Oregon Crusaders to focus on cultural sensitivity

[bstar82]

16 hours ago, luv4corps said:

Hello people...

I'm going to say again that the OC accusations on Reddit are flying fast and furious and I feel compelled to defend the corps and I will continue to do so. There is a grain of truth to some of the charges, and OC is addressing these issues but they are GETTING BLOWN UP AND OUT OF CONTROL. 

I was on tour with OC in 2014.  Let's just take the case of the homophobic bus driver.  I RODE THE PERCUSSION BUS WITH THAT JERK and yes, he was awful.  The drivers were employees of a hired bus company.  NOT OC's FAULT when in the middle of tour the complaints about the drivers start rolling in.  What were they to do?  I do believe the bus company WAS contacted and told of the horrible attitude of the drivers and to my knowledge, they never used that company again.  The brass bus driver had to be kept awake by the cook mom on the bus who then had to freaking make breakfast at 5 AM.  That was a horrible situation but again, NOT OC's fault.  I clearly remember one of the other cook moms and I talking at length with the board president after DATR about the percussion driver and he was VERY RECEPTIVE  to our concerns.  As far as how MQ handled the gay member's assault, I can't speak to his exact actions but I refuse to believe he did it the horrific way described on Reddit. I have been in contact with MQ recently, and have talked at length with my son about all of these accusations and....neither he nor I believe this puffed up rumor mill.  

He marched with the corps for FIVE YEARS and saw none of this.  Yes, everyone knew that a certain percussion staff member known as MS was a jerk .  I wasn't surprised that he was gone for the 2018 season.  I'm sure there will be repercussions regarding his actions and I will attest that the information about him specifically could be fact but all the rest of this stuff I am having a hard time believing was as horrific as described.

I have never stuck my neck out here on DCP but I'm doing it now.  Flame me all you want.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I recall those bus drivers on 2014 and they were a strange group of older men.  One thing was for sure.  They had no knowledge of anything related to drum corps or how the tour played out over the summer.  Two of them approached me asking if they requested hotel rooms instead of sleeping at the school and getting money for "real" meals instead of eating with the corps, if that would be given to them.  I told them unless it's your contract, I doubt it.  One of them (brass bus?) made it a point to turn down the member's hype music on the way to a show and would play country music just to #### them off.  Not the crime of the century but just stupid things like that.  As for nearly falling asleep at the wheel, I recall one of the drivers (probably  the brass bus) as we arrived in Cheyenne about 6am from Ogden waiting to get the all go to unload and settle in, I walked over to his bus to give him a message and there he was passed out on the steering wheel not five minutes from when we pulled in.  That scared the living S&*t out of me thinking he barely made it to the school.

On another note two years later I was friended by a gal that I met on a free day in 2014 who was the older sister of a then current member.  They both found me somehow and the gal revealed to me her younger sister had decide to quit drum corps because of MS's comments and leering towards her.  She still had many years under her belt left to march and I have not seen her with any other corps since.  This would be her age out year in 2019.  At the time, the two gals thought they didn't have enough if any evidence to file a complaint.  One of the sad stories that comes out of this mess.

[Lance]

Yes, it is OC's fault if they have a homophobic bus driver. There are many things people in charge of OC could do to end it the moment they found out about it.  The people running the corps were not innocent bystanders, nor were they victims of circumstance.  The gay members were. Period. 

"What were they to do" is beyond stupid. 

Any other sentiment is pure cowardice and a pathetic attempt at deflection of responsibility. 

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by Lance

[luv4corps]

9 hours ago, bstar82 said:

I recall those bus drivers on 2014 and they were a strange group of older men.  One thing was for sure.  They had no knowledge of anything related to drum corps or how the tour played out over the summer.  Two of them approached me asking if they requested hotel rooms instead of sleeping at the school and getting money for "real" meals instead of eating with the corps, if that would be given to them.  I told them unless it's your contract, I doubt it.  One of them (brass bus?) made it a point to turn down the member's hype music on the way to a show and would play country music just to #### them off.  Not the crime of the century but just stupid things like that.  As for nearly falling asleep at the wheel, I recall one of the drivers (probably  the brass bus) as we arrived in Cheyenne about 6am from Ogden waiting to get the all go to unload and settle in, I walked over to his bus to give him a message and there he was passed out on the steering wheel not five minutes from when we pulled in.  That scared the living S&*t out of me thinking he barely made it to the school.

On another note two years later I was friended by a gal that I met on a free day in 2014 who was the older sister of a then current member.  They both found me somehow and the gal revealed to me her younger sister had decide to quit drum corps because of MS's comments and leering towards her.  She still had many years under her belt left to march and I have not seen her with any other corps since.  This would be her age out year in 2019.  At the time, the two gals thought they didn't have enough if any evidence to file a complaint.  One of the sad stories that comes out of this mess.

MS is the one piece of all of this where I am certain there is culpability.  And I admit that that, ALONE, could spell big legal trouble.

Now to the drivers.  Those old guys were SO out of their element.  They didn't understand that these kids are regimented every moment of time when not on the bus and that the bus was their 'off' time.  I remember talking with other staff about how the drivers needed a primer on how to roll with drum corps.  I saw the CG driver use his free show pass to go in to the Omaha stadium only to use the bathroom.  These guys had less than zero appreciation for what was going on down on the field and what it takes to get it there.  My son rode the brass bus so naturally I was VERY concerned about the brass bus driver potentially dozing off at the wheel or playing his country music just to spite the kids.   I still feel that those horrible drivers brought the morale of the corps down such that it affected their performance and show quality.  

That being said, how, exactly, does a tour staff cancel a transportation contract in the middle of tour and hire a new company all neat and pat and instantly available? And how does one know if the new company will be any better?  I remember that the percussion driver actually owned his own bus so changing drivers was not an option.  Talk about a logistical nightmare.  I know I'll get flamed for saying that.  Oh well.  If any tour director has actually pulled it off, please let me know.

Edited September 8, 2018 by luv4corps

[Tim K]

33 minutes ago, luv4corps said:

MS is the one piece of all of this where I am certain there is culpability.  And I admit that that, ALONE, could spell big legal trouble.

Now to the drivers.  Those old guys were SO out of their element.  They didn't understand that these kids are regimented every moment of time when not on the bus and that the bus was their 'off' time.  I remember talking with other staff about how the drivers needed a primer on how to roll with drum corps.  I saw the CG driver use his free show pass to go in to the Omaha stadium only to use the bathroom.  These guys had less than zero appreciation for what was going on down on the field and what it takes to get it there.  My son rode the brass bus so naturally I was VERY concerned about the brass bus driver potentially dozing off at the wheel or playing his country music just to spite the kids.   I still feel that those horrible drivers brought the morale of the corps down such that it affected their performance and show quality.  

That being said, how, exactly, does a tour staff cancel a transportation contract in the middle of tour and hire a new company all neat and pat and instantly available? And how does one know if the new company will be any better?  I remember that the percussion driver actually owned his own bus so changing drivers was not an option.  Talk about a logistical nightmare.  I know I'll get flamed for saying that.  Oh well.  If any tour director has actually pulled it off, please let me know.

While the bus drivers in 2014 is in the past,  it is inexcusable and does show a pattern of behavior regarding marching members complaints being ignored. 

What could be done during the tour? I’m not certain. If a corps uses a larger charter bus company, you could probably request a new driver. If it’s a smaller company, fewer drivers may be available so that may not be an option. Changing companies mid tour would be very difficult. A local company that books Spring and Summer tours to local tourist sites, Fall foliage tours (I’m from Boston) and school trips to DC and NYC books busses two years in advance. I’m not sure you could get busses and drivers for a length of time on such short notice.  That could differ in areas where there are not as many tourists. 

I would think the best option is if you have a bad experience with drivers, use another company, and make sure the driver you have does not freelance. This is common. Be specific about what is expected of the drivers. Also, make sure the marching members are respectful to the bus drivers. There should also be a point person who handles bus issues. Where bus drivers are not corps employees unless the corps owns the busses, I could see situations escalating if marching members, staff, and other employees all seeing it as their job to keep bus drivers in line, which could make matters worse.

[garfield]

47 minutes ago, Tim K said:

While the bus drivers in 2014 is in the past,  it is inexcusable and does show a pattern of behavior regarding marching members complaints being ignored. 

What could be done during the tour? I’m not certain. If a corps uses a larger charter bus company, you could probably request a new driver. If it’s a smaller company, fewer drivers may be available so that may not be an option. Changing companies mid tour would be very difficult. A local company that books Spring and Summer tours to local tourist sites, Fall foliage tours (I’m from Boston) and school trips to DC and NYC books busses two years in advance. I’m not sure you could get busses and drivers for a length of time on such short notice.  That could differ in areas where there are not as many tourists. 

I would think the best option is if you have a bad experience with drivers, use another company, and make sure the driver you have does not freelance. This is common. Be specific about what is expected of the drivers. Also, make sure the marching members are respectful to the bus drivers. There should also be a point person who handles bus issues. Where bus drivers are not corps employees unless the corps owns the busses, I could see situations escalating if marching members, staff, and other employees all seeing it as their job to keep bus drivers in line, which could make matters worse.

A very logical viewpoint.  Easy to claim common sense for some (most?).

Sounds like luv4corps has some good points defending the actions of executive staff in the moment.

I think communication in the moment is likely the best answer, and probably what took place.  Still, that wouldn't preclude someone relating their experience of the moment but, without a conclusion to the immediate situation included with the description, it's hard to judge it in context. 

Hearing both sides of the immediate moment's decisions is really necessary before the torches are lit, IMO.

 

[Cadevilina Crown]

The fallout over the Oregon Crusaders organization continues as their indoor drumline, OC Indoor, will be going inactive for 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/oregoncrusaders/posts/10160843280900162?__xts__[0]=68.ARAsxg93VXut200ALinK3y3RFypycwy6IfKE0NHrjKSHhEfV0b5Cp6QOhAvdAlydlvnf9qfJ3Rl3UYYrdO8hLuh2_WEFM5tpuTmJNNSSU4jCwDHZ78MUbCOKsOWsO_aws5sTrOTSN_5SG7ajIMgI1gfbKVODR34JdOB7mCbu-oULTVRXQSeGUfg&__tn__=-R

Edited September 12, 2018 by Cadevilina Crown

[Kazadar1]

On 9/8/2018 at 12:21 AM, dcifanforlife said:

Seattle is not the only destination available for recent OC members.   If you have the talent  why go to a corps that finished 27th when you can go to a corps that finished much higher? Some of the brass players may follow Brad Green to Pacific Crest while others may audition for all of the other corps.  It costs the same to march Seattle Cascades as it does most other corps.  You would be surprised on the number of members in corps in CA, West, Midwest, South and East that hail from the Pacific Northwest.  

-

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by Kazadar1