Arisia:makes another "inexcusable failure", It is time to end this con.

This past weekend, the Arisia Eboard sent corporate membership an e-mail concerning an “IR that involves a conviction and restraining order against a current Eboard member” The Eboard had known about this since December 6th, but because of an “error” and “the complexity of the issue” it was not dealt with for eight months, and when it was the result was that the e-board member was removed from Incident Report Management Committee where he had been serving. For the eight months after self-reporting the conviction and restraining order.

 

Everyone should understand the elephant sized context: on October 25th, 2018 Crystal Huff published “Why I’m Not At Arisia Anymore: My Rapist is President. Again.” Which led other individuals to share other incidents Arisia they felt mishandled. Guests of Honor and many volunteers, panelists and attendees announced that they would not attend the convention.

After the resignation five Eboard members, on Sunday November 11th, replacements were elected, in running for office the current president addressed the crisis stating: “We will need to make changes, and it seems clear that these will require particular attention to how we address abuse by the people in positions of power in our community”

 

On November 23rd Eboard apologized saying: ’Over a span of years, we as an organization have mishandled multiple incident reports, putting the safety of the entire community into question, and causing grave harm to several individuals.”  and noting that “Arisia withhold vital information and allow important details to slip off the radar”

 

Yet, only 16 days later, when confronted with circumstances that clearly needed to be dealt with immediately, Arisia’s leadership dithered and delayed for eight months.  

 

Given this track record, the most straightforward path to deal with the current $150,000 judgment against the convention is to dissolve the corporation. Possibly people untainted by current or former leadership in Arisia might acquire assets and raise support from the SFF community to start a new event with a clean slate. Possibly not. But at least Arisia would cease to exist, and it is clear at this point this that would be a good thing for SFF in New England.

 

There are those tempted to minimize yet another disaster. But the Eboard itself describes it as "an inexcusable failure" putting "trust in the IR process in jeopardy." 

 

Even if one didn't care at all about the substance of safety, a simple concern for appearances should have made it obvious that it was impossible to have someone with a conviction and a restraining order to be involved, for even one day, on the Incident Report Management Committee. 

 

That this happened directly on the heels of last fall’s crisis points to a general failure in the culture of the convention. It is or ought to be clear at this point that Arisia’s instinct to power through to make the convention happen at any cost is not a superpower, but a tragic flaw, a perversion of something once useful. 

 

 

There are, of course, many great things that have happened at Arisia over the years. The instinct to want to salvage that was to people's credit. This past year many people gave the con a last chance to recover and show it can do the right thing.

 

Arisia has failed that test. 

 

Arisia is past saving. Let it die.