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8/25/10
Impromptu Meeting
Sorry for the late notice but we've been experiencing FTP login issues. There is a meeting happening tonight at CCAS to discuss how and why we came to our decision found below and to converse with anyone interested as to how to better handle any future situations of this nature. We're not going to pretend that CCAS handled this situation perfectly. We think that is kind of the point though. We took our stance of neutrality because the majority of us did not feel qualified to handle this ordeal constructively. Developing a game plan for dealing with future situations of this nature should be the focus of the meeting.
As with all of our meetings, this is open to the public, as is membership for anyone interested in helping us improve going into the future.

8/16/10
Public Statement
For the better part of the past year, Charm City Art Space has grappled with a situation unlike any other in the eight year history of the venue. In the fall of 2009, it came to the attention of the Charm City Art Space community that one of our members was accused of sexual assault and, furthermore, with a history of problematic sexual conduct. The ensuing discussion among the membership of CCAS, conducted primarily via an e-mail listserv, has been long, intense, and enduring, and has in no way been taken lightly. As word of this matter spread beyond our community, the need to publicly acknowledge and address it has become apparent.

As a collectively founded and run space, every decision regarding Charm City Art Space is made by vote. When this issue first came to light, some members of CCAS felt that the accused should be banned from CCAS membership, as his continuing involvement might undermine our efforts to create a positive, comfortable, and safe space for the community. After a great amount of discussion from all sides - more than any other topic in the history of CCAS - a vote was cast and it was decided that an outright ban had the potential to do more harm than good. This decision should not be interpreted as a judgment on the character or credibility of either the accused or of the accuser. As a collective, we feel neither capable nor entitled to reach any sort of determination as to what did or did not occur between those two parties and nothing in this statement should be interpreted as a declaration as to anyone's innocence or guilt. Our decision not to ban the accused is the simple outgrowth of our desire to do what we feel will lead to the most positive outcome for all parties involved with CCAS, whether members, performers, or patrons.

At Charm City Art Space, "all decision making [is] a collective effort with equal weight given to all." Therefore, while there remains a strong dissent among some of the membership regarding our stance in this matter, it is that which the majority feels is best and we request that all parties with an interest in CCAS respect the outcome of the collective's decision. Since its inception, the members of CCAS have striven "to focus our energies as a buffer to filter out negative influences, including but not limited to racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, ageism, violence and judgmental fundamentalism." Just as no person is perfect, so it is with collective bodies. Dissent will always be present in collective bodies, but our hope is that such dissent can be used to energize and improve CCAS, rather than dissolve it.

The Charm City Art Space takes its efforts to create a more positive community very seriously. As such, and in accordance with our mission to create a safe environment free of negative influences such as sexism, we are currently researching opportunities for consent and sexual assault workshops by professionally trained facilitators to be held at CCAS. Furthermore, we welcome all suggestions regarding further efforts to improve CCAS in accordance with our stated goals and ideals. Our space is what we make it, and membership remains open to all. If you're interested in joining us in our mission to maintain CCAS as positive center in our community or if you have any questions regarding these issues, or anything else regarding CCAS, please do not hesitate to get in touch - charmcityartspace@gmail.com.