Thread by @neumaverick

Earlier today @ToddHaberkorn made a response to @jessiepridemore’s post regarding an incident with @vicmignogna. #kickvic
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He decided to include me in this response so I wanted to help add to the narrative.

I was surprised that Todd decided to use her post about surviving an assault to all but say “it was me” to the other part of Jessie’s story around the unnamed VA in this post. You were not called out by name so you thought that jumping in and saying it you was a good idea?

To include my name and not others who were there that evening who are not heavily involved in the anime industry still is a calculated move. To share screenshots of a private conversation without asking permission is a calculated move.

I’ve known Todd for many years and like most people he’s a mix of good and bad. I’ve been friends with other VAs that we all thought were good guys and shocked to find out they were very much not that after all. bit.ly/2S1pFvW

When I saw this response I was angry and sad for a variety of reasons. Someone I thought overall was a good guy dragging me and a close friend, who is going through hell right now, into a targeted response to something that did not focus on them. I’ve seen this before sadly.

I was less angry that I was being brought into this and a whole lot angry that Todd decided this was the best time to do this. The mention at the end of his post about him being sensitive to anyone who has experienced abuse THAT INCLUDED A HASHTAG ABOUT HIMSELF?!?

Generally you don’t jump in front of something like this unless you’re feeling really guilty and/or panicky. Which he was when he started texting me and others when this story first posted. Since Todd is cool with sharing private communications without asking permission, here:

I do want to add more information around the night in question Todd mentioned. The assault is not my story to tell since I wasn’t there so I can not add to that. I can talk to things leading up to it since I was there though.

Todd, Jessie, myself and a few others were hanging out in a convention hospitality suite that night. We decided to have some drinks. We ended up having a lot of drinks. Jessie was repeatedly given more to drinks, again and again.

Someone should have stopped people from giving her drinks. Someone should have stopped her leaving with Todd later that night to go back to his room because she was clearly past the point of making any clear decisions any more. That someone should have been me and a few others.

Yes Jessie is a grown up but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have helped her. We were all ‘just having a good time’ and I thought that it was fine and blah, blah, blah. It doesn't matter the excuse, I didn’t help. I was a bad friend that night.

I’m talking about this not out of loyalty. I’ve known both of them for many years now. Todd taught my daughter theater, Jessie was the photographer at my wedding. This is about Todd jumping on Jessie’s very brave post about Vic when he wasn’t named in it to save his own skin.

If Todd is “incredibly sensitive to anyone’s experiences w/abuse” why would he put this out in the middle of the hell Jessie is going through right now for speaking up? Why didn’t he focus this moment to speak up about Vic or other abusers or abuse he has been through?

If he really wanted to be part of the solution or support victims of abuse he would stand by them instead of trying to take one down that went out of her way to not mention him. He has a big fan base so why not help instead of attack. This boggles my mind.

I know Todd is not a Vic fan so this could have been moment to step up and publicly address things he’s seen. But he did not. Instead he went after Jessie. Easy target: already being attacked online, has screenshots of private conversations, it happened a while ago.

Anyone who knows me knows I don’t do this sort of thing. Talking with Jessie I was privately and closely supporting her through all this stuff with Vic. That was the plan. Until Todd did this. And I couldn’t keep quiet anymore. #BelieveSurvivors #HaberWTF