The Cadets and GH history of sexual abuse (news article)

[cowtown]

This thing is so over my head and I’m so outside looking in that my words don’t mean much but it’s galling, heart breaking and sad that so many people have been affected by the acts of one Hoppy. It doesn’t seem fair but hey, that’s life.

I don’t like the positioning of the YEA response, it’s not what I was looking for, it’s a bunker down, siege mentality of batten down borg. It’s a CYA for the Board tinged with we’ll just carry on as is even though our house is burning down around us. More of the same that got them here. The statement should have ended after the first paragraph. I don't think they get it and they think they can fight it. Maybe I don't get it but it seems too late for that. Even without out  any forthcoming legal proceedings, they are already cooked.

 I still smell the stink of Hoppy. Bad

 I’d bail, flee from Cadets as I don’t think this position will serve them well

 

[Jeff Ream]

9 hours ago, BRASSO said:

 How ironic it would be, if the Philly paper stated they had" little to no cooperation" from YEA in the newspaper's investigation of these alleged felonies committed within YEA by their CEO.

Sundays article with more details of the investigation will be very enlightening. I'm pretty sure multiple people are crapping their pants right now

[Gantang]

Just now, Jeff Ream said:

Sundays article with more details of the investigation will be very enlightening. I'm pretty sure multiple people are crapping their pants right now

Across the activity, the Depends are being pulled on! To quote one former Cadets design guy, "STRAP IN FOLKS!". This will be on an interesting and sad ride.

[garfield]

19 minutes ago, fsthnds said:

The YEA Board dropped the ball on this one. DCI also fumbled on this.  I heard rumblings about this in Aug in Indy (No corp was id'ed then) . Then at the DCI winter meeting this was the "Hallway" topic for the weekend. So for DCI to say they did not know is an even bigger issue.

"...specific..."

I heard it, too.

[HockeyDad]

13 minutes ago, cowtown said:

 

 I still smell the stink of Hoppy. Bad

 I’d bail, flee from Cadets as I don’t think this position will serve them well

 

It's not like they're on some corporate board being paid 200k per year to attend a couple meetings. I don't see any upside to keeping this BOD. As their press release demonstrates, they are part of the problem. Probably trying to cover their own butts. 

[Jeff Ream]

8 hours ago, MisterA said:

There are a lot of things here that aren't adding up. What happens if it turns out Hopkins is innocent here? It has happened before with false accusations. It is no secret tons of people in the drum corps world hate GH with a passion.  I myself haven't been so excited about some of his decisions. What if this goes through court, and it is found that someone just had a vendetta against GH and had a few people corroborate the story? Maybe that could be why the alleged victims didn't want to answer any questions during an investigation? And while YEA and Cadets probably should have put him on administrative leave immediately following the first report of any such allegations, maybe they have some reason to believe that the allegations are false? It also seems weird the statement that someone complained in January about GH and said if he wasn't fired they were going to the press with it. That seems more like a threat, than someone trying to get things done in a legal manner. So if they put him on leave or fired him, and it turned out to be false, he could have a lawsuit against the organization, which would also be bad.

I am not saying GH is innocent, or that the alleged victims are making things up, but I think to just presume he is guilty before hearing more details, or him having his day in court is wrong. It used to be people were innocent until proven guilty,  but now we make someone guilty, until they prove themselves innocent. Again not a fan of GH, and if it turns out to be true, hope he rots in H E double hockeysticks.

The main reason I bring this up is because of a situation that happened in a school district close to ours. There was a girl who was 16 or 17, and she developed a crush on a newly hired teacher to her district who was in his mid 20s, fresh out of college. When she flirted and made a pass at him and he refused, she made all kinds of trouble and claimed he had come on to her. He was placed on leave, and his life and teaching career were ruined. When all the details had emerged, it turns out she had made the whole thing up about him, hoping to get him fired, and luckily one of her friends had come forward with text messages from her saying that if he wouldn't return her love, she would make his life hell and get him fired. The district offered him his position back, but he left the teaching profession, which is sad because it sounds like he was an excellent and popular teacher, and motivated his students extremely well.

As a high school band instructor(and I am sure this resonates with choir instructors and drama instructors as well) you do get nervous about some situations. At our annual marching bands night, for the last performance of the year in October, all the seniors come forward and give a rose to their parents, and each one gives me and my wife a hug, sometimes in tears. I wouldn't want to refuse a hug at this time, but there is always a thought that maybe some parent will turn it into something more than it is. Sometimes even the parents give us hugs, which is probably the biggest reward possible. And the same thing happens at the end of the year at our final spring concert as we recognize our seniors last performance. The same thing happens with our choir instructors and drama coach during the year. The bottom line is as instructors(especially of performance arts) we set ourselves up more than anyone else for the possibility of accusations, especially instructors of activities where the kids tend to be a little more huggy/friendly.

As drum corps people on these message boards, let me ask you one question. Has there ever been any action you have participated in, that from the outside could look a little weird to someone who doesn't know that activity? Have you ever hugged someone after a show? Have you been seen as an adult with many people under the age of 18? Have you been in stands during a rehearsal watching 150 14-21 year old people prancing around in their underwear? To an outsider, some of these things could look like something they are not. How would you defend yourself if allegations were to be made about you? Most of us involved in the activity know how emotional we are, but to outsiders, some things may look a little sketchy.

I am not saying Hopkins is guilty or innocent, but I do notice that because so many people dislike/hate/despise him, that everyone is pretty much saying he is guilty without hearing very many actual facts of what may have or have not transpired. It isn't like this isn't the 3rd time a director has been pushed out of a corps in the last decade for unknown reasons that have been speculated on. But no matter what exactly  has happened it is definitely a sad day for drum corps. I feel bad for the alleged victims and hatred towards Hopkins if it turns out to be true. I also feel as bad for all members, staff and volunteers of the organization, as it has to be rough dealing with all the gossip and speculations around this, on top of trying to pull everything together for summer tour which is only about 2 months away now. And if by some chance the allegations turn out to be false to just get GH out of the Cadets/YEA, then I feel bad because the life of an innocent man may have been ruined.

Best of luck to Cadets of 2018, and know that we will be thinking about you and wishing you well this summer.

 

i was falsely accused in the early 90's, and it wasn't nearly like it is today. Luckily the students issue were well noted by other teachers and parents, and I was cleared. It was agreed that I would leave the school due to the toxic atmosphere the issue created...kids turning on each other etc. But it was terrifying to live through.

 

I'm not saying he's innocent or guilty publicly regardless of what I think, and I do know 3 of those making the allegations and find them all to be high quality people. Christ, I remember seeing the sisters perform in indoor shows when i was a kid. I taught with Megh.

 

My hope is FINALLy the activity take this seriously. Yes, corps have policies in place....tho, to be honest, if on paper, not all that long, and not fully enforced. But, also, victims have never truly felt empowered to speak up until recently. Reading Reddit, from actual kids..yeah it's still an issue. There could be thousands of old issues we haven't heard about, from people no longer here in days gone by when the world was different.

 

YEA's release is horrific. Absolutely horrific. DCI's is couched in legalese...it was a hot topic at the Januals. Thats when I learned about it. They didn't know specifics I'm sure, and that's where they'll hang their hat. DCA, while nothing listed applies to C2, has said nothing. 

 

There will be more....recent and old. and the activity as a whole needs to be prepared.

[Jeff Ream]

4 hours ago, garfield said:

Or not.  You need to step down your rhetoric, IMO, because you can't predict the future. 

There are lots of alums who, once the ship is righted, will get on board to help row.

That changes your entire dynamic.

Even if you have credentials, you can't predict the future. 

there's alot of alums, who have been shunned, reaching out already.

 

this incident has taken the most disliked corps in the game to one of the most beloved

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, Icer said:

I'm curious - exactly what is it that you are suggesting the current board should have done?  These allegations range from 35+ years ago to more than 10 years ago.  The website doesn't list when each member started, but were any of them even on the board when the incidents in the article are claimed to have taken place?  How many of the members of the corps other than the alleged victims had knowledge of these claims during all these years?  During all the time when people were spending thousands of pages on this forum from alumni arguing about leadership style, personality, show theme, robes, vocalists, and 7th place finish, did even one person make an accusation of sexual misconduct prior to 2018?  I would venture a guess that no one knew about this except the victims and the few people whom they told (probably outside the activity). Would anything be gained by blaming alumni?  Or longtime sponsors?  Of course not.  

Now if it turns out that some or all of the current board members (all of whom are volunteers) or active alumni (you know - the ones who buy the VIP tickets and go to wine tastings in Bergen County) were aware of the incidents claimed in the article any time before the investigation began this year OR that there have been allegations of assault that occurred more recently that were known and ignored, then the story changes completely.  But unless this is the claim, this seems to be a misplaced exercise which will help neither the alleged victims nor the organization.

 

IMO....the board has been enablers for a great many issues within the organization. constant staff turnover at the office...the Glassdoor reviews are brutal...stuff you see kids talking about on Reddit...hell stuff Hop himself has posted about people leaving and a myriad of other issues. They rubber stamped it all. Constant fiscal crisis...the list could go on.

[Jeff Ream]

3 hours ago, Tim K said:

First, there have been so many posts, I do not recall seeing that there was a lawyer on the YEA board, but a lawyer on the board or a lawyer for the independent investigators should not be writing the statement, it should be outside legal counsel. Also, I wrote this original comment prior to the release of the YEA statement. I think we’ll see the YEA response did more harm than good.They should have acted sooner and the actions taken should have been more than a prepared statement. At a minimum the now former director should have been put on leave, DCI or DCA should have been asked to recommend an investigator to remove any conflicts of interest, and law enforcement should have been notified.

my hunch is the new powers that be put something out soon, and that most likely will help calm a lot of ruffled feathers....parents, sponsors, alumni....alumni and fans alike have been very positive on the choices named to step up. Now the balls in their court, and IMO, they need a few hours to digest it all before they speak, and i totally understand that. 

[seen-it-all]

3 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said:

there's alot of alums, who have been shunned, reaching out already.

 

this incident has taken the most disliked corps in the game to one of the most beloved

Leave the Blue Devils out of it.

(Just kidding, of course...though I can't imagine why anyone would state that the Cadets are the most hated corps in the activity. Even the people who had issues with the CEO were decent enough to separate their dislike of him with the corps itself, and have stated on many occasions that they actually love the Cadets in spite of him. Seems like a pretty ridiculous thing to say IMO)