[Organizers] Re: Organizational policy regarding “creeps”

Hi All, The attached document was most recently amended in 2019, before the (recent) name change from Chattahoochee Contra Dancers to the Atlanta Contra Dance. This procedure is normally reviewed and, as needed, updated on a yearly basis by the Steering Committee and is now overdue for its first post-pandemic review. (Note to self – add this as an agenda item for next Steering Committee meeting). The original version of the procedure was first drafted after we had been threatened with legal action by a creeper that we banned. (Unfortunately for the creeper, the lawyer he selected to represent him was also a dancer and, once we took him aside and revealed the full story, withdrew his agreement to represent the creeper in a suit against us, advised the creeper not to pursue additional action, and advised our Steering Committee to develop a formal procedure for disciplinary action/banning and put it in writing, which we promptly did). To date we have only needed to use the procedure outlined here to “permanently” ban one dancer. Permanently is in quotes because, after being banned, that dancer proactively went to extraordinary measures (including attending anger management classes and getting therapy) to demonstrate a sincere desire to rehabilitate himself. As a result, we eventually allowed him to begin attending our dance again and now realize that the next iteration of the procedure needs to include a process for, and conditions under which we would, re-visit permanent bans. -Kimbi Hagen Atlanta Contra Dance From: Virginia Varland via Organizers <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at 3:41 PM To: organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> Subject: [Organizers] Organizational policy regarding “creeps” Hi all, There’s been a lot of discussion regarding generational transition and one of the things that has come up over and over is that to engage young people, especially young women, dances must be able to deal with any “creeps” who routinely cause discomfort to targeted others. Beyond a statement of values, which sets the expectation for behavior at a dance, what actionable policies has your organization successfully (or unsuccessfully) implemented regarding this issue? Looking for: - reporting policy and organizational response to reports. - communications with those who violate community values, including warnings. - addressing continued unacceptable behavior. - mistakes organizations can make when forming for executing policies. - anything else relevant to the topic. Not a fun discussion, but perhaps a helpful one to have. Best, Virginia