Rob Carlson
2636 Wentworth Road
Parkville, MD 21234

May 15, 2005

Dave Diller, President
Playa del Fuego, Inc.
8905 48th Ave.
College Park, MD 20740

Dear Mr. Diller,

Effective May 16, 2005, I resign my position as Director of Playa del Fuego, Inc.

Over the past few months it has become increasingly obvious that a primary objective of Playa del Fuego as both a community and an organization is to expand to fit all those who would like to attend and participate. This desire comes both from the planners who highly value inclusion, and from a much larger set of people who are increasingly denied the opportunity to participate due to our ticket cap. While this growth is a noble and perhaps inevitable goal, I believe it is an unsupportable one.

To continue to prosper, the organization faces challenge that will pit its core principles of inclusion and radical self-sufficiency against the desires protect all the members of our community against the undesirable elements that would prey on them. As the event increases in popularity, these people have been and will increasingly be present in our community.

These challenges pale in comparison to those presented if the events continue to increase in size. As degrees of separation between participants increase, peer and social pressure will have less of a mollifying effect on bad behavior. I believe this will manifest itself in increasing numbers of incidents that a volunteer group of mediators will not be able to suitably handle. The problems caused by selfish actions will inevitably require the time and attention of the Board of Directors to remedy and in turn detract from the pursuit of our larger goals.

Since joining this community in 2000, I have strongly opposed growth for its own sake, while supporting increases in size and infrastructure that removed any personal risk from our participants and organizers. In following this path, we have created a safe and exciting place for people to experience new ideas, interact with one another in new ways, and have fun doing both. I’m proud to have been a part of a process and a member of the community that has grown and prospered as we have, and I thank everyone involved for making it possible.

Sincerely,

Rob Carlson
Director

#5548

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