I’m sure Pointless Fest is a great fest. I mean, it started as a way to celebrate a summer birthday because, well, nothing else could really compare to a drug ‘n’ booze soaked weekend that happens to include your favorite bands. (Although, to be honest, the organizers say up-front that no drugs or booze are allowed at the fest itself, but they do encourage afterparties. And yeah, knowing that crew, I know what comes with the term “afterparty”.) Somewhere along the way, word started getting out. It’s still an underground fest, but people all over the East Coast know and track it. According to Philadelphia Weekly’s coverage, people from Japan, the UK, and Belgium wrote in to get tickets and reserve space.

Last year, I remember saving up my cash (from my $400 a month paycheck) to hit the show…then realizing I couldn’t swing it if I wanted to eat. So I went for food and skipped the ‘Fest. To this day, I’m glad I did. Last year, two guys from Minneapolis raped three different women. Sure, it’s easy to say Jacob Michael Wiese (Jake) and Timothy W. (Tim) are from out of town; they don’t portray the Philly community of punks and posers. But I don’t think so. I think they were drunk enough to do what a number of the locals wanted to do; in some twisted little world, being too drunk to say no automatically means “YES! DO ME NOW!”

This account outlines how everything played out last August. I don’t agree with all of their methods, but their reasoning? Sound. To sum it up, a group of women (and some men) gathered to process the rapes after the women came forward. The plan was for a group of women to confront Jake and take out their emotional and physical anger on him, then call the police and let the Philly pigs have their way with him. It didn’t quite work out that way but close enough.

I’ve been watching and waiting this year, to hear if anything happened at Pointless Fest. I’m scared…terrified…for my friends and the other women who went this year. Because I know, in that community, speaking up is hard. Speaking out is hard because no one wants to hear.

To be frank, I think last year was a hard blow for the ‘Fest because rape is scary. Non-consensual sex is scary. Needing a mob of women to have a single voice is terrifying. The fact that situations like what happened last summer are all too common in and out of the punk world is terrifying. Which makes Pointless Fest a little too terrifying. I was too scared to go by myself this year, which is saying a lot. If something did happen this year, I think the righteous indignation will be overpowering; I can only hope the right people heard last summer, and the women were given a safe space to party this year.