Policy effective 6/5/2018

In order to avoid complications of enforcement, reports for anything having taken place prior to May 2018 will only be taken if they are of major offenses.

 

Safer Spaces Policy Statement

In order to provide a safer space for all attendees, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability status, nationality, age, or any other demographic, this policy lays an operational framework for providing and maintaining Rhythm Junction (RJ) facilities and operations as well as mechanisms to respond to situations that violate our conduct policy.

 

Definitions

• Rhythm Junction (RJ): The organization run by the Ownership Team. This policy regulates some of the actions of both the organization and its Planning Board.
• RJ Events: An event qualifies as a RJ event anytime RJ charges for entry to that event.  RJ may also elect to run free events, and will denote them as such. RJ may at times promote events being run by another organization; these events do not necessarily qualify (and frequently will not qualify) as RJ events.
• Ban: A person who is “banned” is barred from entry to all RJ events.  In the event such a person attempts to circumvent such a ban and gains entry to an event, they are subject to immediate ejection from that event without refund.
• Ownership: Michael Brafford who assists in the enforcement of Major Actions as defined herein.
• Planning Board: A commitee of RJ volunteers that plan, execute, and promote RJ-sponsored activities, events, and initiatives.
• Report: A report is a document recording a single incident as described by one person.
• Record: The record is the summary of all reports to date and actions taken based off those reports.

Safer Spaces Policy

Summary

Rhythm Junction (RJ) will not tolerate harassment of any kind, including but not limited to sexual harassment, verbal abuse, assault, or intentional defamation of character. Anyone at an event hosted by RJ who engages in any such behavior will be asked to stop, and depending on the offense may be ejected from the event.  In the case of a major offense (as defined below) a person may be banned from attendance at future events for a period of time determined by the Planning Board.

The RJ Code of Conduct (Appendix A) is expected to be followed by all attendees and will be enforced at all events.  It is therefore recommended that anyone attending review the Code of Conduct if they have any questions about what actions are permissible at RJ events.

1.1 Infractions

1.1.1 Minor Offenses – While these actions may get someone ejected from a given event without a refund, they are unlikely to lead to being banned entirely.  These include but are not limited to;

Illegal drug or underage alcohol use

Verbal harassment

Excessive alcohol use

“Accidental” inappropriate touch

Attempts to circumvent an ejection or ban or intentionally aid another person in doing so

Violations of the Code of Conduct

 

1.1.2 Major Offenses – These are actions which are likely to lead to a ban from all RJ hosted events for a length of time determined by the Planning Board, and usually have potential for reporting to the police.  These include but are not limited to;

Repeated instances of any Minor Offense

Physical or Sexual Assault

Any felony action

The Ownership Team reserves the right to use their judgement in treating any specific instance of an infraction as a Major or Minor offense.

 

2) Reporting;

Any incident brought to the attention of any member of the Planning Board MUST be recorded regardless of that member’s opinion on the significance of the event.  Forms have been created for this purpose. Blank copies of these forms will be kept in the cash box for use as needed. The form must be used in any instance in which there is potential for legal action (any major offense, excessive consumption of alcohol, anytime 911 is called), whether or not the potential legal action includes RJ itself.  In cases where legal action is not reasonably likely (most minor offenses), the form may also be used.

 

Completed reports are to be kept in the cash box in a privacy envelope designated for their storage, which must be sealed and dated by the end of the event.

 

Reports shall include:

• Date
• Time
• Person taking the report
• Person making the report
• Person being reported
• Offense being reported
• If and what actions were taken at time of report

 

A separate report must be completed for each individual giving a report, and for each individual being reported.

If any actions are taken either before or after the reporting process, these must be included in the report.

The contents of all reports are confidential, including but not limited to the names of persons involved and the details of the incident.

In the case that a report of a minor offense implicates one or more of the SSC members, the Planning Board will designate a separate person to maintain a copy of that report in parallel with the standard reporting.  All such minor reports which have taken place during a SSC member’s term are to be made available during selection of a new SSC member.

In the case that a report of a major offense (including a pattern of minor offenses) implicates one or more of the SSC members, the responsibilities, access to records, and other privileges of those SSC members will be temporarily suspended while the Planning Board investigates the claim.  The Planning Board may choose one of three results for their investigation:

1. Determine the report is insufficient to warrant action at the time. In such cases, the SSC member will return to service and a copy of the report will be held in parallel by a separate (non-SSC) designated member of the Planning Board, as for minor offenses.
2. Determine the report to be sufficient reason to bar the implicated party from further service, but insufficient for Major Actions.  In such cases, the SSC member will be removed from their post. The Planning Board may further choose to bar their continued membership therein.
3. Determine the report to be sufficient for major action as detailed in section 5, in addition to the consequences of action 2.

 

3) Records Management:

All reports are to be transferred to the Ownership Team confidentially for input into the records.  The Ownership Team is responsible for retrieving all reports in a timely fashion. In the case that the Ownership Team cannot retrieve the reports within a week of their being taken, a Site Manager should take the reports into their keeping until they are able to transfer it to the Ownership team.

 

Records are only to be discussed among the Ownership Team.

The current Ownership Team is responsible for maintaining all current and past records and for maintaining a summary of these records.  Summaries shall include identity of implicated parties, the infractions reported including dates, and, when available, the reporting party’s identity.  Any actions taken by the Ownership Team are also required to be in the record. A digital scan of reports will be kept securely by the Ownership Team. The Ownership Team is responsible for taking reasonable steps to keep reports and the record secure from being accessed by any non-authorized individuals.

The Ownership Team is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the record.

Records may only be released on a majority agreement of the Ownership Team or by court order.  The Ownership Team may choose, following request of a victim or victim’s lawyer and majority vote, to disclose the portions of the record the Ownership Team deems relevant to assist in their pursuit of legal action.  Portions of the record not relevant to their case will be redacted. Proof of pursuit of legal action, such as a records request from a lawyer’s office, will be required.

Reports and records thereof will be retained for a minimum of 7 years.

In the case that information contained in the record becomes public due to the actions of people outside the Ownership Team (e.g. a victim makes a public announcement about it), the members of the Ownership Team shall refrain from making any public comments implying the existence of a report. It is therefore advised that any member or former member of the Ownership Team aware of details around a given incident either refrain entirely from comment or exercise extreme caution in that process.

 

4) Minor Actions — Minor Actions may be enacted at any time by any member of the Planning Board or host of an event without consultation. These actions include;

Speaking with an offending party about an offense and requesting them to cease.

Speaking with an offending party about an offense and educating them about ways to avoid repeating the offense.

Creating an incident report, taking down an account of the incident, or otherwise recording an incident.

Ejecting a person from an event for an offense listed in this document. Hosts are always allowed to eject a person from their property for any reason.

Calling 911 for an emergency event.

 

5) Major Actions — Major Actions can only be enacted by unanimous agreement of the Ownership Team.  The Ownership Team may use its best judgement in choosing actions, but should keep in mind that a greater response should be accompanied by a greater degree of evidence.

Temporary ban of a person from RJ-sponsored events

– Typical response for multiple instances of a minor offense

Permanent ban of a person from RJ-sponsored events

– Preponderance of evidence at minimum for major offenses

Communication with other dance organizations as to the offenses of the person in question

– Preponderance of evidence of a major offense which has reasonable potential of being committed at another scene

 

Reporting of a person’s actions to the police – this should generally be left to the victim to choose to do. (exception; if the police are called at the time of incident, members should report as normal for any private citizen)

Please note that public sharing of general information from the record is NOT an action allowed by this policy.  This is to reduce the potential for character assassination, libel, slander, and other forms of character defamation.

 

Reciprocity

The Ownership Team shall adjudicate any information shared by other dance organizations regarding Major Offenses. RJ reserves the right to ban individuals based on reports from other organizations.

Appendix A:  Rhythm Junction Code of Conduct

 

This code of conduct provides guidelines for all guests attending events that RJ hosts.

Rhythm Junction provides space to dance, relax, and have a good time. In order to make this possible, here are some guidelines for being an awesome community member and doing your part to make this scene even better!

 

1. We want every single person, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age, religion, etc. to be able to feel welcomed and comfortable in our spaces. We do not tolerate harassment of any kind. If you harass someone, you may be asked to leave; that may be for the duration of a dance or the duration of the weekend, at our discretion.
2. Don’t use misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, or racist language. If you say something that someone finds offensive, listen to them, apologize, and don’t use that language again. This includes but is not limited to pronoun preferences, racial slang, nicknames, and banter (eg. ‘giving them a hard time’).
3. Don’t offer unsolicited advice on the dance floor. If someone is new and would like some guidance or instruction, take that interaction off of the dance floor. Telling someone that they’re hurting you is not unsolicited advice.
4. Aerials and other moves which put one or both dancers off their balance are inappropriate for social dancing as they increase the risk of injury.
5. While we do not have any requirements of skill, we do expect that attendees dance in such a way that keeps themselves and others safe.
6. Generally, be a responsible adult human. Use your judgment – behavior that is appropriate for a house party is perhaps less appropriate for a dance in a studio.

 

If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, you have been harmed, or someone present is a danger to themselves or others, please report this to Rhythm Junction’s Owner Michael Brafford or a member of our Planning Board. We treat these issues with the strictest confidentiality. RJ pledges to take reports on good faith and respects the privacy of those who choose to report anonymously. Your courage in coming forward can keep incidents from being repeated.

Underage consumption of alcohol or use of illegal substances during our events is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate expulsion. Additionally, any individual providing alcohol to minors will also be expelled from the event. We strongly encourage minors under 16 to have an accompanying parent or guardian – we are happy to waive admission if you are at the event to observe a minor.

A note about affirmative consent, personal space, and flirtation:

Recognizing that sometimes people choose to pursue romantic or sexual relations within the scene, anyone attempting to flirt or hook up at an event should keep in mind that only “yes” means “yes”. If we receive reports of a person pursuing another after being told ‘no’ it will be treated as sexual harassment.

 

Lindy hop is a physically engaging dance. This will be taken into account as context for all reports. Given this context, accidental inappropriate touch may happen. This does not make the dance an invitation for unwanted intimacy.

Adapted from the Mobtown Ballroom Code of Conduct (https://mobtownballroom.com/code).