Strategic Attempt at a Return

Comments in pink are mine. 

https://archive.is/hrLjz

Jeff Mach: My statement on allegations and consentPosted on October 14, 2018by voiceOn January 23rd, 2018, I learned for the first time of a collection of accusations against me. In a single day, allegations that I was a predator who took advantage of people through my business dealings were posted in a coordinated pattern across multiple social media platforms.

Impressive, because 1/24 is when I posted my main post. 

I have stayed silent for over 10 months. Some of that was because of legal advice but mostly because I wanted the people who felt I had hurt them to have their say. After much introspection, I am now ready to make the following statement.

Umm... Jan 23rd to Oct 15th is 9 months, not "over 10." And "who felt I had hurt them" is minimizing his own fault. How about saying "the people I have hurt?" Oh wait, my guess is because Jeff feels that he hasn't hurt anyone. 

First and foremost: I have a sincere desire to make things right by anyone who honestly feels I have hurt them. I continue to urge you to contact me or a mutual friend (as nearly all of those who spoke up are people with whom I have had long-held relationships)so we can enter into a dialogue in the hopes that it might lead to healing. Wherever the path to healing begins, I am present and ready to begin.

Again, "feels I have hurt them." It is hard for victims to come forward, especially when the person who hurt, abused, or assaulted them is held to a high regard in a small community. Considering that Jeff was one of a very small number of event runners in the Steampunk / freak / kink community, he was known, at least in passing, to many people. Part of why he was so well known is because he cut deals with hotels and other event runners so that Jeff's events were the ONLY events of this genre in New Jersey. And yes, I can prove my assertion. 

Discussing & defending one’s self in this type of situation is extremely difficult. I do not want to minimize anyone’s feelings but I must set the record straight so I can move on with my life.

Simply put, the narrative of the attack was:

1. Jeff Mach is a predator He is.
2. Therefore, he should not be allowed to continue to be part of our community He shouldn't be. Abusers should be removed from communities. 
3. Therefore, he should give up his businesses, and preferably give them to us, his accusers. This is incorrect. No one wanted his businesses. 

The majority of my allegations come from:

1. My business competitors Umm... like? 
2. Disgruntled Ex-Staff Yes, because ex-staff have been hurt, used, abused, etc. 
3. Past intimate partners Yes, because some of the accusations against JM have been because of said intimate relationships. 

The goal of the attack was not to have me address any errors or problems, there has never been any attempt at communication, or mediation, and most certainly no attempt to come to any sort of resolution.

Yet:

• I have not committed nor even been accused of sexual assault Not true, Jeff. Here is a sampling: East Coast Predator; Anon Story 3; Black Widow; Anon Story 9; Anon Story 10; Pressure; Seventeen. Is that enough for you? Just because victims do not go to the police doesn't mean it didn't happen. 
• There have been no legal complaints brought against me This is debatable. I know that JM owes money to at least three people and I know that he has broken contracts. Read on: Mayfaire Moon; Dave Ghoul; Anon Vendor. Again, just because victims did not go to any authorities, does not mean the grievances are false. 
• There have been no lawsuits brought against me Well... someone please correct me if I am wrong. But JM has been brought to court in NJ twice. Once by The Provident Bank due to a debt of $6,139; once by the Johnson Public Library due to a debt of $406. I don't know if these count as "lawsuits," but they are decisions of judgements. 

Just a continuous pounding attack professing how terrible I am, with the insistence that anyone who questions it must be aiding a monster, and is, therefore, a monster themselves. If someone defends a sexual predator... take that as you will. 

I have spent the last 25 years serving my community and demonstrating my deep commitment to consent and empowerment. Literally thousands of people who have attended my events and interacted with me over the years can attest to this. I have, and always will try to create a better environment for everyone. The environment was not safe. 

Which is why these tactics have been very successful.

Nothing could be more upsetting to me than to be accused of the very thing I tried to fight against for 25 years.

I am especially disgusted that people whom I have actually hurt in some way have been used to further an obviously calculated smear campaign that was created to destroy my business and allow others to profit from that situation.

So disgusted and so upset that, against legal and other advice, I willingly handed over my life’s work to my accusers.

I legally gave all control & ownership of my businesses over to others, which included the Steampunk World’s Fair. For reasons of their own, they chose to cancel The Steampunk World’s Fair, even though they were aware that there was no money to issue refunds. This is so painfully incorrect. The Radisson hotel refused to work with TS. There was no money for the event to properly run. I wonder what happened to the $80,000 in ticket sales and the $40,000 of vendor fees which Silver Phoenix / TS never received. My assumption is that this $120,000 went partly into Wicked Faire and partly into JM's pocket. I'd love to find out for sure. SPWF did not run because it could not run. 

• I did NOT cancel The Steampunk World’s Fair.
• I did NOT have the ability to cancel it as I no longer owned it at that time.

Eeehhh... This is from the IP transfer paperwork:  Silver Phoenix Society, Inc. has been effectively in control of and running the Intellectual Property described below as the Steampunk World's Fair as of February 2, 2018. The Intellectual Property of the Steampunk World's Fair will automatically revert to the Assignee after either May 7", or 7 business days after the successful completion of the Steampunk World's Fair, whichever comes first.

I am not a lawyer, but it seems that JM still technically owned SPWF until May 7th. .

Although I have no legal responsibility to do so,  I am taking legal action that will hopefully, finally, permit those wronged by the people who destroyed SPWF to gain back at least some of what they lost. It is my goal to find some way to see that those people are helped, that their pain and difficulties are met with attempts at compensation.

Jeff, you are the person who destroyed SPWF. The way to help those who have been wronged by SPWF is to dig deep into your pockets and pay back people who bought tickets. 

I am not perfect, like everyone I have made mistakes. I will continue to make mistakes, but I will also continue to learn from my mistakes and grow as a person.

Again, I will always be sorry for anyone I have hurt, knowingly or unknowingly. But I also know that the angry factions which worked to take me down will not accept apologies; they never wanted to listen or talk, just to isolate me, leaving me in the dark, then emerging all at once in a coordinated attack.   

My name is Jeff Mach. I have spent my adult life serving the community. I am here to talk and I am here to listen; but I will not vanish out of existence. I am not a monster. And I never have been.

In my humble opinion, JM is very good at playing the victim and very good at gaslighting. He has a tendency of causing harm, retreating, seeming contrite, and coming back. This is a cycle; and it is time this cycle is broken.