Broadway pianist arrested for trying to seduce 14 year old boy...- Page 2

[Dave28282]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 5:11am

Fan123 said: "But I think it points to something we should all keep in mind: (teacher voice) if you advocate to silence 'offensive' discussions which you think shouldn't be happening, even with the best of intentions, then sooner or later those same considerations will be used by somebody else to silence discussions which you think should be happening. I think a lot of people (not here as such, but generally speaking) are going to be experiencing rude awakenings about that in the coming years. Anyway, tangent over."

Very well said Fan123!

[BJR]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 10:13am

Brown mentioning in custody he was chatting with several underage boys, if true, kinda blows the entrapment claim out of the water.

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 10:32am

Given Broadway’s history with sexual predators Brown will be back at work in a few years and any mention of his crimes will be silenced as if we’re in 1984.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 11:33am

Plannietink08 said: "Given Broadway’s history with sexual predators Brown will be back at work in a few years and any mention of his crimes will be silenced as if we’re in 1984. "

Um...No. None of that is true.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 12:13pm

BJR said: "Brown mentioning in custody he was chatting with several underage boys, if true, kinda blows the entrapment claim out of the water."

Also, as mentioned in the NY Daily News, Brown initiated the conversation. 

[Plannietink08]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 1:29pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "Plannietink08 said: "Given Broadway’s history with sexual predators Brown will be back at work in a few years and any mention of his crimes will be silenced as if we’re in 1984. "

Um...No. None of that is true."

Um... Sure, Jan. 

Updated On: 9/8/19 at 01:29 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 9/8/19 at 11:04pm

BJR said: "Brown mentioning in custody he was chatting with several underage boys, if true, kinda blows the entrapment claim out of the water."

I doubt this case will go away, but typically if criminality is found after bogus or lack of just cause, then it would be considered inadmissible. If you find drugs after a bogus traffic stop, you usually can't be tried for the drugs, etc., although most defendants screw themselves over without a clean enough case for dismissal.

[AC126748]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:03am

GeorgeandDot said: "It's safe to assume that this "entrapment scheme" occured because of previous incidents. They must've had something to go off of. In that case, I have no sympathy."

Yeah, when someone shows up with lube and condoms at the ready, I have to assume it’s not his first time at the rodeo. 

[keen on kean]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:45am

It is only inadmissible entrapment if the defendant would not have otherwise engaged in the illegal behavior but for the police activity.  It is much easier to use the entrapment argument for things like financial crimes where the lure of money and personal desperation can make a person do things they would not otherwise think of doing on their own.

The use of an online persona to identify predators is not, and has never been, an issue. It is frequently used in sexual and drug related law enforcement. It protects the public. And what would you have the police do? Get an actual 14 year old to do this? Of course not.

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 4:19pm

FindingNamo said: "I too am interested in what kind of people go into law enforcement and pose as underage kids? What demons are THEY carrying around? I wonder the same about undercover vice cops who grope their own crotches in restrooms and bust the men who do the same thing in response.

Hi Namo--I was the 'victim' of the above, but he was a scam artist posing as a cop. He had the look/actions/ID and dialogue to convince this terrified 'me' to actually take him back to my room[on holidays] and hand over $300.

In hindsight one thinks of all the things that one should have said/done but was just too scared.

To your question-I think it just part of policing that certain cops are better at some things than others. It's just like using the pretty female cop to dress and act like a hooker.

There would be a script that follows the law and I would presume this episode was all Typed so the police would have to respond in teenage style to seem convincing.

Every state in Australia has a different age limit for legal sex.

If one is attracted physically to youth then that is a very dangerous playing field. The internet shows younger girls how to look and act so much older and boys are pumping themselves up and they know exactly how to look to attract both sexes of all ages. It is the age now of total self awareness

I have seen schoolboys at a bathhouse and underage girls at nightclubs so all these scenes are entrapment of a sort. This thread is about deliberate entrapment,the other situations now reality.

Who knows or what leads us in certain sexual directions--that's the answer for the professionals.

That's enough from me, shopping day, out of batteries.

 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 5:32pm

This is disgusting. Why would a successful young man even want to get with a kid so young? Gross.

If you are conversing with someone online, and they declare to you that they are under the age of consent... and you don’t end that conversation there and then, let alone actually travel to meet them for sex...

Something is clearly wrong and you deserve what you get.

Updated On: 9/9/19 at 05:32 PM

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 7:16pm

Luminaire2 said: "This is disgusting. Why would a successful young gay man even want to get with a kid so young? Gross.

If you are conversing with someone online, and they declare to you that they are under the age of consent... and you don’t end that conversation there and then, let alone actually travel to meet them for sex...

Something is clearly wrong and you deserve what you get."

This is a sickness of urges the individual cannot control.  This type of behavior has been going on for decades.  It's not just gay men.  It's hetrosexual men and women also. As well as lesbians. Look at female school teachers who have sex with their students.  In some cases get impregnated by them.  We are just more aware of it now.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 7:36pm

ArtMan said: "Luminaire2 said: "This is disgusting. Why would a successful young gay man even want to get with a kid so young? Gross.

If you are conversing with someone online, and they declare to you that they are under the age of consent... and you don’t end that conversation there and then, let alone actually travel to meet them for sex...

Something is clearly wrong and you deserve what you get."

This is a sickness of urges the individual cannot control. This type of behavior has been going on for decades. It's not just gay men. It's hetrosexual men and women also. As well as lesbians. Look at female school teachers who have sex with their students. In some cases get impregnated by them. We are just more aware of it now."

 

Thank you ArtMan. I was going to post something like this but I could not have put it better.

People jump all over these people for what they have done without thinking or understanding that a lot of these people can't control it and don't or can't seek help. This definitely does not condone their actions, but a lot of these people do need help.

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:33pm

I feel only pity for Luminaire and others who have such a kneejerk reaction to folks who find themselves attracted to underage guys or girls. Whoa to Luminaire should they discover they themselves have some kink in their sexual makeup equally taboo to society at large. Once not so long ago, adult guys simply loving other adult guys was viewed with the same disgust you now display toward the unfortunate pianist. 

Protect kids, sure, but also learn empathy. Everyone deserves some.

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:43pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "I feel only pity for Luminaire and others who have such a kneejerk reactionto folks who find themselves attracted to underage guys or girls. Whoa to Luminaire should they discover they themselves have some kink in their sexual makeup equally taboo to society at large. Once not so long ago, adult guys simply loving other adult guys was viewed with the same disgust you now display toward the unfortunate pianist.

Protect kids, sure, but also learn empathy. Everyone deserves some."

 

As a gay man myself, can I ask for clarity? Are you trying to imply that the gay rights movement is at all similar or somehow equal to adults who are “into” children? A 14 year old is a child. Is that some sort of kink that we should normalize and allow? We as a society have determined ages we deem appropriate for drinking, gambling, paying taxes, sexual consent, etc. 

 

I don’t see how anyone can justify predators. Feel free to have sympathy if you deem him a victim somehow, but his actions result in consequences. Deservedly so. 

 

Updated On: 9/9/19 at 08:43 PM

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:56pm

Like others have stated, people who compulsively pursue underage sexual partners have a dangerous kink that can often harm youngsters, sometimes irrevocably. But they are not by definition monsters, as you seem to think when you write:
"This is disgusting. Why would a successful young gay man even want to get with a kid so young? Gross...
Something is clearly wrong and you deserve what you get."

Is the pianist a victim? In a way, everyone with a kink condemned by society is a victim, so I would say yes, he is. He is a victim of his own sexual desires. You Luminaire apparently have a sexuality that is (currently) condoned by society. Lucky you. The pianist wasn't so fortunate. 

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 8:59pm

You know we have reached crazy town when people are trying to justify predatory behaviour.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 10:26pm

Not only are these individuals, victims of their own sexual desires, but studies have proven that most males and females who have this predatory behavior, who yearn for the underage, have been victims of sexual abuse/molestation themselves at a young age.  The cycle just keeps continuing.  The young victims of today, will become the adult predators in the future.  Do I justify their predatory behavior?  NO.  Do I feel sorry for them?  YES

Updated On: 9/9/19 at 10:26 PM

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 10:29pm

Perfectly said.

The world needs more empathy!

[Moderator]

Posted: 9/9/19 at 10:50pm

While we respect and generally attempt to foster an open discussion about issues on the boards, there have been things posted in this thread that we are not currently comfortable with having on the site, even in an effort to allow varying perspectives to have an open discussion.

So, we will be locking this thread overnight, since we have reduced moderation outside of business hours. We will make a decision in the morning as to whether we will reopen it once the moderator and admin teams have had an opportunity to discuss how to move forward while balancing our company values and are belief in open discussions. 

[Moderator]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 3:06pm

Following a discussion with our moderator and admin teams, we wanted to share an update on our position here and the scope of the permitted conversation on this thread, and others like it moving forward.

While we strive to give as wide a latitude as possible to all theatrically related topics — of course while keeping conversations in line with our rules — this thread has featured a number of discussions that we feel go against our views and values as a company, and therefore, we want to reiterate and clarify a few of our positions.

Our hope is to make this board a welcoming space for all theatre-related discussions in which all feel appreciated and accepted. As long a posts are made with that same consideration, that should eliminate a majority of problems.

However, any discussion about an individual’s psychology or mental health that is not specifically based on that person’s own admissions is not appropriate for our board. Even when they are, these types of discussions will be given much less leeway than others, as we consider making unfounded assumptions about mental health, and using someone’s mental health as a tool to belittle, as personal attacks. This also includes any undiagnosed explanations that posters believe might explain or rationalize illegal behavior.

Furthermore, opinions about the spectrum of sexual desires, and their societal and legal ramifications, are off-topic for a theatrical message board and are likely neither constructive, nor appropriate to be had here. We believe that in the future, those types of discussions are best served elsewhere, and will be considered other than the BWW board.

So, ultimately, comments which go beyond the scope of published reports and their implications — or arguments relating to those — will result in posts being removed. As always we welcome any questions at [e-mail].

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 5:10pm

Thanks Mods!  This thread was really starting to freak me out.

[Fan123]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 6:26pm

Despite my misgivings mentioned earlier, I do appreciate that the moderators are providing a lot of explanation and transparency here, and that the later round of posts has been left up (at least for a while) to provide additional context. That's really helpful.

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 8:13pm

I appreciate the moderator response. I only originally entered the conversation as I was so shocked by the news, and did not expect to be piled up on by a group declaring that I must lack empathy or understanding.

The conversation felt way off base to me, which is why I continued. And I do now realize this is likely not the place for this, so I apologize to the Mod team if I contributed to making your life a bit more challenging last night, but I felt as if my view needed defending.

I also agree with the Mods that speculation about someone’s mental health, trying to justify actions by speculating about their mental health, without any facts to support such claims is dangerous, and hurtful to others who may suffer from issues with mental health. And I hope those last night can reflect on that.

Much love to all in the broadway community.

[LegallyBroadway2]

Posted: 9/10/19 at 8:38pm

I know this guy. And I feel no empathy for him, nor for anyone who thinks that child abuse is excusable. Shame on those who would liken a gay relationship to child abuse and endangerment.