PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Rich Mackin Meeting
by elina Tuesday, Apr. 01, 2003 at 3:23 AM
ebm@andrew.cmu.edu

Meeting at 2PM TODAY (April 1) to discuss Rich Mackin's talk at 1877

Several days ago, the members of Project 1877 voted to allow Rich Mackin to speak at our space as long as he agreed to address the issue of sexual assault and as long as we had a workshop on sexual assault after his talk. In light of the information about Rich that was made public this weekend, we are reconsidering our decision to allow him to use our space. Please come to Project 1877 on April 1 at 2PM if you want to discuss this issue and help to plan an alternate workshop. You can also e-mail your views on the issue to info@cease.info.

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The following email was sent to me by a friend urging an emergency meeting about the Rich Mackin show on Wednesday, April 2nd at 2pm. Because so many people are rising up to show support against this show we have decided to call a meeting to decide whether or not to continue with the show. We will also be planning alternative events for that evening if the consensus is to ban him from our space. Please come so that we can peacefully resolve this issue.

Thank you,
Branden Dudek

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I feel that some things have changed drastically in the Rich Mackin situation over the weekend and I want to call another meeting to rediscuss our decision to let him speak.

At least five women have come out publicly to accuse Rich of sexual assault, including rape. More women are coming forward every day. Several of these women have created a 'zine about their experiences with Rich and have drafted a letter adressed to spaces hosting his tour asking communities to not allow him to speak as an act of solidarity with the survivors of his attacks. These women have confronted Rich and asked him to cancel his tour and to take immediate action to deal with his serious problem. Rich has not honored this.

It seems clear to me that Rich is a real threat to women. The women that he has abused have not only been strong enough to speak out about it, but are now planning to follow his tour and to block him from entering spaces where he is sceduled to speak. I am in full support of these survivors, and if our space does not officially cancel Rich's talk, I will support and help them in physically keeping him out of 1877. I hope that neither I nor they have to resort to this, and I hope that our community can join as a whole to support these women. I feel that this is no longer an issue of free speach and censorship, but an issue of safety for every community that Rich effects. As much as I don't want to shun him and consider him hopeless, I feel that supporting the survivors of his attacks, and making sure that more attacks don't happen, is much more important.
-elina

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