We Keep Us Safe
How we hold safety together at QWOCFF — and why we don't call the police.
We Define Justice For Ourselves
QWOCMAP believes that we must define what justice is for ourselves and our communities. We must create safety for our communities, with and within them.
We can work to heal and protect, both ourselves and each other.
Both abolition feminism and transformative justice allow us to imagine and develop alternatives for safety, support, healing, and accountability outside of the criminal legal system.
"We must define what justice is for ourselves and our communities."
The Practical Ask
Safety & Care First
For any uncomfortable, unsafe, or harmful situation that may arise at the festival, please approach the Safety & Care crew first.
Look for red badges and bright pink safety vests.
What Our Safety & Care Crew Does
Assess and respond
They work with community-based safety measures grounded in collective care.
De-escalate with compassion
They resolve issues without compromising the safety of the rest of the audience.
Connect medical care
They facilitate the arrival of paramedics or emergency personnel without calling law enforcement.
Law Enforcement
We ask that community members abide by our request to approach Safety & Care first.
To call in law enforcement is a direct threat to our entire community. We ask that individuals who are unable or refuse to honor this request and boundary to not attend our events.
Law enforcement, including police and immigration agents, escalate, facilitate, and perpetrate lethal violence. Their presence heightens fear, emotional triggers, and trauma, and compromises the safety of LBTQIA+ people of color and the multiple communities to which we belong.
We know we cannot depend on the criminal legal system for justice, because it is the state, the institutions, and their policies that are responsible for the violence we experience and witness. We understand that these punitive systems cause us all harm. We do not want to bring that into QWOCMAP spaces.
Our Safety & Care crew has strategies to provide safety, especially for survivors of violence, that do not involve any form of law enforcement.
In extremely dire situations when law enforcement is actually needed, or if they are called without QWOCMAP's knowledge or consent, designated Safety & Care crew will negotiate with them outside of the venue while the community is protected inside.
What We Can And Can't Do
QWOCMAP strives to make our programs as warm, welcoming, comfortable, and safe as possible for everyone. Here's what's in our scope, and what isn't.
What We Can Do
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Address needs that are brought to our attention during festival programs.
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Safety planning to attend the Film Festival.
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Refer to Community Partners and other Beloved organizations to support accountability and healing processes.
What We Cannot Do
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Address harms that happen outside the spaces we create.
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Act as mediators in interpersonal conflicts between community members.
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Ask our Safety & Care crew to act as police, judge, and jury in the context of QWOCMAP programs.
Need to Talk Through a Situation?
| RESOURCE | DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Safety & Care Crew | Approach first for any uncomfortable, unsafe, or harmful situation. Red badges and bright pink safety vests at every screening. |
| Medical Emergencies | Safety & Care crew facilitate paramedic and emergency personnel arrival without calling law enforcement. |
| Safety Planning | If you need to plan how to attend the festival safely, reach out to festival@qwocmap.org in advance. |
| Community Partners | For accountability and healing processes outside the festival, we refer to Beloved community organizations. Ask Safety & Care crew or email us. |
Key Things to Remember
"Approach Safety & Care first."
For anything uncomfortable, unsafe, or harmful at the festival, find a crew member in red badges and bright pink safety vests before doing anything else.
"This boundary is how we keep us safe."
Not calling law enforcement is a community condition for being at QWOCFF. It protects everyone here, especially survivors and the most vulnerable members of our community.
