No início desta semana, Amber Coffman, vocalista e guitarrista do grupo Dirty Projectors, publicou uma série de tuítes em que acusa o assessor/relações públicas Heathcliff Berru, fundador da empresa Life or Death PR & Management, de abuso sexual. As alegações de Coffman inspiraram muitas outras mulheres da área a comentarem sobre o comportamento do cara.
Coffman contou quando um “assessor de música muito popular passou a mão na minha bunda e mordeu meu cabelo em um bar há uns anos”. Ela disse que ainda sente raiva de si mesma por não ter dado um soco no nariz dele, mas que congelou totalmente na hora.
Was just re-telling/re-remembering a story abt how a very popular music publicist RUBBED my ass and BIT my hair at a bar a couple years ago
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
This was someone I barely knew and had just met. He did it in front of 4 of my male friends. Still makes me so damn mad thinking about it — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Still mad at myself as well for not punching him in the nose, but I totally froze up. Weird survival instinct I guess
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
And in case anyone was wondering who the ass rubbing, hair biting mother fucker was, I’m not afraid to say it- — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
It was Heathcliff Berru, at Life or Death PR and MGMT
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
I’ve been told many women have had scary stories about him for years but are scared to speak up. And dudes overlook it and keep hiring him — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Tired of sketchy ass dudes and sexual predators getting a pass from their “bros.” Grow a spine and hold your friends accountable ✌🏼️
— Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Bethany Consentino, do Best Coast, logo respondeu o tuíte de Coffman, elogiando a coragem dela e afirmando que o cara sempre foi um filho da puta mesmo.
@Amber_Coffman good for you for doing this. I was too freaked out to ever say anything. Seriously he’s not a good person on any level. — Best Coast (@BestCoast) January 19, 2016
A cantora Chelsea Wolfe também relatou que o mesmo assessor tentou beijá-la durante uma reunião de negócios e ela apenas pensou “que babaca”.
@motormouthmedia he tried to kiss me once after what I thought was a casual business meeting. I just turned my face &
— CHELSEA WOLFE (@CCHELSEAWWOLFE) January 20, 2016
@motormouthmedia thought, what a dumb weirdo! sucks to know he was creeping on other women even harder
— CHELSEA WOLFE (@CCHELSEAWWOLFE) January 20, 2016
Coffman disse que assim que ela informou a Domino, sua gravadora, das ações de Berru, eles pararam de trabalhar com ele. “Eles me disseram que se comprometem a não trabalhar mais com ele, e eu realmente aprecio esse gesto”, escreveu ela. “Mais deveriam seguir o exemplo.”
Just woke up to so many responses from last night and I’m stunned! I was really just venting an had no idea it would get such a response… — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
What happened to me is of course the mellow side of the kind of things that happen to women- maybe it’s not as easy to share certain stories — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
Maybe it could’ve spared more from having the same thing + worse happen to them. Unfortunately these kind of scenarios are common for women — Amber Coffman (@Amber_Coffman) January 19, 2016
A boa notícia é que vários artistas representados pela Life or Death PR & Management saíram da empresa após essas denúncias, causando a demissão de Heathcliff Berru. Em seguida, o assessor em questão soltou um comunicado em que fala que sofre de alcoolismo, é viciado em drogas, e que perdeu a mulher, mas nada que justifique seu comportamento, não é?
Parabéns, Amber, por fazer esse barulho \o/
