GRIEVANCE POLICY
At the City In Motion Dance Weekend, we focus on creating a positive, safe, and uplifting community of dancers. We ask that all attendees read and follow our Code of Conduct, which can be found here. We welcome feedback from all people attending our events. We love to hear what we’re doing right and what we could do better.
The City In Motion Dance Weekend will always foster a safe and positive environment. Inappropriate behavior is unacceptable and we handle complaints in a fair and reasonable manner that addresses the issue at hand while being considerate to everyone involved. We will do our best to respond and take action to keep our community safe and comfortable. In an effort to establish professional processes and standards, we have developed a policy outlining how we address Complaints and Serious Offenses.
If you have a negative experience, we encourage you to deal with the problem directly by first communicating clearly with those involved and setting firm boundaries both verbally and physically, if necessary. If you cannot resolve the matter on your own, please contact event staff to register a Complaint. Our Escalation Policy, which includes four steps starting with a warning and ending with banishment, will be followed in response to most Complaints.
If you feel someone has committed a Serious Offense against you, bring it to the attention of event staff immediately and file a formal complaint. We will work with you to the best of our abilities and within the bounds of the law to resolve the problem. We will act within our discretion for more serious matters, which may include contacting the local police department or immediately ejecting an attendee.
Disclaimer: CityInMotion is not responsible for any behavior that occurs outside of our event days or off our event campus. We will not take action based on third-party representations or gossip. We consider spreading misinformation or unsupported information to be libel, slander, and defamation of character. If you have concerns regarding a past, unrelated event, please click here.
Please address concerns to a City In Motion Dance Weekend organizer as quickly as possible so we can best deal with the situation. If you cannot talk to one of us at an event, please email us at:
issues@cityinmotion.net
GRIEVANCE POLICY FAQ
Why do you have a Code of Conduct and a Grievance Policy?
Our community is very respectful and welcoming, so while these documents may not seem necessary, we feel stating a Code of Conduct gives us all a nice reminder of some acceptable behaviors and expectations for all attendees. It also gives us a standard by which we can assist you with any complaints that may arise.
The Grievance Policy sets forth how CityInMotion will deal with problems of varying degrees. It is important to state this clearly so that if an attendee does have a negative experience, he or she knows what to expect and how CityInMotion will help. It also allows for a more uniform approach so that all event supervisors react in a similar manner.
Where and how do I address my concerns?
Please address concerns to a CityInMotion organizer as quickly as possible so we can best deal with the situation. If you cannot talk to one of us at an event, please email us at:
issues@cityinmotion.net
We understand that filing a complaint can be difficult and want you to feel comfortable telling us what happened. Let us know if there is a specific CityInMotion organizer that you prefer to communicate with about your complaint. We are happy to keep your identity anonymous, if you prefer, and we can inform you of any actions taken to resolve the problem.
We will only accept Complaints and reports of Serious Offenses from those actually involved in the incident. We will not take action based on third-party representations or gossip.
When should I file a Complaint? How do I do it?
A “Complaint” is a problem that you cannot resolve on your own by using social cues, comments, actions, or etiquette generally accepted by the dance community. If you cannot resolve the matter on your own, or if you are not comfortable with personally confronting the problem, please tell us and we will help you. This is what we call a “Complaint.” It may be done verbally or in writing. It will trigger the “Escalation Policy,” as defined below.
If you generally have a negative experience, we encourage you to deal with the problem directly by communicating clearly with those involved and setting firm boundaries both verbally and physically if necessary. Please see our Code of Conduct for social cues, comments, actions, or etiquette generally accepted by the dance community.
What is a Serious Offense?
We do not expect that you will ever experience a “Serious Offense” at CityInMotion. We have a very respectful, caring, and safe community. However, to encourage attendees to take a stand against bad behavior, if it occurs, and to discourage any bad behavior from ever occurring, we feel establishing a policy is a good idea.
“Serious Offenses” include, but are not limited to:
Sexually Predatory Behavior: Intentional aggressive inappropriate sexual touching outside of the normal bounds of flirtation or other interaction socially accepted by the community;
Physically Harmful Behavior: Intentionally harmful actions, or actions done with reckless disregard for the safety of others, resulting in bodily harm.
These examples are known legally as intentional torts and CityInMotion and its organizers cannot be liable for these actions. And while we cannot prevent bad acts, we will help you if asked, and/or take action to keep our community safe going forward. Our community is important to us.
What is the Escalation Policy?
Under most circumstances the following actions will be taken:
First Offense – Discussing the problem with the accused making sure that he or she understands what behavior is unacceptable. Inform the accused that he or she is on probation and any further complaints or repeat offenses will result in suspension.
Second Offense – Ejection from CityInMotion events for the day after detailed discussion of the issues with the accused and signing a statement acknowledging disciplinary action.
Third Offense – Ejection from CityInMotion events for the remainder of the event after detailed discussion of the issues and signing a statement acknowledging disciplinary action. No refund will be available.
Fourth Offense – Banned from attending all future CityInMotion events.
At the Organizers’ discretion, offenses may be viewed as cumulative over the course of several CityInMotion events spanning a number of years.
How do you handle a Serious Offense?
If a Serious Offense occurs, you must file a formal complaint either verbally or in writing with a CityInMotion organizer. You should bring any serious offenses to our attention immediately. The earlier that you give us information, the more detailed and accurate it will be. The more information that you can give us, the more swiftly and clearly we will be able to act. An organizer will help you fill out a complaint form with as much detail as possible so that appropriate actions can be taken to address the issue. The complaint form can be found here. We will willingly involve private security or local law enforcement to resolve matters and protect the peace, if necessary. Serious offenses may result in immediate ejection from the remainder of the CityInMotion event and all future CityInMotion events without further notice or recourse.
Confidentiality: For Present Serious Offenses, unless there is a formally-filed police report (or lawsuit) and conviction (or finding of civil liability and entry of judgment), this information will be kept confidential. We consider spreading misinformation or unsupported information to be libel, slander, and defamation of character.
How do you handle past Complaints or Serious Offenses arising from other events?
The CityInMotion and its organizers can only act within the bounds of the law. We cannot address personal issues that are unrelated to behavior at our dances.
If we are asked to respond to complaints regarding past incidents, any action taken will be at the discretion of the CityInMotion organizers. We cannot take action for something that happened at a time or place outside of our control. We are particularly reluctant to take action based on past incidents relayed to us by third-parties who had no direct involvement in the incident.
Unless there is a formally-filed police report (or lawsuit) and conviction (or finding of civil liability and entry of judgment), we are unlikely to ban the accused person from CityInMotion based on past behavior at an unrelated event. We will, however, keep an eye out for problems and be ready to take action.
If you feel someone has committed a Serious Offense (as defined above) against you at an unrelated past event, and you no longer feel safe attending CityInMotion knowing that this person is attending, please contact us. We will work with you to find a solution personal to you.This information will be kept confidential.