This website exists as a resource, a reference point to serve as a caution notice.
Believe it, don't believe it... but remember this when the next person gets swindled or assaulted.
My reason for this site (originally a blog) was to inform local convention-goers of one particular bad convention runner. All I knew about was some bad business practices. It turns out that J. Mach wasn't just a bad business man, he had many allegations of consent violations against him. I compiled them. As I did research, people reached out to me with their stories about him, from his events, and about associates.
There is a huge problem in the convention circuit. There are offenders that are just allowed to keep running, presenting, performing, and working at events. We need to change this. We can't keep letting offenders continue to take advantage of young/new people. This is our community (conventions, LARPs, Anime, etc), and we need to make it as safe as we possibly can. Fix the Broken Stair.
I also want to promote the good events and vendors. If you know of a good/safe event or vendor, please let me know.
Spreadsheet from Fix The Broken Staircase (note: this is not mine. The original page is down.)
I do want to make a comment that there are people out there who protect those who have wronged others. Sometimes that is out of disbelief that their loved ones could do anything wrong. Sometimes it is simply out of love.
That does not excuse the behavior.
People do wrong others.
Sometimes it is accidental. I'm sure the person driving the car that hit mine one night coming home from a gathering didn't do it on purpose, but they totaled my car and I have lasting injuries. I'm sure they went on with their life and don't think about that night. I still have trauma. That doesn't make them a bad person.
Sometimes it is on purpose. Hiring a known abuser, who has a record, is purposeful.
Sometimes it is a chronic problem. People in domestic abuse situations know that the other person is hurting them. The person doing the hurting knows too. It becomes a cycle.
If your loved one has wronged people time and time again, maybe look deeper and beyond what you think you think you know.