The Analog Owner Responds to Mercury Magazine about the Online Attack.
"Complete Bullshit" See below
Dear Supporters of The Analog:
Owner response to Mercury..
September 2018
Regarding the anonymous meme posted online recently.
At first, I wasn’t going to respond. It’s complete bullshit. It’s a malicious attack on me and my business. The goal of attacking me in the way they did, with this anonymous meme of supposed accusers, is to get me to respond. To attack a person or business like this, with a made-up anonymous accusation. The goal is to get me to publicly deny, in the press, the lie, so then the lie becomes real in a way. After I do that, there is no real way for me to defend myself in today's dumbed-down internet reality. “He denied, see. It must be true”. What a weird internet world we live in. Giving many ways for others to hurt people and businesses as they please with completely made-up Bullshit, with no way to defend yourself truly. Even if it's a total lie.
The accusations listed in the meme are nothing more than one person attacking me and our business by pretending there are people. Me responding here and now gives the author a little validation to their lie. That was their goal.
My staff and those that know me, know the truth. but after being contacted by The Mercury who gave these insane, nothing more than bullies, power, by writing about it in the first place. I am now forced to respond. Shame on you Mercury! It is sad to see good people who should know better share this Bullshit lie. Please excuse my tone, but I am going to be open and honest in how I feel about this attack. You asked for a response. I’m mad and upset that I have to waste any energy on this. It hurts for sure. I am amazed at the harm a few crazy people on the web can do. Again please excuse the way I am writing this. But I want to get out this emotion I have and for all to see my real response not edited by a publicist. This is what I feel.
My response...
Recently a meme has surfaced on the internet with “supposed anonymous” accusations against the owner of the Analog (Me). Accusations of treating staff and performers in a way that is unacceptable. These accusations are false. No truth in them, at all, But the attackers have won in a way, as now The Mercury can write in a headline “The owner of the Analog denies accusations”, giving validity to the false claim that there are real accusations against me. Such a sham! I am not perfect. No one is. But this is complete and utter nonsense.
It’s easy to see that the meme in the 1st place is full of lies if you actually read the meme and think about it. But that is not how social media works. Drama Drama Drama. Share without researching. Kill Kill Kill cancel cancel cancel. Come on, Be Better!
Please read them. I think it’s easy to see they are not first-person and not real. Like someone asked the internet to come up with dirt on me. And people responded with things just completely made-up, or hearsay. My sister's friend's uncle heard that…. Blah Blah Blah... Just Bullshit.
Judge for yourself. Based on the lies written down.
- Donnie changed up my performance, and in front of a large crowd, he had me beaten with an implement by a stranger, and when I shouted, no stop, I was restrained and Donnie and the crowd laughed? (wow this is really out there)
or
- Donnie has cameras everywhere so he could watch people change (cameras yes but not where people would change. Security staff had access to all the cameras.)
or
- Donnie even tried to not pay the women bartenders (how could this ever be a thing anywhere? And stay in business. State would shut you down)
Or
- I forgot my ID and Donnie said show me what’s underneath & I’ll let you in (security checked ID’s and Bartenders, I never worked any position in the club except staffing, admin, and booking)
Or
- he threw things at me when I asked for clarification about pay rates (again how could this ever happen)
Or
- he treated women like subservient crap (My staff would never put up with behavior like this)
My staff after seeing these, seeing the meme said, “The person that wrote it obviously has never met you. So far off from your personality” (see full the staff response below)
I can’t believe after reading the meme people are actually canceling shows or sharing. It’s obviously not real. So Bizarre.
The staff is the ones who are hurt by this attack on our business, more than me. They are losing their incomes. We have an amazing staff who would never put up with or stand silent if there was any truth to the meme. I try to be above and beyond in how I treat my staff and those that grace our stages each night. I am proud of what we together have built. They truly are the backbone of the analog. Most staff have worked here for over a year. Some 6+ years. That should say a lot about the validity of the meme.
Regarding the meme’s author. We know who the person behind the fake meme is. The one who created it. They first asked for “dirt” on me, via a Facebook post. Then after no responses, Asked again in another post. Then, posting “I finally have enough”
If indeed the meme contains real responses from actual people. Which I doubt. That is no way to get real, credible information. But, that is not the goal of the author. Facts don’t apply. Oh, internet how I hate thee.
I have never met the person who created the meme. I have had no contact with them ever in my life. I’m not sure why they decided to attack me with this slander. Sure I can sue them, but that costs money and time I do not wish to waste on them. Even with a judgment, I would have nothing to recover from them personally. They have nothing to lose, nothing to go after for their damage to our business and my name. It happens a lot in today’s internet world. Crazy or mad people with no assets, and nothing to lose, can say anything online with no recourse. This should be a criminal offense with jail time. The district attorney said the laws will catch up. I will spend my time, money, and energy on getting those laws passed. This I would not wish on anyone. No real way to defend yourself. That is the goal. Get a quote of you saying I deny. Then it’s real. So insane.
I am not sure why we are being attacked? I have been told a few reasons by people close to the attackers. Success? Competition? Getting back at us because of a friend’s business being canceled with a similar anonymous meme? Who knows for sure.
What I do know is once we painted the goat head mural on the front of our building, we started getting calls from Christian groups saying “we were going to burn in hell”, and that they were going to cancel us. “Our supposed Satanic mural”. Not sure if they are behind the meme or attack. They have helped spread the lies. Give it a further reach. Obsessively calling promoters and bands on our calendar telling them to cancel. This attack all started when the mural was completed and their calls started coming in. They even protested out front a few times. As far as the mural, We love the artwork Dave Guardado created. We are lucky to have him grace our building with his art. Most have shown appreciation for the artwork.
My final thoughts, Shame on those who blindly share or empower things, like the meme, without researching their validity. DJ Anjali sent a press release to The Mercury, saying they personally have had no bad experience in their dealings with me, and have witnessed none of the accusations, but that “they stand with the victims”. And canceled their shows. Shame on them! THERE ARE NO VICTIMS. THIS IS MADE UP. Not Real. It is a malicious attack on our business. NOTHING MORE! You and others have helped them bully us. Know that.
There is no truth in the meme whatsoever. But now good people are sharing it thanks to The Mercury and others recklessly helping spread this attack on our business. Empowering bullies and the internet crazies. They are now becoming the bullies themselves. It has hurt our business for sure. Hurt our staff. Hurt me. To those sharing…. YOU ARE THE BULLIES!
(sorry for my upset attitude but it is frustrating and heartbreaking) I am human. Not perfect.
But there is no truth in this meme. Not an ounce of truth. To be attacked in this way with no way to defend is personally hard to process.
My hope is we all learn from this. I know I have and will continue to. I am no better. I’m sure I’ve shared posts online without a thought of how it can hurt someone or a business or whether it’s really true or not. We should all try to be better. The internet is not real. The information there is full of lies and half-truths, and all information is manipulated by the authors to get the desired results. That is never a way to get the truth.
In closing, before the meme, I was in talks to sell the business. 6 months before we ever heard of its existence. That process is in its final stages. I was torn, as my love was supporting the great music scene we have here in the NW. I had declined the offer and it was left on the table if I changed my mind in the future. I am less torn now. It is heartbreaking seeing good people share a completely bullshit meme and hurt us and our staff. A meme created solely to hurt or kill what we’ve built. I tried hard to make it a great place to play. But with the attack on our business and the probably repeated attacks on businesses all over nowadays, and the offer being increased, I have officially accepted the offer to sell. The venue will no longer be a music venue. It will be sad to lose one of the great all-ages venues in Portland. I will be fine. Selling is peace of mind. Plus, financially give me extra means to pursue laws against slander hurting businesses. I will work to make it a criminal offense to harass and try to hurt a business with this type of assault. I am sad for those truly hurt by this attack. The Staff. The Bands and our supporters. I appreciate all of you more than you know. I Love you all!
Sincerely,
Donnie Rife
Owner response to Mercury..
September 2018
Regarding the anonymous meme posted online recently.
At first, I wasn’t going to respond. It’s complete bullshit. It’s a malicious attack on me and my business. The goal of attacking me in the way they did, with this anonymous meme of supposed accusers, is to get me to respond. To attack a person or business like this, with a made-up anonymous accusation. The goal is to get me to publicly deny, in the press, the lie, so then the lie becomes real in a way. After I do that, there is no real way for me to defend myself in today's dumbed-down internet reality. “He denied, see. It must be true”. What a weird internet world we live in. Giving many ways for others to hurt people and businesses as they please with completely made-up Bullshit, with no way to defend yourself truly. Even if it's a total lie.
The accusations listed in the meme are nothing more than one person attacking me and our business by pretending there are people. Me responding here and now gives the author a little validation to their lie. That was their goal.
My staff and those that know me, know the truth. but after being contacted by The Mercury who gave these insane, nothing more than bullies, power, by writing about it in the first place. I am now forced to respond. Shame on you Mercury! It is sad to see good people who should know better share this Bullshit lie. Please excuse my tone, but I am going to be open and honest in how I feel about this attack. You asked for a response. I’m mad and upset that I have to waste any energy on this. It hurts for sure. I am amazed at the harm a few crazy people on the web can do. Again please excuse the way I am writing this. But I want to get out this emotion I have and for all to see my real response not edited by a publicist. This is what I feel.
My response...
Recently a meme has surfaced on the internet with “supposed anonymous” accusations against the owner of the Analog (Me). Accusations of treating staff and performers in a way that is unacceptable. These accusations are false. No truth in them, at all, But the attackers have won in a way, as now The Mercury can write in a headline “The owner of the Analog denies accusations”, giving validity to the false claim that there are real accusations against me. Such a sham! I am not perfect. No one is. But this is complete and utter nonsense.
It’s easy to see that the meme in the 1st place is full of lies if you actually read the meme and think about it. But that is not how social media works. Drama Drama Drama. Share without researching. Kill Kill Kill cancel cancel cancel. Come on, Be Better!
Please read them. I think it’s easy to see they are not first-person and not real. Like someone asked the internet to come up with dirt on me. And people responded with things just completely made-up, or hearsay. My sister's friend's uncle heard that…. Blah Blah Blah... Just Bullshit.
Judge for yourself. Based on the lies written down.
- Donnie changed up my performance, and in front of a large crowd, he had me beaten with an implement by a stranger, and when I shouted, no stop, I was restrained and Donnie and the crowd laughed? (wow this is really out there)
or
- Donnie has cameras everywhere so he could watch people change (cameras yes but not where people would change. Security staff had access to all the cameras.)
or
- Donnie even tried to not pay the women bartenders (how could this ever be a thing anywhere? And stay in business. State would shut you down)
Or
- I forgot my ID and Donnie said show me what’s underneath & I’ll let you in (security checked ID’s and Bartenders, I never worked any position in the club except staffing, admin, and booking)
Or
- he threw things at me when I asked for clarification about pay rates (again how could this ever happen)
Or
- he treated women like subservient crap (My staff would never put up with behavior like this)
My staff after seeing these, seeing the meme said, “The person that wrote it obviously has never met you. So far off from your personality” (see full the staff response below)
I can’t believe after reading the meme people are actually canceling shows or sharing. It’s obviously not real. So Bizarre.
The staff is the ones who are hurt by this attack on our business, more than me. They are losing their incomes. We have an amazing staff who would never put up with or stand silent if there was any truth to the meme. I try to be above and beyond in how I treat my staff and those that grace our stages each night. I am proud of what we together have built. They truly are the backbone of the analog. Most staff have worked here for over a year. Some 6+ years. That should say a lot about the validity of the meme.
Regarding the meme’s author. We know who the person behind the fake meme is. The one who created it. They first asked for “dirt” on me, via a Facebook post. Then after no responses, Asked again in another post. Then, posting “I finally have enough”
If indeed the meme contains real responses from actual people. Which I doubt. That is no way to get real, credible information. But, that is not the goal of the author. Facts don’t apply. Oh, internet how I hate thee.
I have never met the person who created the meme. I have had no contact with them ever in my life. I’m not sure why they decided to attack me with this slander. Sure I can sue them, but that costs money and time I do not wish to waste on them. Even with a judgment, I would have nothing to recover from them personally. They have nothing to lose, nothing to go after for their damage to our business and my name. It happens a lot in today’s internet world. Crazy or mad people with no assets, and nothing to lose, can say anything online with no recourse. This should be a criminal offense with jail time. The district attorney said the laws will catch up. I will spend my time, money, and energy on getting those laws passed. This I would not wish on anyone. No real way to defend yourself. That is the goal. Get a quote of you saying I deny. Then it’s real. So insane.
I am not sure why we are being attacked? I have been told a few reasons by people close to the attackers. Success? Competition? Getting back at us because of a friend’s business being canceled with a similar anonymous meme? Who knows for sure.
What I do know is once we painted the goat head mural on the front of our building, we started getting calls from Christian groups saying “we were going to burn in hell”, and that they were going to cancel us. “Our supposed Satanic mural”. Not sure if they are behind the meme or attack. They have helped spread the lies. Give it a further reach. Obsessively calling promoters and bands on our calendar telling them to cancel. This attack all started when the mural was completed and their calls started coming in. They even protested out front a few times. As far as the mural, We love the artwork Dave Guardado created. We are lucky to have him grace our building with his art. Most have shown appreciation for the artwork.
My final thoughts, Shame on those who blindly share or empower things, like the meme, without researching their validity. DJ Anjali sent a press release to The Mercury, saying they personally have had no bad experience in their dealings with me, and have witnessed none of the accusations, but that “they stand with the victims”. And canceled their shows. Shame on them! THERE ARE NO VICTIMS. THIS IS MADE UP. Not Real. It is a malicious attack on our business. NOTHING MORE! You and others have helped them bully us. Know that.
There is no truth in the meme whatsoever. But now good people are sharing it thanks to The Mercury and others recklessly helping spread this attack on our business. Empowering bullies and the internet crazies. They are now becoming the bullies themselves. It has hurt our business for sure. Hurt our staff. Hurt me. To those sharing…. YOU ARE THE BULLIES!
(sorry for my upset attitude but it is frustrating and heartbreaking) I am human. Not perfect.
But there is no truth in this meme. Not an ounce of truth. To be attacked in this way with no way to defend is personally hard to process.
My hope is we all learn from this. I know I have and will continue to. I am no better. I’m sure I’ve shared posts online without a thought of how it can hurt someone or a business or whether it’s really true or not. We should all try to be better. The internet is not real. The information there is full of lies and half-truths, and all information is manipulated by the authors to get the desired results. That is never a way to get the truth.
In closing, before the meme, I was in talks to sell the business. 6 months before we ever heard of its existence. That process is in its final stages. I was torn, as my love was supporting the great music scene we have here in the NW. I had declined the offer and it was left on the table if I changed my mind in the future. I am less torn now. It is heartbreaking seeing good people share a completely bullshit meme and hurt us and our staff. A meme created solely to hurt or kill what we’ve built. I tried hard to make it a great place to play. But with the attack on our business and the probably repeated attacks on businesses all over nowadays, and the offer being increased, I have officially accepted the offer to sell. The venue will no longer be a music venue. It will be sad to lose one of the great all-ages venues in Portland. I will be fine. Selling is peace of mind. Plus, financially give me extra means to pursue laws against slander hurting businesses. I will work to make it a criminal offense to harass and try to hurt a business with this type of assault. I am sad for those truly hurt by this attack. The Staff. The Bands and our supporters. I appreciate all of you more than you know. I Love you all!
Sincerely,
Donnie Rife
Staff Official Response
A letter from the staff at the Analog Cafe-
At the Analog Cafe, we have always prided ourselves in being a welcoming and safe establishment. It breaks our heart to see the lengths to which people are willing to go to hurt Donnie, the club, and in turn the staff and our livelihood. We are all allies here, and some of us survivors of assault ourselves, so to see people going after Donnie for something that seems so far out of his nature is very upsetting. Donnie has always gone above and beyond to protect us, if and when we feel unsafe, and to be there for us, if and when we need extra help.
We don’t take lightly to bullies. We stand together as a family to make sure every patron that walks through our door is safe and protected, and that the staff is safe and protected. We refuse to tolerate ignorance or violence in any shape, on any level. We hope that our regular customers and resident musicians will continue to support the venue. Donnie is heartbroken but still believes in the Portland music scene.
In regards to working for Donnie Rife-
We never saw any behavior from Donnie even close to what the anonymous meme claims. It is just that, an anonymous meme. Many of us have worked for Donnie for over four years. Most over a year. None of the staff would ever have kept quiet or allowed this type of behavior to happen from anyone, let alone our boss. It is important to know we have been hurt very much from this. Our livelihood has been affected. We can only imagine the pain it has caused Donnie and his family. Donnie was rarely at the venue, and the little he was, he was always positive and someone we loved working with to fulfill his mission of being a world class music venue and a great place to work. We will continue that mission as we move on.
Sincerely,
The Analog Staff (Lydia, Vanesa, Sedge, Nicolas, Carter, Trevor, Zak, Lisa, Lynnea, Marc, Samantha, Josh, and Chad)
A letter from the staff at the Analog Cafe-
At the Analog Cafe, we have always prided ourselves in being a welcoming and safe establishment. It breaks our heart to see the lengths to which people are willing to go to hurt Donnie, the club, and in turn the staff and our livelihood. We are all allies here, and some of us survivors of assault ourselves, so to see people going after Donnie for something that seems so far out of his nature is very upsetting. Donnie has always gone above and beyond to protect us, if and when we feel unsafe, and to be there for us, if and when we need extra help.
We don’t take lightly to bullies. We stand together as a family to make sure every patron that walks through our door is safe and protected, and that the staff is safe and protected. We refuse to tolerate ignorance or violence in any shape, on any level. We hope that our regular customers and resident musicians will continue to support the venue. Donnie is heartbroken but still believes in the Portland music scene.
In regards to working for Donnie Rife-
We never saw any behavior from Donnie even close to what the anonymous meme claims. It is just that, an anonymous meme. Many of us have worked for Donnie for over four years. Most over a year. None of the staff would ever have kept quiet or allowed this type of behavior to happen from anyone, let alone our boss. It is important to know we have been hurt very much from this. Our livelihood has been affected. We can only imagine the pain it has caused Donnie and his family. Donnie was rarely at the venue, and the little he was, he was always positive and someone we loved working with to fulfill his mission of being a world class music venue and a great place to work. We will continue that mission as we move on.
Sincerely,
The Analog Staff (Lydia, Vanesa, Sedge, Nicolas, Carter, Trevor, Zak, Lisa, Lynnea, Marc, Samantha, Josh, and Chad)