Last Updated May 28, 2026

North Brooklyn Mutual Aid Code of Conduct

Purpose

North Brooklyn Mutual Aid (NBkMA) is an all-volunteer collective with a goal to care for our neighbors in pursuit of addressing intersecting economic, racial, social, and environmental injustices. We prioritize accountability for all of our neighbors in solidarity, not charity.

Our working handbook was created in collaboration with our community and compiled by NBkMA’s admin team and includes key roles, definitions, and our current organizing practices.

The following Code of Conduct is meant to support our work and protect volunteers and neighbors alike. We define volunteers as any neighbor working with NBkMA on a one-off or ongoing basis. We are here to support and uplift our community as a collective and will not tolerate abuse of any kind, as described below.

This is a living document that will evolve to meet the needs of those requesting support within the NBkMA community, which may not already be covered in the current Code of Conduct. This document is not legal advice; rather, it describes how we work together to keep each other safe.

Core Values

As a collective, we aim to organize according to the following principles:

• We organize alongside our neighbors in solidarity and mutuality (not charity)
  NBkMA is an all-volunteer collective of neighbors, not a government agency or charitable nonprofit. We believe in collective care—simply put, the idea of taking what you need, and giving what you can—and working toward a more equitable neighborhood and future, together.
• We hold ourselves accountable to one another
  We ask that coordinators and volunteers treat one another and their neighbors with respect and kindness and follow the volunteer expectations below. If you feel like NBkMA could better support you and/or your neighbors, we welcome all feedback and constructive criticism. Ways to get in touch can be found at the bottom of this page.
• We acknowledge that NBkMA is a work-in-progress
  NBkMA formed in March 2020—its organizers include a group of volunteer admin, coordinators, hundreds of volunteers, and partners with long histories of work throughout the neighborhood around food and housing access, public spaces, climate crises, and more. We try to organize transparently, and we often mess up. Thank you for your patience and work alongside us.
  

Community Expectations

By participating in NBkMA events and initiatives, you agree to the following norms:

• Respect each other
  NBkMA volunteers are expected to be respectful of each other and our neighbors at all times.
• Abuse is not tolerated
  Abuse can take many different forms. Our definition includes disrespect, harassment, and other forms of violence—verbal, emotional, or physical.
• All engagement is voluntary
  Neighbors are not required to volunteer or accept support.
  

Conflict Resolution & De-escalation

We acknowledge that there are many forms of conflict that can arise when working with others, including but not limited to disagreement, harassment, or abuse, and it’s important to us that everyone engaging in work with NBkMA feel safe and respected.

Ideally, disagreements are resolved through direct feedback. If you’re looking for resources to assist with 1:1 conflict remediation, here’s a curated list that offers anonymous guidance for many situations.

If you feel unsafe communicating directly and would like our support:

1. Reach out to any initiative coordinator or admin member with whom you are working with, or
2. Email greenpointhelpers@gmail.com to get in touch with the NBkMA admin.

Every situation is different, and will require different solutions, but generally, our practice will be to:

1. Put you in touch with a volunteer admin member who has capacity to support.
2. The volunteer will have a conversation to learn more from you about the situation.
3. The volunteer will have conversations to learn more from other community members who are involved in the situation, if applicable.
4. The volunteer with work with you and other involved community members to identify the desired resolution, such as a mediated conversation or other facilitation tools.

If you have questions, need support, or want to get involved, please email greenpointhelpers@gmail.com.