We expect members to be civil and courteous to each other both in person and in digital spaces when representing YIMBY. We ask that our members and those who organize with us direct strong feelings at problems and ideas, not individuals. If you have differences with individuals or groups in the YIMBY movement, the best place to debate is directly or on our Slack, not on external platforms.
Ask for consent when using the images or words of others. Be respectful of their privacy. Understand that in general, the conversations we have within YIMBY spaces are held in confidence.
YIMBY Action is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for all of our members. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. This code of conduct applies to all YIMBY Action spaces offline and online, including meetings, happy hours and other events, Slack, and social media. Anyone who violates this code of conduct will be investigated by the moderation team.
Debate around political ideology, practice, and strategy is encouraged in our spaces. Assume that all comments are made in good faith. Be respectful, use healthy forms of discourse, and be open to new ideas. We are all still growing; supporting ourselves in this means making room for disagreement, compromise, and mutual respect. We are all passionate about our causes and we must recognize when our strong feelings make it hard to take others’ comments in good faith. In these moments, we expect people to be allowed to peacefully walk away from the conversation.
Respect that people have differences of opinion and that every decision carries a trade-off and numerous costs. There is seldom a right answer, especially in political activism.
We are people and we all make mistakes. Practice calling in versus calling out others as a way to nurture our YIMBY spaces while we grow and learn from our mistakes to build a better, more inclusive movement. Respect that calling out is still a valid way to make people accountable and consider how the individuals who are calling people out may have or are currently experiencing oppression.
As a political movement, we need cohesion of vision. While healthy debate is essential to progress, disruption and co-option of our work are counterproductive and harmful. The housing shortage is so much bigger than us.
If you are being harassed by another member, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please submit a Code Conduct violation report using the form below.
We respect confidentiality to protect victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we’ve received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of our members or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.
We prioritize the safety of marginalized people and will not act on complaints about corrective communications. These communications could include:
Participants asked to stop any unacceptable behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant continues to engage in unacceptable behavior, the moderation team may take any action we deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from all YIMBY Action spaces and identification of the participant as a harasser to our members.
We acknowledge that there are different levels of misconduct and that some situations call for a simple intervention while others require stricter disciplinary action. When a complaint is received, the moderation team will assess what actions might be appropriate. Interventions might include:
