Community work is repair work

In my recent text about community matters, a couple of people remarked on our code of conduct, asking: how do you deal with bad actors? This is not a short answer, and it’s not an answer that is subject to any consistency over time.

The problem with “bad actors” – and the practice of reparative conduct in general, which I firmly subscribe to – is that there are always exceptions to the rule, always a new way to undermine the fundamental argument, and so it ultimately comes down to the ability of the organizer to create a sense of safety in everybody who’s showing up.

Here are some things I know we don’t practice:

• Any tools of the carcereal state. If 100% of my social graph believes in abolishing the police, then why does it seem like so many people in the left just want to be cops to one another?
• Any attempts to protect abusers, or cover up acts of abuse. Lines get crossed. Community repair should not act as cover for egregious or chronic acts of harm.
• Ostracization or scapegoating, which are frequent consequences of conflict on the left. Shunning others never ends well for anyone. It is always better to call in.