[MR] Safety

[Gina Shelley]

Thank you. 

I have said it many times before and I will say it again. Just because someone is a fellow SCAdian, that does not make them automatically trustworthy. We have long held this hippy attitude with each other for decades. We can't afford that. And that's been shown in the past, when we've been bitten in the collective butt by our cavalier attitude about what our friends and fellow SCA folk are capable of. Anyone is capable of anything. 

It's a fact that most bad stuff we're talking about does not happen at the hands of a creeping stranger. People can and do commit awful acts, not because they had to sneak around and strike when we're not looking...no, they more often do it because they are trusted. So they just stroll in and do something awful right under everyone's noses. 

Watch your kids. Nobody's "cool" and can be trusted just because they share your hobby. 

Dulcy



> The way to protect children is for parents/guardians not to be stupid.  Sorry to be blunt, but I can't think of a more kind way to put it.   You don't let your kid go off with someone you just met.  You don't let them sleep over at a person's house who does not have children themselves and that you've only known for two weeks.  Also, train your kids!  Teach them to kick and scream if someone tries to take them away from you or from a public area.  Teach them that if they feel uncomfortable, to run away and get back to you or at least back into a public area.
> 
> Background checks aren't the answer.  Responsibility for yourself and your children is.
> 
> -Isabella
>