Shift Code Of Conduct

1. Purpose

Shift’s mission is to promote inclusive bike fun. We volunteer our time towards that goal in Portland, Oregon, for those of all backgrounds. As such, we are committed to adhering to a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion (or lack thereof).

This Code of Conduct outlines our expectations for the rides that list on the Shift calendar pertaining to both ride leaders and participants, as well as representatives and volunteers at official Shift events including board meetings.

We invite all those who participate in official Shift activities, within Shift’s community, and on rides that list on the Shift calendar; to help us create safe and positive experiences for everyone.

Shift listed ride participants are required to agree to the following Code of Conduct. This code will be shared with participants and the public alike, and ride leaders will enforce this code throughout the ride and during related gatherings before and after the ride.

tl;dr:

Have fun, be kind to one another, keep yourself safe.

2. Core Values

These values come from members in our community that have all collectively agreed on in one setting or another. These are the things the community wants for itself and its legacy in Portland, and hopes to instill in others:

active transportation, community-building, inclusivity, promoting bike fun, accountability, responsibility, collective nature, collaboration, accessibility, justice, environmentalism, education, fostering leadership, equity

3. Expected Behavior

The following behaviors are expected to be used as a resource for ride leaders to know what is expected of rides that are listed on the Shift calendar, these are expected behaviors for all rides:

  • Participate in an authentic and active way. In doing so, you contribute to the health and longevity of this community.
  • Be inclusive, friendly, inviting, and helpful to those around you. There may be participants who are rarely on a bicycle and it’s important to foster those people who may not be as seasoned a rider as you.
  • Exercise consideration and respect in your speech and actions, as well as in the descriptions of listings on the calendar.
  • Attempt collaboration before conflict.
  • Refrain from demeaning, discriminatory, or harassing behavior and speech.
  • Be mindful of your surroundings and of your fellow participants. Alert those who are helping you lead the ride if you notice a dangerous situation, someone in distress, or violations of this Code of Conduct, even if they seem inconsequential. Report bad actors who violate the Code of Conduct to Shift via your ride listing if you are having issues with repeated behavior.
  • Remember that rides are open to everyone and take place in public; please be respectful to all road users, sidewalk users, and those enjoying the public spaces where rides might find themselves.
  • Refrain from insulting, harassing, demeaning, or otherwise with respect to other events and other ride leaders in the community. Report behavior if you see it and do not attack others.

Expected behavior for “Adult (21+)” rides:

  • If your ride features adult content or behavior (drinking at a bar, visiting a 21+ establishment) you must tag your ride as 21+ to let people know that there is a minimum age for attendance.
  • Make a good faith effort to include applicable trigger warnings for your event, let people know in the description and at the event that there may be: Fireworks, Nudity, Adult Endeavors (like bikeporn or a strip club ride) planned for your ride.

Expected behavior for “Family-Friendly” rides:

  • Stay together as a group and follow all traffic safety laws.
  • Helmets are required, by law, for persons under the age of 16 and encouraged for adults.
  • Kids riding their own bikes should be able to ride in a more or less straight line, stop and start as necessary, and follow verbal directions.
  • Rides should be no more than 6 miles in distance.

4. Unacceptable Behavior

The following behaviors are considered harassment and are unacceptable within our community, as such, the ride leaders who observe these behaviors on their rides are expected to address and report such behaviors:

  • Violence, threats of violence or violent language directed against another person.
  • Sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or otherwise discriminatory jokes and language.
  • Posting or displaying violent material or encouraging violence, either on Shift resources online or on rides directly in view of participants.
  • Posting or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information online or to participants on rides: (“doxing”).
  • Personal insults, particularly those related to gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.
  • Inappropriate photography or recording.
  • Inappropriate physical contact. You should have someone’s consent before touching them.
  • Unwelcome sexual attention. This includes, sexualized comments or jokes; inappropriate touching, groping, and unwelcome sexual advances.
  • Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following (online or in person).
  • Listing fraudulent events or repeatedly failing to show up to events after creation.
  • Sustained disruption of community events or forums, in-person or online.
  • Ignoring or evading a suspension, ban, or other requirement or action established by Shift.
  • Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

5. Weapons Policy

No weapons will be allowed on rides that list on the Shift calendar, or at official Shift events, or in other spaces covered by the scope of this Code of Conduct. Weapons include but are not limited to guns, explosives (including fireworks), and large knives such as those used for hunting or display, as well as any other item used for the purpose of causing injury or harm to others. Anyone seen in possession of one of these items must be asked to leave immediately, and will only be allowed to return without the weapon. Attendees are further expected to comply with all state and local laws on this matter. If any ride participants witness this behavior go unaddressed they are requested to report this to Shift under the ride listing on the calendar. While firearms and large knives may be legal to carry, we require that you do not bring them with you.

6. Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behavior from any community member, including ride leaders and those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated. Shift reserves the right to remove any listing from the calendar at any time. Rides which do not follow this Code of Conduct may be removed from the calendar.

Anyone asked to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately.

If a community member engages in unacceptable behavior, we may take any action deemed appropriate, up to and including a temporary ban or permanent expulsion of the ride listing on the Shift calendar and the individuals involved from the official Shift events. This Code Of Conduct includes a section on appeals for rides that have been excluded due to repeated reports of unacceptable behavior without ride leader intervention.

Event removal due to reports of unacceptable behavior going unaddressed will be reviewed case by case by the board members and will be ratified by consensus during the next available board meeting.

Event creators may receive an automatic email notifying them that their listing has been removed. Some listings that get removed may not receive a notification that their ride has been removed at the discretion of the Shift board.

Automatic event removal (one that did not come before the board because of reports) may be done by calendar editors and must be seconded by a board member before removal. Events are automatically removed if the listing is in obvious contention with this Code of Conduct.

7. Reporting Guidelines

If you are subject to or witness unacceptable behavior, or have any other concerns, please notify us as soon as possible by emailing conduct@shift2bikes.org or completing the Reporting Unacceptable Behavior Form to your best ability.

Additionally, Shift recognizes that experiencing unacceptable behavior can make anyone feel unsafe. In the context of official Shift events, organizers are expected to aid those persons experiencing distress.

Respectfully, Shift does not engage with local law enforcement or otherwise aide law enforcement with their investigative matters. Your right to privacy with regard to reporting issues to Shift, be it anonymously or by name, will be protected as confidential by default. Any participants who involve law enforcement agencies do so by their own interest and without the explicit endorsement from Shift the organization.

8. Appealing Decisions

Only permanent resolutions (such as bans) may be appealed. To appeal a decision of the working group, contact the Shift board at conduct@shift2bikes.org with your appeal and the board will review the case.

9. Listing on the Shift Calendar

Public listings on the Shift calendar are not official Shift events, unless created by the board. These non-official Shift events are not covered by insurance and the ride leaders as well as ride participants of these public listings are expected to be ultimately responsible for their own health and safety. If you are in danger in any way, please get to safety and ask for help if you cannot.

Those who list a ride on the Shift calendar as well as the ride leaders, if not the one person then the persons involved in leading the ride, agree that this Code Of Conduct is fair and something they agree to uphold for the duration of their ride. Rides promoted by Shift on the Shift calendar are open to anyone to list, anyone to join, and everyone to enjoy. We appreciate the community’s help in keeping our mission to promote inclusive bike fun a successful one.

10. Scope

We expect all community participants (contributors, paid or otherwise; sponsors; and other guests) to abide by this Code of Conduct in all official Shift venues–online and in-person–as well as in all one-on-one communications pertaining to the Shift community. This includes but is not limited to rides, official Shift events, Shift mailing lists and forums, and Shift social media.

This Code of Conduct and its related procedures also applies to unacceptable behavior occurring outside the scope of community activities when such behavior has the potential to adversely affect the safety and well-being of community members.

11. Contact Info

Shift board: board@shift2bikes.org

Conduct committee: conduct@shift2bikes.org

12. License and Attribution

This Code of Conduct is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.

Portions of text derived directly from the Stumptown Syndicate Code of Conduct which includes text derived from the Django Code of Conduct and the Geek Feminism Anti-Harassment Policy.

13. Glossary of Terms

Ride Participant / Event participant / participant

Someone in attendance of an event listed on the Shift calendar or official Shift event.

Listing Creator / Ride leader

Someone who has created a listing on the Shift calendar, who may or may not be the ride leader, but at minimum is the ride organizer. Ride leaders / listing creators are those who agree to uphold this Code Of Conduct at their event.

Shift Board Member

Someone who is a member of the Shift Board of Directors, and regularly attends Shift board meetings.

Doxing

Providing personal information of another, without explicit consent, to the public. This normally happens with intent to threaten or intimidate. Sharing information about observed behavior from named individuals is not implicitly “doxing”.

Calendar Event / Ride Listing / Listing

An event listed on the Shift calendar.