SIA SoCal

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Group Action Plan

What to do if violation of the safety guidelines continues

We want this meeting to be a safe place and want to remind all individuals that there are appropriate and inappropriate ways of expressing feelings and issues during the sharing time. This meeting does not condone abusive behavior in any form. Inappropriate ways of expression can include name calling, swearing at another, telling another in the meeting what you think of them, violating physical boundaries, and repeatedly or aggressively interrupting while others are speaking. We need to remember that our abusers put their needs before anyone else’s, and while such behavior is understandable on the part of survivors of abuse, it is not acceptable behavior within the context of the meeting.

As a safety measure, if a person needs to be reminded to behave in a non-abusive fashion at 2 meetings in a row, or twice in a single meeting, and members are unable to resolve the issue through a safety check as described in the safety guidelines, any member of the group may call for a vote of censure of the individual who is behaving in an abusive manner.

If a vote of censure if called for and seconded, the secretary will call for a discussion on the matter, followed by an immediate vote. The person whose behavior is in question may participate in the discussion, but will be required to leave the room during the vote. If that person refuses to leave, they will be considered to be in violation of the abusive behavior rule and will be expelled from the meeting for a period of at least 3 months.

If more than half of the people attending the meeting vote for censure, the individual who was behaving in a manner considered abusive by the group will be asked to leave the meeting and will not be allowed to return for a minimum of 3 months. Further, the individual must also be willing to publicly acknowledge his/her behavior and apologize to the group upon returning. If said individual is not willing to apologize, they will not be allowed to return to the meeting.