Updated: Thanks to Robert Khoo this issue has been resolved. Thank you to all the people who reached out and spread the word. It helped find the right person to fix it. Stay tuned.
I tried my best not to write this peice. But all of my efforts seem to be falling on deaf ears, so i’ll explain whats been going on and why I won’t be attending this year.
There was an altercation that almost happened at PAX East last year. Me being the kind of person I am I prevented this altercation from happening by suggesting people walk away from the situation. The result: Nothing happened. I also heard there was another altercation at PAX but I really don’t have much information on that, but its still relevant to my situation maybe.
I applied for a media badge to attend pax this year and was presented with this reply:
Hello Anthony,
Your name is on the banned list for media. There were complaints last year that you got into a physical confrontation on the show floor with an attendee, and would not discuss with an enforcer what caused the incident.
Your application have been denied.
Best,
-PAX Media
Complaints? This is all brand new to me. And I was never approached by any enforcer at pax, matter of fact I didn’t even realize they existed. So my reply:
Hello,
There must be a big mistake. I was not involved with any confrontation last year. Is there anyway to speak with someone in charge with the show to resolve this? I’m think there must be a mistaken identity. Thanks in advance.
No reply was given. So I emailed/tweeted the official pax questions address and cc’d the media team in hopes that would get them to reply:
@Official_PAX you guys have an email I can contact? theres a serious question about an accusation I need to address. Thanks in advance.
— Anthony Frasier (@AnthonyFrasier) March 15, 2012
Hello,
My name is Anthony Frasier managing editor of TheKoalition.com. I recently received an email saying I was banned for having a physical confrontation at Pax East last year. I take these accusations very seriously and would like to speak to someone in charge at the show. I was never involved in a physical confrontation at pax east and any conference for that matter. There is a case of mistake identity or someone having me confused with someone else. I’m a HUGE fan of the PAX expo and would like to have my name off the media ban list so I can cover the show this year.
Hopefully we can get this matter resolved swiftly. Thanks in advance.
It worked. Heres the response I got:
Hello Anthony,
I am the person in charge of media registration and take these accusations very seriously as well. The enforcer who requested you be banned is one of our longest tenured and most trusted enforcers. He said that he knows who you are and is sure that the person engaged in the fight was you.
You are not banned from the show entirely. If you would like to cover this year you may still purchase a pass.
Ok. So this enforcer knows who I am? I strongly disagree with that because if he did than he would know he has the wrong person. Its very frustrating for someone to be so sure about something by taking someones word for it without any proof whatsoever. Theres clearly something wrong with this picture. Then to say I’m not banned entirely is even more weird. I mean, if i’m fighting and causing trouble, why am I allowed back? Everything just got weird for me. So a violent offender is allowed to be around masses of people again as long as they pay? So I urged them again to please review this false accusation:
Hello,
I’m sure you trust you enforcer very much. But may I please speak to this enforcer? I still think this is a huge mistake, as this is simply not true. If this were true I would gladly take this decision, but its not. I have people who were present with me during Pax who can vouch for me, and im pretty sure if I were to reach out to some of the developers i met with they can as well. I’m trying not to make this personal, but it disheartening that I can be accused of fighting. This is untrue.
No reply was given again. So I decided to move up the ladder and try to reach someone at the company who helps to produce the expo. I got in contact with a VP at that company in hopes that he could help get me in touch with this “enforcer” or someone at the show so I can prove my case. I don’t want to reveal that conversation but it ended with him telling me basically there was nothing he could do to get me a pass. At this point its really not about the pass, its about me being accused of something I didn’t do, I no longer have interest in the show, my energy was on this enforcer and this accusation.
So there you go. Without any proof and based off somebody’s word I was allegedly fighting at Pax and banned from attending as media. Its clearly a case of mistaken identity, and I still stand by it. And i’m still eager to resolve this issue, even though I have a sour taste in my mouth about the way these certain people at pax handled it. I don’t mind buying a pass to show support, but because of this situation I don’t want to. Not sure if i’ll be back really, I was a big fan and even bragged about how it was better than E3.
For those reading this be sure to learn more about me and the kind of person I am by going to iTunes and downloading CNN Black In America 4: The New Promised Land – Silicon Valley which i’m featured and profiled in. I also invite you to download my app for gamers “Playd” @ http://Playd.it
On to the next one.
