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Looking for support? Your first place to go for support in navigating a situation is our Community Liaisons. They are neutral third-party liaisons who are members of the space, not officially affiliated with The Commons Core team (Cissy, Patricia, Adi), and are not involved in the decision-making process for resolving conflicts.
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Some folks are often unsure of what to report, what qualifies for support, and whether they can get support. The short version: if at any point you feel unsafe or unsure of how to navigate an interpersonal relationship at The Commons, you should feel comfortable asking for help.
That said… it can be helpful to hear what we consider as specific transgressions
Yellow Transgressions
We consider yellow the following examples yellow transgressions, when done repeatedly or intentionally.
Not cleaning up after yourself
Not asking for consent or respecting boundaries for small requests
🚨 Consequences
3 reported strikes and you’re out
More strikes & leniency offered if person clearly takes responsibility, is receptive to feedback, and improves behavior
Orange Transgressions
Rude, dismissive language or behavior
Throwing people’s belonging
Repeated abuse (verbal, emotional, physical) on Slack, Twitter, in person or otherwise
Sexual harassment (lewd, demeaning, or otherwise mean comments)
🚨 Consequences
1 strike and you’re on probation.
Probation means removal from Slack & a clear plan on what your privileges to access the space & a plan for how to return to full membership status
Reconciliation process & changed behavior are requirements for that return plan
Red Transgressions
Sexual Assault
Physical Assault
🚨 Consequences
The accused party will be immediately removed from Slack and August Lock.
There will then be an investigation process that ends with a clear decision about whether the accused party is permitted to return to The Commons after some clear repair process that the accusing party agrees to OR the accused party will not be allowed to return to The Commons permanently.
<aside> 💡 Transgressions that happen outside the space (from one member to another) are still subject to the same consequences. If transgressions are made by non-members, they will wind up on a watch list.
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As part of maintaining all of the above processes, we also maintain a Probation and Ban List.
The Probation List: identifies members and non-members who have made an Orange transgression. If these are non-members, we won’t accept them for membership. And if they are members, we will have a clear process for their return. This list is shared with a few select community members.
The Ban List: identifies individuals who are no longer welcome back at The Commons. This is reserved for people who don’t comply with any Probation plans or who have made a Red transgression.
Please contact with anything life-threatening or requiring immediate support text Patricia Mou at 415.238.4691
You can also request support from Cissy & Patricia for support at The Commons.
While Liaisons will respond to all requests within 48 hours & schedule meet up plans (if appropriate) within 2 weeks, you can expect the following from Cissy & Patricia:
Yellow Transgressions: 1 week response time, 2 week time to initial action
Orange Transgressions: 48 hour response time, 1 week to til a probation decision is made
Red Transgressions: 24 hour response time (including removal from Slack & August Lock), 36 hours to talking with the accusing party, varying timelines for final resolution