The stalkers: Nina Alter has obsessed about me since 2007; Ben Burch has begun this year. They take action toward me regularly, and repeatedly. Ben Burch (Achaeoptaryx and other usernames) and Nina Alter (Ninavizz and other usernames) have used multiple identities on various websites to harass, intimidate, impersonate and otherwise stalk me. Unfortunately 2008 is too soon for online stalking to be understood in American courts as a serious threat and psychological means of terrorizing a woman.
Yesterday I woke up to an email in my inbox from a total stranger telling me that the man I tried to get a restraining order against last week had — Ben Burch — uploaded and linked to police reports I made based on his activities, which contained unredacted my phone number, address, California driver’s license number and all my personal information on the reports linked to from Wikipedia as downloadable .pdfs — in addition to chatting about finding my Social Security number. Those reports with my private information*** were then copied onto the Wikipedia page about me. However, when he linked to the *one* document pertaining to the request for hearing that contained his personal information (the notice of my filing for a restraining order) he did indeed redact his own personal information such as his address.
I am not safe. In many ways. Thank you Wikipedia.
*** There are still live links to download the files, but the content was removed from RapidShare after a friendly letter from my lawyer. I don’t know why the links are still on Wikipedia, nor how long the files were available for download.
Unlike Ben Burch claims, there was no lawsuit. It was a hearing only. I requested a restraining order and had a hearing; the judge denied my request, without prejudice (a dismissal that allows for re-filing in the future). Importantly, Burch was not at the hearing. Anyone wonder why I wanted to get a restraining order against this guy? A lot of people do. Valleywag made it look like I was simply trying to “silence Wikipedia critics” and the man harassing me claimed I was trying to curb his first amendment rights to “tell the truth”. As for silencing critics, I have MANY and I’ve never tried to “silence” any of them, I have simply, openly disagreed with them. And for being a critic, he can get in the line that begins at Focus on the Family (who has worked on more than one occasion to ban my books). I have all kinds of critics — and I believe in a robust First Amendment. So please do opine away about how I’m a pile of shit on the floor if you feel the need. I had very good reasons for trying to create a paper trail by requesting a TRO:
On May 21 2008, I got this email:
from Ben Burch
to violet@tinynibbles.com
cc WN2-LIST 2
date Wed, May 21, 2008 at 3:15 PM
subject Cease and DesistTo the third-rate author, Violet Blue;
Look, I know you must absolutely loathe sex workers, but if you do NOT lay off poor Violet Blue, the porn star, I will absolutely see to it that the world is reminded about how you abused the legal process against a struggling single mother between now and the end of my time on this planet.
NOBODY confused the two of you.
She’s pretty.
You’re not.
She does porn films.
You give bad sex advice.
Its that simple.
EXPECT to hear a lot more from me and people I motivate to advocate against you unless you desist in this effort to harm this woman.
Because there is NOTHING “sex positive” or even “human positive” about you.
Sincerely,
-Ben Burch
I had no idea who this guy was, but he was clearly threatening me in regard to my trademark lawsuit, and was going to come after me literally “between now and the end of my time on this planet.” Now, I get awful emails every now and then, but this one scared me. But rather than engage or provoke, I just didn’t do or say anything. And then, he started his weekly, daily and sometimes hourly work on the Wikipedia page — and the talk page — about me. I don’t have a Wikipedia account and I’ve never used it as an editor. So I didn’t know what to do. Especially when he actively took action with false and untrue things like this example:
Burch (re)inserts at Wikipedia on May 29 at 16:43: “Blue is reported in court documents to have complained; “I am appalled that I am being confused with a whore, and that anybody would consider that I was so vile as to have sex for pay.”
The “citation” is a fake court document (a “transcript of proceedings”) as the purported “source” reference did not exist: “Transcript of proceedings re: .Violet Blue v. Ada Mae Johnson’ pp 5”
The original insert was from an anonymous IP. When a Wikipedia editor removed it, Burch reinserted it, and argued for it to remain.
What an interesting tactic, if one might imagine a tactic like this: insert your agenda/lie via an anonymous IP, use an established account to back it up and keep it open to discussion as if it could be truth and keep it on the Wiki page, then finally relent and let others convince you it should come down. Or, it stays up if no one notices. Then the established account still looks credible, but the system’s been used carefully enough to push the POV-pushing, or agenda. Which should work great, unless you forget to log out of your accounts and accidentally edit both accounts at once. I’ll bet something like that would get awfully confusing, no matter how much time a girl or guy had on their hands to sit around and try to destroy someone on a highly public, easily exploitable site like Wikipedia. Just a hypothesis.
“Okay, I know that Morven cautioned us against throwing
around sock accusations, but BenBurch, is this your IP? What’s with
the edit putting in information that you know was not okay and then
reverted yourself with your main account? –Chunky Rice (talk) 23:53, 8
July 2008 (UTC)”
Also, fyi Burch’s statement on the same page that Johnson is a “single mother whose only income was from her web site” is interesting. Is this statement true? I mean, I know porn performers love to do movies and appearances and HBO shows for free. On the Wiki talk page, and on the Wikpedia page about me, Burch did everything he could to undermine my credibility. He viciously attacked anyone who defended my work, my character, credibility, or anyone who disputed Burch’s “facts” — most especially he had fun viciously attacking my boyfriend (who incidentally was consistently open about his relationship to me and made few actual edits to the Wikipedia page about me, opposed to Burch’s frightening amount of activity).
Again, Valleywag presented this as a Wikipedia issue, but for the restraining order request, Wikipedia was but a piece of the picture — and Wikipedia editors and admin were notified about the threatening email and personal info links. I only received a response from Wikipedia 5 hours ago, simply telling me the links were dead and asked if I knew where else there might be links to the information. When the BoingBoing “unpublishing” happened, it became a new bullhorn to spend his copious time harassing me personally, and there were many statements made at BoingBoing by Burch as himself and as the screen name “Archaeopteryx“. Of course, BoingBoing allowed all the character attacks on me to remain, as it fit their agenda. For example, on July 2nd he writes: “Its also really clear that her reason [for bringing the lawsuit against Ada Johnson] was not because of any real confusion between the two, but because she could not stand the thought of being thought a *gasp* whore.” (Ital and bold from comment).
Oh, the truth I’m trying to hide. Burch also edited the Wikipedia page to state that I live in Berkeley. Of course, I do not. He also fought to have my photo removed. He also kept trying to insist/insert that I have other names (and birthdates), but then later admits that his sources are “whitepages.com” and that he found “other cities for the name, too.” Here, Burch admits after the fact that he has unreliable information and that his statements in comments (at BoingBoing, as “Archaeopteryx”) that he “heard” I got Amanda Congdon fired was “speculation”.
I am a public figure. People write unflattering shit about me every day of my life. Big fucking deal, I’m used to it. This ain’t a libel or first amendment case; it’s a creepy guy harassing a woman online. Again, get in line, haters. He can call me a poopoohead on his own blog all day long, like I could give a shit. I find it especially interesting that Burch has said he “consult[s] on news stories and legal matters with [AVN] Editor Mark Kernes via email on an almost daily basis.” Kernes, who has written a couple one-sided hit pieces about me in regard to my trademark suit. So, did Burch “help” with those articles, too? Articles, which I may gently suggest, were possibly not fact checked as much as they should have been — and which Burch consistently cites (like check this one out) on the Wiki page about me. Burch claims over and over on Wikipedia that he has no conflict of interest (COI) in regard to me.
That Burch threatened me personally, privately scared me, (and followed through with his threats) he has stated his sources for his “facts” are unreliable, and has embarked on a continuous, repeated course of conduct daily and sometimes hourly directed to hurt me, in public places he knew I would see (such as the Wikipedia page about me) — I didn’t know what else to do. Wikpedia did nothing. I followed all the rules, and so did my boyfriend, who stayed civil on the talk page regardless of Burch’s and Ninavizz’s attacks and those of her sockpuppet. BoingBoing did, you know, what they did. Meanwhile, Burch had emails sent to the SRL mailing list with all kinds of crazy statements in them, like that I’d served him with domestic violence papers, that I said every sockpuppet on Wikipedia was him… I think we’re all getting the picture here. Nina Alter has a role here, not insignificant.
When this happens to women offline, we make police reports and try to get restraining orders. This is about a pattern of behavior, based on a clear attack (the initial email) and has gone on to be fairly consistent over a long period of time. And has shown patterns of intentional deception.
I wanted to create a paper trail in case something *does* happen. Now that my private information has been made public, I’m at serious risk. It took Wikipedia over 24 hours to respond. They’re a lot like the original officer I dealt with at the SFPD. I told him explicitly that I was *afraid* of Burch, that I did not want my phone number, address or any other information vieweable in the report to Burch because I had no idea what he’d do with it and I was *scared*. The officer did the exact opposite, and completely misquoted me saying I was more worried about my reputation than my safety (and got shit wrong like saying Wikipedia was my own personal website and that my hair is red) — which is why there are TWO police reports. I freaked out in fear when I saw the fuckups on the police report, but it was too late. But attaching a corrected statement and report is the only way to try and fix such dangerous mistakes. Though you won’t see my true, corrected police statement quoted or emphasized in Burch’s must-destroy-the-evil-Violet manifesto. Just the incorrect one that supports his arguments.
Now, here’s the deal with my trademark suit. You can read all the facts and the evidence from Federal court proceedings in the judge’s opinion for the Preliminary Injunction here. Please do read the NOLO post — sums it all up in regard to trademarking names — in Can You Trademark Your Name? I’d only dovetail Stim’s sex advice statement with these three links.
In the response to my filing for a temporary restraining order against Burch, one of his responses was that he would apologize if I showed the world my birth certificate. Given what he did yesterday, this is really a scary thought — as if to say, I’ll come after you forever until you give me all your privacy, and as much power over your identity as a human being can have.
My name is Violet Blue. As I have proven, provided evidence, and provided plentiful witness testimony (and have had legally acknowledged) to and by the US Patent and Trademark Office and the Federal Court of the 9th Circuit, I have been using my name Violet Blue related to the goods and services of my brand, “(…) since 1999, plaintiff has regularly published articles on the Internet about human sexuality, erotica, and pornography. (…) On March 4, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office registered “Violet Blue” as a trademark and recognized that plaintiff first used her name in commerce on May 1, 1999)”. I have been a sex columnist and sex website editor from 1999-onward, and used my name in commerce since as early as 1996. Also the Court found and stated that, “Plaintiff, for instance, has pointed to evidence showing that she began using her name as a “machine and robotics artist” as early as 1996 up through 1999, appearing in various events and productions in the United States and elsewhere. See Blue Decl. at ¶¶ 4-6; Blue Decl. exs. A-D. More importantly, plaintiff has put forth evidence demonstrating that her career as a writer in the fields of human sexuality, erotica, and pornography began in May 1999, when she published her first online article, and continued to May 2000, when she began writing bi-weekly online columns.” Incidentally, Johnson’s “Violetta Blue” Wikpedia page states that “Johnson eventually began appearing in pornographic films as “Violet Blue”, beginning with “SMUT 14″ released in October, 1999[6]”. I have a copy of that film. It’s VHS. It is not Johnson in the film, but a Latina performer named Violet Love.
For those of you out there whom I keep hearing about hitting up my friends for personal information about me and my name, here is my passport, and whoever told Vale (who forwards the Burch emails to the SRL list — where Nina Alter actively altered the website to remove my name and contributions, and started rumors that I harmed individuals there) there is a name other than Violet Blue on my Cal ID is full of shit. Do I really need to put these scans online, too? But I’m sure the attacks will never, ever stop. The two people I tried to get TRO’s on actually claim I like this kind of attention. When tabloids step in and call me an attention whore, suddenly it looks a little grayer because I do in fact like to wear short skirts. I do not want what these people have done, nor do I deserve it. What’s important for you to know is that I think these people are bonkers.
It’s clear I have at least two full-time trolls (who have teamed up nicely), that Wikipedia is BROKEN, and that I am now physically unsafe after having my privatest information posted and made accessible for all to see. It’s also clear that there’s no such thing as a stay-away restraining order for the Internet that doesn’t conflict with First Amendment rights — and I don’t want to be the test case for this, but there WILL be one, as the Internet is a text-based economy.
I saw Batman last night. I’m reminded of this exchange:
Alfred Pennyworth: When I was in Burma, a long time ago, my friends and I were working for the local Government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders, bribing them with precious stones. But their caravans were being raided in a forest north of Rangoon by a bandit. We were asked to take care of the problem, so we started looking for the stones. But after six months, we couldn’t find anyone who had traded with him. One day I found a child playing with a ruby as big as a tangerine. The bandit had been throwing the stones away.
Bruce Wayne: Then why steal them?
Alfred Pennyworth: Because he thought it was good sport. Because some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.
More like, some people just want to hurt other people.
But the best line for me is, “Wanna know how I got these scars?”
I liked The Joker a lot. He believed that people are bad, inside. He also knew that (like Batman can’t exist without The Joker) that people are actually good, inside. The truth he expressed was that people — we — don’t actually know if we are good or bad, slippery slope of madness’ gravity and all.
And right now, I feel like if someone finds my house via Wikipedia and sticks a shotgun in my mouth and pulls the trigger, I’m sure it’ll make for a very entertaining read on Valleywag described jovially as the last minute in my 15 from their “drama-seeking attention whore” of the month club.
So, who wants to buy a 100% silicone LOLBenBurchvizzapeida Nina Alter stalker Ben Burch troll stress relief squeezy doll (with all proceeds going to sex worker health organizations)? I’m thinking that’s gonna be my new craft line, since people seem to think this whole sex educator thing is turning into such a sideline.
Update Thursday, August 21: In response to this wonderful SF Weekly piece suggesting that I sought restraining orders on Ben Burch and NIna Eleanor Alter because I was afraid of the public finding out my *weight* and not my *driver’s license number, phone number, etc.*, read on — the very valid, SFPD recommended reasons I sought to get a TRO (temporary restraining order) on Alter in addition to Burch. This harassment has been going on since May 2007. I did not get the restraining order — it was denied without explanation. I have no real understanding of the reasoning behind the judge’s decision (since no reasoning is stated), other than to assume that we were unable to meet the “clear and convincing” standard of evidence coupled with the fact that cyberharassment is still quite new. But thanks to the judge I can re-file at any time and that gives me comfort.
This is the SF Weekly quote I want to respond to: “[Nina] Alter, who denied ever harassing the sex writer, called Blue’s attempt to obtain a court order against her “a total bullshit abuse of the legal system.””
I’d been talking to the SFPD since at least August ’07 (when there was a spike in her activity) about the ongoing harassment. Each time, they told me to make a report. I just hoped it would stop and waited, but it didn’t — I’d hear from friends that they’d run into her at a cafe and she’d go on an unprompted rant at them about how I was ‘out to get her’. (Of course they told me about it.) This July, she used the Boing Boing “unpublishing” issue as a platform to make statements about me (and teamed up with Burch on Boing Boing and Wikipedia) and admitted to sock-puppeteering as far back as 2007 to attack me (meaning, when someone makes accounts to hide their identity while editing a page that is supposed to contain facts about a person). This new set of attacks went further, she was emboldened, and it freaked me out; it made me talk to the police again, finally make a report, and the police *told me to* get a restraining order. In the report itself, their recommendation for a restraining order is strongly worded. I did what the SFPD said to do after a year and a half of hoping it would just go away; this was not “bullshit abuse” (on my part, anyway). I gave the SFPD a thick printed file of evidence, and a timeline, with screenshots from various websites. Yes — I have a folder for her harassment and I just keep updating it. It was clear that she wasn’t going to leave me alone, as I’d been hoping she would — since May ’07.
As we can see, my fears re: Burch were valid. And to have the police tell me — and write in the report that I should get a stay-away order on Alter is a fact. Her harassment was online — and offline as well (which she admitted to in her court docs, such as asking people about the contents of / items in my house). My friends were blocking her on Flickr and Twitter long before her Boing Boing outbursts (where bizarrely she accused me of stealing images). In her rebuttal to my request for a TRO — a public Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco document, btw — she said her overall reasoning for her ongoing pattern of behavior was to participate on the side of Boing Boing. She stated that I show “displays of enjoyment” from this type of attention; she said her personal friendships with Xeni Jardin and David Pescovitz made her feel compelled to post what she did — to me, the posts were just part of an ongoing pattern of behavior. (I don’t remember them being personal friends when I was “in” SRL, but whatever.) In the court documents, her evidence for my “enjoyment” of the negative attention she directly participated in, were links to the first LA Times article about that BB thing, the first post on my blog that said I’d been removed from BB, a Valleywag post about my former relationship with Xeni, the “That Violet Blue Thing” post, her own blog where she said the time was “right” for her to “own” being a public member and the only one willing to “come forward” as one of the “hallowed ‘Survivors of Violet Blue Club”. Yeah, that’s clear enjoyment on my part. Say what?
She also stated that she had endured a “year of slanderous allegations” from me. I truly wonder what she’s talking about. She provided one printout as evidence — my March 2008 SXSW privacy panel post where I referred in text to a “Ms. Ninapedia”. On the actual panel, I briefly discussed the methods cyberbullies use to undermine Wikipedia to attack, harass and cause distress to living persons by using sockpuppets. Interestingly, March ’08 is when she deleted / edited a Wikipedia sockpuppet account (created August 17, 2007). She also claimed in her docs to have pleaded with people on the SRL list to get me to engage with her in “verbal dialogue” and “mediation” — I was never contacted in this or any manner, nor do I want *any* contact with Alter at all. That’s the point of the TRO request. It is saying *leave me alone* (and you scare me) as loud as I can shout, legally.
Her evidence presented in court: she slapped down in front of me on the table a freakishly thick stack of pictures of me she’d printed out from the Internet. It was the creepiest Single White Female moment of my life. She’d probably gone through every photo stream and album online she could find, to find every photo of me with a weapon. Included was this gallery, and on the top of the stack was this photo (ironically, one of Scott’s favorites). She told the court that I was a violent person and that I looked for trouble. My lawyer told the court that I was a pinup model, and this was simply examples of my work.
You know, a woman who poses with weapons obviously deserves (and enjoys) the trouble she’s looking for — she’s just asking for it. Or to put the reasoning more precisely — because I won’t portray myself as a victim, I should be punished.
When she came to the hearing, she submitted another stack of papers as evidence: printouts of email threads from the SRL email list, which seemed odd in contrast to this item in her summary court response of facts and reasons that there should be no TRO issued:
“The internal email list, as with most internal email lists in private organizations, did have the one caveat that all matters discussed in that forum remain private- and this caveat is made known to participants when they ‘subscribe’ to the list. For having broken this important rule of conduct, and for other reasons I am unaware of, Ms. Blue was removed from the organization- and this caused Ms. Blue significant personal distress.”
(She means this post. And in case you’re wondering about the post title or my role in the show, I did not run a machine that could have, or had anything to do with what started, or had anything to do with the fire. I don’t know how it started except to look at pictures and guess; the non-flaming machine I operated passed the ball, which was useless to me, and went way across to the other side of the parking lot to get stuck in the wooden house where I spent the rest of the show trying to get it free. It’s easily seen in this video from the show. I’m visible at around 5:34 into it, looking at something to the right of frame (“Running Machine”), then looking to the left briefly as the “Satan Head” machine slams the fireball, then I walk off to the right away from that area around 5:44, chasing the Running Machine. That was in May ’07. The acrimony — such as the Wikipedia SRL attacks — spiked in August ’07, which seems to be the time of the BB “unpublishing”. Makes me wonder.)
What’s her deal with me? Well, in my opinion I think she wanted me out of SRL (tall poppy syndrome) and I think she probably deceived humans in real life, and also Wikipedia to do it — my guess is that she used Wikipedia to “make it fact” and attacked (or emotionally persuaded) anyone who disagreed. When I asked Mark Pauline last August at the shop about what was going on he told me (and not just me), “You know, you got successful. Some people get jealous.” When I asked him why I (and others who sided with me) were taken off the SRL crew list he told us that he never told anyone to take us off the list. He also said I wasn’t “kicked out” of SRL — his words were, “You *know* it doesn’t work that way. You can’t get kicked out. Look at [redacted].” He told me to come help move the shop after the September Robodock show, when things cooled off. And then my ex-husband / best friend was majorly injured, and then I decided that an SRL with Nina in it, with the shock of what happened to Todd, was too much to deal with. Regardless, I’ve been off the list for well over a year, so when things go on that list that attack me (which they apparently seem to quite a bit), I’m not there to defend myself — and I don’t know who is on that list. I still have friends on that list, that’s for sure. But I definitely don’t want back in.
This is from my TRO request:
a. Date of most recent harassment: July 6, 2008
b. Who was there? As further described below, the harassment has been on-line at a number of popular websites including boingboing.com, wikipedia.org, Flickr.com, on her personal blog available at kickingpebbles.net, and through emails sent to non-private email lists such as the Survival Research Lab’s “Crew” list. This means that the public, generally, and the entire community receiving Ms. Alter’s emails have been “present” and can view and read in the defamatory and harassing statements.
c. Did the person in (2) commit any acts of violence or threaten to commit any acts of violence against you? Yes.
Description: Please see the police report for case report number 080 695 869 filed on July 3, 2008 with the San Francisco Police Department. Ms. Alter has over at least the last 12 months, harassed Ms. Blue through postings on numerous blogs and websites, including at www.kickingpebbles.net (Ms. Alter’s personal blog), www.boingboing.net (through comments to recent posts), www.wikipedia.org (through additions and alterations to factual information at the Wikipedia page for “Violet Blue (author)”, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Blue_%28author%29). Her postings and statements are largely made up of false statements of fact regarding Ms. Blue. In addition, she has sent harassing emails to a public “Crew” email list (crew@mauler.srl.org) for the Survival Research Laboratories (an arts organization where Ms. Blue and Ms. Alter first met) in which she furthers her harassment and has made veiled threats against Ms. Blue’s person and personal property. For example, as recently as March 17, 2008, Ms. Alter attacked Ms. Blue with unsubstantiated and false statements that Ms. Blue had “defamed” Ms. Alter, and included a reference to harming Ms. Blue and/or her car*** through the use of a “pipe bender” (a type of crow bar). Her statement enlists the help of “[redacted],” a reference to a neighbor ([redacted]) living in Ms. Blue’s San Francisco neighborhood. Taken in context of other directed activities of Ms. Alter, Ms. Blue understands this reference to a “pipe bender” to be a direct threat to her personal safety.
d. Did the person in (2) engage in a course of conduct that harassed you and caused substantial emotional distress? Yes.
Description: Through statements made on her blog (www.kickingpebbles.net), through commenting on other blogs (www.boingboing.net, through additions and alterations to factual statements at on-line wiki pages (e.g., at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violet_Blue_%28author%29), and through a series of email messages sent to a public group of email participants at the Survival Research Laboratories (an arts organization where Ms. Blue and Ms. Alter met), Ms. Alter has engaged in a course of conduct that has harassed Ms. Blue and caused her substantial emotional distress. She has followed Ms. Blue on-line, she has made numerous untrue statements about her in public on-line forums, and made veiled threats against Ms. Blue’s person and/or personal property. Her actions have also involved friends of Ms. Blue. For example, Ms. Alter has approached and harassed friends of Ms. Blue through on-line social networking sites requiring these friends to “block” Ms. Alter from further contacting them via those sites. Ms. Alter’s conduct amounts to stalking, veiled physical threats to her person and her personal property, following her on-line, and causing serious alarm and annoyance.
The conduct stated in this Request is further described in detail in a police report filed on July 3, 2008, with the San Francisco Police Department, see report number [redacted]. That report recounts the numerous points at which Ms. Alter has harassed Ms. Blue. Once the report is available from SFPD, Ms. Blue will file a copy with this Court.
CH 100 – Item #9 – Others to Be Protected
[redacted]
CH 100 – Item No. 12 – Temporary Orders.
12. Temporary Orders.Do you want the court to make orders now on the matters listed in (7), through (11) that will last until the hearing? Yes.
Explanation: The conduct of Ms. Alter has escalated in recent months, and especially in the last several days. Her most recent statements make clear that she will continue to harass, stalk, threaten and annoy Ms. Blue unless a temporary order is entered. For example, in the past 3 days, Ms. Alter has made postings to several internet websites, as follows:
Date Site (url)
07/03/07 http://dynamic.boingboing.net/profile/ninavizz
07/04/08 http://www.kickingpebbles.net/?p=107
07/04/08 http://dynamic.boingboing.net/profile/ninavizz
April 7, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Ninavizz
07/05/08 http://www.kickingpebbles.net/?p=107#comments
*** My car has been vandalized twice since this all started, with interesting timing. In one of the SRL emails after I was offlist, she mentioned something about having my car taken away.
Of course now Nick Douglas has changed the above entry to say: “No wonder people “disappear” Violet Blue. — Fun fact! “Disappear” means “unpublish” now, not “hunt down like Trotsky.”” So fucking classy.
empowered women are terrifying. and you, violet, are empowering us more and more everyday. i can’t help feeling like deep down, people like ben burch are fundamentally threatened by strong, intelligent, aware women– and that at least subconsciously, that’s part of why he’s so vehemently against you. i’m not one to break out the sexism card. in fact this may be the first time i have, outside of my own mind, but at the very least know you’ve helped people. you’ve helped me. and karmatic justice never fails. xo
I feel completely sick after reading this. I am so sorry that you and your loved ones have to deal with this creep, it is not fair. I am not an attorney, but these latest actions have completely crossed the line. How is this now not, as if it wasn’t before, a clear-cut case of stalking, harrasment and slander? I will relish the day when this cheap bully is brought to justice. I also sincerely hope that he and all such hater-trolls find a way out of their (as David Lynch calls it) “suffocating clown-suits of negativity.”
Ever since I began reading here about you and your friends’ serious problems with cyberstalking, I’ve been envisioning some kind of business dealing in obtaining online TRO’s, and, where those failed, other legal tactics to confront, thwart, and expose these stalkers. Could be a very successful start-up. (www.getoutofmyspace.com anyone?)
Violet Blue, you hold an ocean of courage to put yourself out there like you do in the first place. Please stay strong, safe, and close to your friends, and let us readers know if there’s anything we can do to help.
I’m so sorry to hear all of this. I really enjoy your website and podcast but have never commented before. I just want to thank you for what you do, even thought it’s made you a target. What a wonderful person you are. Thank you, Violet Blue.
I’m sorry, Violet :( It’s really sad that one or two people’s asshole-ishness can be such a burden to a public figure. I hope things resolve in your favor, and meanwhile, those of us with critical thinking skills will see things for what they are. Keep doing what you do, b/c it’s good and necessary and think about the fact that for every vocal/psycho critic, there are 99 silent and gratefull readers/fans :)
This Burch fucker is sick, twisted and pathetic with a side of lame sauce.
I agree with Kat’s statements in post #44, Violet. We need you. We need a strong, eloquent spokesperson who can help us push back this tide of puritanical bullshit that we, as a country, are awash in.
I don’t know what else to say other than that I am furious. I almost wish it were possible to take Burch behind the woodshed and teach him a lesson, but that would only make some people feel sorry for the loser.
Keep yourself safe. Fight this bastard. And keep on being a sex positive inspiration to me and tons more women. Your site and your writings have been a ray of sunshine in a world that would love to keep women in the dark. My thoughts are with you. You will triumph!
@ twizted – thank you! it’s interesting that Douglas added his last bit *after* I linked to his post “No one wants you dead (though god, if anyone tried that shit I’d call the cops like I would with anyone else). You’re the only one posting violent fantasies. The whole world needs a restraining order against you.”
here’s his original “hahahah” post, screencapped: http://tinynibbles.fotki.com/fun/picture7.html
and everything else you said — I agree. this post by Postmodern Sex Geek sums up your point quite well:
http://postmodernsexgeek.blogspot.com/2008/08/violence-against-women-it-all-in-your.html
Violet –
One more thing, just so you know that some people understand that your ‘violent fantasies’ as mentioned on the Gawker aren’t necessarily so. Ironic that your next post was about Larry Flint, shot for his beliefs. And was Eric Rudolf fictional? There are definitely domestic terrorists with anti-sex agendas in this country!
I sincerely hope that no batshit crazy idiot with a violent agenda saw your personal info when it was posted. Burch can protest all he wants about how he can’t stalk you from across the country, but posting your personal info in a public place is tantamount to a passive-aggressive attempt to help someone find you and attack you.
The Gawker person may think you’re not famous enough to merit this, but I doubt anyone would’ve thought Jodi Foster was famous enough to merit an attempted presidential assassination before it happened. Crazy doesn’t follow logic!
Keep posting, honey. Now I’m checking for new posts to make sure you’re still safe <3
Ben Burch! The guy who styles himself some kind of fighter for sex workers’ rights? He turns out to be a creepy obsessive misogynist sends threatening letters to a woman he doesn’t know? This is like when one of those loud-about-morals senators propositions an undercover cop. What a clown!
(I’m trying to say something reassuring here. If it comes off as dismissive of your concern about what this guy’s intentions are I sincerely apologize. I realize even a guy in a clown nose is disturbing if he shows up at your house.)
Holy crap! this is insane. I can’t believe all this is happening, especially after all that boing boing crap. I truly hope this all ends well for you.
Take care
Wales simply told me to publish the threat, and offered his condolences.
That’s the response to someone using Wikipedia to launch a misogynist and threatening tirade that leaves someone exposed to potential violence? Lovely.
wikipedia sucks all the balls ever….it is NOT a great thing it is the tyranny of the MOB determining who lives and dies.
Fuck them, and fuck this stalker fuck, and fuck everyone. The sooner you realize that the antidote to top down fascism is NOT top down multi-bullshittism the sooner you realize Wikipedia is a sad fucked up piece of shit.
World Book here I come. and cum!
People love you and support you. Please be safe.
I’m sorry, but I almost have to laugh at the Rotten Neighbor thing. Almost. I mean, seriously. This is one of the big guns in the hate barrage? This is a big hit in the Tsunami of Pain?
Pathetic, Ben Burch.
Let’s not even get started on Nick Douglas there…
@ Alex Ess – yes, it is the same person.
@ everyone — holy fucking hell, thank you for your words of support.
@ the 3 commenters who told me I deserve this (and am ugly, blah blah blah), no, your comments don’t get published (especially via Tor proxies) and you should just email me instead. it has the same effect — I save your traceable info and archive you.
@ Vini – Wales simply told me to publish the threat, and offered his condolences. but since Wikipedia won’t cite me or my website as a source for anything about me, it makes no difference.
meanwhile, someone at Gawker thinks what I wrote about the shotgun is funny and that I should just shut up: http://tinyurl.com/5t44za
…now here’s this using the same “domestic violence” and other language as in the SRL email Burch had Vale send to the SRL list, plus a Google satellite image of my address from Burch’s police report:
http://www.rottenneighbor.com/story.php?id=407944_violet_blue_a_liar_who_abuses_people_with_lawsuits
I totally agree that BenBurch doesn’t have much to fear from you, qh, but he should probably create a paper trail in case something *does* happen. Just joking. Honestly though, did you really read Violet’s post? Given its subject matter, I’m surprised that you so cheerfully express your desire to “get ahold of bennyboy himself, and give him an attitude adjustment he’d never forget.” You might not pose a physical threat to BenBurch, but the fact remains that you made one.
Scary stuff, this. Stay strong and take extra steps to stay safe. And if you need anything from us, please do let us know. We’ll ride this out together. All the best.
@ Coral – With regard to Wikipedia pages about living people – Jimmy could just lock them down and hold changes for moderation, it shouldn’t take much. There. A jerkoff like this shouldn’t be allowed to use Wikipedia to terrorize anyone, nor should he permitted to ruin it for the entire world.
@ violet – Please be careful, and I know this is easy for me to say, but don’t let that asshole get to you, at least not enough where you can’t think straight. Situational awareness suffers in fear. You are a smart, sensible person, keeping your wits about you is an extremely important defensive weapon against terroristic scumbags like this waste of skin.
Please do be careful.
This really angered me. What a shit!
Keep up the good work, we know he’s an asshole. Keep documenting his B.S. and retry with the restraining order. It’s hard to believe in this day and age people get away with this crap!
We love you, Violet!
@GD
Considering I have no idea where bennyboy is or who he is pretty much negates the physical direct attack. Especially since I didn’t go after him, virtually or any other way.
But nice try.
This is just disgusting. I am horrified that this can happen and I am hoping that this sicko gets put someplace where he can do no harm.
Stay strong.
I am so shocked! I am so angry that there is nothing we can do for you (or is there?)..
Keep fighting!!!
Absolutely ridiculous! Let’s hope this whole mess gets sorted out quickly.
Keep your head up, Ms Blue! :)
Lots of love from your readers in central Illinois! <3
GDallimore, I don’t think bringing down Wikipedia is the answer; I’d like to see better controls on their pages about living people–some sort of moderation feature, perhaps? and certainly the option to erase the history of an article, as needed–but the information one can get there, about other topics, is invaluable. Cutting off that resource will not ensure Ms. Blue’s or anyone else’s safety, and it would leave us poorer as a society.
That’s assuming that it were possible to bring Wikipedia down or prevent the same sort of thing from springing up in Wikipedia’s place, anyway.
VB, I am worried about you, now that this information is out there. I hope that you will take precautions, such as having a security system installed in your home and/or making sure your whereabouts are always known to some trustworthy person or other. (I feel bad even saying that; it is so limiting, and it makes me angry that anyone would even have to think about that kind of thing.)
Ironically enough, in the very first response to your post, quehanna makes what can be interpreted as a direct physical threat against BenBurch. I suspect that if he had used the same sort of language in his communications with you, your restraining order would have been granted. You’re absolutely right that he games the system at Wikipedia and plays fast and loose with the facts. He seems to have a pattern of stirring up drama, which is probably why he was so eager to edit war with your boyfriend. I don’t think that “creating a paper trail” was worth it in this particular case. The guy’s got a grudge against you, and now he’s got a brand new platform to insult you from. Wikipedia is pretty much a person’s permanent record these days, and his allegations seem to have become part of yours.
Btw, I actually saw Batman yesterday as well. Bruce Wayne asks how the bandit was eventually brought to justice, and Alfred responds “We burned the whole forest down.” Do you think we should bring down Wikipedia?
What a truly loathsome individual. I can’t understand what drives someone to act in this way. I hope that you are able to overcome this and continue to provided such a valuable service.
I and my partner have read your books and articles and recommended them to our friends. I hope that you continue long into the future.
Some people really do need a life. I have never understood the desire to harm someone because of some difference of oppinion. That is when the theoretical argument (which I find enjoyable most of times) spills over into something completely different and far darker. Most probably know this kind of thing from the RP community, too.
It is frightening to think that someone has nothing better to do with his narrow mind and incredible focus (****, use it for something productive!) than to expose someone else to harm in that way. If something happened to you, he would probably simply absolve himself with the excuse “guns don’t kill, people do”.
I am probably far too idealistic, but the topical quote from the Dark Knight nailed it on the head I guess.
I wish you all the strength you need to seal with this person. People like that make me ashamed of humanity.
Best wishes to you in getting this dealt with. This kind of creep, humanity doesn’t need, but unfortunately is stuck with.
Excellently topical quote from Batman.
With such occurrences as this and the craig’s list experiment, I think it’s possible that we could very well see something go all the way to the supreme court. We really must set a president for enforcing personal rights via the internet. Law enforcement should not be able to turn a blind eye in situations as these.
Honey, dont stop. Having found your website and forwarded it on to my friends (women) please dont stop, but realistically, and way more importantly you need to be safe. What can we do to help? Am happy to contact wiki and remind them that what they publish is relevant, way too relevant at times. Be safe.
I really enjoy your blog and think, as many here seem to, that there are _far_ too few like yourself. I wish you the best – please keep it up and keep in touch.
VB,
I’m keeping you in my thoughts. I hope that BB discovers that this pursuit is really not worth it. Hurting other people really just ends up hurting yourself in the end. I’m a new follower of your blog and even I don’t think that you meant to be malicious in anyway over this name drama. I think that your support of adult films is obvious and that you don’t look down on any adult film actor/actress. Having the same “stage names” in the two works would no doubt be confusing for readers and fans of either person and I think you have proven that you’ve used it first.
I’m sure that if Johnson is talented, she will find just as much work under a new catchy name and this will just be a road bump in her overall career. Probably not even worth noting in a few years.
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
I hope that the fire between all parties involved is quickly extinguished and these negative emotions are resolved.
Is this whiterosesociety Ben Burch who’s on that Democratic Warrior forum and has some kind of issue with the Democratic Underground, or is this a different guy?
What. The. FUCK!?
This is absolutely disgusting and I am horrified that it would take Wikipedia that fucking long to take down your most private details. Your physical safety is at risk and that is no fucking joke.
I am so, so sorry. Girl, you have fucking balls of steel. Keep strong.
This is absolutely ridiculous…ugh.
Appalling that you are having to suffer this, to have to find the courage to stand up for your rights. It is unacceptable that current laws do not protect anyone from this kind of invasion and exposure to who knows what from lord knows whom. As others have said, I hope you stay safe. That seems completely inadequate considering the circumstances. Out of such adversity we learn more about ourselves, but it shouldn’t be this way. Go gently.
Just a aside to all this, whats been up with Gawker sites? It seems like their standards for writers has seriously gone downhill in the last 6 months to the point I got banned from posting for calling out one of them for making blatantly racist remarks while at the same time trying to say that opposing remarks where anti-semitic basically preventing any possible discourse in the thread since any opposing view was going to be seen as bannable. Then just last week al of a sudden gawker sites are now doing the laughable disvowling BS boing boing is doing plus this and you have to really wonder WTF is going on there.
I have always enjoyed the material you produce, but I just don’t know how you do it. You are a very strong person and I have always admired you. The world needs more like you.
Wikipedia has now gone from a joke in my eyes to something that can do real harm.
Wikiwankery was in a way humorous before, but really, can’t they set something up a bit more intelligent for pages on living people?
As for BoingBoing… I just find them lame for allowing what they did. Not broken, just plain bad intent from the start.
Aw, geeze, that’s awful…
All I have to say, pretty much, is what Wuschel said up there in #9. Your blog was one of the first sources I found for sex on the internet, and it’s helped me a lot in the year since… keep posting!
if there is anything we as your readers can do to support you, let us know. you make this world a better place for people like me, who gather strength from reading your articles and knowing that there are more sex-positive people out there. sometimes they’re hard to find in europe, where i actually live. so thanks for that.
oh, and to all the haters out there: go get a life…
Violet-
I’m sick and furious at the thought of someone using this information to attack you, physically or otherwise. I’ve admired your bravery for being willing to be a public persona for a long time. You’re more aware of the risks than anyone. Thank you for sharing this with your readers.
The troll(s) will claim innocence if anything as truly horrific as your greatest fears come true as a result of this public violation of your privacy. Nothing they do has the tiniest bit of honor or integrity (attention trolls: indignant self-righteousness is NOT the same thing!). They are as guilty as they could possibly be. But this doesn’t make you any safer.
I know you’re telling the truth, about who you are, and what you’ve been doing. I respect your right to have privacy, especially in regards to your safety. I cannot express in words a ‘thank you’ that would adequately describe my gratitude and respect for you. I’ll try to channel my anger into wishing for your continued success and safety.
I appreciate your references to The Dark Knight. Wikipedia was created in part with that optimistic idea about the common goodness & integrity of humanity. It’s been obvious for some time now that little, if any, thought went into safeguarding this model against the reality of a world also populated by poisonous creeps. There will always be those who only feel personal power through destruction.
Please stay safe.
Aw, Violet – I’m so sorry hun. That sucks ass and not in a pleasant way.
Lots of love,
Kate
The hair on my neck literally stood up while reading this story. I hope everything works out in the end.
Are you sure that more than one of these people who are hostile to you aren’t working together as part of some sort of coordinated effort? These people may be whack jobs, but there might be more to this story than you are seeing. Like whats up with that BOINGBOING thing? Could it all be connected somehow? Have you pissed off anyone who could set these things in motion? Heh, maybe I’ve been reading too many books on 911Truth and Alex Constantine columns about Mediabistro.
scary stuff…
This was one of the most disturbing things I’ve read today. Its shameful that some one would do this to anyone, not just a celebrity. My friends and I keep you in our thoughts. I’d include prayers but, we don’t do much praying. Just for the record, we still think you’re a hottie and we love your columns and posts. Stay safe and keep doing what you do.
Pixelated,
Thomasville, GA
Why does Wikipedia not have tighter control on pages about living people? This is not the first time that an individual had trouble with the page about them on the site. You’d think they’d have stricter policies.
It sucks that he’s using fear to get you to sit down and shut up – a time-honored tool of misogynists to control women who speak their minds. Trust your instincts; you’re never overreacting when you’re worried about your personal safety. I’ve had to deal with a stalker who gathered personal info from the net; it pays to be careful.
Well to be honest I’d rather get ahold of bennyboy himself, and give him an attitude adjustment he’d never forget, rather than just a doll.
I wish there was something more that I could do other than moral support, but I think you’re pretty cool and so do many others.