Context: a broken step is someone or something within your community which only the locals know to avoid.

Suppose we have a confederation, and someone within the confederation is accused of being dangerous to others in some way. If we kick them out then what stops them from going somewhere else and repeating the pattern? Or coming back for revenge? Or, Stirner Forbid, they’re innocent? And even if they are dangerous, is that any reason to turn them away? We make considerations when it comes to wolves and cacti but draw the line at cousins? But they could hurt the community… you see my dilemma.

Edit: this is not a hypothetical, but I don’t want to get into details. We’re not going to beat anyone up because we can’t confirm anything actually happened.

  • Poof [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2·
    7 days ago

    The answers you seek have been written about in works of restorative and transformative justice. That is where I would look. The prison abolitionists have tried to answer the question of how do we create justice and accountability.

    I looked for an article I had read that your post reminded me of but I couldn’t find it. It was somebody talking about how ridiculous it is having communities constantly on guard because a predator was just left in their midst and everybody just treated it as one of those things. The author thought it was less a broken stair and more a pit trap for the naive.

    There is a cost to leaving predators in your community. Vulnerable people will be harmed and leave. I’d be out if I find an org had somebody they considered dangerous. You can find example after example of destroyed disbanded orgs because one predator was left there festering. Women lqbtq and poc disabled people trans people will leave and they should but probably not before they are harmed. The police themselves have sent sexual criminals as saboteurs.

    Having accountability requires the person who is causing harm to do work and make change and recompenses and if they will not then gtfo. Most of your reason for letting this person potentially stay is rooted in fear of what they will do or duty to care for them. Our duty to care for others is nullified when people do not respond with care to us. Toss them out and if they want back they can change.