Attention Mascots (and teams with one)

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

One of the biggest problems is who this behavior should be reported to. Our team has had issues with non-mascot harassment as well and we never knew who in FIRST we should even contact. It's important to remember that this kind of thing can also happen at off-season events. In our case, it ended up becoming a police matter.

Find the nearest key volunteer (LRI, Lead Pit Admin, or Lead Queuer are probably the easiest to find). They can contact the appropriate event personnel to report it up the chain and make sure an incident form is filled out. If you can't find one of those individuals, just find the nearest volunteer - they'll help you find someone higher up real quick (lets face it... most volunteers won't want to deal with something like this, and will be eager to hand it off to someone else).

Originally Posted by wireties

Wow - I had no idea. It is time to let the hounds loose then, something must be done. Do most events have a law enforcement presence? These actions, as described, are criminal behavior. Mentors, teachers and event personnel can provide guidelines and educate students. But once the harassment, assault or battery takes place it should be reported to local law enforcement - full transparency is a must.

I agree that some situations do call for the police, but before we jump the gun we should recognize that each incident is different and unique, and should be handled on a case by case basis. Someone giving out "free hugs" that last a little too long for comfort is a lot different from someone inappropriately briefly groping someone else, which is a lot different from some other forms of assault/abuse we can imagine. Before jumping straight to the police, report it to the appropriate event personnel, and allow them to handle it. They can talk with the victim, the perpetrator, and the lead mentor for the team (hopefully separately so the victims identity can be protected) and potentially reach a solution that is both fair to the victim and appropriately harsh to the perpetrator. Obviously, if the situation warrants it or the victim requests it, the event personnel can then raise the matter to the police. They can also do so in a discrete way, having already pulled aside the perpetrator and a team mentor, rather than asking the police to storm into the pits to find the kid. The event also has on file all of the student registration information (which I believe includes parent contact info), which the police will want.

While it doesn't necessarily work with everyone, calling parents and making them leave work to pick up their kid in the middle of the day for this sort of behavior can have a lasting impression on the kid and help them learn whats appropriate. Appropriate team punishments (not allowing them to letter, or at worst removing them from the team altogether) can help add additional peer pressure to help the kid change. Ultimately, I think it's behavior change we're looking for, rather than a serious legal punishment that could affect the kids entire life (something like this would have the potential to affect college admission or job opportunities down the line).