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The Casualties become a casualty

The Casualties show in Toronto has been cancelled. 

The NYC street punk band has been under fire due to allegations that singer Jorge Herrera has sexually assaulted several women, including an underage girl. 

Concerned citizen Yasmeen started a change.org petition Cancel The Casualties Toronto Show at the end of July to prevent the band’s August 14 show at the Mod Club from going down. It gathered 288 signatures, while a Boycott The Casualties Facebook page (not created by Finjan) has 4,000 likes. 

“The Casualties frontman, Jeorge [sic] Herrera, has sexually assaulted several people, including a 16-year-old girl,” Yasmeen writes, before linking to a 2013 guest post on the website putyourdamnpantson.com.

Written by the victim, who goes by Beth (who has since come out publicly as Beth Gorley Dickerson), the post details the assault and eventually outs Herrera as the perpetrator.

Thirteen (and counting) of the band’s Canadian tour dates have been cancelled, and Toronto hardcore band the New Enemy dropped off the local bill, but up until this afternoon (Thursday, August 6), the Toronto show was still a go. 

The show’s promoter, Inertia Entertainment, broke the news of the show’s cancellation to NOW, with Inertia’s Noel Peters offering us this statement. 

In regards to the allegations against Jorge Hererra and the Casualties on their second statement addressing this issue, the Accuser Beth Gorley Dickerson responded saying: “Anyone can make a statement, it does not make theirs true” – Would this not apply to hers as well?

Would I have booked this event, through one of Canada’s largest booking agencies had the fact been addressed from the get go, that I would have been hosting an alleged sexual predator, no.

Did I choose to honor a contract, yes. It was 3.5 weeks into promotion of the event that these allegations first were brought to my attention. I viewed the entire circumstances with what I deemed logic, but logic to some does not parallel thoughts of others. Understanding people are upset, I offered compromise by offering to donate proceeds of the event to a fund to support a Journey From Victim To Survivor, this compromise was met with jeer and jest.

Do I understand the gravity of Sexual Assault? My Aunt was stabbed 132 times to her death when she attempted to fight off an assault, an attack so vicious, one knife broke, another bent and the killer completed his murder with a third blade. I think this alone gives me a pretty good understanding on the seriousness of the topic.

Actions to shut this event down have degraded into Defamation, Slander, Threats, Intimidation, Harassment and Attempted sabotage.

This event has now been cancelled, advance ticket sales may be refunded at point of purchase.”

Peters also linked to the witch hunt scene from Monty Python.

The Casualties have denied the allegations, posting a statement back in February on dyingscene.com. 

There is a manhunt going on, calls for boycott are going out, even a petition has been started. The mob has lit the torches and wants to see blood. Not a thought is wasted that it could hurt an innocent. This would turn the victim of brutal slander, who has brought forth witnesses and evidence as opposed to the accuser into a victim again. Neither the band, nor the management and booking agent or the label will allow that to happen. We will not stand by, while an innocent man’s life is being ruined. The only thing Jorge can be found guilty of is playing in a punk band. It is appalling that people are so quick to agree with one side of an anonymous internet rumour, without personally knowing either of the parties involved.

Herrera is the only remaining original member of the band, which formed in 1990.

carlag@nowtoronto.com | @carlagillis

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