Escuela Grind Respond to Allegations from Former Driver and Tour Manager
Nearly a month after allegations of mistreatment and sexual harassment at the hands of hardcore act Escuela Grind began circulating through the internet, the band has finally released a statement explaining their stance on the matter.
According to the band’s statement, which was posted to their Instagram account, they claim they were largely unaware of any misconduct and were equally in the dark about the issues former driver Destiny Hopper was dealing with at the time. According to them, any issues that cropped up was the result of their inexperience hiring a full crew and “properly vetting our driver.”
“The band faced challenges during a six-week tour where we were responsible for many supporting bands. We hired a full crew for the very first time. Mistakes were made in the hiring process, ultimately causing issues the core members had never experienced before on a tour.
“Ultimately, we made mistakes. We tried to do what we thought was best, and in the end it wasn’t. We did not know about the personal issues between our former driver and [tour manager] until they posted about it online. We immediately parted ways with him. We failed, but we have learned.”
According to Hopper’s initial allegations, they were subjected to a hostile working environment where now former tour manager Chris Kotter reportedly kept sexually harassing the driver despite what they say were constant reminders that they weren’t interested. That, along with general poor treatment from the rest of the band, caused Hopper to come out about her experience once former guitarist Thomas Sifuentes’ announced his departure from the band over apparent safety concerns.
Earlier this week, Kotter opened up about their experience working for Escuela Grind, offering a more apologetic statement regarding his alleged misconduct with Hopper.
“Regrettably, despite Destiny’s explicit invitation for open dialogue, I failed to fully recognize the extent of her discomfort and distress. This oversight on my part is something I deeply regret and acknowledge as a failure to prioritize her well-being more. It is clear that Destiny felt trapped in a situation she found uncomfortable, and rightly so. I deeply regret that I failed to see the extent of her distress. I should have been more attentive to the complex nature of our relationship and the discomfort it caused, rather than just her needs and concerns. I was focused on keeping her from getting thrown out of the van on the side of the road, or left at a hotel without a room. There were many things being said in the van that made not only Destiny but myself uncomfortable.”
Despite everything that’s been put out there over the last few weeks, Escuela Grind have said that this is the only time they’ll be addressing the allegations leveled against them. In their statement, they said that Hopper left the tour on their own volition and contrary to their statement, was not abandoned by the band.
Escuela Grind also stated that neither party came to the band expressing any concerns over sexually charged jokes, nicknames, or comments during the tour.
“There was never a moment where either the TM or driver approached us about the concerns they presented in their statements. If approached, we would have acted on this information immediately. Absolutely nothing verbal nor physical was observed in the times we were present. There was never a moment where our TM seriously expressed that he was uncomfortable with the jokes being made on tour. Jokes and nicknames were created just like any other tour. The TM encouraged and instigated many of these jokes, and it appears he is trying to absolve himself of wrongdoing by misrepresenting facts, while still admitting to his inappropriate behavior towards our former driver.”
With this being their only time to address the allegations, we’re not sure what happens next. In the interest of full disclosure and transparency, we’ve posted Escuela Grind’s entire statement below.
“We have publicly stayed quiet about the conflict between our previous driver and previous tour manager. We felt it best to first let them each have their say.
“The band faced challenges during a six-week tour where we were responsible for many supporting bands. We hired a full crew for the very first time. Mistakes were made in the hiring process, ultimately causing issues the core members had never experienced before on a tour.
“Ultimately, we made mistakes. We tried to do what we thought was best, and in the end it wasn’t. We did not know about the personal issues between our former driver and TM until they posted about it online. We immediately parted ways with him. We failed, but we have learned.
“Our driver quit on their own terms. They were not abandoned. They chose to go when they did, and we did not know about their plans. Their flight was nonrefundable and non-changeable. The driver was paid in cash weekly. We mailed a check to them for their final week so that we had proper proof of receipt and deposit. We have many receipts of us trying to get in touch with them to pay them through alternative methods like Venmo, etc.
“We take blame for not making our expectations clearer and properly vetting our driver.
“There was never a moment where either the TM or driver approached us about the concerns they presented in their statements. If approached, we would have acted on this information immediately. Absolutely nothing verbal nor physical was observed in the times we were present. There was never a moment where our TM seriously expressed that he was uncomfortable with the jokes being made on tour. Jokes and nicknames were created just like any other tour. The TM encouraged and instigated many of these jokes, and it appears he is trying to absolve himself of wrongdoing by misrepresenting facts, while still admitting to his inappropriate behavior towards our former driver.
“We understand that we let our fans down over the last weeks with our inability to address this situation directly and that has been difficult. Thank you for bearing with us. Bands work in environments where social boundaries are constantly crossed. It seems like a paradox; to find the balance between having a crazy fun tour and being strait-laced professionals. We are working through our growing pains.
“This is our final statement on this matter. We now focus on moving forward, and working to be the best we can be at all times. We love y’all always.”
