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Dragon Con Ban?

Started by PeasOfCrap,

64 posts in this topic

PeasOfCrap

PeasOfCrap

Posted
Posted

Nancy A. Collins, best known as the author of the VAMPS novels, and former Swamp Thing writer Stephen Bissette have called for a boycott of popular nerd convention Dragon*Con until they agree to cut all ties to accused child molester, and Dragon*Con co-founder Ed Kramer.

 

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kramer was arrested in Georgia in 2000 after being accused of sexual assault by three teenage boys. He was found to be incapable of standing trial due to health problems, and placed under house arrest, but later given limited permission to travel to New York and New Jersey to receive medical care and visit his ailing mother. Under the conditions of his house arrest, he was to report his location weekly and was forbidden any unsupervised contact with children under 16.

 

In 2011, he was arrested in Connecticut after being discovered alone in a hotel room with a 14 year old boy, whom Kramer claimed was his ward. He fought extradition to Georgia, but lost last December, and has been in jail back in Georgia since last week.

 

Collins, Bissette, and a growing number of writers and personalities are outraged that Dragon*Con profits are going towards Kramer’s continued efforts to stay out of prison. Kramer “officially” resigned from Dragon*Con, which he helped create back in 1987, in 2000–but as a partner he continues to draw over $150k a year from them, and has refused efforts by the ‘Con’s other partners to buy him out.

 

Herein lies the source of the boycotters’ frustrations. Bissette posted the “call to arms” Collins wrote on Facebook at his website…It reads in part:

 

“I’d like to test it by seeing if social media can cut off the flow of money from DragonCon to accused child molester (and the convention’s co-owner) Ed Kramer, who has been using the 150K+ a year he receives each year from DragonCon to avoid trial and manipulate the justice system to allow him free reign to prey upon children, even while under supposed house arrest. All you have to do is publicly declare you will never attend DragonCon again as long as Edward Kramer profits from the convention.

 

DragonCon has had over 12 years to sever ties with this man, but has failed to do so. Although the convention’s chairman has bought enough shares from Ed Kramer to qualify as the controlling shareholder, Kramer refuses to be bought out. No matter what DragonCon does or says, funds from the convention will continue to go to Edward Kramer until either he dies or the corporation that runs the convention dissolves and reincorporates under another name. DragonCon knows what needs to be done, but has been dragging its feet on this matter, and has gone to great trouble over the last 12 years to hide the fact that they continue to fund Edward Kramer’s lifestyle. But now the cat’s out of the bag (in large part due to Kramer’s own decision to sue them for a larger share of the convention’s profits) and there’s no putting it back in.’

 

Convention fixture and Geek Personality Adrianne Curry has also made her opinion known: The popular cosplayer and first America’s Next Top Model winner is an abuse survivor, and was quoted in The Mary Sue as saying:

 

 “The founder of Dragon con was arrested for being a pedophile. I will NEVER attend dragon con. Many will argue that the child molester is no longer associated w/dragon con. He helped build it…and as a survivor, I wont ever go.”

 

As of yet, no petition or other formal request has been presented to Dragon*Con asking for the removal of Kramer from their payroll.

 

http://nerdbastards.com/2013/01/29/writers-call-for-dragoncon-boycott-accused-molester-still-on-payroll/

 

 

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Silent Master

Silent Master

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Posted

 

In 2011, he was arrested in Connecticut after being discovered alone in a hotel room with a 14 year old boy, whom Kramer claimed was his ward.

 

But it was his ward (shrug) ??

 

Holy Batman doh!

 

 

It's horrible when the actions of a few overshadow a good thing... :sorry:

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

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I will start my reply by saying that I have no idea if Ed Kramer is guilty or innocent.

 

When Ed was under house arrest in Georgia, he had an ex-military female living with him and taking care of his errands and needs around the house. Ed is in very poor physical health. The female worked at a local comic shop (which is now closed) and I saw her every week at the comic shop for several months. We discussed Ed's situation quite a few times.This female told me that many of the accusations of him being with a young boy were actually referring to her. Let's just say she could be mistaken for a young boy. She was short. She had a short boyish hair style. She also made it clear that many of his accusers had long standing personal grudges against him and those grudges predated any accusations.

 

Pat Henry, the main man behind Dragon Con is to my knowledge not making any effort to support Ed. Ed was a legitimate partner and to my knowledge simply has a legitimate right to any income earned by the show.

 

I'm not convinced entirely that Ed was guilty of anything given the amount of vitriol and hatred that his accusers had towards him prior to him ever being accused of anything sexually inappropriate. I wasn't there so I can't say. He had supposedly been working on a -script for a "Lord of the Flies" type movie and had reference photos of boys without shirts in with his files of information he was collecting for the -script. There's enough shadow of a doubt that I'm not willing to say he's guilty. He may be. I'm all for protecting children... but if you look at his current picture and factor his current health situation, I find it hard to believe he could lure any child into anything.

 

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/273381/40/DragonCon-founder-jailed-in-Gwinnett

 

My point is that boycotting Dragon Con over this and punishing the other owner who is 100% innocent of the charges seems completely wrong to me. I also feel that cutting off Ed's source of income is more like wishing him a death sentence considering his medical condition.

 

If you are going to boycott Dragon Con, do it for the same reason I do it. The crappy parking lot in the area put a wheel boot on my vehicle during Dragon Con 2004 when the parking lot attendant made eye contact with me and SAW me placing money in the drop box. Do it because Dragon Con doesn't take any responsibility for the crappy location and parking situation. They also make you walk 4 city blocks to get from one end of the show to the other and keep the registration lines long and away from anything else you are going to do. Those are my reasons for boycotting Dragon Con

 

It takes a lot of hatred to pursue a man and kick him further after law enforcement is already addressing his violations. To each their own.

 

DG

 

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DiceX

DiceX

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Posted
It takes a lot of hatred to pursue a man and kick him further after law enforcement is already addressing his violations. To each their own.

 

Please feel free use my foot to kick any pedophile while they're down, up, in, out, in sickness and in health. I'll feel sorry for them when I get around to it, which will be never.

 

 

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

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It takes a lot of hatred to pursue a man and kick him further after law enforcement is already addressing his violations. To each their own.

 

Please feel free use my foot to kick any pedophile while they're down, up, in, out, in sickness and in health. I'll feel sorry for them when I get around to it, which will be never.

 

 

It is my understanding that all of the accusations occurred after he broke up with a woman that had three boys and the reason she broke up with him were not related to sexual misconduct. The accusations of misconduct arose in the aftermath of their bitter breakup based upon circumstantial evidence. His current arrest does seem to make him look guilty, but my understanding is that he does need someone around him to help him deal with his medical condition. Choosing a young boy as a helper and caretaker seems about as stupid as can be, but it could have been a choice made out of desperation due to his medical condition.

 

I'm with you 200% if there was solid evidence he'd ever really done what he's accused of doing. It's based on hearsay and accusations by people who hated the man for unrelated reasons. I think the fact he was placed under house arrest instead of being behind bars is an indication that authorities weren't 100% convinced of his guilt.

 

The man has no life. Depriving him of income to defend himself seems more like the role of the executioner before the proof has really manifest.

 

If you were innocent yet facing the same accusations, how would you want to be treated?

 

DG

 

 

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Beige

Beige

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Posted
This is a thread that should just be deleted and never reappear.

 

[font:Book Antiqua]I disagree, some topics should be examined and talk about them...[/font]

 

(tsk)

 

I agree - but do you think a comic forum is THAT place?

(shrug)

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Tuffy

Tuffy

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150k per year to back him? I figured Dragon*Con was making some scratch on the side, but to be able to put that kind of money into someone that isn't even affiliated anymore seems crazy.

 

Dragon Con is huge.

 

DG

 

I know how large it is, but I kind of figured that they weren't coming out too much ahead because of all of the costs they have, and how big their celebrity guests have become. I've been wanting to go for the past few years since it's only an hour and a half away but it always starts the same weekend as college football and football wins out every year.

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MagnusX

MagnusX

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Posted
This is a thread that should just be deleted and never reappear.

 

[font:Book Antiqua]I disagree, some topics should be examined and talk about them...[/font]

 

(tsk)

 

I agree - but do you think a comic forum is THAT place?

(shrug)

 

[font:Book Antiqua]Yes, because we are talking about a Comic Book Convention

(One of the most larger in England)

and one of his partners/founders/associate...[/font]

 

 

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dgarthwaite-migration

dgarthwaite-migration

Posted
Posted
150k per year to back him? I figured Dragon*Con was making some scratch on the side, but to be able to put that kind of money into someone that isn't even affiliated anymore seems crazy.

 

Dragon Con is huge.

 

DG

 

I know how large it is, but I kind of figured that they weren't coming out too much ahead because of all of the costs they have, and how big their celebrity guests have become. I've been wanting to go for the past few years since it's only an hour and a half away but it always starts the same weekend as college football and football wins out every year.

 

I heard a celebrity say in 2000 or so that they were not getting compensated to appear. Something about an arrangement Dragon Con had with their agency.

 

As I stated above, getting a wheel boot after I paid for parking pissed me off. I didn't have to pay to get it removed, but I found that to be unacceptable. I'm not going to buy a $300 piece of art and carry it home on the MARTA train, so they've lost me as a customer for the most part. I did go one year because Neal Adams made a rare appearance but I don't pay attention to it most years.

 

DG

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Warren Oates

Warren Oates

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I go with innocent until proven guilty. Sorry but thats still the way we work.

 

If he is preying on kids I blame the justice system we have at this point, more than him. I just don't believe in buying freedom.

 

In the absence of more facts, i don't think we can do much more.

 

 

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Prince Namor

Prince Namor

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Ok, so after being "accused of sexual assault by three teenage boys" and then being found "incapable of standing trial due to health problems", he somehow manages to get LIMITED permission to "travel to New York and New Jersey to receive medical care and visit his ailing mother."

Despite this, he A) breaks probation of house arrest by going to Connecticut and then, and really, up to this point, I'm still thinking, "Ok, maybe there's a 'circumstances' here, but he B) gets arrested in a HOTEL ROOM with a 14 YEAR OLD BOY, who he claims is his 'ward'?

I don't know.

Having gone through what he's gone through, it seems like a smart idea to stay out of HOTEL ROOMS with 14 YEAR OLD BOYS. I would think, making $150,000, you could hire the crustiest, unattractive 60 year old female nurse to take care of you just to avoid the possibility of ending up in a HOTEL ROOM with a 14 YEAR OLD BOY. In fact, I would think you'd do everything in your power to ever be in a HOTEL ROOM with a 14 YEAR OLD BOY.

It doesn't seem that difficult to me.

Does the law even allow an accused pedophile to take custody of a ward???

 

 

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DrWatson

DrWatson

Posted
Posted
This is a thread that should just be deleted and never reappear.

 

[font:Book Antiqua]I disagree, some topics should be examined and talk about them...[/font]

 

(tsk)

 

I agree - but do you think a comic forum is THAT place?

(shrug)

 

[font:Book Antiqua]Yes, because we are talking about a Comic Book Convention

(One of the most larger in England)

and one of his partners/founders/associate...[/font]

 

Dragon Con is in Atlanta, Georgia, which is in the United States of America.

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