AMBER LOVEÂ
[UPDATE 8:13PM 31-JULY-2014] According to ABC 10 News, the subject of this case obtain her injuries from a fall not from an assault.
A Harbor Police investigation found that the girl’s injuries “were not the result of a criminal assault, and were likely the result of a fall. Her injuries, and physical evidence at the scene, were consistent with a fall from the distance of approximately six feet.”
Police said investigators reviewed surveillance camera footage, looked at various photos submitted and spoke to community members and Comic-Con attendees in coming to their conclusion.Polygon Update:Â According to a copy of the police report obtained by Polygon through an open records request, Kalior and the girl had “a physical altercation,” one witness said. The report then details what lead to Kalior’s arrest.
“While Harbor Police was speaking with that witness, Kalior returned without prompting. Harbor Police spoke to Kalior and he denied any dating relationship with [the girl] but admitted to bringing her to a party at the hotel that night where there were a lot of alcohol beverages. A consensual search of Kalior’s cellphone revealed a break-up text dated 7/15/14 in which he used her nick-name … and he referenced their dating relationship. A short time later, [the girl] woke up in the hospital and confirmed she and Kalior have been in a sexual/dating relationship.”
The charges against Kalior are for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
31-JULY-2014 I’m leaving this original part of the post in tact because I can tell you that I’ve continuously seen comments victim blaming and slut shaming this girl when the police stated there was evidence of sexual assault. The reactions of people in the comics and cosplay communities were sometimes disturbing. Most were genuinely concerned but others felt the need to talk about “her skimpy costume” which by comic con cosplay standards was not that revealing. Because it is important to understand how our masses react and how shameful that girl could have been feeling all week had she been conscious and aware of the internet attention, it is a fine example of why many people don’t want to come forward, file complaints or lawsuits, or face public scrutiny under a microscope. In just four days this teen’s character was judged because she was drinking and she was a cosplayer. With that in mind, feel free to read further on to my original explanation bullet points about rape culture.
RAPE CULTURE (NOT JUST IN COMICS, BUT WE HAVE PROBLEM)
As late as this afternoon [29-JULY-2014], people were replying to my previous post about Comic Con’s dress code policy or lack thereof, by missing the point of my post and turning it into an opportunity to say cosplayers who dress in skimpy outfits are asking for trouble. Really. This shit happens every day and cosplayers see these comments every single day. It doesn’t matter if you want to blame the artists for designing scantily clad characters or the publishers and editors that approve that content or the fans who make the effort to promote something they love about comics. It’s not about blaming any of those people. You need to look at the criminals who rape and abuse women, drug them at bars and parties, yell out degrading cat calls, masturbate in front of them in public, or victim-blamers. Those are the people who are responsible as are the judicial forces that do not process rape kits, do not believe women’s stories, do not want to protect victim identities in the press with gag orders, or make plea bargains just in case the perpetrators’ future might be “ruined” as a result of what they did. All of that happens daily.
Take a moment.
Think about this.
Inhale and exhale.
And realize that rape culture is real. Assaulting women is not always punished. Victims face further abuse after coming forward when they try to do the right thing by getting these people off the streets.
This is rape culture.
Every time a person flippantly uses the word “rape” to mean something other than what it does, it is a symptom.
Every time you look at a cosplayer in something skimpy and you think she’s asking for trouble, it is a symptom.
Every time you worry more about the criminal and his future, it is a symptom.
Every time someone in power over the case hides evidence, it is a symptom.
[Edit: wanted to include] Every time a woman of color or transwoman gets no support or no help, it is a symptom.
And you should find that unacceptable.
In case anyone doubts that I contacted the SD PD [Edit: updated to censor personal information]:
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model. 16 Comments on Update on the #SDCC cosplayer assault case. Cosplayer injured by fall not assault
Comments are closed.
Thank you for reporting this. I was in the kitchen making spaghetti sauce today and I heard the report of a female lying beside the road mention from the background noise, but I didn’t know it was something that happened at ComicCon. You have done a good job since I began following you on G+ in telling about the culture of CosPlay and the just wrongness that some people do. Thank you.
If you intended to completely remove contact information you should consider also editing the image of your conversation with the police department, since it appears to include the name of the victim and her mother’s phone number.
Shoot. I didn’t even think of that. It was a last second addition. You’re right.
Please keep in mind that rape isn’t only a Male on Female problem. Rape is also a Female on Male, Male on Male, Female on Female, ect ect problem. Violence and rape ARE NOT gender specific.
Everyone should receive support if they are abused, regardless of gender.
This reminds me of what happened to a friend of mine a few months ago. He was at a house party and someone slipped him something. He could tell something was off so he went to lie down. This girl that he had constantly rebuffed and directly told her ‘No.’ came into the room and he was physically unable to stop her from doing ‘things’ to him. When he came to the next day he went to try to report what had happened and the Campus Police laughed in his face and told him ‘You’re a man, you can’t be raped, get over it’.
I’m not insensitive to the abuse that happens to all genders (Sandusky was the big news last year). It becomes a feminist issue as a blanket because there are people still saying rape is because of what a woman was wearing. I see the comments daily. The “fashion” excuse is tiresome and when it’s discussed in comics/gaming cons you hear it nonstop. She got her ass slapped? Well she WAS dressed as Wonder Woman. I’m sorry for your friend’s experience. The police need to be better educated; campus “police” seem to be the absolute worst. There’s a new bill being introduced (today I believe) but even that has some “don’t get raped” philosophies. Campuses are just toxic.
No, violence and rape are not gender specific but women make up the majority of rape victims, then children, and men BY FAR make up the majority of rapists. Please don’t discount that fact, or make it seem like it’s as equal opportunity as your post implies. Men don’t walk around EVERY SINGLE DAY in fear of being raped, or groped, or harassed by strange men when all they are trying to do is go about their daily business. Men aren’t blamed for their rapes because of their wardrobe choices. Men aren’t taught how not to get raped walking home.
Every time someone says any woman is looking for trouble, asking for it or other wise “earns” rape is a symptom. The only women who ask for sex are the ones who while sober clearly and verbally say they want sex.
Yep – and that is what’s called CONSENT!
Please give credit to where it’s due. http://yellow-stock.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-speak-38822100
I’ll do that as soon as I can, thanks. I don’t who did the mods. It was in Google image search that way.
There is some REALLY gender-biased wording going on in this article.
Also what is the 1 in 3 on the picture representing? Because the “1 in 3 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime” thing has been debunked over and over.
RAINN has made a statement saying that rape culture doesn’t actually exist and that the idea of it actually harms victims way more than it helps. Since RAINN gathers statistics for these situations, I’m going to go ahead and say that they know what they’re talking about.
You don’t have to believe RAINN stats. I’ll believe my inner group of friends and out of all the women in my geek circle, only one has said she’s experienced no sexual harassment.
Also I highly recommend you read these survey results by Janelle Asselin http://bitchmagazine.org/post/how-big-a-problem-is-harassment-at-comic-conventions-very-big-survey-sdcc-emerald-city-cosplay-consent
In NJ, there are 3 rapes every 24 hours (NJSP 2012 data).
Zeph: WCOTC and other white supremacists claim the Holocaust never existed.
“RAINN has made a statement saying that rape culture doesn’t actually exist and that the idea of it actually harms victims way more than it helps. Since RAINN gathers statistics for these situations, I’m going to go ahead and say that they know what they’re talking about.”
– “Zeph”
McDonald’s tells me “I’m lovin’ it”.
I gather statistics from sponsors, btw