Edict #1
August 18, 2018
And so it begins.
Last weekend Brady McGuinn had a private message conversation with AJ Paulson on Discord in which Brady was trying to send money to AJ to do something nice for him. Despite repeated attempts by AJ to decline the offer, Brady continued to insist on this unusual offer. During these attempts Brady also called AJ a vulgar name while threatening that if he wanted to he could run AJ through the National Crime Information Center. AJ felt threatened by the conversation, so he brought this to my attention, shared screenshots of the conversation with me, and filed a complaint.
STF?s Terms of Service state that we want each visitor to STF and all of our members to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Because of this the Terms of Service prohibit a variety of harmful behaviors, including threatening and harassing people. Failing to drop a matter after repeated attempts by another person to stop it is harassing. Suggesting to someone that you could conduct a search on them to see if they have a criminal record is certainly threatening.
This is only one instance of inappropriate behavior out of many from Brady McGuinn while using Discord in recent weeks. After I learned of the situation with AJ, additional conduct of Brady?s came to light. At my request, Brady was temporarily banned from Discord to give me a chance to consider an appropriate response. I was deeply concerned that Brady?s behavior would cause other STF members to feel unsafe and I felt immediate action was required.
After having been informed that he was temporarily banned, Brady sent screenshots that matched AJ?s and defended his actions. He denied that he violated the Terms of Service and denied that he harassed or threatened AJ. He then made an implied threat he would take legal action against STF in the event he was punished.
I am concerned that Brady?s continued presence would hamper the abilities of other STF members to safely participate in this community. His failure to acknowledge his own wrongdoing troubles me, as I expect that if he were to return later after an absence that there would be no change in his behavior. As other Presidents have previously, I take the threat of legal action against the club seriously. Unfortunately, I see only one appropriate course of action. For threatening and harassing behavior in violation of STF?s Terms of Service, Brady McGuinn is hereby permanently banned from all STF controlled resources, including chat platforms.
I am grateful for the assistance of Discord channel operators in this case. Also, I want to encourage the members of the club that if you are having difficulties with someone on Discord, to bring it to the attention of one of the operators. Usually if someone is behaving inappropriately with one person they are doing the same with others, but it is difficult to take action to address it if no one brings it up.
Adam W.
President