Under the Full Moon

After debriefing with community we feel seen, heard, and supported.

We understand SWOP is evading this accountability process. If we choose to engage in accountability in the future, SWIM will have a support system in place that can be accessed by any member of our community that includes having a TJ facilitator “on-call” to step in when the call comes.

In collaboration with our support network, we are developing resources for reflective integration of this experience to better inform how we handle and respond to harm. We have been lovingly given a list of questions (shared below) for all of us to sit with as we navigate this and have every intention on bringing this work into follow up care in the near future. For now, feel welcome to use the questions to support your processing.

We have a folder that our community members can access by request to inform themselves on the history of this accountability process. Among other things, included in this folder is an edited, redacted version of an audio recording of Monday’s meeting that SWIM received from a community member. It has now been brought to our attention (on 4/11) that there may also have been a video. We have not seen a video. This audio was shared with us out of concern for transparency, safety, and intention of the space. If you would like access to this folder, email one of us.

Due to the immediate needs of transparency for community members, we will temporarily post the recording here.  Eventually, it will only be accessible through a direct request to the accountability folder mentioned above.

We fully acknowledge there was not proper consent collection at the start of recording on Monday. Some attendees recall being informed of recording, others do not. However, at the end of the meeting it was announced that recording took place and most people knew by the time they left that it was recorded. No plans of sharing or redaction were discussed on Monday. dee reached out to nearly every person who was at the meeting (excluding SWOP members) for consent and redaction requests to ensure everyone had an opportunity to give their consent. Julia was emailed with this information in attempts to collaborate as quickly as possible for both transparency and safety concerns. Julia informed us that she would pass on the notes. We have not heard back from them.

Sandy, our admin support person, was present at the meeting with the sole responsibility of recording notes for transparency. That was our only initial plan around record keeping for this meeting – now these notes have audio support. We were always going to publicly share these notes.

breathe.

Moving forward – we have collabs planned with REP to build support pods, LRC for KYR workshops, and will be inviting you to community dinners this spring and summer.

We are honestly blown away by the amount of care this community has generated in this city. It is truly amazing to be here with you all.

In love and solidarity,

aegor & dee

BELOW: a list of reflective questions rooted in transformative justice

Reflecting on Repair + Accountability

Centering Your Needs & Desires

What do you most need right now: healing, accountability, validation, change, distance?


Do you want relationship or reconnection with SWOP or just acknowledgement and closure?

Are there things you don’t want from this process?

What kind of repair feels meaningful to you?


What would make this process feel on your terms?


Are there things you need in place (support people, grounding practices, breaks, boundaries) to participate?

What would it mean for you to feel emotionally safe enough to engage in this process?

What would make it possible for you to participate fully, without fear of retaliation or harm?


Clarity on Impact

How have you experienced harm, exclusion, or disconnection from SWOP and surrounding community?

Is there something you want to say or have heard that hasn’t been named yet?


What parts of your experience feel especially important to be witnessed or validated?


In what ways has SWOP leadership failed to meet your needs, expectations, or values?

What have you needed from SWOP leadership that they haven’t been willing or able to give?


What has SWOP done (or not done) that contributed to a lack of trust?


Where have you seen leadership using power in ways that felt unjust, silencing, or self-serving?


Are there decisions or dynamics that felt hidden or non-transparent to you?


What patterns have you seen SWOP leadership repeat even after concerns were raised?


What are you still carrying that you wish SWOP understood?


What would you want SWOP to hear if they were truly listening?


Visioning a Different Relationship + Repair

What would genuine accountability from SWOP leadership look like to you?


What – if any – kind of relationship would you like to have with SWOP leadership moving forward?


What – if any – changes in culture, process, or power would help establish or rebuild trust?


Are there specific actions or acknowledgments you need in order to begin or continue your healing process?


What ongoing commitments would show you that SWOP was serious about change?


Readiness & Timing & Consent

Is now the right time for this? Would waiting or preparing more feel better?


Do you feel pressure to participate in an accountability or repair process, and if so, from where?


If you chose not to engage, what would support your healing outside of this process?


What will help you know the process is working (or not working) for you?


What does justice feel like in this context, knowing it might not look like resolution?