TESC’s Flaming Eggplant Cafe ‘S@fer Place’ Policy

SAFER SPACE POLICY

THE FLAMING EGGPLANT SAFER SPACE POLICY

Approved at Employee meeting Jan. 23rd 2012

One of the goals of The Flaming Eggplant Cafe is to provide a “safer space” for community participation, engagement, and enjoyment. Our Safer Space Policy exists to, as best we can, prevent or eliminate any oppressive actions, behaviors, and language in our space. These include, but are not limited to, racism, sexism, ageism, sizeism, classism, ableism, transphobia, heterosexism, and sexual harassment [including animals?]. As we live in a society where oppression is institutionalized and plays out on interpersonal levels every day, to claim this space as completely “safe” would be impossible. We strive to provide a community space that is safe and welcoming, and prioritize the needs of those who are targets of oppression. We ask all people who enter our space to respect others’ physical and emotional boundaries, to be aware of the effects your actions and presence have on others, and to be responsible for your language, behavior, and actions. Please feel free to approach a collective member in confidence should anyone or anything in the cafe make you feel unsafe, including the actions of collective members.

Whenever possible, we may ask people to change or address unsafe behavior or language. As a last resort, we reserve the right to ask people to leave the cafe.

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood

TESC's Safer Space

TESC’s S@fer Sp@ce

The following behaviors may result in asking patrons to leave, at the discretion of the worker(s) present:

Sexual harassment

Physical, verbal, or psychological abuse

Inappropriate / unwelcome comments and behaviors

Disruptive or disrespectful behavior

Causing a worker or patron discomfort or distress for any reason (including violating our Safer Space Policy) [Onions prohibited]

Theft of money or property

If you have any questions about our Safer Space Policy or have been asked to leave and want to follow-up with someone from the cafe, please contact us at eggplantoutreach@gmail.com. If you seek to learn more about types of oppression, we encourage you to begin by browsing our zine and book library in the cafe. If you need further support, some resources on campus include:

The Office of Sexual Assault Prevention: 360-867-5221, Sem I 4121

Coalition Against Sexual Violence: tesccasv@gmail.com *Note: Any information shared with CASV cannot be service record requested.

Campus Counseling Center: 360-867-6800, Sem I 4130

Campus Health Center: 360-867-6200, Sem I 2110

Conflict Assistance, Resources & Empowerment (CARE) Network: 360-867-5291, Sem II E2129

First People’s Advising: 360-867-6467, Library 2153

Bias Incident Response Team (http://www.evergreen.edu/diversity/biasincidentteam)

If you can swallow it, that's 'good'?

If you can swallow it, that’s ‘good’?

Leave a comment

  1. Your policy appears so broad, replete w/’weasel’ words, as to resemble someone’s front (private) room. How do you refrain (or do you) from encroaching on people’s civil rights who frequent your establishment? Is it on campus, thus college property?
    Conceivably, someone could enter wearing a ‘white power’ button. How would you handle that under your ‘policy’? A patron might feel uncomfortable or annoyed if a patch wearing Hell’s Angel showed up for a sandwich. I don’t know that you’re entitled to discriminate in the manner you appear to promote through your ‘safer place’ policy where/when the public has a right to be there. Accordingly, as an investigatory photojournalist, I plan (not certain when) on visiting your ‘establishment’ to discover how oppressive your version of PC feels. I’ll have my camera, my audio recording equipment, a witness, and be wearing my 6″ PRESS button. I believe your policy and how its executed is probably news worthy and of interest to the public if, indeed, it’s on our taxpayer supported public TESC campus.
    I understand you occasionally host public events in your facility. This underscores the importance of the questions I’m posing.
    You may, of course, contact me by e-mail, and I’d be happy to respond to any questions or concerns you may have.
    Regards.
    – amicuscuria.com/wordpress –
    "White Supremacist's" wife w/Robert King, a freed prisoner from Angola, founder of its Black Panther Party, and surviving member of the Angola 3

    “White Supremacist’s” wife w/Robert King

About admin

Opposed to politicians who equivocate about air quality & BioMassacre
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to TESC’s Flaming Eggplant Cafe ‘S@fer Place’ Policy

  1. Poor white supremacists, being oppressed by the Flaming Eggplant … It’s good to know that an “independent journalist” is out there rooting out oppression by stalking and harassing those who don’t tolerate racism and sexual harassment. Way to stick it to the man Amicus!

    • admin says:

      The policy pretty much speaks for itself as it’s written. Readers may draw their own conclusions and, like you, have their own opinions. Still, your ad hominem attack and tired rhetoric about ‘white supremacists’ stalking and harassing champions of the downtrodden reveal a lack of critical reasoning. Rather than an abstract analysis of the problem already offered in the article, perhaps real world reactions might illustrate the point in a more understandable format for those who prefer labels to reflection.

      Bruce is a criminal defense attorney in Washington State of many years. His wife is a superior court judge born in Canada, but now a U.S. citizen. After reading the Flaming Eggplant Cafe ‘safer space’ policy, he had the following reaction/observations:

      Bruce: Is this policy posted somewhere?
      ————-
      John: Yes, it’s online, on the TESC Student Activities page belonging to Evergreen, as a matter of fact. Let me see if I can find the web page and post the URL here.

      http://blogs.evergreen.edu/theflamingeggplant/safer-space-policy/

      Yeah, I talked to the advisor of the group of students working at the campus cafe. She alleged they ran it by the school’s administration and were told it was all hunky dory. Of course, if you’re not one of their chosen few, it’s not adorable at all, it’s oppressive and virtually converts a taxpayer purchased facility at a state funded public college campus into a ‘private’ venue given to whim and where only the most ‘pure’ of the politically correct may feel ‘safer’. In reality, it’s an example of left-wing fascism.
      ————–
      Bruce: That policy is so broad and vague that I would feel unsafe just entering the door – I would not be able to relax and enjoy my food or beverage for fear of making someone feel discomfort or unwelcome. Not to mention “sizeism”. Does that mean large people cannot enter, or does it mean that you can’t make midget jokes? I have no idea what it means. I posted a comment, but couldn’t figure out how to read others’ comments.
      ————–
      John: It’s OK (my thoughts of how they see things) if YOU feel uncomfortable because you’re a normal white privileged male. I spent the afternoon on campus today in a meeting about immigration reform hosted by TESC’s ACAP (Abolish Cops and Prisons) student group. I brought my wife, Pat, to serve as a witness if there was a repeat of last year’s assault when I attempted to cover the Anarchists Convergence on the TESC campus…it was in April also. Many of the same r@dicals were there today. The hostility toward myself as a visible member of the ‘PRESS’ (button) was intense and personal.

      One young man told me I wouldn’t be allowed to take pictures. I pointed out it was a public meeting and I had a civil right to take pictures and cover the event, beside the fact (I tartly observed) he had been taking pictures of the guest speakers when I walked in the door.

      Later, half way through the 2 hour presentation, one woman pointed her finger at me while disparaging my mention of President Bush as a reference point to a question I posed about undocumented immigrants competing for jobs in a depressed labor market. All she could focus on was my mentioning a President she hated. She admitted being disrespectful for taking pictures despite being asked not to do so. My dedication to 1st Amendment principles prevented me from considering that request, as I’d explained earlier to one of the organizers. Even so, a young co-ed challenged me in front of the audience and guest speakers, demanding I delete a picture I’d just snapped of her. I told her I’d speak to her about it after the meeting, if she liked. When I motioned to her later, she was no longer interested. Apparently dialogue wasn’t as attractive for her as confrontation.

      These students were so willfully ignorant of Constitutional guarantees and 1st Amendment principles, it’s unlikely I could have enlightened them in any event. The culture at TESC appears to be quite hostile to any views not considered PC on campus. Somehow, many of the students don’t really want an independent member of the press to cover them, they want an advocate or PR lapdog. They attempt to obtund the journalistic ground rule of ‘without fear nor favor’ by insisting the reporter get ‘permission’ from the subjects he/she is covering. That may be required for an ‘interview’, but not for photographing or recording what goes down in a public meeting. Even judge Sheldon seems deficient in grasping as much.

      In an effort at prior restraint, they [Brad] announced 2 public events (this Thursday and Friday) at TESC would now (for my benefit, I’m certain) be open only to students on campus.
      —————
      Bruce: That is not limited to TESC; it pertains to the left in general. I’ve engaged in political and economic debates with a number of defense attorneys, all of whom consider themselves progressive democrats. Every single debate, without exception, degenerated into name-calling and sneering sarcasm on their parts. And usually astonishingly quickly.
      —————

      Perhaps TESC has no monopoly on the obtuse, but the density of privileged lifestyle r@dical white kids attending there on their parents’ dime seems especially intense. It’s like everything that isn’t nailed down slides to that campus. Most high school students who have completed a civics class have a better understanding of the principles at issue in this scenario–civil rights belonging to all Americans are held cheap on the Evergreen campus by r@dicals and their mentors…all at taxpayer expense. These particular students and their mentor instructors have no problem accepting state largess, nor do they see any irony in the fact. Cossetted in their ivory tower, they hurl invectives, labels, and insults at their critics, demonize the very institutions nursing them, while using reducto ad Hitler arguments in a vacuous attempt to justify their own bigotry.

      One attractive attribute of small town/rural life is getting to know your neighbors and vice versa. You’re held accountable for your words and actions in ways citizens of large cities and anonymous r@dicals are not. You make your bed and lie in it a long time. What Brad is oblivious to is how the miracle of the internet has contributed to making our world a global village. And…the internet never forgets. Employers have discovered the utility of this fact. They routinely Google job applicants now. Brad has made his views known, as he’s entitled to do. Readers and future employers, no doubt, will have their own take which arm chair revolutionaries might find discomforting if they ever mature enough to attempt to secure employment or make constructive changes. If YOU were a potential employer, would YOU hire Brad?

Leave a Reply to admin Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.