Nightclub bans STARING without ‘verbal consent’ – and hires ‘safety officer’ in pink vest for police reveal
One NIGHTCLUB banned staring without “verbal consent” – and hired “safety officers” wearing pink vests for police.
The venue also asks club members not to show up if the “sole purpose” of their night out is to meet someone to “pick up”.
Club 77 in Sydney said managers would call the police if club members stared at others without their consent.
And in an Instagram post, the club said “safety officers” wearing pink vests will enforce the new rules about meteors.
Club 77 said it wanted to be a “safe space” and updated its rules because it had recently “attracted some people who don’t share our values and ethics when it comes to speaking to the club culture”.
It says: “Creating a safe space goes beyond implementing practices for dealing with incidents after they’ve happened.
“We also have an obligation to educate new club members and help them understand what is considered unacceptable behavior inside the venue and on the dance floor.”
The new policy states that “Club 77 is not the place to be if your sole purpose is to ‘pick up'”.
It added: “If you walk in and are approaching a lot of people or drawing unwanted attention to someone, you will draw the attention of our security forces, who have been instructed to prevent this kind of behavior.”
The club said people were happy to “interact with strangers” but “any engagement MUST begin with verbal consent”, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Staring is marked as a form of harassment in the club’s new harassment and safety policy.
The venue proposes that club members can be kicked out if they just glance at someone else and they act offensively – and the police could be called.
“For example, if you are staring at someone from a distance – if the attention you give someone is unwanted, that is considered harassment,” the club said.
“If you are being harassed by others or are receiving unwanted attention, please find them or notify our staff immediately.
“We have a policy of ‘always trust the report’ in cases of harassment and insecurity.
“If we receive a report of any behavior that makes someone feel uncomfortable, the person reported will be removed from the location and the police will be called in.”
Club co-owner Dan Gorrel confirmed no one has been kicked out of the club for staring – but wants to set the ground rules.
“Someone can stare at someone and make them feel uncomfortable, they can stare at them for quite a while,” he says.
“People want to go out, they want to feel safe, they don’t want people chasing them, the response to it has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Social media users have supported the new policy.
One said: “Amazing!!! Positive party culture all the way!”
Another wrote: “100% support for this.”