What does that mean?
We value the people here and make everyone feel welcome.
We make room for all participants to engage, discuss, and collaborate.
We support each other to build a strong community.
We respect the boundaries of others.
These are not just statements of belief, but principles that we collectively enact. We are dedicated to upholding them, and to ensuring that all members of our community respect them.
Below, you will find the full text of our Code of Conduct, with more detailed information about our community principles. You will also find our Anti-Harassment Policy, along with information about who to contact if you think the policy has been violated. At the end will follow our Image and Video Policy, guidelines for the use of photography and film in Code for Sacramento's promotional materials. For other questions about the Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment Policy, Image and Video Policy, or Code for Sacramento please reach out to [email protected].
TL;DR Be kind.
NOTE: In addition to our own Code of Conduct, Code for Sacramento follows the guidelines of our fiscal sponsor's, DBA Arts, and umbrella group's, the Alliance of Civic Technologists, code of conducts. Please keep this in mind when participating in the Code for Sacramento community.
The Code for Sacramento community expects that all Code for Sacramento activities, events, and digital forums:
Are a safe and respectful environment for all participants.
Are a place where people are free to fully express their identities.
Presume the value of others. Everyone's ideas, skills, and contributions have value.
Don't assume everyone has the same context, and encourage questions.
Find a way for people to be productive with their skills (technical and not) and energy. Use language such as "yes/and," not "not/but."
Encourage members and participants to listen as much as they speak.
Strive to build tools that are open and free technology for public use. Activities that aim to foster public use, not private gain, are prioritized.
Prioritize access for and input from those who are traditionally excluded from the civic process.
Work to ensure that the community is well-represented in the planning, design, and implementation of civic tech. This includes encouraging participation from women, minorities, and traditionally marginalized groups.
Actively involve community groups and those with subject matter expertise in the decision-making process.
Ensure that the relationships and conversations between community members, the local government staff and community partners remain respectful, participatory, and productive.
Provide an environment where people are free from discrimination or harassment.
Code for Sacramento reserves the right to ask anyone in violation of these policies not to participate in any and/or all Code for Sacramento activities, events, and digital forums.
This anti-harassment policy is based on the example policy from the Geek Feminism wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and other volunteers.
This policy is based on several other policies, including the Ohio LinuxFest anti-harassment policy, written by Esther Filderman and Beth Lynn Eicher, and the Con Anti-Harassment Project. Mary Gardiner, Valerie Aurora, Sarah Smith, and Donna Benjamin generalized the policies and added supporting material. Many members of LinuxChix, Geek Feminism and other groups contributed to this work.
All Code for Sacramento network activities, events, and digital forums and their staff, presenters, and participants are held to an anti-harassment policy, included below.
Code for Sacramento is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability or ability, physical appearance, body size, race, age or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Sexual language, imagery, and/or presentations are not appropriate for any Code for Sacramento events, activities, or digital forums. Code for Sacramento participants violating these rules may be temporarily or permanently sanctioned or expelled from any or all events, activities, digital forums, etc. and/or the community at the discretion of the organizers.
Harassment is any unwanted behavior, physical or verbal (or even suggested), that makes someone feel uncomfortable, humiliated, or mentally distressed. This includes, but is not limited to:
Sexual images in public spaces
Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
Cyberbullying or cyberstalking
Harassing photography or recording
Sustained disruption of talks or other events
Inappropriate physical contact
Unwelcome sexual attention
Unwarranted exclusion
Patronizing language or action(s)
Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
While harassment laws differ between states, most states consider these two main factors when deciding the validity of an accusation:
Behavior that annoy, threaten, or demean another - whether intentional or unintentional
Repetition and severity of the unwanted action.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the Code for Sacramento executive team or forum administrator immediately. You can contact the Code for Sacramento executive team at leaders [at] codeforsacramento [dot] org or (916) 835 - 9607. Event staff or forum administrators will be happy to help participants contact hotel/venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event.
If you cannot reach an event organizer or forum administrator and/or it is an emergency, please call 911 and/or remove yourself from the situation.
When reporting an incident, feel free to use the email template below. Code for Sacramento acknowledges that we are not always in a position to evaluate a given situation due to the number of events and the fact that our team is not always present. However, we are hopeful that by providing these guidelines we are establishing a community that jointly adheres to these values and can provide an environment that is welcoming to all.
We value your attendance and hope that by communicating these expectations widely we can all enjoy a harassment-free environment.
I am writing because of harassament at a Code for Sacramento event , [Name, Place, Date of Event]
You can reach me at [Contact Information]
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Code for Sacramento respects members' and event participants' privacy - online and offline. Creating a safe and comfortable space for all people to participate and contribute fully is our first priority in Code for Sacramento spaces, consent by subjects is paramount.
To this end, Code for Sacramento's official photo and video policy is an opt-in model, meaning it is the photographer's onus to gain consent from individuals being photographed/filmed. Images and videos captured officially to be used on Code for Sacramento promotional materials are captured and used at the discretion of the Code for Sacramento executive team.
Any Code for Sacramento member capturing images on behalf (meaning they are capturing images, video, or audio that will be posted or used on official Code for Sacramento channels, websites, or social media accounts) of Code for Sacramento must follow the opt-in policy. If a photo shoot (meaning a pre-arranged event specifically for capturing images, video, or audio for the purpose of being used for promotion of Code for Sacramento events or projects) is being arranged, consent should be provided in writing by each "model" signing a waiver that stipulates that the images taken are only for Code for Sacramento promotions. At events, name badges that clearly state opt-in or out should be worn by all attendees. When events are held in public spaces where photography or videotape anyone is legal, the rules stipulated above still apply. Our goal is not to simply meet legal requirements, but to foster a space that is comfortable for everyone.
In the event that name tags are not available, anyone capturing images, video, or audio must acquire verbal consent of all those persons whose image is being captured ideally before any image, video, or audio is captured, and definitely prior to making any collected content public e.g., before tweeting, or distributing through other social media platforms. Any complaints could result in a take down of images on media channels. If repeated complaints are filed, Code for Sacramento's executive team members may take disciplinary action.
The Code for Sacramento Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment Policy, and Image and Video Policy are distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.
The Code for Sacramento Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment Policy, and Image and Video Policy were derived from several different sources including: