It is concerning to witness how the questioning and false accusations directed at BeatTrekkers project have raised doubts in the grantâs committee, which jeopardized the projectâs grant funds. MetaTrekkerâs founder, Chris, has been the target of discriminatory comments and bullying by individuals trying to undermine the projectâs grant from the beginning. Chris and his team have worked tirelessly on BeatTrekkers 1, but their efforts have been overlooked, and their grant funds have been revoked unjustly.
I was first introduced to MetaTrekkers through a DCL performance I did in 2022, which was streamed in their DCL venue. Chris and his team were welcoming and supportive from the start. I kept an eye on the upcoming MetaTrekkers NFTs, which offered access to their DCL parcel and support for hosting events as a utility. Since 2021, I have organized art exhibitions and events in DCL under NFTianguis and NFTribu on different hosting venues so this utility was something I saw the value in. On 11/03/22, Chris and his whole MetaTrekkers team fulfilled their NFTâs utility and hosted our Day of the Death event. They professionally handled live streaming, showcased our wearables in their landâs dressing room, created a gallery for our NFT drop, created the DCL event, and helped us promote it to ensure its success.
From a MT NFT holder standpoint and as a Decentraland user, the project is not a scam, but it has created value for DCL and the creative community, which has been overshadowed by unfounded speculations aimed at sabotaging it from the beginning.
I had the privilege of participating in the BeatTrekkers 1 event as a special performer for the âpreâ and âpostâ shows. It is worth noting that I received full compensation in a timely manner, and the payment was transparently recorded on the Blockchain in three installments. It was made clear to me from the outset that special performersâ pay rate would not be on par with that of the competing DJs, as special performers roles were specifically tailored for the before and after performances. Chris was transparent about this fact, and I fully understood and accepted these terms.
I am proud to have been included in BeatTrekkerâs Yahoo article alongside all of the DJs and presenters involved in the project. It was noteworthy that Chris was keen to include all performers, including special performers and competing DJs, in the article. Even those who had previously attacked him were highlighted. This was a demonstration of his exceptional character and dedication to highlighting the talent, venues, and presenters involved in the project, regardless of any past conflicts.
Regarding the grantâs revocation, the GSS did not offer a clear charge or reason to close the grant funds. Moreover, there is a need to investigate discrimination towards MetaTrekkersâ founder, who is of African-American descent. We must have anti-discriminatory practices or policies in place within DCL, GSS, or during the process governing the release, pause, or stop of grant fundings.
As a member of a minority group, I feel compelled to stand up for Chris and any other minority groups who can see how racist moves have sabotaged this projectâs grant from the start. It is discouraging for minorities to come to DCL, bring their hard work, swag, communities, and then be treated unfairly. On behalf of Decentralanders, I apologize to MetaTrekkers for the way they have been treated and for the injustice of having their grant revoked for no concrete reason.
Metatrekkers provided abundant information and records when being attacked with biased, defamatory, discriminatory, and highly speculative statements. However, a loud group of people, for whatever reason (discrimination, jealousy, racism, etc.), brought up false âconcernsâ and âclaimsâ to the grant committee. The Committee listened and believed these loud claims, which is unacceptable. Saying, âgo apply for another grantâ is not sufficient, as it still sets the precedent of defunding an African-American founded project.
BeatTrekkers was a successful event series, and no one can take that away from MetaTrekkers. The project should be recognized for creating a DJ Battle Series that was professionally managed, offered a large spectrum of electronic music genres and styles, with live streams and great turnouts. The vision to unite multiple venues, DJs, and artists IS the value that is overlooked and misunderstood.
In conclusion, we need to reinstate this grant because MT has not stolen any money, and they have delivered a great event series to the community. These should be the only metrics when factoring a decision.
I am concerned that in this particular instance, discriminatory and racist behaviors have been demonstrated to have a significant and damaging impact on the MetaTrekkers project. It is important to note that MT is led by a group of diligent and ethical individuals who have worked tirelessly to advance their cause. However, some individuals have exhibited hostility towards MTâs success, particularly since it was founded by a person of color and comments have been made towards the country of origin of MT founder.
Despite the fact that MT has garnered attention from reputable sources such as Yahoo, the projectâs funding has been rescinded due to unfounded allegations and baseless claims of financial impropriety. Therefore, I urge for a greater level of transparency and clarity in relation to the decision-making process. Furthermore, I strongly encourage the adoption of measures to safeguard minority groups and promote anti-discriminatory policies within the grant procedures.
Finally, I call on the reinstatement of MTâs grant, given the success of their BeatTrekkers event series and the lack of evidence supporting the allegations against them. @yemel, @HPrivakos kindly let us know what the next steps are regarding the concerns and questions brought up by those who want to see this grant being reinstated. Thank you.