OTACON BOYCOTT

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH


For the time being, this is unofficial, but any support is greatly appreciated.

At Otakon 2004, a close friend was attending the karaoke event. The music was loud enough to make it difficult to keep track of things going on around her, and she was dragged into an adjacent room and raped. There weren't enough people maintaining the room to hear her cries for help. While she wishes to put this all behind her, it is also very important to push the chairs of Otakon to have proper security at their events! If there had been enough people staffed and enough maintenence being performed in each event room, something unexpected like this would have never happened. The person who did this to her was never apprehended, since he disappeared directly afterward and nobody had noticed anything.

Otakon chairs have been made aware of this occurence. If they do not respond positively to our complaints, a formal petition and boycott will be organized. Please keep an eye out here for more news and SPREAD THE WORD. If you have any knowledge of anything else like this, or any other criminal activity, happening AT THE CON itself, not only in the city of Baltimore, but within the "secure" setting of the convention, PLEASE do not hesitate to make the convention heads aware of it.

keep in mind to apply this thought to any other convention as well. we, as paying guests, expect to feel safe in the convention setting and should not have to worry about being mugged or raped or anything of that nature. if something like this should happen to you DO NOT HESITATE to contact officials and alert them as to the occurence.

thanks a lot everyone, any support is very much appreciated. while a boycott wont help our friend regain her dignity, it will show the convention heads that we are seriously concerned for our safety and well-being at their events.