Community Conduct

Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles in 2004 as guidelines for the newly-formed Regional Network. They were crafted as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception. Santa Cruz Burners adheres to these principles and so should you.

We welcome all genders, expressions, orientations, races, ethnicities, creeds, faiths (or no faith), lifestyle choices, etc. and does not tolerate any hate speech or behavior that demeans, dehumanizes, ridicules, or alienates others.

Consent Culture also includes, but is not limited to:

• Informing people about what’s in food or drinks so they can make educated decisions about consumption.
• Not defacing art or property unless it is clear that was the artist’s intention.
• Asking before misting someone.
• Obtaining an explicit “yes” before spanking that booty.
• Ask before touching.
• Respecting a “no” and giving people space if they don’t reciprocate.
• Allowing people to opt out of pranks.
• Asking before taking photos and video.
• *Credit to Youtopia for these examples of consent culture.
• If you have a complaint or your boundaries have been violated while at unSCruz or a SCB CA event please fill out our Incident Report Form. We do not interfere with personal verbal squabbles or incidents that have NOT occurred and a Santa Cruz Burners event.

Confidentiality Policy

It is the policy of the Conduct & Consent Committee (CCC) to protect the confidentiality and privacy of those participants who are involved in investigations of reports submitted to the CCC, and to hold confidential all personally identifying information, communications and observations made by, between or about participants, including the identity of the reporter unless one of the exceptions expressly identified by Santa Cruz Burners’= policy applies. For more information send us an email ccc@unscruz.org.

Investigatory Procedure

Our goal is to gather enough information to be able to make fair and reasonable recommendations whether to allow someone or a group continued access to events or as a volunteer. The CCC will only review cases that happen at a Santa Cruz Burners event. You must be willing to file a police report for the CCC to get involved.

Anonymity

If a reporter provides information to the Conduct & Consent Committee (CCC) but does not want us to talk to the person or persons their report is about, we cannot make a recommendation to the SCB CA Board on that case. We will retain the information, and may contact the reporter in the future. When a case is being investigated we will do our best to maintain the anonymity of the reporter but cannot guarantee it.

Timeline

The CCC tries to hear multiple perspectives about some complex situations, and our volunteers often have busy schedules just like the witnesses and others with whom they talk.  It can take several months to have a sufficient number of conversations to provide an understanding of the situation behind some reports. If you are interacting with the CCC (as a reporter, subject of a report, or witness), you can help keep our process moving by responding to emails from investigators in a timely fashion, and you are welcome to check in with investigators yourself about report status.

Typical Step-by-Step Procedure

• When the Incident Report is submitted, the CCC are automatically notified of the report.
• The CCC contacts the reporter to verify the content and suggest two investigators, then assign those investigators after confirming these are acceptable to the reporter.
• Investigators review what has been reported and contact the reporter to gather further information. Investigators explain possible next steps and possible outcomes to reporter.
  • If the reporter does not want the Investigators to interview the subject of the report, the case will be archived, and no recommendation will be made to the SCB CA board regarding this report. Should the CCC receive other reports about the same person, the reporter in this case may be contacted as a witness.
• If proceeding with a follow up the report, investigators will then talk with witnesses and the subject of the report.
• Investigators may also consult with character witnesses such as other event hosts, and follow up any leads of similar behaviors to establish if there is a larger pattern.
• Investigators bring the results of their investigation back to the CCC.
• The CCC recommends action(s) to the SCB CA such as:
  • Provide an official warning
  • Bar a participant from volunteering in particular capacities or in any capacity
  • Ban from SBC CA events for either one year or permanently
  • Archive the information and recommend no action
• Upon receiving a recommendation, the SCB CA board may:
  • Accept the recommendation
  • Request further detail or additional investigation
  • Pursue a different course of action
  • SCB CA will produce a statement as to why they made the decision they did
• The Conduct & Consent Committee SCB CA representatives contact the subject(s) of the report with an official notice
• The Conduct & Consent Committee SCB CA representatives contacts the reporter(s) to notify them of the SCB CA action
• If the subject or reporter has questions or wants to appeal, a communication channel with the SCB CA will be made available
• The SCB CA determines whether to announce the decision to the Santa Cruz Burners community or other event personnel.