Punk Talks Controversy: Pinegrove, a Mishandled Allegation, and Finding a Path Forward

This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

Anna Gaca, writing at Spin:

Charity organizations often tout close connections to the communities they serve, but in the case of Punk Talks and misconduct allegations, the boundaries feel too unclear. The result is an embarrassing, rumor-fueled fiasco that’s arguably started more anguish than it solved. It’s a story of good intentions gone wrong; of a fledgling institution unprepared for the pressures of public reckoning; and of the pressing need for an uncompromised restorative justice process that can earn long-term trust from its constituents.
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What an utter mess of an organization. This puts a whole new perspective on the role of them in the Pinegrove situation.

 

Sad to see organization with obviously good intentions go about their business so poorly. Clean it up.

 

Due to this new info I’ve basically went from fuck Pinegrove to actually being a little understanding as to why Evan handled whatever happened the way he did (to an extent). Why can’t anyone respect anyone’s privacy or wishes on behalf of the victim/ parties involved in personal quarrels? It puts this magnifying lense onto situations that would’ve otherwise been a little disrespectful and gross at most and turns them into these publicized catastrophes. Can Sheridan actually take accountability?

 

damn this is unprofessional as fuck cmon yall

 

So is Pinegrove done for good? Because that would be a shame. I am not sure what happened but I can still appreciate the music.

 

eager music lovers are anxious to assist in the scene they love, but often without knowledge or foresight to actually make a positive impact. such is life in a scene with diy roots.

 

This news has turned the situation from confusing to an absolute cluster fuck. I honestly don't understand what Sheridan Allen was trying to accomplish by going about things the way she did. Incredibly misguided.

 

Can anyone actually sum up the Pinegrove situation to me? I've read the dudes long response but I still don't even understand what happened. It sounded like he had a brief, intense consensual relationship and then turns out it wasn't consensual because the dude is in a band people enjoy? And people seem to be mad at him for his response?

I'm not being cheeky, I genuinely don't understand the situation.

 

No, I believe the keyboardist and backing singer (also known as Half-Waif on her own) confirmed they are planning on releasing the album later in the year when Evan has undergone more of his treatment regime. They are also writing another album of material whilst they wait I believe, so they will probably be releasing a lot of music later this year and into next.

 

Can't wait. People fuck up from time to time but everyone deserves a second shot.

 

The victim's story was made public without permission. It wasn't made up. Very dangerous to conflate the two.

Nothing in this article or in this scenario absolves Evan of his actions and he is allegedly in treatment for a reason. (I say allegedly not because I don't believe that he is, but because I do not actually know if that's the case, just that folks keep saying it.) Coercion =/= consent. That said, Allen ought to step down from the organization entirely - her actions were completely unprofessional and violating for the victim, and nobody's attempts at undergoing therapy or getting help should be used against them unless they're posing an active threat to themselves or others (wherein mental health professionals are legally required to report).

And a general note to the thread and others on the subject:

For everyone who read this story and thought that it somehow lessened the reality of the information brought forward by all this or goes "oh good, we can listen to Pinegrove again now": yeah, we should never have known, but we do now and you can't unring that bell, and it's pretty troublesome to myself and a lot of other survivors that many of you SEEM to think Punk Talks mishandling of this somehow negates the information that was shared. It does not, and he has to do some serious work to do before I'll personally feel comfortable with giving him a platform. My concern is for his female fans moving forward and my heart is with the person who was re-victimized through all this.

 

Sorry I wasn’t saying it was made up or defending him, I’m saying I don’t actually understand the situation.

 

No need to be sorry - I was responding to "he had a brief, intense consensual relationship and then turns out it wasn't consensual because the dude is in a band people enjoy" because that is simply not the case. I realize you were saying you didn't understand and it's okay to be fuzzy on the details. I am simply using the clearest language I can to warn against that phrasing.

 

What was the story? All i saw was his post which seemed to be vague but essentially read that he cheated on his GF while he was on the road. Is there more to it than that?

 

the exact details do not matter, he admitted to emotional abuse. that terminology is what matters

 

We don't have exact details, nor are we entitled to them. We know that he issued a statement apologizing for engaging in an imbalanced relationship where he was coercive (which negates consent, per my earlier post) - we also now know that the accuser never wished for that to be public, which is why Punk Talks is under a spotlight right now. However, his accuser also didn't refute that it happened, so we need to assume that it did.

 

Mess.