Original announcement:
Recently the Smash community has been overwhelmed with stories regarding abuse and predatory behaviour.

When Brighton Stock Ultimate begins again, I will be implementing the following rules and adhering to them strongly:
–	All attendees aged under 16 are required to be accompanied by a guardian aged over 18. This Guardian must be declared before an event occurs. Guardians must be of a Family/Family friend relation. This cannot be a community member. They must be present throughout the event. Anybody under the age of 16 who turns up without a parent or guardian present will be turned away.

–	Consumption of alcohol/drugs in the venue is banned. Anybody found to be inebriated at a Brighton Stock event will be asked to leave immediately and indefinitely banned from future events.

–	Anybody wearing graphic clothing of an explicit nature (ahegao clothing etc.) will be asked to leave immediately and indefinitely banned from future events.

Furthermore:
–	Any predatory or abusive behaviour will result in an immediate ban with relevant authorities being contacted.

I understand that there are attendees under the age of 16 who may find they're unable to attend as much (or at all) under these new precautions, and for that I apologise. I hope you all understand that the safety of all attendees is paramount.

As Brighton Stock is a space for adults and minors alike, I'd like for all attendees to be aware of their behaviour, and consider whether it's appropriate for a space such as ours. There will be new community rules and announcements coming as the situation develops.

I'll soon be opening avenues for people to report inappropriate, abusive, or predatory behaviour anonymously. When it's made available, I ask that community members don't leak, abuse, or trivialise it. I ask that you all remain vigilant in calling out and reporting abuse.

If anybody has any questions, my DMs are open as ever

Why these new rules?

Parents/Guardians:
It's worth mentioning that most, if not all, of the stories about predatory behaviour towards minors occurred while they were alone and away from their parents/guardians (while others occurred online). Ultimately, if an attendee is under the age of 16 I want their parents to be present and understand what their child does when they come to our events, and how their child interacts with the community. While I shoulder a degree of responsibility towards what happens at my tournaments and within our community, I believe children under the age of 16 should be supervised and looked after by their parents.

This ruling applies more to larger events, with over 100 attendees in a larger venue. Even for a larger team, overseeing all that happens in an event while running it is a difficult feat, and hiring/finding trained staff with EDBS checks** would be too expensive on top of renting a venue; tournaments in the UK often barely break even, most lose money due to the cost of venues and staff. A much simpler solution to keep events running, while remaining safe, is to make sure children are accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

Regarding alcohol/drug consumption:
Regardless of how well behaved adults can claim to be while inebriated, I believe drinking alcohol at event with minors to be inappropriate – both in the interest of everybody's safety, and in order to be a better influence on younger attendees. A danger also, as seen by stories told by victims of abuse in the scene, is alcohol being given to minors who aren't legally allowed to drink*. In order to prevent opportunities to do so from arising, drinking alcohol will be banned outright at events which under-18's are allowed to attend.

Sexually explicit graphics on clothing:
Though no Brighton Stock attendees have ever worn clothing that contains explicit material (Ahegao hoodies/T-shirts, etc.), the community has come to a consensus (rightfully so, in my opinion) that such clothing is wholly inappropriate in a space which includes minors. It's an unfortunate situation where a rule like that had to be implemented, however people must realize that exposing children to that sort of material is abusive in itself.



*Legal drinking age in the UK is 18.
** In the UK, in order for somebody to be able to work with/around children, they require a certain background check (EDBS, Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check ).