agreements is banned related to me but Kebron has no such covenants with the foundation, so the deleted pages are fair game where he is concerned. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 05:14, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I'm still not clear what you think can and can not be discussed, since you don't seem to mean any form of Misplaced Pages mediation but rather some discussion that ocurred off-wiki. This discussion should be moved to the talk page or you should pursue this privately to request clarification. Thatcher131 05:39, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Decorum of the Tribunal

The arbitration committee does not accept cases filed by confirmed sockpuppets or single purpose accounts. This is particularly true when the initiator has been confirmed to have engaged in stalking and harrassment of Misplaced Pages editors, on-going vandalism, or other long term site abuse, or criminal activity which violates the law, such as online stalking and harassment. The Decorum of the Tribunal and its impartiality must be maintained to the highest possible standard, and this precludes the committe from becoming participants in the event itself. As such, any cases filed by SPA's will be summarily dismissed with prejudice as abuse of process of the site policies and procedures.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Support. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 05:54, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Correct in principle; the clerks and arbitrators routinely remove requests that are clearly trolling or filed by banned users. That is not obviously the case here, as the relevant issue is not whether Pfagerburg has narrow editing interests (I did too in my first few weeks) but whether Pfagerburg is an abusive account, which has not been determined. You're asking the committee to reject the case based on a decision that has not been reached. Thatcher131 06:14, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

He edits on SCOX and has posted personal attacks, legal threats, libel, and other content then came here to edit my bio and harrass me with the same conduct. "quack". Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 06:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Drop some evidence on the evidence page, then. I'll look it over and add to or modify my proposals accordingly. (This is of course a very preliminary stage in the process.) Thatcher131 06:23, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

1) {text of proposed principle}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed findings of fact

Template

1) {text of proposed finding of fact}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

1) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) was indefinitely banned under a previous account, but was recently allowed to resume editing. Merkey has a history of making legal threats , most recently alleging that the Wikimedia Foundation could be civilly or criminally liable for allowing certain groups to falsely (in his view) claim membership in a Native American tribe. See also Template:NativeWarn.

Comment by Arbitrators:

We're not bound by laws of evidence. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Evidence banned by previous agreements pursuant to WP:OFFICE. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 05:16, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 00:49, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

We can do this without any reference to edits made by your former accounts. Thatcher131 07:06, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Legal threats by Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

1.1) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) has argued that the Wikimedia Foundation could be civilly or criminally liable for allowing certain groups to falsely (in his view) claim membership in a Native American tribe. See also Template:NativeWarn.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Misplaced Pages is not a court of law. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Evidence banned under the doctrine of double jeopardy. Mediation dicussions may not be used in arbcom proceedings. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:46, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 07:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Disruptive editing by Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

1.2) Merkey edit warred at Mountain Meadows massacre (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) , in the process characterizing opposing editors as trolls and vandals. See also Merkey's creation of Category:Massacres by Mormons and the discussion at CfD. Merkey created the biography David Cornsilk (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) as an attack article on a Native American activist and Misplaced Pages editor with whom he was involved in an editing dispute .

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

The article was already in a state of disruption when I unkowingly arrived there. Over a dozen editors were engaged in edit warring along with sockpuppet IP addresses which placed edit summaries into the article accusing any editor who touched the article of being and I quote "an anti-mormon POV pusher". My presence, although heated, calmed down the debates and allowed solid progress on that article. This statement is patently false. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:40, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 07:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Legalist claims of a "Right to edit"

1.3) Merkey has asserted in his essay WP:Right to edit (deleted revision ) and at Misplaced Pages:Requests for comment/Jeffrey Vernon Merkey2 that since the Foundation solicits donations on the premise that Misplaced Pages is the 💕 that anyone can edit, that this right can not be taken away without endangering the Foundations' status. "If these statements were untrue, for example, all contributors to the Foundation could demand their money back and claim the Wikimedia Foundation is a fradulent charity, and potentially seize all of the Foundations assets."

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

This is an experimental legal theory. The Misplaced Pages community is obligated to honor its promises. I mean, how important is Misplaced Pages's word to the general public and its editors. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:41, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Noted. Thatcher131 07:19, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Edit warring by Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

1.4) Merkey has edit-warred over the issue of Native American identity at Cherokee (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) and Cherokee Freedmen Controversy (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views).

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Evidence exists these were single purpose accounts. reverting edits of SPA's is not edit warring since edits made by such accounts are not good faith efforts to improve the project. As such, they were reverting vandalism. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

SPA accounts confirmed along with sockpuppetry of Smmurphy and StormShadows00. Since these are not good faith attempts to improve the encyclopedia, reverting of edits is removal of vandalism. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:38, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Where is the request for checkuser that shows sockpuppetry of Smmurphy and StormShadows00? That's valuable evidence. Pfagerburg 16:02, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 02:56, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Merkey fails to assume good faith

1.5) Merkey routinely defines editors who oppose him as trolls, meat puppets, , even during this arbitration proceeding .

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

You are no required to assume good faith when presented with compelling evidence of bad faith. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:43, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 07:44, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Request for comment

1.6) A Request for comment was filed stating "JVM is very passionate about Native American issues. However, this passion has blinded him to the obligation to avoid edit warring, not create articles designed to attack living persons, maintain a neutral point of view, maintain an encyclopedic tone, and above all, to assume good faith of other contributors." The general consensus was that there are single purpose accounts at Misplaced Pages trolling and harassing Merkey, but that does not excuse his behavior, see Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_comment/Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey2#Outside_view_by_User:SirFozzie. The edit warring at Cherokee and Cherokee Freedmen Controversy and related legal threats against the Foundation have ocurred since the close of the RfC.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Evidence banned under Double Jeopardy Doctrine. RFC was dismissed as abuse of process since neither party attempted mediation and refused to resolve the dispute. The evidence is overwhleming and well documented. RFC was little more than trolling from these same SPAs. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 07:44, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Noted. Thatcher131 07:39, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Misplaced Pages does not have a double-jeopardy rule. Not only does ArbCom benefit from reviewing Requests for comment, they frequently require them as a prerequisite to accepting a case. I believe the Arbitration Committee will find the comments on the RfC useful, and quite a few are favorable to you. Thatcher131 07:47, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Harassment of Jeffrey Vernon Merkey

3) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is a controversial figure in the Linux/Freeware community and has been harassed on Misplaced Pages by a number of single-purpose accounts. For example, Vigilant (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), talks_to_birds (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), Vryl (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), Friendly neighbour (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) and Sue me Jeff (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), among others. (See their block logs.)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Important to note this. Thatcher131 03:24, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Harassment of Jeffrey Vernon Merkey by ^demon

3.1) Mr. Merkey has been harrassed by self-identified gay members of Misplaced Pages based upon his views of homosexuality. This abuse has involved blocking, stalking, and other forms of harassment which violate the Wikimedia Foundations non-Discrimination policies regarding heterosexual orientation. Users ^demon, Zscout70, and other users in this category has repeatedly posted harassing content to their user pages and user ^demon has been collaborating off-site with an individual who is currently under a Federal Court order in violation of Misplaced Pages Policies, and United States Laws.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

First of all, this was proposed by Merkey who, perhaps inadvertently, signed my name. That's a no-no. Second, some actual evidence would be nice to allow the Arbitrators to evaluate this proposed finding of fact. Go to the Evidence page for this case and lay out your diffs and web links. Thatcher131 16:04, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I apologize. I cut and pasted from the section above and failed to notice the comments. Chat room logs cannot be used here, however, there is sufficient evidence in the hive mind pages on Brandts site (which I have a mirror) to substanciate this claim, not only with this user but dozens of others, including Raul the senior editor who also has been making such statements. He's added. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 16:30, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Pfagerburg

4) Pfagerburg (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) has fewer than 200 edits, the majority of which relate to Jeffrey Vernon Merkey in some manner. He has made edits to Jeffrey V. Merkey (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) that tend to cast Mr. Merkey in a bad light. (Suggesting a lawsuit makes outrageous claims ; SCO lawsuit, based on documents hosted at a site critical of Mr. Merkey ).

In particular, these recent edits shows that although Pfagerburg's editing interests have broadened somewhat, he maintains a strong interest in Mr. Merkey's legal troubles and has not assimilated Misplaced Pages policies on No original research and Biographies of living persons.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Per a remedy I proposed below, there will be no further issues with Mr. Merkey's bio on my account. And I think staying away from other BLP's would be a good idea. WP:NOR is still a tricky issue, when combined with WP:PSTS, but I'm getting the hang of it, see . Pfagerburg 02:44, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 01:18, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Pfagerburg and the dispute over Native American Identity

5) Pfagerburg made a 1300+ word complaint at the Admins' Noticeboard regarding Merkey's use of legal threats in a content dispute. Pfagerburg was not previously involved in the dispute, except for two comments here , and had never edited any of the related articles or their talk pages. In this context, given Pfagerburg's lack of prior interest in the topic, and previous interest specifically in Merkey's alleged propensity for filing lawsuits, his involving himself in the Native American dispute constituted harassment.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

The length of the AN/I complaint (1300+ words) has been mentioned in two separate areas, as though that were an offense in and of itself. Most of those 1300 words were quotes from the diffs I linked to. In retrospect, I should have only linked the diffs and not quoted them as well. Pfagerburg 03:43, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 01:57, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Kebron

6) As noted here, Kebron (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log) is a single-purpose account that generally acts to oppose Jeffrey Vernon Merkey. For example, on May 15, Kebron and JVM edit warred over the issue of tribal identity at Talk:Cherokee. The dispute seems to have been resolved by 23 June after mediation by User:Phaedriel. Kebron did not particpate in the mediation, and his last edit to Talk:Cherokee was You know what I give up. Look at Merkey's record... he is a liar. I give up... y'all deal with this idiot.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Once again, I began editing and AFTER being accused of being a troll that is when I decided find out who Mr Merkey was and why I was being attacked. At any rate, after all this time, one admin finaly just recently stated that I should stop editing any article by Mr Merkey AFTER I asked for clarification on this issue. I have only appeared after Mr Merkey mentions my account stating that I am a troll. At any rate, I was disciplined recently with my account locked for a few days. I now make promise to never ever to edit any article by Mr Merkey as this was the only request ever made to me from an admin. --Kebron 06:24, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 03:17, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Kebron's very first edit was to the deleted User talk:Gadugi, "The TRUTH is there was NO identity theft as you claim Mr Merkey. YOU proved on the Yahoo board that it was you posting by posting on the merkeylaw.com site AND the Yahoo Board. Please do not try any lying and false statements yourself Sir." You were obviously well aware of who he was and were also aware of, if not a participant in, the SCOX messageboard dispute. You may not remember these early comments because they do not show up in your contributions (since they are deleted) but any admin or Arbitrator can see and verify them. Thatcher131 06:30, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Kebron's first edits

7) Kebron's first edits were to User talk:Gadugi, referencing a dispute on the Yahoo SCOX message board. (Admin only links )

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Noted. Thatcher131 03:37, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Harassment by Kebron

8) Kebron began by harassing User:Gadugi over a dispute on the SCOX messageboard; he has continued to monitor the edits of User:Jeffrey Vernon Merkey, making complaints and particpating in discussions at the Admins' noticeboard in which he was not a stakeholder; has agressively pursued Merkey's former accounts and sockpuppets ; has edit warred with Merkey but ignored the resulting mediation; and created Southern Cherokee Nation, a copyvio, to make a point while in a dispute with Merkey at Talk:Cherokee. While no single edit stands out as particularly incivil or harassing, Kebron's overall edit history constitutes harassment and wikistalking of Merkey.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. Note that several commentors in the various AN/I threads since Merkey's return have also made this observation. Kebron's first edits were a continuation of an argument from the SCOX noticeboard and nearly every edit since then is either related to Merkey or is a case of Kebron jumping into a dispute between Merkey and someone else. Thatcher131 04:44, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Template

9) {text of proposed finding of fact}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

10) {text of proposed finding of fact}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed remedies

Note: All remedies that refer to a period of time, for example to a ban of X months or a revert parole of Y months, are to run concurrently unless otherwise stated.

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey banned

1) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is banned from editing Misplaced Pages for one year.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Most we can do. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Given that the evidence to substanciate this proposal involves double jeopardy from a previously closed and successfully concluded mediation, all such evidence is banned. This proposal therefore fails to address any geniune issue of fact. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:48, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. Thatcher131 00:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Even if the evidence were restricted to your editing post-May 2, 2007, there is plenty of evidence of poor behavior that could serve as the basis for a remedy of some kind. Thatcher131 04:57, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I reviewed the edits of Waya sahoni and Gadugi (or at least as many as I could skim through before my eyes glazed over) including the deleted talk page edits and I don't see anything that would have triggered a block from me at the time. Just based on JVM's editing behavior since his return, and taking the existence of SCOX trolls (for lack of a better word) into account as a mitigating factor, I don't believe outright banning is appropriate at this time. Thatcher131 07:54, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey banned

2) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is banned from editing articles (including talk pages, Wikiprojects, and other project pages) related to Native Americans, broadly interpreted.

Comment by Arbitrators:

When he gets back from his one year ban, yes. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Given that the evidence to substanciate this proposal involves double jeopardy from a previously closed and successfully concluded mediation, all such evidence is banned. This proposal therefore fails to address any geniune issue of fact. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:49, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. This is his main area of disruption, but also his major interest. Might amount to a de facto banning anyway. Thatcher131 00:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I think that "related to Native Americans" might be too broad. Perhaps "related to Native American politics" or something more like that? Because while the "politics" of the tribes (particularily Cherokee identity, and similar areas) seem to be a hotbed for causing the disputes here, I've seen Merkey make some valuable contributions to other areas relating to traditional Native American herbs and medicines. I believe that those areas are non-contentious, and could benefit from Merkey's input. --Maelwys 10:05, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey placed on probation

3) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is placed on indefinite probation. He may be banned from any article and its talk page, for a suitable period of time, for disruptive edits, including making legal threats. Bans may be enforced by blocks of up to one week per violation. Bans and blocks to be recorded at Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey#Log_of_blocks_and_bans.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Given that the evidence to substanciate this proposal involves double jeopardy from a previously closed and successfully concluded mediation, all such evidence is banned. This proposal therefore fails to address any geniune issue of fact. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:47, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed, on the theory that Misplaced Pages gives everyone 14 "second" chances. He has important knowledge but appears to be unable or unwilling to edit in accordance with community norms of behavior. Thatcher131 00:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Plenty of evidence since your return on May 2. First choice now. Thatcher131 07:55, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey banned for three years

4) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is banned from editing Misplaced Pages for three years.

Comment by Arbitrators:

The Committee has issued bans of (potentially) longer length than one year in various special circumstances; see, e.g. the Henrygb case. Kirill 03:13, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't think one year vs. three makes a big difference. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Given that the evidence to substanciate this proposal involves double jeopardy from a previously closed and successfully concluded mediation, all such evidence is banned. This proposal therefore fails to address any geniune issue of fact. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:47, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed. As described on Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey/Evidence#Evidence_presented_by_John254, Jeffrey Vernon Merkey was previously blocked for over one and a half years for legal threats, returning to editing only in May of this year. As a one and a half year block has apparently proven ineffective in preventing Jeffrey Vernon Merkey from making additional legal threats, a stronger response is needed to the more recent legal threats described on Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey#Statement_by_Pfagerburg. John254 02:04, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

ArbCom only considers one-year bans to be within its jurisdiction. Thatcher131 02:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Kebron banned indefinitely

5) Kebron is banned indefinitely from editing Misplaced Pages.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Community will have to do this. One year max from us. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. As described on Misplaced Pages:Requests_for_arbitration/Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey/Evidence#Kebron is a single purpose account, Kebron is a disruptive single purpose account used almost exclusively to make edits related to Jeffrey Vernon Merkey. John254 02:35, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

At present, Kebron is not a party to the case. If arbitrators wish to consider his conduct or potential remedies against him, I will notify him. Newyorkbrad 02:48, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Still working on the evidence, by the way. Brad, please notify him. Thatcher131 02:59, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Notified of the case and invited to submit evidence or proposals. Newyorkbrad 03:43, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Pfagerburg topic banned

6) Pfagerburg is permanently prohibited from editing articles about Mr. Merkey. This includes Jeff V. Merkey and Talk:Jeff V. Merkey. And according to an earlier block, also User:Jeffrey Vernon Merkey and User_talk:Jeffrey Vernon Merkey. This ban is to be interpreted broadly, i.e. no adding "the subject of this article was sued by Jeff Merkey for etc. etc." to, e.g. Bruce Perens.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Proposed. I'm surprised no-one has suggested this yet, because it seems perfectly fair. Pfagerburg 02:40, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Pfagerburg is permanently banned for stalking and harassment as an SPA and indefinitely blocked. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 04:49, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

It was suggested by you three hours after the case was opened. That's pretty fast, actually. Someone would have gotten to it soon. Changed section header (modified "banned" to "topic banned") for clarity. Newyorkbrad 02:42, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I thought it would have been in the first batch of proposals by Thatcher131. That's why I expressed surprise. Pfagerburg 03:36, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Pfagerburg, some cases sit for a month with no movement. This one caught my interest for some reason so I have been looking into evidence and possible remedies. I think a topical ban for you makes sense, particularly if you recognize a conflict of interest. Thatcher131 03:11, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

I acknowledge a conflict of interest. Prior to filing the ArbReq, I was certain that a topic ban would be issued, and to the extent that my consent or agreement matters, ArbCom has it without protest. Pfagerburg 03:36, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey banned indefinitely

7) Jeffrey Vernon Merkey is banned from editing Misplaced Pages indefinitely.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Proposed. This is per evidence supplied by Thatcher131, John254, and especially Al_Petrofsky. Merkey has routinely, since day one, been a problem for the community. A simple look at his his block log will tell you that. We don't give this much leeway to normal trolls who continuously make legal threats and do not act civilly with other edits, why should he be given an nth chance? ^demon 13:37, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Jeffrey Vernon Merkey Sysoped

8) Merkey is sysoped to deal with these trolls and stalkers directly. This case presents extraordinary circumstances and the reasons for doing so are compelling. Mr. Merkey may not use administrative privileges in any actions other than to block troll accounts or SPA's pursuing him. All blocks are subject to review and reversal by the arbcom. Reversal of any of his blocks by any project admin who feels they may have been unwarranted will not be considered wheel warring, but are subject to review by the arbcom. His adminiship powers will be revoked upon any instance of misuse outside of this narrow limited use. His admin powers will expire 1 year from this ruling. There is overwhelming evidence Mr. Merkey has been subjected to a level of harassment on Misplaced Pages unparalleled in its history by an outside community. Misplaced Pages has no tolerance for such activities as they evidence massive disruption of our project and continue to do so, and harassment of our valuable contributors. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 06:22, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by Arbitrators:

Arbcom is simply not empowered to do this, even if we wanted to, which we don't. --jpgordon 15:34, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by parties:

Support. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 06:22, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Not a chance. Even if you succeeded in a Request for Adminship, the blocking policy forbids admins from dealing with users when there is a strong conflict of interest. Block a couple of these guys on your own and you would be de-adminned in a heartbeat. Thatcher131 06:26, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

User:^demon De-sysoped and banned for one year

User ^demon is de-sysopped and banned from Misplaced Pages for one year for harrassment of Mr. Merkey and for violating the Wikimedia Foundations non-discrimination policy and Florida Accomodation laws by harrassing Mr. Merkey due to his heterosexual orientation and his personal views on homosexuality. This user has also acted in concert off site with another individual, Al Petrofsky, in order to violate an order of the Federal Court in Utah.

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Required. Jeffrey Vernon Merkey 15:48, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Comment by others:

Proposed enforcement

Template

1) {text of proposed enforcement}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

2) {text of proposed enforcement}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

3) {text of proposed enforcement}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

4) {text of proposed enforcement}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

5) {text of proposed enforcement}

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Analysis of evidence

Place here items of evidence (with diffs) and detailed analysis

Noticeboard complaints involving Merkey

• 15 May, edit war at Cherokee. Misplaced Pages:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive244#Cherokee. User:Duk notes that Merkey is being trolled on the SCOX message board and that "Kebron, from your edit history it's starting to look like you're only interested in following Jeff around and goading him".

• 19 May Misplaced Pages:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive248#Merkey.2C_again

• 10 July, Merkey complains about Kebron Misplaced Pages:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive269#SCOX_Issues_User:Kebron

• 14 July, complaint by Stormshadows00 (talk · contribs) about edit war at Cherokee Freedmen Controversy. Misplaced Pages:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive271#User:_Jeffrey_Vernon_Merkey It is noted that Stormshadows00 is a single-purpose account and that Merkey is still being targeted by the SCOX message board. Kebron jumps in to contribute even though he has never edited the page or talk page in question.

• 17 July, Pfagerburg's magnum opus regarding the Native identification issue (with which he was uninvolved, except to file the complaint). Outcome: Merkey, Pfagerburg and Kebron blocked for 5 days, then this case was filed.

• Misplaced Pages:Administrators'_noticeboard/Archive89#Merkey note David Gerard, Checkuser is here to fail to scatter magic pixie dust over the situation! Poindexter, people look askance at you because you're clearly an experienced Wikipedian who's magically reappeared out of nowhere in a controversy, so people are obviously going to wonder who the hell you are. CatchFork is trolling us, well done. Everyone else, please STOP trying to poke Jeff with sticks. You will not advance discussion in any way

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Notes. Thatcher131 04:09, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

Template

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others:

General discussion

Comment by Arbitrators:

Comment by parties:

Comment by others: