128 Community House

Introduction

We aim to be a safe space. Safe spaces are welcoming, engaging and supportive. A safe space is a space without violence, abuse or oppression.

We realize that, the way things are these days, no space can be entirely safe for everyone so we aim to make 128 as safe as possible.

In order for a space to be safe everyone must take responsibility for their actions, language and behaviour and the effect that this has on others.
In a safer space all allegations of abuse will be acted on and responded to.

Do’s and Don’ts

If you use 128, it is your responsibility to make it as safe as possible. This means that any form of violence or abuse, whether intimate or not, is not acceptable. This includes

• • violence against women
  • physical fighting
  • physical abuse
  • verbal abuse
  • psychological abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • intimidation
  • abuse of power
  • harassment
  • discrimination.

Children are welcome at 128. We want to make the space more child-friendly. People using the space should watch out for kids endangering themselves and not do anything that will put kids in danger. Kids should only be in the workshop if directly supervised. Check that there are no kids in the house before leaving the doors open.
We want a culture that takes supporting people who have experienced abuse seriously.
In responding to incidences the 128 collective will act on the word of those who have experienced abuse without question and their needs will be put first.
People should not have their experiences of abuse questioned at 128.

How to Respond

• People using 128 have a responsibility to challenge people on their violent or abusive behaviour, whether or not it directly affects you.

• If you violate the safety of the space, you must take responsibility to make it safe again for the people affected.

• If you do not or cannot do this, we will take action. This could mean asking you to leave, or asking you not to return.

• We believe people can change and we encourage people to work on their behaviour. Any actions or decisions we take will be to make the space safer, not to sit in judgment. Whether or not people feel safe will determine the collective’s response.

• We know that people fuck up. However, behaviour that hurts other people is never acceptable.

Things to be aware of at all times

Power

• Abusive situations are often created when someone is unaware of the power they hold in a relationship.
• Gender, sexuality, whether they know other people, ethnicity, age, class etc can affect how safe we feel.
• Don’t assume the person you are talking to feels as safe or comfortable as you.
• Don’t assume the person you are talking to feels safe enough to challenge your behaviour if it hurts or offends them.

Language

Please be aware of your language and body language, and whether it might be offensive to others.

Communal sleeping space

People sharing communal sleeping space have less privacy, need to change their clothes and may be sleeping. Please be particularly careful to respect each others’ privacy and personal space here. There is a women-only space available that women can sleep in.

Privacy of caretakers

Please be aware that people live in this house. Caretakers are entitled to time out and are not on-duty at all times they are in the house.

Drugs and alcohol

Being under the influence of drugs and alcohol is never an excuse for abusive behaviour. If you know you behave badly when drunk or on drugs, don’t be at 128 in this condition. If you violate the safety of the space, you will still be held responsible.

Most people have experienced abuse of some sort and we want support to begin before abuse becomes public. We hope to be part of a community that is working to empower people and make them better able to respond to, challenge and defend themselves from abuse, before or after it happens. Supporting people around us is something that should happen at all times, not just following the discovery that a person has suffered abuse.

Notes from previous draft:
(Disclaimer note. Very much a draft, still lots more to do. We need a formalized process for reporting abuse and for how we will deal with abusers. These both still need to be figured out and included)

(Safer space for women, interim policy perhaps be included somewhere in here? Will need to be looked at again to fit it in with this?)

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