A Response

Response to Vecxzin

Hello everyone,

This message was originally sent internally to our Staff Team. The only changes made between this message and the one originally sent to staff were formatting, non-quote spelling errors and the final sentences to the last paragraph at the bottom.

This is both a formal response to what has happened with Vecxzin and where we stand with the freedom of speech policy as these go hand-in-hand. We would like to fully address all of Vecxzin’s comments and go through a small timeline on how we got to where we are now. It should also be noted that we fully understand why he left the team and that we wish it had happened on better terms — but we wish him well in his future endeavors regardless. That said, we would also like to note that we were caught entirely off-guard by Vecxzin's actions. As we'll note later, we were under the impression that Vecxzin did not intend on leaving the team and we certainly did not expect him to make a public statement or to grief.

Note: The recent promotion of Moderator Darkerfly had absolutely nothing to do with this set of occurrences.

To start this page, we will look at two excerpts, the first of these excerpts is Vecxzin’s final message to us. This excerpt was copied verbatim and has not been modified in any way, shape, or form. The excerpt to follow this will contain logs of the interaction referred to below.

“There comes a breaking point to everything, and everyone. A policy that supports this kind of predation on those not of age is something I cannot support, regardless of your view of free speech. Free speech, as a phatic expression, commonly refers to the first amendment; which does not cover threats, hate speech, or illegal actions. In regards to the administration of the server, we are dutied to uphold rules that we have no part in creating. We do not administrate this server, we are not tasked with making MinecraftOnline a more pleasant or hospitable environment; we are used as a tool to uphold standards that are not ours, nor are they up for us to decide. Despite a vote being held within the upper echelon of staff, we were barred from letting go a staff member who publicly sexualized a minor (As a joke hahaha funny right? It should be allowed then?). This was not any of the admins's or mod's fault. Even I was not easily able to relinquish my position as administrator quietly as I disagreed with Riot, which is why you all get to see this message. Do not let this go unnoticed. Free speech is to spread ideas and knowledge without censorship, not to be used as a scapegoat in a meager attempt to justify sexulizing a minor, which is especially gross from someone who's double their age. Minecraft is changing, and the sever will need to change to. But its not.”

Vecxzin later amended his statement to include the following:

“Clarifications: There was no sexual harassment. There are no Pedos on the staff team. This was a poor joke that should not have been made from a staff member. I also did resign on 5/30/2021 but decided that after a call with another admin that my message would not be made clear and the urgency wouldn't get the attention of Riot. So I stayed on while thinking of a way to do so. Until I decided to do what I did on 6/9/2021. Did I take the most logical choice? No. I did what I felt was right in getting my message out. But in the end, I hope this inspires change for the server. To make MCO better for all”

For context, what follows is the full interaction involving Jimmy. This is the interaction which led to him being called a predator. It is our understanding that only some of this original interaction had been shared — but not the full interaction. We have included all messages here from the relevant parties, as well as some additional messages (for context).

Unrelated messages were omitted for space, but are obviously available. Some names have been redacted for their privacy, upon their request. If you know who they are, we request that you respect their privacy and help keep them anonymous.

[3:54 PM] jimmyd93: I never got the whole praising me like I'm some kind of deity being thing

[3:54 PM] [Redacted]: Brb some kid got pushed down and his knee is really bleeding now

[3:54 PM] LolitaFashion: why badrep

[3:54 PM] Ivan (Vagankovo) 🐹: Well, Jimmy, you're a deity of chaos

[3:54 PM] [Redacted]: Gonna offer him some stuff to clean up his wound

[3:54 PM] HZ: lolita bc you are being bad

[3:55 PM] jimmyd93: Maybe it's my devine punishment for you all for worshipping me without giving me a blowie

[3:55 PM] NickolasDiamond: Lmfao

[3:55 PM] [Redacted]: I’m a minor jimmy

[3:55 PM] [Redacted II]: hahaha

[3:55 PM] *NevadaDream: "blowie"

[3:55 PM] [Redacted]: I can’t give you that

[3:55 PM] *ratrun: What's a blowie?

[3:55 PM] [Redacted II]: Blow job

[3:55 PM] *NevadaDream: Dont ask

[3:55 PM] *ratrun: Yuck.

[3:55 PM] [Redacted II]: yup...

[3:57 PM] jimmyd93: [@Redacted]: keep your vaginal juices away from my face please

[3:57 PM] [Redacted II]: Lmfao

[3:57 PM] LolitaFashion: what do we do

[3:57 PM] *ratrun: What did you do, Lolita?

[3:57 PM] *Selimbits: put it back

[3:57 PM] *NevadaDream: Pee can be a vaginal juice

[3:57 PM] LolitaFashion: broke a flower

[3:57 PM] [Redacted]: I’m saving them for a better man than you anyways jimmy

[3:59 PM] jimmyd93: Good uck with that, better straight men were never men in the first place

[4:00 PM] [Redacted]: Smh jimmy

[4:02 PM] jimmyd93: Seriously though, cis men are the worst, never ever date them

[4:03 PM] [Redacted]: My boyfriend is very nice, kind, and funny

[4:04 PM] [Redacted]: And for the record, no, I’m not gay. I’m actually a female (I am also not transgender either)

[4:05 PM] jimmyd93: Sheesh, everyone taking what I say seriously, that's a first :')

[4:06 PM] [Redacted]: I apologize in advance for any mental scars you have obtained from this chat, Keyclean

[4:06 PM] *ratrun: Oh. You're cisphobic statement was a "joke." Why am I not surprised.

[4:06 PM] Warrior the Third 🦆: Or anyone for that matter

[4:07 PM] Warrior the Third 🦆: this is why people say that sarcasm in text is impossible

[4:07 PM] [Redacted]: You sure

[4:07 PM] *HZombieMan: ikr

[4:07 PM] [Redacted]: Allow me to demonstrate

[4:07 PM] [Redacted]: tHiS iS wHy pEoPlE sAy tHaT sArCaSm iN tExT iS iMpOsSiBlE

[4:08 PM] [Redacted]: yOu bItCh

With all of the context here, we would like to begin to dissect Vecxzin’s statement. It should be noted he originally considered resigning in early May due to IRL obligations prior to this situation. Going into Vecx’s interpretation of our version of freedom of speech, he makes a good point to highlight the mutual exclusivity of freedom of speech and hateful comments and content, and this is true on Telegram and Discord. This is not the case for in-game chat, however. To remind everyone, we are a server based in Germany owned by a British man with players from around the globe. While the United States' First Amendment is a fantastic outline to follow, it is ultimately more restrictive than what we fully allow when we say "absolute free speech."

To clarify, "absolute free speech" is just that; as a player, you cannot be disciplined for making a bad joke in chat, even one in poor taste. Everyone on the server has the same absolute right to free speech, to the extent that nothing anyone can type in the in-game chat will result in a ban. That does not mean they are entirely free from social consequences. Players are just as allowed to ridicule a player for something they have said as the person who said it. While staff does not have tools to moderate chat, they should lead the charge on guiding players and conversations to more acceptable topics. While the staff team does not have said tools to moderate chat, any serious complaints and instances of abuse, grooming and similar should be reported to the Admin Team. We will not tolerate legitimate forms of abuse in any variety. Please be confident that the instances you are reporting are indeed legitimate and not a joke.

That said, there are some expectations for all staff members; staff are expected to appropriately represent their role on the server beyond what is expected of a normal player. Moderators do have a form of free speech, but there are certain things Moderators are capable of saying in chat which may result in discipline. That discipline can vary from being spoken to by your team Admin, or demoted if it is serious enough. It should be noted that the Admin team is not exempt from these rules either. Serious complaints about the Admin team should be directed to admin@minecraftonline.com or admins@minecraftonline.com. It is worth reiterating that jokes are not a serious offense.

Administrators are generally quite involved in rules and policy changes. In fact, there was a discussion about a potential rule change within the last two weeks that was ultimately resolved but such changes have happened in the past. That said, the core philosophy of the server remains under SlowRiot's direct control, as ultimately, it is his server. That is what we sign up for in choosing to volunteer our time.

Vecxzin mentions that we had a vote, and with respect to the vote: one did take place, but that vote shouldn't have taken place in the manner it was, which is the crux of a lot of this conflict. The Admin team failed to properly communicate with Jimmy about what had happened and failed to properly contextualise the incident as it happened. As we wrote above, all players enjoy absolute free speech, and while some Administrators don't agree with the comments that Jimmy made, we also recognise that similar incidents may or may not require the same level of heavy-handed action. Ultimately, SlowRiot is the decider of who is on the Admin team. As SlowRiot was not present during the discussion of the incident, the Admin team opted to hold the aforementioned vote, but this vote was improper, as is noted by SlowRiot below.

Timeline

May 2021

May 13th 2021 - This snippet is posted to the Admin group on Telegram, containing some comments made by Jimmy. 2021-05-13 19:55:24 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> Maybe it's my devine punishment for you all for worshipping me without giving me a blowie

Redacted — Today at 1:55 PM I’m a minor jimmy

Redacted — Today at 1:55 PM I can’t give you that

2021-05-13 19:57:09 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> [Redacted]: keep your vaginal juices away from my face please

Redacted — Today at 1:57 PM I’m saving them for a better man than you anyways jimmy

2021-05-13 19:59:12 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> Good uck with that, better straight men were never men in the first place

• 13 May 2021 - Jimmy is tagged in both Telegram and in Discord to ask for a response on the above snippet.

• 13 May 2021 - Entire team is tagged on Telegram, Discord, and additionally, emailed, to discuss Admin demotions during the upcoming Admin meeting on May 15th 2021.

• 15 May 2021 - Admin meeting occurs. The Admins discuss Jimmy's actions to determine whether they would like to proceed with a demotion. Jimmy was not present at this meeting. The decision is made to proceed with a vote about whether to demote Jimmy, or to not. A few Admins stay after the meeting to draft an email that will be sent to the rest of the Admin team.

Ted's initial email

• 15 May 2021 - The following email is sent by  Ted1246 to all Administrators:

Hi Fellow Admins,

Due to recent events, it's time we took some action, potentially towards demoting an Admin.

The one in question is jimmyd93.

Why?

A few things.

First: The issues Zomon brought up in March of this year. (Spawning lots of mobs, excessively killing players; said players did not have the opportunity to opt in or out of these calamities.) Jimmy was confronted over this, which led the greater Admin Team to assume that such issues as these were resolved (and thus, would not continue).

For reference, Zomon's sheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v6xopkMxfkeBWNzJp69Cd8XiJRNKKnx6AIfj2O2xxVo/edit?usp=sharing

Second: On May 13th (servertime), Jimmy caused another set of calamities not unlike what is described above. This involved the spawning of a super-charged Creeper, whose explosion broke every placed entity within a hundreds-of-blocks radius.

Such deliberately destructive and disruptive action is not okay, never mind when it was addressed with the same person two months prior.

Third (and this is the kicker): Please read the below exchange.

2021-05-13 19:55:24 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> Maybe it's my devine punishment for you all for worshipping me without giving me a blowie

2021-05-13 19:55 [INFO]: <[DSC] [Redacted]> I’m a minor jimmy

2021-05-13 19:55 [INFO]: <[DSC] [Redacted]> I can’t give you that

2021-05-13 19:57:09 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> [Redacted]: keep your vaginal juices away from my face please

2021-05-13 19:57 [INFO]: <[DSC] [Redacted]> I’m saving them for a better man than you anyways jimmy

2021-05-13 19:59:12 [INFO]: <jimmyd93> Good uck with that, better straight men were never men in the first place

This is one example; other instances have occurred. Sexualisation of minors is not okay, and absolutely not something we can lend space to in the Staff or Admin Teams. The Admin Team has recently found itself in a position of immediate need to deal with a member in the community saying similar things to other minors within and without the Staff team. This was stressful for all involved, and included us making decisions we did not previously consider ever having to make. Now, it seems like we will have to make such a decision about Jimmy.

To this end, we will be holding a vote. Jimmy is welcome, nay, encouraged, to reply to this to defend himself should he wish, and has the power to vote on himself.

We chose Stromhurst as the receiver of votes, for we can trust him to be fair in his statement of votes, and we can also trust him to keep nameless those who have voted each way. He says he, himself, will not vote.\

To vote (and I strongly encourage you to vote), email Strom -- stromhurstemailaddress@gmail.com, indicating clearly whether you are voting for or against the demotion of Jimmy.

You have until Friday, the 21st of May, servertime, to vote.

__________________________________________________________________

This is not the sort of email that's fun to send, but it's very necessary.

Why me? I volunteered to be the one to send this email; no other reason.

Have a good day!

- Ted Hart-Davis (Ted1246), on the behalf of those who met to discuss this tonight.

• 16 May 2021 - Ted pings the Admin team directing the team to address the above email and participate accordingly.

Ted's second email

• 20 May 2021 - The aforementioned email is bumped by Ted, for visibility to other Admins and to prompt a response from Jimmy who has yet to respond. Several other Admins have yet to vote as they were waiting on a response from him.

“Hi Fellow Admins,

This further email is just here to serve as a 'bump', potentially in the hopes of getting Jimmy's attention such that he might respond and speak for himself.

And for the others: please vote! I know some of you are holding out for when Jimmy speaks on this (if he does).

Thanks,

Ted Hart-Davis (Ted1246)”

Jimmy's response

• 20 May 2021 - Jimmy’s response (First response since the initial incident after a week):

“Honestly I had no intention of responding at all because I feel this has just gone completely overboard and clearly some, or a lot of admins have a problem with me and I don't really see a point defending myself against a team that has no faith in what I'm doing. I feel like I've been an outcast for a while now, and due to geographical limitations, my say is next to none, discussion about current events is "this is what we've decided on" rather than a discussion and allowing admins who can't for whatever reason attend meetings to have their say. I'm not going to fight for my spot as an admin, because I've lost faith in what we're doing and clearly, some admins would rather see me gone, however, in the complete interest of clarity for whatever happens, I'll make a response to these allegations:

I never spawned any creepers at spawn, it all happened at jimmyville, and I really can't explain how whatever happened at spawn happened, but if for whatever reason it did, it was completely accidental and not my intention to do that damage. Furthermore, my understanding was mob grief was turned off, this seems like a technical problem which should be looked into because clearly anyone could lead a creeper into someone's base and do that kind of damage.

As for the random quote you've pulled up out of context, I think you're really just pulling at strings there to justify your case, clearly it's a fucking joke, and any claim that I'm trying to sexualise someone is just complete and utter bullshit, and people that know me know would know that. I really can't even believe I need to defend myself about this really.

I'm also completely disgusted about how this has all played out, not one single admin reached out to me personally at all in a private message, this has all felt like a witch hunt from the start. If I was a mod, we'd be having a discussion privately about what's been going on (for the record, and the reason I've been mostly absent up until now, is that I've been through a pretty bad break up in the past week). The intent here made by a small number of admins is to exaggerate what really happened without any real research into the matter and create a mob anger. I'm completely disappointed in those admins that have allowed themselves to buy into that.

As for the vote, I have no intention of voting as this would just justify what you've decided on. I honestly don't care about the outcome anymore, if you vote me out, I'll respect that you've made that decision. This is not a battle I intend to waste any further energy on fighting.

Regards,

Jimmy”

• 22 May 2021 - Strom is pinged to see where the current results were and to see whether we should extend the voting period for 3 more days. The deadline is extended to the 26th.

• 26 May 2021 - Voting for Jimmy's demotion ends.

• 27 May 2021 - Results are shared; at least 4 active Admins have abstained from voting. The anonymised voting results can be seen here.

• 27 May 2021 - Alex (AlphaAlex115) brings up the idea after the vote has concluded to reach out to Jimmy personally and attempt to communicate with him on a more personal level.

“After seeing the reply, I think we should just talk to jimmy properly. I don't mean some telegram messages. I mean a proper sit down in voicechat. Mco has changed pretty profoundly in quite a short space of time, and I think people in less populated timezones have gotten the short end of the stick as they're more distant from everyone else. Now I'm not justifying his behaviour - just saying that it really wasn't that long ago where similar stuff like this seemingly got overlooked. And tbh I'm not willing to lose a longtime staff member over this stuff. It's clear from Jimmy's reply he's not malicious or anything like that - he was just messing around with things that for a *long time* I don't think people questioned. So I think we need to intervene and thoroughly update him on how things are different now. Also I know vaguely there was some personal stuff going on behind the scenes, and so (full disclosure) I couldn't in good conscience vote either way. I mean I don't think it's ideal to remove someone from something they've been a part of for years because of a few comments (however disgusting these comments are - and comments which were very likely intended as jokes even though they were in poor taste and, as I say, arose out of unfortunate personal circumstances). Same goes for the exploding creeper stuff.”

Riot's response

• 27 May 2021 - Riot responds

[SlowRiot] I've just caught up on the Jimmy thing. Since when do we demote admins democratically? I'm not happy with that. We've always aimed to build a diverse admin team, including a range of individuals who keep each other in check - not a clique, that kicks out anyone they don't get along with

[SlowRiot] I don't see anything even remotely serious in the complaint against Jimmy and I'm kind of shocked it went as far as it did

[SlowRiot] I suggest everyone take a big step back, have the conversations you need to have - and try to get to the bottom of the friction that's led to this. And please let's take the whole vote-to-demote thing off the table entirely, I do not want an admin team where individuals are afraid to go against the flow for fear of the majority ganging up against them.

[SlowRiot] Everyone here is in red because we have a tremendous amount of faith in them, which has been earned over a long period. That shouldn't be subject to personality clashes, and I think it's very healthy to have a team where not everyone is coming from the same point of view - it's how you all work out your differences that really matters, not the fact you have them

[SlowRiot] It's clear from the emails that Jimmy feels excluded from the current workings of the team - I'm not present enough to comment on that but it's the first thing I'd try to address, perhaps he can suggest solutions that would work for everyone to allow him to participate better despite the timezone issues

[SlowRiot] Maybe meetings aren't ideal for everyone; circulating minutes is great but also inviting comments on issues in advance is a nice idea

[SlowRiot] No single communication method is going to suit everyone in a team this large. That's why duplication is important, don't be afraid to repeat yourselves across multiple channels and take note of where you're more likely to get a reply from someone

[SlowRiot] It's worth being a bit accommodating, since we're most of us increasingly busy as time goes on

[SlowRiot] We're all volunteers so making things as easy as possible is a great goal to aim for

[Ted] On a similar note, how far can we risk falling in terms of things which might trigger issues with tolerance from the younger generation — our primary audience?

[SlowRiot, in response to Ted] Remind them that nobody has a magical right not to be offended?

[SlowRiot] A good time to make it clear you're not all a mob[Admin Team], you don't always agree on everything... and that there's definitely still a place for him[Jimmy] firmly as part of the team

[Darkrai] Long gone admin demotions?

[SlowRiot, in response to Darkrai] We've usually left admins "for life" as a token of respect - any new reason to vary from that?

[Vexczin] So in regards to what he[Jimmy] said? Is it acceptable?

[SlowRiot, in response to Vecxzin] I think in a free speech environment that kind of thing is inevitably subjective - I suggest if anyone has a concern about something another admin said, you message them about it privately - just explain politely "hey I know you were joking but that felt a bit off-colour to me, perhaps it might not be appropriate to go further down that line"

[Palindrome7] The server has free speech. Moderators making raunchy comments isn't against their responsibilities and, in a way, does represent that freedom. Not every moderator does it

[SlowRiot, in response to Palindrome7] It may be that they didn't think it was a problem until you point it out as one, or it may be they don't agree it's a problem - it can go either way and you can respect their decision, but still feel you've done your bit by contributing your opinion politely and professionally

[SlowRiot] We also do place a bit more trust in admins than in moderators to express themselves appropriately to the role

[Vecxzin, in response to SlowRiot] But they should be held to the same speech standard

[SlowRiot, in response to Vecxzin] Not necessarily; we only have a standard of our end goal - creating and maintaining a space for players to have a good time

[SlowRiot] I think we do need to take seriously any genuinely inappropriate behaviour, and that does need to be escalated in the usual way - but vulgar jokes don't cross that line IMO. You really know it when you see it crossed, and I'm glad we haven't had that here for many years

[SlowRiot] :)

[SlowRiot] A really good rule of thumb I'd suggest - if the admin team can't agree on a way of handling a type of scenario, or we're individually unsure - then err on the side of non-intervention

[SlowRiot] It's easy to try to fix things and make them worse. If you leave things alone then at least you know exactly where you stand, and the worst thing you can be accused of is not caring enough - which isn't all that bad in the grand scheme of things

[SlowRiot] Here I'm talking about social, rather than technical, problems of course. Technical problems are often the opposite

• 30 May 2021 - Vecxzin resigns. In his email distributed to Admins he cites similar reasons to his public message.

• 30 May 2021 - An Admin talks with Vecxzin in a 25-minute Discord voice call during Vecxzin's lunch break. This Admin explained that, generally speaking, Admin resignations are handled directly by Riot once he is able to review what had happened, as was the case in prior Admin resignations.

The aforementioned Admin also explains that Vecxzin has not been formally removed from his roles in the various services pending both a further discussion and SlowRiot's recognition of the resignation, as is standard procedure.

Further, Vecxzin and this Admin discuss the nature of the disagreements that Vecxzin had expressed in his resignation, such as a perceived disparity of standards between different segments of the staff team. Vecxzin explains that he would like to stay on the team and gives the Admin team permission to remove the resignation from the Timeline on the wiki.

As no resignation takes place, no statement is made about the matter publicly.

June 2021

• June 8th 2021 - Vecxzin logs into MCO pursuant to regular Admin duties, however with the plan he has laid out. Later in the evening Vecxzin posts the below message in public chat:

“There comes a breaking point to everything, and everyone. A policy that supports this kind of predation on those not of age is something I cannot support, regardless of your view of free speech. Free speech, as a phatic expression, commonly refers to the first amendment; which does not cover threats, hate speech, or illegal actions. In regards to the administration of the server, we are dutied to uphold rules that we have no part in creating. We do not administrate this server, we are not tasked with making MinecraftOnline a more pleasant or hospitable environment; we are used as a tool to uphold standards that are not ours, nor are they up for us to decide. Despite a vote being held within the upper echelon of staff, we were barred from letting go a staff member who publicly sexualized a minor (As a joke hahaha funny right? It should be allowed then?). This was not any of the admins's or mod's fault. Even I was not easily able to relinquish my position as administrator quietly as I disagreed with Riot, which is why you all get to see this message. Do not let this go unnoticed. Free speech is to spread ideas and knowledge without censorship, not to be used as a scapegoat in a meager attempt to justify sexulizing a minor, which is especially gross from someone who's double their age. Minecraft is changing, and the sever will need to change to. But its not.”

Shortly after this, Vecxzin begins griefing. All grief made is performed in a way that is fairly easy to fix with the tools available to an Administrator.

Interaction between Vecxzin and skybirdthing

• 8-9 June 2021 - The following interaction takes place between skybirdthing and Vecxzin:

Discord: [11:51 PM] skybirdthing: You want me to ban you?

Discord: [11:52 PM] Vecxzin: Sure

Discord: [11:52 PM] skybirdthing: I won't do it unless you want it

Ingame: [23:52:18] skybirdthing joined the game

Ingame: [23:52:31] Teleported to Vecxzin.

Ingame: [23:52:35] [DM] <skybirdthing> hm?

Ingame: [23:52:42] [DM] <skybirdthing> catch me up rq?

Ingame: [23:53:03] [DM] <Vecxzin> Ban me please. Im arguing with the admins.

Ingame: [23:53:09] [DM] <skybirdthing> in TG?

Ingame: [23:53:10] [DM] <Vecxzin> I literally griefed

Ingame: [23:53:18] [DM] <skybirdthing> what do you want the note to say?

Ingame: [23:53:21] [DM] <Vecxzin> I left those chats. It sjust dms now

Ingame: [23:53:32] [DM] <Vecxzin> Mass Grief near Drum City. (Thats what I did)

Ingame: [23:53:34] [DM] <skybirdthing> also just ban yourself, or I canm if you want the message

Ingame: [23:53:42] [DM] <skybirdthing> its up to you, if you want me or you

Ingame: [23:53:55] [DM] <Vecxzin> You do it. It looks real that way.

Ingame: [23:54:13] [Staff Notice] skybirdthing added a note for Vecxzin

Ingame: [23:54:13] [Staff Notice] 2021-06-09 06:54:04 GMT [BAN] Mass grief near drum city (left by skybirdthing)

Ingame: [23:54:13] Vecxzin was hit by the banhammer! (39446 bans)

Ingame: [23:54:13] Vecxzin left the game

Discord: [11:54 PM] skybirdthing: discord?

Discord: [11:54 PM] skybirdthing: you leaving or should I remove the role?

Discord: [11:54 PM] skybirdthing: I'll only do what you tell me

Discord: [11:55 PM] Vecxzin: No, I will let tech and the others remove my discord

Discord: [11:55 PM] Vecxzin: I won't cause trouble dw

Discord: [11:55 PM] skybirdthing: Alright

Discord: [11:55 PM] skybirdthing: I know you won't

Author's note: Some Discord messages between skybirdthing and Vecxzin that occured before and after this block of messages were omitted. Before this block it includes Vecxzin privately messaging skybirdthing the statement made in public chat (see June 8th) as well as a discussion on possible ban evaders.

After this block of messages, there was brief discussion about what had occurred and that Vecxzin had cut contact with everyone else on the Admin team.

• 9 June 2021 - Vecxzin revises his public statement, adding the following:

“Clarifications: There was no sexual harassment. There are no Pedos on the staff team. This was a poor joke that should not have been made from a staff member. I also did resign on 5/30/2021 but decided that after a call with another admin that my message would not be made clear and the urgency wouldn't get the attention of Riot. So I stayed on while thinking of a way to do so. Until I decided to do what I did on 6/9/2021. Did I take the most logical choice? No. I did what I felt was right in getting my message out. But in the end, I hope this inspires change for the server. To make MCO better for all”

• 10 June 2021 - #q-and-a channel created in Discord for Moderators to ask questions to the Admin Team.

• 10-11 June 2021 - The Admin Team sends this email response to Moderators.

Summary

We would like to make clear that this is every single item within this series of events. Not just every important item, but every item.

Ultimately, there are a few final important points we would like to address:

First, we messed up in not making sure we had the right information before considering any action towards jimmyd93. We were working with an incomplete set of logs and that ultimately skewed what had happened. Upon reading the full context, while some Administrators don't agree with what Jimmy said, what can generally be agreed upon is that this was not predatory in nature and that jimmyd93 is neither a "pedo" nor a predator of any kind. We did not do our due diligence. This then ultimately led to his name being besmirched. Additionally, we did not give jimmyd93 the most basic courtesy of even a direct conversation to discuss what had happened. Moderators would have expected this courtesy and Admins should be afforded it as well. We had originally considered a "ping" in Telegram (the platform in which most admins are generally reachable) and Discord, to suffice, and that was neither correct nor appropriate. We realize, with the help of Riot’s statements above, that this is not reasonable, and we should make efforts to reach out to fellow Admins individually.

We would also like to emphasize that the individual actions of any player, Staff or otherwise, are their own responsibility. No one should feel responsible for the actions of others; from the original messages, to the fallout that came from them.

A core disagreement that Vecxzin had cited as part of his resignation was with regard to the availability of the server owner, SlowRiot. Vecxzin made a statement privately to skybirdthing, saying: “...Just tell the admins and mods that I love them all. Its Riot who I disagree with.” At the end of the day, MinecraftOnline is, and always has been, SlowRiot’s server. SlowRiot has many responsibilities on MinecraftOnline, various other business and technical ventures, and in his personal life — he certainly would spend more time on and around MCO if possible. However, as we all know, life comes first and should come first. The Admin team works entirely under SlowRiot and his decisions are final. In his absence, the Admin team does its best, but occasionally, as humans we make mistakes or go against what SlowRiot may have intended. It’s his server to come and tell us where we’re wrong and to correct our mistakes.

One thing we would also like to make clear is that if there ever were a situation where we felt that it was necessary to remove a member of Staff due to them being a threat to the community, this would be communicated. Had a demotion taken place, this would have been clearly communicated to the Staff team. Because no demotion took place, there was no purpose in creating extra stress among the Moderator team about this situation. At all times during this process, up until Vecxzin decided to break the rules, the entire Admin team was aware of the situation and, had things escalated, action could quickly have been taken. As there was no threat to the community actually caused by the actions described in that email, no demotion needed to take place and no statement needed to be made about the matter.

Once again, we would like to stress that we were caught by surprise with Vecxzin's resignation and grief. Following the Discord voice call that took place at the end of May between an Admin and Vecxzin, we were under the impression that the issues that Vecxzin had were resolved. The issues were not brought forth to us further following this conversation until he had decided to make a public statement and break the rules. After that point, we decided to take the time to lay out these events as accurately as possible for your information.

We hope that an objective timeline of the events that transpired will lend some insight into how the Admin team considered the events as they were happening and why we took such care in presenting this information to you. After an incident fueled mostly by speculation, it is our duty of care to right those wrongs and bring only substantiated information forward. Additionally, we hope that this timeline should answer any questions that you may have, but we understand that some may have additional questions as to what happened. We welcome replies to this page through the feedback@minecraftonline.com or admins@minecraftonline.com emails and will do our best to answer any questions to the best of our ability. All we ask is if you do send us an email that you be patient with us, as the staff team cannot always answer your questions immediately.

Thank you for taking the time to read this page in its entirety and thank you for your service to the MinecraftOnline community.

- The Admin Team