I’m going to start by saying what is shamefully clear: I have been slow to make this statement. I have been hesitating out of a fear that this moment is not mine to make about me. This moment belongs to those who have been suffering oppression for centuries and who continue to suffer, and nothing I can say can add to the eloquence and passion with which they have been expressing this moment.
I was wrong. And I am very very sorry for my delay.
The racism and the bigotry we’re seeing from the police is unacceptable. Black Lives Matter, they always have, they always will. I have no tolerance, no patience, no forgiveness for the actions we have seen over the past week, the past month, the past year, the past decade, the past century, basically forever. I know many of you are angry. I share your anger.
If you find yourself thinking that maybe the police were right here, or that maybe they aren’t really systemically racist, or that maybe none of that matters because a few people engaged in looting, then I want to say, at least for my part, that I do not want you at Port Katherine. If that bothers you, then it might be time to think deeply about why you might be on the wrong side here, and become a better person.
We are engaged in a hobby that is mostly populated by white people. All of us have to do better to become a more welcoming place for people who don’t look like us. I know that our parent organization, Red Feather Roleplaying, is making some changes to try to address this, and they’ll be making a statement of their own soon. It will probably be more constructive and less angry than mine.
But in the meantime, we all need to look at ourselves and ask if we are doing all we can to be more welcoming. I know I am. I ask that all of you do the same. Almost-all-white communities do not happen by accident, they are created by intention. Whether we believe we have done so or not, we are the descendants of a culture of gaming that bears many original and continuing sins, and we are remiss to ignore what has happened and what continues to happen in our community.
I do not have a lot of power or influence over the greater LARPing world. But Port Katherine, at least, is mine. If you cannot stand beside POC in this time and proclaim boldly that black lives matter, then I will show you the door.
Brian Misamore
Game Director, Port Katherine