January 16 Local Council Statement

On Dec 17, 2017, the EBDSA Local Council unanimously voted to expel an EBDSA member (hereinafter "Member") from the chapter, according to our bylaws Article III, Section IV Member Discipline, Suspension, and Expulsion.¹

Beginning on May 29, 2017, Member repeatedly made false accusations against other members, and made repeated public and semi-public personal attacks based on such false allegations.

In keeping with EBDSA’s conflict guidelines in July of 2017, Local Council (LC) member Mary Virginia Watson attempted to address these incidents with Member informally twice during July 2017.² The first occasion was on the 17th, in the the presence of two witness during an in person meeting. The second occasion was during a private phone call on July 23, 2017. During both conversations Member acknowledged misconduct on their part (regarding repeated broadcasting of misinformation and personal attacks) and agreed to stop this behavior. 

However, throughout the months of October 2017 to December 2017, Member continued to spread misinformation and launch personal attacks on other members. On 11/25/17, in response to this continued behavior, three LC members submitted written allegations of misconduct with a request for appropriate disciplinary action against Member to the LC. These allegations included eleven separate, documented instances of false/misleading statements and/or personal attacks published on social media by Member.

On 12/6/17, in accordance with the EBDSA bylaws Article III, Section 4 Member Discipline, Suspension and Expulsion, and guided by the EBDSA Members Facebook Group Policy 09/18/2017, as well as the (non-binding) national grievance policy (Resolution 33), the LC sent a notice letter to Member informing the member of the allegations made against the member and soliciting a response to these allegations.

On 12/13/17, Member submitted a formal response to the December 6 Notice confirming Member wrote all of the social media posts and that they stood by many of them. Member apologized for some of Member’s actions associated with the allegations. Member also reiterated and expanded upon several of the false narratives as reasoning for Member’s actions. Additionally, since receiving the December 6 Notice, Member publicized the December 13 Response and other social media posts, which again reported misinformation and personal attacks on members.

The LC considered and debated all of the information and evidence provided in order to determine the appropriate course of action. Through this process, the LC determined that Member’s conduct violated EBDSA member policies and warranted discipline. Specifically, the LC looked to Article III, Section 4 of EBDSA bylaws, which state that a member may be disciplined if they “consistently engage in undemocratic, disruptive behavior.” Following this investigation, on 12/17/17, the LC voted unanimously to expel the member for their misconduct.

The LC does not take this decision lightly. In an organization of hundreds of members, disciplinary action is rare. In 2017, there were only two disciplinary decisions regarding member conduct, including this one.³ All members should feel safe in participating and expressing political differences without fear of personal attacks, fabrications and slander, neither of which are grounded in politics, but rather in undermining the foundation of democratic processes and discouraging active and open participation. We cannot build a lasting organization to fight capitalism if we have members whose consistent disruptive behavior fuels destruction rather than collaboration, growth, comradely debate and struggle in solidarity.

All members should be confident that decisions about how to respond to unacceptable conduct are made using established and democratically determined policy and with a commitment to due process and confidentiality. If there is a misunderstanding or allegations of wrongdoing, all members should expect due process with confidentiality, as online harassment is not only often wielded in retaliation and intimidation, it is unacceptable. 

The pattern of behavior cited (consistently broadcasting misinformation and personal attacks) goes beyond regular political debate or critique. Many EBDSA members frequently take to the internet or use in-person forums to express all kinds of opinions and criticisms, and in general such activity does not violate our bylaws, but in fact often encourages democratic participation. We also understand how it is easy to make mistakes, have misunderstandings, or go too far online. Due process ensures that all parties have the ability to account for their actions, defend themselves from baseless accusations, and offer further clarification.

However, the spreading of misinformation over the span of seven months makes grounding our work in debate, reflection, and learning impossible, as members cannot know what information is true and which is false. Such actions are not political disagreements or critiques. They are attacks based in false information. We cannot speak of Member’s intentions, but we do find that they consistently engaged in undemocratic, disruptive behavior, the consequences of which have undermined the building of a welcoming, democratic, and participatory organization. 

We wish Member well and do not doubt their commitment to their politics. However, we take matters of member privacy and safety, as well as member expression and participation, very seriously and believe there is no place in the EBDSA for sustained personal attacks on other members or the sustained spread of misinformation.

1. The name and pronouns are not used in order to protect this person’s privacy. To minimize conflicts of interest, those LC members who brought the original allegations against Member did not participate in the vote regarding the Member’s expulsion.
2. See EBDSA bylaws Section IV: “In all cases, prior to discipline, the Local Council should consider and abide by the principles of privacy, accountability, and restorative justice.”
3. A statement on the other decision can be reviewed here: http://www.eastbaydsa.org/news-statement-2017-10-28-local-council