The purpose of our Community Code of Conduct is to ensure that all feel welcome to participate in the Indivisible Outer Cape (IOC) community. The Community Code of Conduct covers our behavior as members of the Indivisible OC 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 Outer Cape community is welcoming to people of all backgrounds and an effective example of the kind of change we advocate for. 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 without their consent. This includes posting photos of events on social media without consent of everyone identifiable in the photos, or providing names of participants, and their contact info.
Be patient:
This mostly applies to updates on our website and responses to your suggestions or inquiries. Our community, events and resources are created strictly by volunteers. 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 Outer Cape community to be respectful when communicating with other community members, as well as with people outside the 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 Outer Cape 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.
In addition, please do not associate IOC with any commercial enterprise. We also ask that you avoid the appearance that IOC is endorsing or promoting any commercial endeavor. For example, if you teach yoga and want to offer a free yoga class to members at a meeting, we welcome that. But we ask that you not provide brochures or business cards promoting your service at the event. You are free to tell members you have a business offering this service if asked.
Adapted from a Code of Conduct crafted by Indivisible San Francisco.
Social Media:
The purpose of Indivisible Outer Cape’s (“IOC”) social media is primarily to inform people about actions they can take. There are many news sources people can follow if they want news. IOC follows the guidelines of Indivisible Massachusetts Coalition (“IMC” the statewide organization), which includes, among other things:
- Promote the issues and actions important to Indivisible from the national to the local stage.
- Promote the actions and events of local Indivisible groups and allied organizations that are in keeping with our vision and mission.
- Elevate diverse voices and promote policy and legislation that is anti-racist, pro-women, and pro-LGBTQ+.
- Limit clutter such as generally available news stories and memes.
- Posts should almost always have a call to action with an easy ‘ask.’ Whenever possible, link to something factual, such as an article from a reputable news source, or a reputable organization doing good work or providing great information.
We also remind everyone that the path to success is a peaceful resistance, so posts that are offensive or espousing violence will be removed.
Finally we ask that people limit their posting to twice a day, and whenever possible provide a link to source material, or the action sign-up, when appropriate. Oh, and don’t forget to be kind to one another. It’s more important than ever.
Indivisible Outer Cape 