Code of Conduct
The purpose of our Community Code of Conduct is to ensure that all feel welcome to participate in the Indivisible San Francisco (Indivisible SF) community.
The Community Code of Conduct covers our behavior as members of the Indivisible SF community, in any public meeting, online forum, mailing list, website, or private correspondence.
We have a few ground rules that we ask people to adhere to, to ensure that the Indivisible SF community is welcoming to people of all backgrounds and an effective example of the kind of change we advocate for with our representatives.
This isn't an exhaustive list of things that you can't do. Rather, take it in the spirit in which it's intended — a guide to make it easier to be excellent to each other. Please follow the spirit of these guidelines, not just the letter.
Respect others’ privacy needs. Political organizing can be a very public act, which can be risky for some members of our community. We want everyone to be able to participate to their level of comfort. To make sure everyone can do so, please do not share personal information about other participants about their consent. This includes posting photos of events on social media without consent of everyone identifiable in the photos, providing names of participants, and their contact info.
Be patient. This mostly applies to forums and mailing lists. Communities are often built on volunteer time both from participants and organizers. It is possible that your question or suggestion might not receive an immediate response. Be patient and consider the norms of the community. An occasional reminder is welcome, many reminders in rapid succession are not a good display of patience.
Be respectful. Not all of us will agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for poor behavior and poor manners. We might all experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's important to remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the Indivisible SF community to be respectful when communicating with other community members, as well as with people outside the Indivisible SF community.
Be courteous to congressional staff. Please be especially courteous when communicating with our representatives’ staff. We will often deliver very assertive messages to our representatives through their staff, but we must be mindful that the staff do not make the final decisions on our representatives’ actions and positions. Individual staff members may even agree with us, but are required to faithfully represent their employer’s views, not their own. Make sure to treat staff courteously and respectfully even when they give unwelcome news about their employers’ positions.
Be nice. Everyone in the Indivisible SF community should feel welcome, regardless of their background. Please be courteous, respectful and polite to fellow community members. No offensive comments related to gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion; no sexual images in public spaces, real or implied violence, intimidation, oppression, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, or unwelcome sexual attention will be tolerated.
Harassment Policy
Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of meetings or other events; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Organizers and invited guests are subject to the anti-harassment policy.
If a participant is found to have engaged in harassing behavior, organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, excluding them from online forums, or excluding them from public meetings.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please follow the directions in the "If You Need Help" section, directly below this policy.
Organizers will be happy to help participants contact security or local law enforcement, provide escorts to an alternate location, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration our events. We value your attendance.
If You Need Help
To report harassment on Slack or any other issue related to the code of conduct on Slack, please contact one of the Slack administrators, who can be found in the #admins channel. Please start a group direct message to the administrators if you would like your report to be confidential, as anyone can join the #admins channel.
Come to one of our weekly meetings to be invited to our Slack group.
To report harassment in any other venue, please contact an organizer directly, or indivisiblesf@gmail.com.