Requests for arbitration

Initiated by PumpkinSky talk at 23:41, 31 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Involved parties

• PumpkinSky (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log), filing party
• Bwilkins (talk · contribs · deleted contribs · logs · filter log · block user · block log)

Confirmation that all parties are aware of the request

• Bwilkiins

Confirmation that other steps in dispute resolution have been tried

• here
• "admin phallus" comment
• Wikipedia:ANI#Bwilkins.27_response_to_my_unblock_of_Pudeo
• Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard#Bwilkins_telling_an_editor_to_.22rot_in_hell.22_and_.22f-you.22

Statement by PumpkinSky

Going back to at least April 2012 admin Bwilkins has engaged in a long-running pattern of insults, degrading comments, conduct unbecoming an admin, and misuse of his tools. It has gotten to the point that in July 2012 Jimbo asked that he turn his tools in, see this. A while later the situation has only gotten worse and shows no sign of ending. Today, 31 July 2013, he was part of another ANI case that no doubt would have gotten non-admins blocked.

Examples of insults and profanity include: this, this, this, the "admin phallus" series: here, "admin phallus" comment here, here; more, User_talk:Hahc21/2012/3#Enough, the "grow the fuck up" thread, Comment made by GabeMc about BW behaviour, "Any more trophies to come?".

Some info on blocks and protections: The block that appears on this usertalk is completely inappropriate and poor judgment from an administrator. And it continues into June 2013. Info regarding me when I edited a thread on WT:RFA where he rv'd me twice and blocked me and protected that highly trafficked page, which all means he made a highly involved blocked plus protected a page he was in a dispute over, and don't forget there's no reason to both block me and protect the page, and block was unanimously overturned: User_talk:PumpkinSky/Archive_3#Another_unanimous_overturn_of_a_horrible_block block was only over one revert,Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/IncidentArchive802#Bwilkins_block_of_PumpkinSky Where Bwilkins claims he was doing PumpkinSky a favor and that he did nothing wrong, User_talk:Bwilkins/Archive_12#Courtesy_notice, User_talk:Bwilkins/Archive_12#Block, Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Archive250#Unblock_of_User:PumpkinSky, Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard/Archive250#New_proposal_for_admins. And just today there's: Wikipedia:Administrators'_noticeboard#Bwilkins_telling_an_editor_to_.22rot_in_hell.22_and_.22f-you.22. Do I really need to say more than in no way should an admin be tellilng an editor to rot in hell? I have LOTS more info available upon request or case acceptance.PumpkinSky talk 00:07, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

• another highly questionable admin call by Bwilkins

• Some of the timeline and diffs

April 2012

In this exchange, Bwilkins responds to concerns about whether he was involved when he issued a block : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Bwilkins/Archive_8#April_2012

Bwilkins replies to the concerns with a dismissive attitude, deeming the objections “fucktarded” and the objector “fucking clueless”, along with additional remarks along the same lines.

June 2012

Bwilkins posted a very negative comment on a user’s editor review, and another user came to his talk page to say that the comment was unfair. In the following discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Bwilkins/Archive_9#Editor_review_comment

Bwilkins describes a user as a “royal pain in the ass” and says when he posted on the editor’s review he was “pointing out just how fucking annoying he has been”. He concludes by telling the editors who disagreed with him to “grow up”.

July 2012

In this exchange Bwilkins warns two editors for edit-warring on a noticeboard: here

He declines to block one editor by stating, “Grow the fuck up, or I will indeed block you both”. The comment was later raised on Jimbo Wales’ talk page, and in response he advised Bwilkins to take a break from being an admin. Bwilkins responded that he values civility and that he comments were an exception to his usual attitude.

February 2013

Several users complained on Bwilkins’ talk page about a comment he left for another user and he dismissed their concerns: here

Bwilkins refers to the editors who complained as “hounds”, and concluded his remarks by saying “when a few people learn to actually read, you’ll actually kick yourselves in the ass”.

July 2013

While discussing a arbitration appeal with a user, Bwilkins becomes frustrated with him: here After the user accuses Bwilkins of “ignoring [his] calls on [his] talk”, Bwilkins responds by saying “f-you (sic)” and “may you rot in the hell that is eternal block”.

• @Brad. This is a pattern over a year long. Do we have ZERO standards for admins these days? You know perfectly well a non admin would get smacked for acting like he has, plus his tool abuse is an issue. Why is what's good for the goose not good for the gander? Talk about DOUBLE STANDARDS.PumpkinSky talk 00:34, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • Ah, OK. Now I see what you meant. Sorry Brad. PumpkinSky talk 00:56, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• @Bwilkins...that is typical of you, not even seeing the problem, which IS a major problem in and of itself. How you can claim blocking someone you are involved with and then protecting the page in question is not misuse is simply mind boggling.
• @Salvio. The community has long proven dysfunctional in many regards and incapable solving the years long problem of wayward admins. As an example, the recent proposal by 28bytes for community de-adminship was the best ever and got lots of support but still isn't implemented. Yes, you can read all that as saying an RFCU for admin behavior is a total waste of time. That leaves us with AC solving the problem. Also see Cla68's comment below. This RFAR is a symptom of a huge problem and it won't go away on its own. AC needs to step up to the plate and set and enforce standards for acceptable admin behavior. It has not done so for some time because if it had we would not be in the mess we're in now. You may not like me filing this RFAR, but the non-admin editors are totally fed up with AC always circling wagons to protect admins and forgetting about the non-admin users. It's time for AC to step up to the plate.PumpkinSky talk 16:23, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • All exacerbated by the fact that Bwilkins rarely, if ever, sees anything wrong with what he does.PumpkinSky talk 18:44, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• @Beeblebrox, the last time he promised not to use his tools he didn't keep his word so why should be believe him now? And you think he's approachable? Hogwash. When I tried to approach him he blocked and then later claimed he was doing me a favor. He's only make this sham offer because he knows where this is headed. 22:59, 1 August 2013 (UTC)
  • PS, does anyone really think he'd be attempting this bob and weave if an RFCU was filed? God no. I hope no one is that naive but someone probably is. He'd do what he always does, claim he did nothing wrong and we'd have countless innocent victims for another year or so and then we'd be here anyway. Why is it no one gives a crap around here for the innocent victims and only cares about the wayward admins? PumpkinSky talk 23:13, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• @ALL ARBS--given that Bwilkins tried this "give up the tools" gambit once before and utterly failed, what makes you think it'll work this time? Again, where's the concern for the victims of these wayward admins? And yes, there is tool abuse, see the incident on myself--twice re me.PumpkinSky talk 12:26, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Bwilkins (and alternate account EatsShootsAndLeaves)

I do not have significant time to make comments here at this moment as I have 2 children to bathe before bedtime, however, I wanted to confirm that I have seen this filing.

I will clearly state from the outset that there is no "pattern of negative behaviour", and there has never EVER been a documented (or even undocumented) misuse of any of my admin tools - it has never happened. Someone disagreeing with the use (or even a 70/30 split in an AN/ANI discussion) and misuse are most certainly not the same thing.

I believe my comments regarding "today's issue" (where I most certainly did not tell an editor to rot in hell - see the thread that PS kindly linked to, and the consensus that the OP of that thread falsely filed that thread with a misleading title) do speak for themselves there. (✉→BWilkins←✎) 00:45, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

@Ks0stm - it may not have been your comment where the "admin phallus" comment came from, but you are 100% correct that it came directly out of someone's comment - I don't make things like that up on my own. I'll try and find the original discussion - but it's neither uncivil, nor abusive (✉→BWilkins←✎) 09:23, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Follow-up: I don't see where I ever said it myself until after fixed joefromrandb who stated it here. That discussion will also put some context towards joe's odd comments and behaviour towards me directly since that date (✉→BWilkins←✎) 09:29, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

@Salvio I wholeheartedly and sincerely concur. I will be quite honest that I did not react kindly to a a situation where I put my personal reputation on the line, and not only did the editor stomp on it, they flat-out denied that I even had a hand in helping resolve their issue. I don't expect "thanks", but I do expect honesty. Yeah, I took such dishonest behaviour personally - but I never reacted to being challenged - and yes, something to work on. Indeed - if one looks at the TSC discussion, you'll note that I did NOT act on NPA's, etc due to being WP:INVOLVED, and have actually tried to talk TSC off the impending cliff (✉→BWilkins←✎) 12:57, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

• NOTE TO CLERKS: I will note: NONE of the entries under "Confirmation that other steps in dispute resolution have been tried" are steps in Dispute Resolution whatsoever, and would ask them to be removed/moved elsewhere (✉→BWilkins←✎) 13:05, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks to this most recent comment by the OP, it's very clear that this is a "it's time for ArbComm to stop following the rules, draw a new line in the sand, and make an example out of one editor] - as such, I do not believe that I'll need to defend myself against the shotgun approach that includes false statements, twists of meaning, and even discussions where the community saw things differently. Even TheShadowCrow - who the most recent incident above is about says that although I have my faults, I'm still a good admin. An RFC/U allows one to FACE one's faults, and amend - we don't jump the queue (✉→BWilkins←✎) 16:29, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

• @Count Iblis: you mean like this proposal of mine or something similar? (✉→BWilkins←✎) 16:46, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Note: If someone wants to @Echo me, please do not echo my Bwilkins account - until Nov 1, 2013, I will not be logging into that account (unless I need to modify something within my userspace that I can't for some reason). Indeed, if anyone sees the Bwilkins account edit outside of userspace, block it. I'm also taking ANI right off my watchlist - I recognize that being embroiled in that sometimes-cesspool can make one's judgement such that one always sees the ounce of bad instead of the pound of good. I recognize how beneficial my last multi-month break was for so many reasons. Note also: this is not an attempt to escape this RFArb - indeed, I have no fear of the findings - the majority of the examples provide have already been explained and accepted by the community as a whole. EatsShootsAndLeaves 22:01, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment by Ks0stm

I would just like to mention for clarity's sake that the admin phallus comments referred to were more than likely inspired by a highly infelicitous exchange between User:Joefromrandb and myself and not necessarily an invention of Bwilkins. Ks0stm ^{(T•C•G•E)} 00:40, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

@Joefromrandb: Thanks for pointing that out. This is why I should refrain from editing quickly from my iPhone. Ks0stm ^{(T•C•G•E)} 09:04, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Bbb23

This post is relevant only to AGK's comment.--Bbb23 (talk) 01:12, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Joefromrandb

BWilkins is a long-term abuser and the removal of his self-proclaimed admin-phallus is long overdue. I'd like to add that after being censured by Jimbo for telling a user to "grow the fuck up", BWilkins pledged to voluntarily refrain from using his admin tools for 6 months, a promise which he quickly violated.Joefromrandb (talk) 01:45, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently where Ks0stm lives, November comes before July. Joefromrandb (talk) 02:18, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Mathsci

For a second time (the first was Jmh649) Pumpkinsky has started an RfAr about an administrator of whom he disapproves. No pattern of misuse of tools has been reported. As before he has deliberately chosen not to follow the usual path of WP:DR, including WP:RfC/U. That kind of escalation has a chilling effect and serves as a drama magnet. It seems inadvisable to allow this type of RfAr to be repeated.

It's very hard to avoid the conclusion that Pumpkinsky is using RfAr as a form of tit-for-tat. He was blocked by Jmh649: the result was an RfAr on Jmh649. He was blocked by Bwilkins: the result was an RfAr on Bwilkins. Mathsci (talk) 07:03, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Please could Risker explain a little more carefully her detailed reasons for supporting a case. Thanks, Mathsci (talk) 22:21, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Fram

Please see User talk:Bwilkins/Archive 12#Claim at ANI. After I discussed potential outing problems wrt a post made by Jimbo Wales on his user page (a topic which was then discussed on AN, picked up in some leading international media, and made it to the signpost, with many people agreeing that there was indeed a problem with Jimbo's statements), Bwilkins made some accusations about me at the AN discussions, claiming "Fram has time and again levelled unsubstantiated claims at/about Jimbo on his talkpage". Despite repeated polite requests to provide any examples of these, he refused to do so "Out of respect for you", and then proceeded to both topic ban me from Jimbo's talk page ("if you post on Jimbo's talkpage again, I will personally block you.") and from his own talk page (making any appeal or fuirther discussion of his single-handed ban impossible), with the summary "Just when one thinks that someone is improving as a person AND as an editor - WHAM! - they fuck it up badly". I had no idea that we were here to help other editors "improve as a person" or that we were supposed to discuss our opinions of someone as a person, but apparently this doesn't apply to all admins. Threatening to block a user based on his own "unsubstantiated allegations", coupled with negative comments about the person involved and making it impossible to further discuss things and find a solution, is hardly the behaviour one expects from admins. Fram (talk) 07:30, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement from Anthonyhcole

I have real concerns about BWilkins's fitness for adminship. I'm worried about his inability to keep calm when an aggrieved editor vents in his direction and his disrespectful treatment of editors with whom he disagrees, but mainly I don't trust his diligence or judgement in even mildly complex cases. I feel he far too frequently chides, insults, or blocks editors when it's not warranted.

That's my impression. But I could be wrong. I may have been exposed only to an unrepresentative sample that bubbled up out of ANI or onto my watchlist. If nothing comes of this request, I'll analyse a swathe of his history and, if warranted, open an RFC/U based on the results.

Here, BWilkins and I discuss a case where I believe he exercised poor judgment and behaved badly towards the editor. I'm not aware of having been in any prior dispute with BWilkins other than regarding his performance as an admin involving third parties. --Anthonyhcole (talk · contribs · email) 09:10, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment by MONGO

If the aforementioned diffs were presented at a Rfa I believe the community is wise enough to vote to not promote such an editor to administrator. I routinely look for evidence for the potential of misuse of tools and the position for admin hopefuls, and if I don't see any evidence to suggest either might happen, I tend to support promotion. If misuse of either happens after a successful Rfa and they are either singularily severe enough or repetitive enough then I tend to recommend that the admin take a break or they turn in their toolbelt. In Bwilkins defense, I know he is one of those admins that does deal with sometimes difficult blocks. It should be noted that in the most recent example of User:TheShadowCrow, Bwilkins originally came to the defense of said user but then got bit...nevertheless Bwilkins written response was over the top.--MONGO 11:49, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In light of the fact that Bwilkins is using his established sock account for the next 90 days, an account that does not have admin tools associated with it, and has declared he is taking the admin noticeboard off his watchlist for the same time, indicates he has acknowledged that he has to take a break. Therefore, I strongly urge the committee to not accept this case. Should the situation resume after his break, I then urge that other forms of dispute resolution be tried first...arbitration is the last resort.--MONGO 02:57, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Suggestion by Cla68

Arbcom, how about you save yourself and ourselves some future issues and just go ahead and address the core issue, which is that Wikipedia's administration is poorly managed, structured, and regulated. Fix the RFA process. Fix the way that your admins operate. Make them more consistent in their decisions. Get rid of teen-age or immature admins. Make them (finally) enforce WP:NPOV. Help all the inactive admins to come back knowing that WP's corrupt culture has been repaired. Don't give your admin any rope to hang themselves. Help stop editor flight. Think big picture. Administrators fall under your purview, so fix it! Cla68 (talk) 13:48, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment by Heim

This is not "no documented abuse of the tools". This was a case where the admin in question edit warred with the user, then blocked. If we want to force an RFC on this one, fine, but why on earth wasn't one forced in the Perth wheel war case? Does the committee seriously think that a move war on an article is worse than involved blocking? I would find that an appalling set of priorities, frankly. Heimstern Läufer (talk) 14:14, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Comment by Count Iblis

I share to some degree what Cla68 is saying. While I can argue with some of what he says, you do want Admins to stick to strict standards. One can think about what this would require, I think we need a sort of a peer review system that everyone would fall under, not just when you do something that is so bad that sanctions such as desysopping are called for. So, if all Admins are periodically reviewed, Bwilkin's like quite a few other Admins would have been given suggestions for improving his conduct; because these suggestions would come from a neutral board that evaluates everyone according to the same standard, it would be less likely that you get into big arguments about these suggestions. But if the suggestions are not taken on board and the next time the board doesn't see any improvements, then that board could impose compulsory measures, or refer the case to ArbCom. Count Iblis (talk) 16:34, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

@User:Bwilkins, yes the Administrator Review Board you mention on your proposal would have a crucial role in maintaining and improving standards, precisely because it would give contructive critcisms to Admins who are functioning quite well. Count Iblis (talk) 16:58, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Outside views by Resolute

Cla68 and Count Iblis' arguments are quite obviously irrelevant as they propose that Arbcom create policy by fiat, which is beyond the reach of your powers. It is interesting that Pumpkin Sky seems to be using RFAR as a means to strike back at admins who have blocked him in the past. That being said, Bwilkins would (like some others I could name) do well to tone back the inflammatory rhetoric. But these are arguments that belong in Wikipedia:Requests for Comment/Bwilkins. And despite what Pumpkin Sky argues, this should go to RFCU before coming here. Resolute 16:51, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Kurtis

Sad to see this listed here, but I had a feeling it would end up at arbitration sooner or later. I've been directly involved in a few situations with Bwilkins myself, although most of these were back in 2012. Since then, I've made it clear to him that I think he's an overall asset to the project and an "admin's admin", even if I did find him to be altogether far too harsh at times. Nevertheless, I've questioned whether or not he still maintains the trust of the community, and in recent months I've noticed him lapse back into his previous patterns of incivility. I can list out several instances of poor judgment and needlessly uncivil behaviour, some of which date all the way back to 2011; I will do so if this case is accepted. As it stands, there hasn't even been an attempt at RfC/U yet, although it isn't always a necessary juncture, and I do think the committee should be more willing to accept cases in general. It would spare the community a lot of drama.

There is little doubt that a concern still exists, but Bwilkins has made a genuine effort to moderate his tone within the last year and it would be unfair to ignore that entirely. Kurtis ^(talk) 16:53, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Just as a side note, I was the one pushing for an unblock in the incident PumpkinSky mentioned above. Kurtis ^(talk) 17:09, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Addendum: There seems to be a growing consensus that Bwilkins's misuse of tools amounts to one or two isolated incidents, and that his record of incivility is not substantial enough as to warrant any further examination. I completely disagree, and I can list out several instances from last year that have caused me some concern:

• This was his comment on an editor review from back in June (subsequently removed by Worm That Turned). When questioned about it on his talkpage, this is how he responded.

• An instance where he abused the admin toolset occurred in May 2012. An editor inappropriately marked a bot operated by Bwilkins as inactive using AWB, which was a reckless mistake on the user's part; Bwilkins subsequently hit the rollback button on that edit, as you can see here, and proceeded to leave him a notice on his talkpage. After discovering that he'd done the same to several other bot accounts, Bwilkins took the extraneous solution of blocking him for 60 hours — a mere three minutes after the aforementioned post. He raised the issue at ANI for review (which is good), but his response to the criticism he received there has been less than reassuring.[1]

• Here are some very demeaning comments directed at another contributor.

• Assuming bad faith on the part of another user: "Now it appears that having this side discussion here was an attempt to circumvent the consensus process ... is "I can't do consensus" really the message you're trying to send?" This was followed up on his talk page.

• Needlessly aggressive oppose at Hahc21's first and second RfAs.

• Inappropriately labels a misguided talkpage post as "vandalism" in an edit summary (using Twinkle).

• This thread, on face value, is a classic case of an editor "abusing" an admin; however, Bwilkins never responds to the situation at ANI, and although the reporting editor has not behaved admirably by any stretch of the imagination, Bwilkins wasn't very polite either.

• This whole discussion regarding an account's username reeks of negative assumptions on the part of Bwilkins.

• Aggressive language to a couple of editors who, although tendentious, act in good faith. Follow-up located here.

Jimbo Wales requested that he voluntarily refrain from using the admin tools for 6 months; to that end, he edited as "EatsShootsAndLeaves" until October 2012, two months prior to his self-imposed sanction. During that time, he retained much of the disparaging attitude that got him into trouble in the first place. Here are some examples that I've dug up:

• Ad hominem attack

• Needlessly aggressive comment to an evidently positive contributor with a misunderstanding of the BLP policy.

• Makes a valid point in this discussion, but the concern I have is his patronizing behaviour (specifically the smile emoticon at the end of the message).

• Dealing with an editor who was certainly behaving inappropriately (making jokes on ANI about applying a 6 month block to someone who'd done nothing wrong), but in such a demeaning tone that it could potentially dispirit people from contributing to Wikipedia space.

• Brusque RfA vote

• Excessively critical tone taken towards an editor who made a very minor lapse in judgement.

• Another instance of aforementioned "excessively critical tone".

• And another, with this one being based on a misconception on the part of Bwilkins (i.e. the idea that only admins may comment on the proposed policy changes, when the section header actually encourages sysop participation in the discussion, but does *not* explicitly restrict non-admins from commenting).

• Gruff demeanour in a community discussion, especially towards Ebe123, who was evidently acting in good-faith; as a disclaimer, I agree with the basic sentiment that non-admins shouldn't be closing unblock requests for various reasons.

• Rude response

• RfA oppose comment where he references his block of the candidate back in May (i.e. the instance of admin abuse that I'd mentioned above), but makes no explicit reference to the fact that he administered the block — and went so far as to claim that it received "mixed reviews" at ANI, when I was widely opposed. I confronted him on his talkpage about it afterwards, and this was his response.

Although I generally get along well with him nowadays, I've had some experiences with him that I would classify as less than positive:

• At the talk page of the Syrian civil war article, we were discussing a rename (this was at the time it was called an "uprising"). I argued that since consensus exists to move the article, it should be done ASAP. Bwilkins and a couple others rebuked me by saying that there's a 7-day waiting period prior to renaming an article, which I was not aware of before. Discussion is located http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Syrian_civil_war/Archive_11#Consensus_to_move here]. Bwilkins's comment to me had an edit summary that said "calm down"; I didn't think I came across as losing my composure, so I decided to leave him a note on his talk page explaining that I've never been familiar with RM due to my lack of familiarity with the process, and also added on an aside relating to his edit summary. [2] His response actually came across to me as being somewhat condescending.

• This exchange we had was pretty neutral, except for the part he put in parenthesis (specifically, "or as we like to call "references" on articles"). Again, I found it condescending in tone.

• I followed a discussion on ANI back in August 2012, and towards the end, I was reviewing the talk page of the article in question, where I thought I could make a positive difference towards a resolution to the situation. Unfortunately, the ANI thread was archived before I'd got the chance to save my edit there; I didn't want it to go to waste, so I went ahead and posted it under a subheader anyways. I figured it'd help to specify a DR venue rather than just the broad policy itself, as was referenced in the thread before it was closed. I wasn't confident that I was doing the smart thing by extending the discussion further, so I went and asked Boing! said Zebedee on his talk page what he'd thought of my further post. EatsShootsAndLeaves later replied to my post by basically insinuating that it was pointless and not helpful. I responded by explaining the post, but he never answered me. I just dropped it and moved on from there.

• I'd already mentioned the post I left on his talk page, except that it was actually a notification of something I'd raised at Rcsprinter123's RfA. [3]

The reason these examples are from last year is because this list was compiled at that time, yet I've not updated it recently. I was thinking about opening an RfC/U on his conduct, but a fellow editor (who is also an administrator) dissuaded me from doing so. I felt Bwilkins had significantly improved for a while, and like I said, I even referred to him as an "admin's admin" one time. But recently, his actions have deeply troubled me, and I don't think we can just ignore the situation any longer. Kurtis ^(talk) 13:28, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by The Devil's Advocate

I was somewhat involved in one of the incidents noted in the initial statement: this dispute regarding the unblock of a user who had mistakenly modified another editor's comment. Bwilkins had declined a previous unblock request, strongly suggesting the editor was lying about it being a mistake. When the unblocking admin notified Bwilkins of his decision, Bwilkins attacked the admin for expressing astonishment at how Bwilkins could have so easily assumed bad faith over an obvious mistake by an editor. My involvement was to take issue with the comments Bwilkins was making about the unblocking administrator and the implication that admins should adhere to some form of the "blue wall" when reviewing other admin actions.--The Devil's Advocate _{tlk. cntrb.} 17:24, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by GregJackP

Uninvolved. Why are we even here? This needs to go through the DR process first, which it doesn't appear to have done. GregJackP Boomer! 18:55, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Tarc

There's nothing at all here to accept, I'm rather surprised to see Risker jumping the gun a bit without even a comment as to why Arbcom should accept this absent actual steps taken in WP:DR. One cannot just draw up a laundry list of "things that Admin X has done that I don't like" over the a year and declare that it must now be "solved" by Arbcom.

The latest "Bwilkins telling an editor to "rot in hell" and "f-you"" AN filing the other day was found to be baseless, the filer misrepresenting and mis-characterizing what was said, eventually closed with a rationale of "The phrase "more heat than light" comes to mind. It's time to move: Bwilkins is human & while he could have used less exasperated language to TSC it's not a hanging offense. @Candleabracadabra: WP:Trout Bwilkins if you wish but don't misrepresent facts in order to attack another user".

If you won't indef a user for calling another user a cunt, then imposing sanctions for someone who said this (please read it in-context of the overall discussion there would be extremely absurd. Tarc (talk) 22:32, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Someone not using his real name

The combined evidence of policy violations seems too much to let slide from an admin. While Bwilkins may not be the worst offender of misuse of tools I've seen, you can't pass ruling after ruling on decorum and then ignore this serial case of "conduct unbecoming". Recently, an editor was indef blocked after this evidence was presented. That's far less [substantial, but surely more wordily presented] than what I've seen in the opening statement here. Someone not using his real name (talk) 22:57, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The other thing I see on this page is that bad admins, rather predictably, protect each other and their "standards" of non-accountability. Someone not using his real name (talk) 00:16, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Beeblebrox

I can't [say] I've never seen B be a little testy with other users, maybe even more than a little rude, but the same could easily be said of me or any number of other admins. I believe the fact that this has not been subject to a user RFC and B has volunteered to take a three month break from adminship show that this request is premature. B can be harsh, but he is very approachable and willing to consider the possibility that he is wrong. I've looked at the "evidence" that other types of dispute resolution have been tried and saw no evidence whatsoever that they had. It's just a collection of diffs, mostly from ANI, which is explicitly not part of WP:DR. Jumping straight to ArbCom without any real attempt at dispute resolution is improper and unfair in such a case. RFC/U doesn't always work. Granted. That doesn't mean it should automatically be skipped.

I urge the committee to reject this request and to suggest that the filing party actually try lower forms of dispute resolution first. Beeblebrox (talk) 22:41, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

@Somebody not using his real name: I don't know if I am one of the "bad admins" you refer to, but I do believe strongly in personal accountability.However, I also believe that we don't generally go straight to ArbCom without any lesser attempts at actual dispute resolution, as opposed to the "torches and pitchforks" of ANI. Beeblebrox (talk) 01:39, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Sandstein

My involvement is limited to participating in the AE proceedings in the context of which Bwilkins made the comments at issue.

I recommend that the request be declined:

• Firstly, because the previous stages of dispute resolution have apparently not been attempted, specifically a RFC/U examining this aspect of Bwilkins's activity. The frothing mess that are AN(I) threads are in no way a substitute for structured attempts at dispute resolution.
• Secondly, it's difficult for me to tell from the somewhat confusingly worded request for arbitration what the specific dispute between PumpkinSky and Bwilkins is that PumpkinSky wants to be resolved. ArbCom is, as far as I know, a dispute resolution body, which requires that whoever makes a request has something that resembles standing in the current dispute. I don't see that here. PumpkinSky does not seem to be the target of Bwilkins's recent comments, and their month-old block of PumpkinSky does not translate into a live dispute between the two of them today.

That said, comments in the vein of "rot in hell" or "fucktarded" are completely unacceptable for any editor and especially for an administrator. In a well-run real-life work environment, comments of this type would cause a predictable reaction from a rules-based, structured disciplinary system. But we don't have that. Especially as concerns veteran editors (whether admins or not), our civility policy remains largely theoretical and is wildly unequally (un)enforced through ad hoc screaming matches mostly between involved parties at AN(I), with the outcome depending to a large extent on how popular or well-connected the parties are. In this deplorable situation, making personal attacks by one editor the particular focus of an arbitration case would appear a bit strange to me (even though any personal attacks by anybody do remain inexcusable). I recommend that the Committee take any civility-based cases only if by doing so they can contribute to establishing a (somewhat more predictable, transparent and fair) general system of responding to incivilities and personal attacks from all editors, including but not limited to administrators.  Sandstein  23:55, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Brian Dell (User:Bdell555)

@Beeblebrox, you have a more forgiving standard of what constitutes rudeness than I do but I will leave that aside in favour of simply taking exception to "B has volunteered to take a three month break from adminship." Are you aware that "B" has previously volunteered (on Jimbo Wales' recommendation) to take a break but in fact only took a break from patrolling Wikipedia:ANI under the Bwilkins account? I had my run-in with him under another account and he continues to refuse to link these two accounts transparently, despite many requests like the following from User:Avanu: "You've got a signature that makes your username appear to be "dangerouspanda", even though your username is "EatsShootsAndLeaves". On your user page, you have obfuscated your primary username, Bwilkins, with a promise to not act as a sock. In essence, you are doing several things that mix up who you are and what your intentions are. This is bad form and bad practice and unbecoming for a guy who is trusted with administrative rights and claims the status of "thousands of edits". My two cents is that you need to either transfer the admin bit to this account or drop it. My other two cents is that you need to stop using a misleading signature that makes it appear as if you are some other editor. You claim this is all approved. I'd like you to request a review of these behaviors from your fellow admins." (my emphasis and link to user page history added)--Brian Dell (talk) 09:09, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Statement by Drmies

Bwilkins, it is true, is one of the admins who should probably tone it down some, in diction certainly, and maybe in action. But I do not believe we have a pattern of misconduct here that warrants a full-blown ArbCom investigation, especially since other steps have not been taken yet. Can we have conversations first? Sorry PumpkinSky, I may understand where you're coming from, but I think this is too much too soon. Unaware of this RFAR I've already gave Bwilkins my paternal and oh-so important advice (pot and kettle, sure), and I think that the number of responses here should give him reasons to pause (though some shoot from the hip and are clearly here for retribution). Well, he's pausing. Let's not accept this case and let's see if can actually try and get along. Drmies (talk) 13:20, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Clerk notes

This area is used for notes by the clerks (including clerk recusals).

• Recuse. Bwilkins and I have our history, and he closed the discussion that resulted in my now-lifted topic ban. — ΛΧΣ²¹ 17:49, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Bwilkins: Arbitrators' opinion on hearing this matter <0/4/0/4>

Vote key: (Accept/decline/recuse/other)

• Awaiting statements on the complaint against Bwilkins, but - as an observation that occurred to me while reviewing this request - I am deeply concerned to see that TheShadowCrow has involved himself in two tense inter-personal conflicts in a matter of days. AGK [•] 00:18, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• Awaiting statements, especially from Bwilkins. Third-party statements should focus on whether there appears to be a pattern of misconduct by this administrator, rather than compiling every incident in which anyone disagreed with him about anything ever. (This is a general comment about this type of request, not unique to Bwilkins.) Newyorkbrad (talk) 00:31, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • PumpkinSky: You are misreading my comment. I've said nothing yet about the merits of this case. Newyorkbrad (talk) 00:39, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• I do generally look for higher standards of conduct from administrators, as does the community - so I do certainly have concerns here, even if (as Bwilkins suggests) no actual tool misuse has occurred. Awaiting more statements for the moment, I'd like to hear if there has been misconduct above and beyond disagreements. Worm^TT(talk) 09:30, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

  As I see it, there's two issues here. Firstly, an administrative one - where Bwilkins supposedly used the tools while involved. I've not seen any clear explanation of why Bwilkins should be seen as involved, the closest I've seen is that he reverted PumpkinSky when PumpkinSky commented in a closed discussion. That is debateably an administrative action, and would not cause Bwilkins to be involved. If I've missed a reason that Bwilkins should be considered involved, please do enlighten me.

  The second issue is a behavioural one and it is certainly one I am aware of. However, the behavioural issue is definitely one which should be taken to other fora first, such as WP:RfC/U. Bwilkins should be given the chance to see the issues his actions have caused and amend them. I would be willing to look at the case again if Bwilkins does not engage, or problematic behaviour still exists after an RfC/U, but skipping straight to Arbcom is not the solution. Finally, I would like to say that I do appreciate Bwilkins' offer to step away from administrative areas. Worm^TT(talk) 14:13, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

• I'm awaiting more statements as well; however, there are already a couple of things I'd like to point out.

  First, Bwilkins, some of your actions highlighted here do appear to be unwise indeed. Even if we end up dismissing this case, my request as a fellow editor to you would be to tone down some of your replies: even if you don't intend to offend or demean your interlocutor, you should take into consideration how your remarks may be taken by the other person and avoid those which are needlessly confrontational. For instance, the "and may you rot in the hell that is eternal block" comment is quite inappropriate. I agree that you're not telling the other editor to rot in Hell, but your words are unprofessional all the same and are below the level of civility expected of admins.

  That said, PumpkinSky, this is second time you have skipped all previous steps in dispute resolution and have jumped straight to ArbCom. Personally, I don't like that: it's unnecessarily adversarial, deprives the community of their opportunity to offer their perspective and prevents the admin (or user) in question from knowing that the community may have reservations about his conduct (in such a case allowing him to mend his ways accordingly). Salvio ^{Let's talk about it!} 11:02, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

  • PumpkinSky, I disagree that RFC/U is necessarily a waste of time. It may be, when the admin in question does not take the concerns of the community into account and refuses to mend his ways; in such a case, arbcom's intervention becomes necessary – and will probably lead to harsh sanctions even in the absence of previous cautions/admonishments/whatever. However, the fact that they can sometimes be useless does not mean that they always are. Skipping them is basically an assumption that the admin in question can't be trusted to pay heed to the community – or, alternatively, it means that a RFAR is merely a way to get back at someone who an editor feels slighted him and not a way to insure that the sysop's behaviour will improve. I believe that just like we first warn an editor who's misbehaving, allowing him to change voluntarily before issuing blocks or other restrictions, we should extend the same courtesy to an admin. Start an RFC, allow him to improve and, if he doesn't, report him to us.

    Heimstern Läufer, that case was heard by last year's committee, a committee I was not a member of, and elicited a very strong response from the community which vocally opposed the desysopping of the warring admins. As a member of this year's committee, my vote in this case is based on the way I interpret the relevant policies and on my convictions, both of which I have already articulated.

    Count Iblis, that's a very good proposal. One that, as an editor, I'd be very glad to support. However, we may not make policy, so we cannot create such a body by fiat. It's up to the community to do so, if they think, as I do, that it would be a good idea. Salvio ^{Let's talk about it!} 17:25, 1 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]

    • Decline. Salvio ^{Let's talk about it!} 10:46, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• Accept. Risker (talk) 17:28, 1 August 2013 (UTC) struck Risker (talk) 03:23, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
  • I have been asked for some further explanation of my acceptance for a case. Bwilkins' behaviour has concerned me for some time. He has become increasingly foul-mouthed and arrogant, especially on noticeboards; that despite attempts by others to suggest he cool down. We block people who aren't admins for that kind of behaviour on a daily basis. I don't think that RFCs have ever been shown to be effective in getting administrators to change their behaviour (they're only marginally more effective for other editors); the things that sometimes work are admins either taking a break completely or removing all "drama" pages from their watchlists and then being disciplined enough not to go there for any reason. We don't need administrators who are sitting on the edge of burnout; they become a hazard to everyone, especially themselves. I note Bwilkins' posted decision to use his non-admin account and to de-watchlist ANI; I encourage him to remove all other noticeboards from his watchlist. Because of his decision, I have stricken my acceptance; however, if there is a return to prior behaviour, I would accept a case. Risker (talk) 03:23, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• Decline The standard for 'do not pass DR, do not collect $200, go directly to ArbCom' cases -- and there is no evidence of actual DR having been tried here -- is intentionally quite high. A lot of what Risker says has merit, and if Bwilkins comes back in the same manner, we may will have to reexamine this, but I hope that will not be necessary. Courcelles 05:47, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• Salvio makes some good comments. I'll add that without much evidence for misuse of tools, this comes down to civility issues around standards of language usage. Historically we've had problems with that, as there is no clear line on what is acceptable. However, I think there might be broad agreement in this case that Bwilkins' language is unacceptable given his role here. I think it can also be agreed that he was given clear notice by Jimbo that such language use was incompatible with his role as an admin. I'm glad to see that Bwilkins is taking a break from the admin role. That may be what is required here, so I'm inclining to a decline. SilkTork ^{✔Tea time} 10:33, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]
• Decline per Courcelles. This is not just a formalistic step: there are good reasons for having real dispute resolution stages besides ArbCom. Even assuming that all the allegations against Bwilkins are 100% true... – I know it may seem like a crazy concept, but sometimes other things besides a summary desysopping or block can be useful tools for changing one's behavior. NW (Talk) 13:02, 2 August 2013 (UTC)[reply]