Informed Consent

What to know when you enter this space.

 

Informed Consent for Visitors and Guests

Preface: We offer this “Informed Consent” information with deep care and respect for every group and individual who comes to Okra Abbey. At Okra Abbey, we value “radical consent” and we believe in every person’s dignity, well-being and autonomy in making decisions for themselves. Part of supporting your autonomy, dignity and well-being includes giving you information to make informed decisions about your participation, involvement and presence in the garden. We strive to communicate and uphold boundaries around consent, respect, safety, and harm, including disrupting hate speech, sexual harassment, and other forms of unwanted attention, behavior and speech. However, we cannot (nor can any organization) prevent all forms of harm nor can we change the dominant culture & systems of oppression right here and now. We ask that you share any experiences of harm or inappropriate behavior directly to staff members and work with us to develop a plan for support, accountability, and, when possible, to work towards repair and transformation. 

By entering this space you…

  1. Agree to abide by the community agreements outlined below, and made available on signage throughout the garden.

  2. Commit to co-creating safety & well-being in this space AND

  3. Understand and accept the possibility and potential for harm, hurt, discomfort and conflict, including (but not limited to):

    • Bites/stings from fire ants, spiders, wasps and other common insects. 

    • Interacting with people under the influence of drugs and alcohol, people experiencing crises/trauma, people experiencing psychiatric, medical and/or spiritual conditions, people who are formerly incarcerated and/or otherwise involved in the criminal legal system.

    • Pets and other animals

    • Potential scents/aromas, airborne dust or pollen that can cause discomfort for people with allergies and sensitivities. 

    • Unwanted attention, looks, comments or interactions with other community members.

    • Potential tripping hazards such as hoses, cords, cinder-blocks, cracks in the ground, and others. 

    • Exposure to potential inclement weather and hazards associated with inclement weather such as wind, rain, heat and more. 

Okra Abbey Values that Shape This Space: Our organizational values, embodied in our collective practices with our community, include: 

  1. Radical Love

  2. Radical Hospitality

  3. Radical Consent

  4. Radical Accountability 

  5. Radical Repair

Principles and Frameworks that Shape This Space: 

Okra Abbey is committed to learning, practicing, reflecting on, sharing and wrestling with the following principles and frameworks: 

  1. Anti-Racist Organizing Principles of the Peoples’ Institute for Survival and Beyond

    • Analyzing Power

    • Developing Leadership

    • Accountable/Liberated Gatekeeping

    • Identifying and Analyzing Manifestations of Racism

    • Learning from History

    • Maintaining Accountability

    • Networking

    • Sharing Culture

    • Undoing Internalized Racial Oppression

    • Undoing Racism

  2. Harm Reduction Approaches (centering Black and Indigenous harm reduction principles and practices). 

  3. Restorative & Transformative Justice

  4. Disability Justice

Okra Abbey is an outdoor facility exposed to the elements and the environment. Whenever it becomes necessary, we may close the space due to inclement weather, extreme heat/cold, tropical storms, hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, toxic spills and/or other natural and human-made hazards. By being in this space, you agree to take responsibility for your own (and any other dependents in your care) safety, comfort & well-being, including wearing appropriate clothing, safety equipment or relevant personal protective equipment. 

Okra Abbey is open to people with pets and we ask that pets be kept on a leash or otherwise held/ not let loose in the garden. We ask this with particular emphasis on keeping pets away from crops and food being prepared and served for meals to avoid contamination or destruction of food for our community. We also recognize that some people experience pet allergies and/or have experienced negative or traumatic experiences with animals such as dogs, so we ask pet owners to be mindful of other visitors and to check-in with those around you as to their comfort with animals. 

Both inside the garden and around the exterior of the property, Okra Abbey has a variety of projects taking place at any given time, and we are also in a high traffic area, creating potential hazards (and opportunities) that you should be mindful of, including but not limited to: 

  • Sharp objects like stray nails, screws, rocks, broken glass, etc. 

  • Tripping hazards such as hoses, irrigation lines, and other equipment. 

  • Heavy objects like cinder blocks, outdoor furniture, and rain barrels

  • The possibility of used syringes, trash, chemical spills, feces, sharp tools, etc. 

*We encourage visitors to be mindful of these potential hazards and report any safety concerns or potential hazards immediately to a staff member. 

**We also encourage volunteers to wear close-toed shoes, long pants/long sleeves, sunscreen, and gloves, as needed. 

Photo and Video Recording Policies: 

Okra Abbey is committed to practicing radical consent in the broadest terms in our daily interactions. In relation to taking photos or videos on-site (whether a visitor, volunteer, staff member or otherwise) we expect everyone to ask for permission to take photographs or videos of other people in the garden. While we strive to attain explicit permission and consent from visitors to “opt in” to photographs and videos, by entering this space, please know that you are (legally) consenting to being photographed/filmed for use in official Okra Abbey communications, grant reporting, etc. 

We encourage anyone seeking to take pictures or videos to always ask for explicit consent before taking any pictures of other people. This also includes being mindful of forms of coercion including offering people resources, services or money in exchange for permission to be filmed. When someone gives you permission to be filmed or photographed, know that they are within their rights to withdrawal consent even after initially agreeing to be filmed. Please keep in mind that technologies such as AI, facial recognition and other forms of surveillance are disproportionately used to target and criminalize populations with the least social and political power in this society. Please also be mindful of the ways in which photos of vulnerable community members can be harmful in terms of exploitation, misrepresentation and misuse. Please be particularly mindful of not taking photos or videos of vulnerable populations including children. 

Additional Information and Policies Related to Orleans Parish Schools and the Presbytery of South Louisiana: 

As a project under the fiscal umbrella of the Presbytery of South Louisiana, Okra Abbey is obligated to abide by relevant policies governing the PCUSA. Additionally, as a partner and guest of the Orleans Public School Board (on OPSB property) Okra Abbey serves as an auxiliary caretaker of the J.W. Johnson School property. While Okra Abbey abides by OPSB and PSL safety policies, we cannot predict, prevent or account for all potential harm, nor can we guarantee your safety. We have permission to operate on the grounds, to close and lock the gates, and to determine policies and practices for the space in alignment with OPSB policies, guidance and agreements. Due to the nature of this land use partnership, many of our policies are shaped by OPSB, PSL and the PCUSA, including, but not limited to the following: 

  • *“Illegal” drugs and alcohol are prohibited on school grounds by OPSB at all times; anyone who enters the garden with drugs or alcohol will be asked to leave. This is not a personal or organizational judgement of anyone’s individual choices. You are loved and valued regardless. 

  • Okra Abbey staff do not have access to the building or any indoor spaces affiliated with the school property. We do not have access to electricity or water through the school property. 

  • Okra Abbey is insured through the Presbytery of South Louisiana with an independent liability insurance policy. 

* “Illegal” is in quotes in order to note the complex historical and political forces that have shaped which “drugs” are classified as “illegal” and thus outlawed, prohibited, or made taboo. We recognize that every morning in the garden we serve “legal” drugs including coffee that contains caffeine and breakfast snacks that contain sugar. We recognize there is a wide spectrum of how specific substances can both help and harm individuals’ health and well-being, just as there is a wide spectrum of reasons and ways that people choose to “use drugs.” Which is to say: we are not here to shame people, but rather, to love people as they are.