“11.
Would
Conference approve of a group banning a person who is repeatedly
violent in meetings?
Background
1. I was recently
head‐butted at one of my local meetings by a person who has been
coming to AA for a number of years but has been repeatedly violent
towards people. At that same meeting a few years ago this person had
another violent outburst
where they threw a cup at the Secretary and hit someone with a chair.
The person who was Secretary at the time has not returned to AA.
Having discussed what happened to me with members of the
fellowship I have
discovered that this person has punched people in meetings, chased
someone to their car and started banging on the car windshield while
the person was in it and a number of other assaults have occurred
over the years.
In order for evil to
succeed it takes good people to do nothing. If the group of the
meeting where I was headbutted had taken action for this person's
past transgressions then perhaps I would not have been head‐butted
there recently. I put it to Conference, does a group have the right
to ban a person who is repeatedly violent? I know that this is a very
controversial question and I have my concerns about going down the
road of banning people from AA. Where would it end? However Tradition
3 states that the only requirement for membership is a desire to stop
drinking. But what if there is someone in your local area who's only
desire is to bully and hit people who are trying to practice a
spiritual way of life? The group's common welfare should come first,
personal recovery depends upon AA unity and my personal recovery was
gravely affected by the violent act which happened to me in a meeting
which, after five years of sobriety, I thought was a safe place.
2. References
AA
Service News Summer 2001, Draft guidelines on personal conduct in AA
meetings and our common welfare pages 7‐10;
Guidelines for AA in Great Britain, Guideline 16 ‐
Violence; Guidelines for AA
in Great Britain, Guideline 17 ‐
Personal Conduct Matters;
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions; Alcoholics Anonymous, page 97;
The AA Group; AA Tradition ‐
How it developed; Twelve
Traditions Illustrated; This is AA
Terms
of Reference No. 7 Covered by existing literature, guidelines and
Traditions.”
Comment:
Anyone who's been around AA for a while will probably have observed
this kind of conduct although thankfully most will not have been
directly involved. The solution of course is quite simple. Drunk or
sober the perpetrator is committing a criminal offence. The proper
response is to call in the police immediately so that they may deal
with the situation. One of our contributors witnessed a similar
situation at a meeting a number of years ago. The individual in
question was undoubtedly drunk and acted in an extremely aggressive
manner towards those present. Attempts were made to calm him down
but to no avail. The meeting was brought to a standstill.
Eventually one of the attendees left the meeting, found a couple of
police officers, explained the situation to them as they accompanied
him back to the meeting venue. On arrival they invited the man in
question to accompany them and subsequently escorted him from the
room. The meeting then proceeded as usual. Nobody got hurt (although
some were a bit shaken up). Subsequently a decision was made by the
group that a zero tolerance policy would apply in such situations and that any
violent behaviour (verbal or otherwise) would be dealt with similarly
and promptly. AA is a place that welcomes drunks but NOT drunken
behaviour!
Cheers
The
Fellas (Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
PS
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