need better door policy - sudo-discuss

29 Jul 2014

Last night someone came to the omni and rang the doorbell.

Someone inside Omni answered the door for this person, let them in, and 
then asked them questions like "which group are you with" and "who do you 
know here" and I guess the interaction didn't go ideally well.

At this point I became aware of the interaction and went over, introduced 
myself to both people, and was reminded by the new person that we had met 
before at old sudoroom.  I said that the problem was solved and asked each 
person if they needed anything else before going about their business, and 
they didn't.  The person who opened the door apologized to the person who 
had been let in, and they went their seperate ways.

The person who was let in may have felt that they were being questioned 
partially because of their race and that of the person who opened the 
door.  They may have been right.  Only a scientific study could tell us 
whether people are more likely to question someone of a different race in 
situations of power and responsibility like letting someone "in".

Rather than continue such experiments, formally or informally, i suggest 
we accelerate toward a flat system for situations where a person rings the 
doorbell and the person who answers doesn't know them already.  We can be 
very specific about the instructions and attach them to a laminated card 
tied near the door, so that the person being questioned knows that their 
treatment is 100% standard regardless of their race or appearance.

The card should say something like this:

If you answer the door and you don't know the person, ask them their name 
or nickname and which group's list they are on.  You can check by typing 
their name / nickname into the computer near the front door, and it will 
tell you if they are on a list or not. (it may provide a picture or 
description depending on that persons' preference)

If they are not on a groups' list, ask them if they are looking for 
someone who is present at the Omni right now.  If they say yes, offer to 
help them find that person.  (If you don't have time for this, don't 
answer the door)

If they are not on a groups' list, and you can't find (with their help) 
the person whom they are looking for, you need to decide whether to host 
them as your guest or not.

If a group you represent values community involvement, treat this as an 
opportunity to introduce a new person to your group by hosting them in the 
space while you're there.

Offer them a tour of your groups' space, and tell them about the weekly 
meetings and how to get more involved, and how to become a member with 
door access (and getting their name on the list).  Don't turn people away 
unnecessarily.

If it seems appropriate, ask if they have a specific task they are trying 
to accomplish, such as retreiving or dropping off an item.  If they want 
to take something, you will have to use your judgement as to whether it's 
OK to do so without consulting someone specific about it.  Perhaps they 
can help you contact someone you trust over the telephone, or perhaps you 
believe them because their story sounds good.  Just do what you think is 
best, and keep the person's feelings in mind when proposing an 
alternative, such as trying again another time.

Keep in mind that when opening the door to someone without a key of their 
own, you are in a position of power over them.  With this power comes 
great responsibility, and you are representing your group and the Omni 
collective in general to whoever is at the door.  Your actions have the 
power to do great damage to years of community outreach, or to welcome 
wonderful new people who will bring more great people along with them.

And remember that whatever responsibility you feel about protecting our 
spaces from theft of some replaceable piece of equipment is not nearly as 
important as your responsibility to treat each person with great respect 
and care as you represent your community at the Omni.

Thank you,

the door