What Responsibility Do Community Spaces Have for Keeping People Safe?

Do you run a gay bar, arts center, school, meditation group, sex club, or other community-based business or organization? Conflict is bound to come up in community spaces, and the way that you respond to it as a leader in your community can have a big impact on the people involved, as well as the entire community. But what do you do if an allegation is made and you don't know who to believe?

Here are some options for figuring out how to respond to abuse allegations and creating a safe space.

1. Reach out to your local domestic violence organization or rape crisis center. They might even have resources to support communities who are faced with abuse on their website. If not, you can send them an email to describe your situation and ask for their expert advice.

If you're in the Boston Area, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center is a great organization to reach out to for guidance. Their website specifically mentions offerings to support communities in their efforts to both heal from abuse in the community and to prevent it.

2. Hire a consultant who specializes in abuse allegations. The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN, offers consulting services to help organizations that are dealing with sexual assault or other abuse allegations. They go over your organization's policies and strategies for preventing and responding to abuse, and offer customized guidance.

3. Look into restorative justice processes. Consider whether a restorative justice process could be helpful in your community, or if restorative justice framework might offer some helpful strategies for handling your situation.

4. Get clear on your approach to handling abuse in your community.

Here are some questions to reflect on:

• What can my organization do to prevent predatory behavior in our spaces (rather than just responding to it when it happens)?
• Are there any kinds of allegations or criminal records that, if brought to our attention, would be appropriate to respond to by banning the perpetrator, even if the reported crimes didn't happen in our spaces? Examples to consider might include child sexual abuse, gun violence, etc.
• Does my organization rely on the criminal justice system to protect the community from people who pose a threat to community safety? If so, is that a reliable system?
• Should my organization come up with official policies for preventing and responding to predatory behavior in our spaces? And, if so, how should those policies be enacted?

While most businesses and organizations don't take the time to reflect on these types of questions or invest much in community safety, I invite you to challenge yourself and your organization rise to a higher standard than most.

This article was written by Nicole Mazzeo. Nicole is a sex and consent educator with a passion for zine making, and the founder of Pleasure Pie.