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Pierce the Veil Finally Address Allegations of Misconduct

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Dec 18, 2017.

  1. Melody Bot Dec 18, 2017
    Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

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

    Pierce the Veil have released a statement addressing allegations made against Mike Fuentes. You can read the full thing below.


    From the day we started this band, the four of us agreed that we not only wanted to write and play songs together for the rest of our lives, but we also wanted to build a strong community through our music and provide a safe place for ourselves and our fans to express our shared values through creativity, open-mindedness, love and respect. Over the last ten years we have accomplished that and so much more with the help of our incredible fans. The bond that we share in this community is stronger than we could have ever imagined and is truly our pride and joy.

    Recently, an allegation was made about Mike from an anonymous source pertaining to events dating back nearly ten years ago. We are taking this allegation seriously and would like to share the steps we are taking in response. Below are a few words from Mike.

    “I’m of course aware of the allegation made about me from almost ten years ago, and I cannot begin to describe how difficult and disturbing this entire situation has been for everyone involved. I do not take this allegation lightly and would never downplay it. I have empathy for any human being who has experienced abuse or mistreatment in their lives, and I am inspired to see so many come forward and speak out about it. No one should have to suffer in silence, and I am thankful that the world is finally starting to listen. I also want to assure you that I have never intentionally manipulated or abused anyone in my life. That is not the person I am, how I was raised, or the type of behavior that I condone. I strongly believe in the empowerment of abuse victims, so if I have ever made anyone feel like they are less than equal, I am sincerely sorry.

    I love playing music more than anything on earth, and I am constantly humbled by the support of our fans. I do not want the allegation surrounding me to negatively affect the reputation or future of the band, or to break the bond and trust that we have created with our fans over the years. So, I have decided to take a break and step away from my position in the band in hopes that this will allow my band mates and fans to continue focusing on the music and message that Pierce The Veil stands for. Though I am far from perfect, I do have a moral compass and try to stand up for what is right. While away from the band, I will continue to work hard to live my life in that way.”

    Since the allegation first surfaced, our band has discussed how we can ensure the PTV community is always a safe environment. We’ve made many efforts over the years to protect our fans, and we can and will do more. We believe in creating spaces where people can seek help for any issues they are struggling with and provide resources and tools to help.

    As a band, we are respecting Mike’s decision to take break and step away. Unfortunately, without a core member of the band, we will be respectfully withdrawing from the upcoming U.K. tour with All Time Low. We promise our fans that we will be back again very soon.
    ​

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  2. jlinitz Dec 18, 2017
    jlinitz

    John Linitz @jlinitz

    "I do not take this allegation lightly and would never downplay it."

    Doesn't the tone of the statement say otherwise though? This was a frustrating read for me.
     
    hypernights., beachdude42, Benjamin Lee and 3 others like this.
  3. Amber Dec 18, 2017
    Amber

    ambsgotback

    The fact that it took Mike/the rest of PTV over a month to say ANYTHING since the allegations broke, speaks volumes. Also, reading the comments in the original post grossed me out. Their fans are so young and so completely warped by these dudes it’s sickening.
     
    hypernights., Jared Luttrell, Mary V and 5 others like this.
  4. cwhit Dec 18, 2017
    cwhit

    still emperor emo Prestigious

    statements do not need to be more than a few sentences long and if you do any more than that you are being indulgent
     
    Mary V, beachdude42, Brent and 2 others like this.
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  6. tyramail Dec 18, 2017
    tyramail

    Trusted Supporter

    I feel like it absolutely is a different tone than that first statement.

    How many times does it need to be mentioned that it was ten years ago? Answer: none.
     
    skogsraet, beachdude42, Brent and 3 others like this.
  7. Bryan Diem Dec 18, 2017
    Bryan Diem

    Trusted

    Good he's relinquishing his post, too bad it hurts the band so much, hope they can bounce back with a better drummer/person somehow
     
  8. tyramail Dec 18, 2017
    tyramail

    Trusted Supporter

    Honestly with the fan base they have, I don’t think it will be hard for them to do.
     
    Saephon likes this.
  9. Bryan Diem Dec 18, 2017
    Bryan Diem

    Trusted

    Yeah. They're not really a band, more a machine. Probably why it took so long for the response to come out; I'd imagine their legal staff had a lot to do in the past few weeks but I'm no expert
     
  10. withchappedlips Dec 18, 2017
    withchappedlips

    #nothingiseasy

    I was fine with his/their post. I don’t know why it took them so long, but he’s no longer in the band, at least for now. I’m not sure there would be a response to allegations like these that would truly make people satisfied.
     
    Mike likes this.
  11. Jason Tate Dec 18, 2017
    Jason Tate

    newsletter is back Staff Member

    I don't get why people say this ... of course there is!
     
    beachdude42 and Amber like this.
  12. jorbjorb Dec 18, 2017
    jorbjorb

    7 rings

    so what if it was ten years ago you pos?
     
    beachdude42 and SuNDaYSTaR like this.
  13. cwhit Dec 18, 2017
    cwhit

    still emperor emo Prestigious

    would be nice if he didn't abuse/harass someone in the first place
     
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  15. Malatesta Dec 18, 2017
    Malatesta

    i may get better but we won't ever get well Prestigious

    Folks waited a month for a statement like that lol jesus
     
    beachdude42 and Amber like this.
  16. SuNDaYSTaR Dec 18, 2017
    SuNDaYSTaR

    Trusted Prestigious

    Hey guys, did you know it happened almost ten years ago?
     
    beachdude42, Bryan Diem, zachmacD and 2 others like this.
  17. Bryan Diem Dec 18, 2017
    Bryan Diem

    Trusted

    I think that means anniversary tour time!
     
    beachdude42, Amber, Brent and 1 other person like this.
  18. Mike Dec 18, 2017
    Mike

    Newbie

    Then, please, enlighten us as to the correct way to approach these allegations. What does the appropriate response contain?
     
  19. Jason Tate Dec 18, 2017
    Jason Tate

    newsletter is back Staff Member

    Here’s some starters:

    Why Most Public Apologies Suck - StatusPage.io Blog



    Acknowledge, actually apologize, don’t make excuses, support the victims, explain steps to make it right/restorative justice, and don’t make it about you. I don’t know why you are being condescending about this like it’s some secret how to be a human and apologize.
     
    hypernights., jlinitz, mercury and 8 others like this.
  20. withchappedlips Dec 18, 2017
    withchappedlips

    #nothingiseasy

    You’re absolutely correct. I’m not saying what he did was okay, or that he should be forgiven. I just think the way they addressed it in this post was fine. No matter what, we aren’t going to be happy with the abuser. It sucks that he did what he did, and I’m glad they’re doing what needs to be done right now to move forward without him. Hopefully he isn’t allowed back into the equation anytime soon.

    I don’t know, maybe he could have aimed his apology more towards the actual victim, but I think the statement was more towards the fan base entirely and just trying to make sure the rest of the guys aren’t pulled down as a result of his stupidity.
     
    Bryan Diem likes this.
  21. sukottokairu Dec 19, 2017
    sukottokairu

    Regular

    i haven't seen a single statement by anyone (musician, actor, or otherwise) that has been called out so far that people have deemed an appropriate and satisfying apology. i mean, that may be due to the people being shitty people to begin with, but still, i don't think there's a such thing as a satisfying response in these situations. maybe if they plead guilty and walked straight to jail that would be enough?
     
  22. Jimmythelocke Dec 19, 2017
    Jimmythelocke

    Newbie

    The "create a safe space" in all these bands statements is really starting to piss me off. Yuck
     
    hypernights., Amber, jlinitz and 2 others like this.
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  24. SuNDaYSTaR Dec 19, 2017
    SuNDaYSTaR

    Trusted Prestigious

    No, because the entire situation would still revolve around them "paying the price" and not at all about truly making it right, or restoration for the victim.

    In this case, his statement begins by "I’m of course aware of the allegation made about me from almost ten years ago [...]", which almost sounds like he's trying to pass off as a victim here. I can't describe how petty that is.
     
    Amber likes this.
  25. justin. Dec 19, 2017
    justin.

    請叫我賴總統

    I think the apology was more about him trying to say that the allegation was so long as if that's an excuse to look past it. Wrong.
     
  26. cwhit Dec 19, 2017
    cwhit

    still emperor emo Prestigious

    as i said earlier, 99% of statements are about telling people it was "a lapse in judgment" "not representative of the person i am today" and similar things. it's all about making people think that this isn't representative of yourself, which is not what these statements are supposed to be. if your apology is more than a paragraph you are saying more than it needs to be
     
    Amber and mercury like this.
  27. Dust Of Fallen Rome Dec 19, 2017
    Dust Of Fallen Rome

    Regular

    As always, PTV are a trash band of trash humans.

    Seriously, not to start anything because I have nothing of substance on this, but I've long heard whispers of shitty, exploitative behaviour from the other Fuentes towards under-age female fans. If this is true I hope he's left out to rot like his brother should be.
     
  28. KyleK Dec 19, 2017
    KyleK

    Let's get these people moving faster!

    I'm not sure if I posted this in a different thread, or just considered posting it. But ultimately my paraphrased thoughts are that public apologies into the void will inherently suck because meaningful apologies will always be personal and communicated directly to victims (in person, by letter, phone, whatever), not crafted so vaguely and impersonally that they can be shared publicly on the internet to potentially thousands or millions of people. That isn't to say bands don't have a responsibility to make a public statement in these instances, just that casting a giant net with a public apology tends to fly in the face of everything that should be a part of apologizing to someone.