Survivors' Stories sheds light on sexual assault amid controversy
As 2020 comes to a close,
The Leader-post is looking back on some of the stories that had the most impact on us this past year. Today: Sexual harassment and abuse called out over an Instagram page This year the #Metoo movement came to Regina.
What started as allegations against one man by multiple women soon led to the creation of an Instagram account that shared hundreds stories of sexual assault and harassment alleged to have taken place within the city.
In the span of just over a month, Survivors' Stories Regina amassed more than 8,000 followers. It is now the subject of a lawsuit. The account sparked a discussion of the problem of sexual crimes within Regina, and a debate around the question of due process.
It began with an article published by CBC Saskatchewan on July 19, where 15 former employees of local mental health advocate Jim Demeray brought forward accusations of sexual harassment during his time as a manager at a Regina Earls restaurant.
Demeray told CBC the allegations were “baseless and untrue.” He soon after stepped down from his role as the executive director of the mental health advocacy organization Understand Us, which he founded in 2011.
The accusations against Demeray were just the beginning. Shortly after the story was published, a new Instagram page was created called Survivors' Stories Regina. The page was dedicated to sharing stories from survivors of sexual assault and harassment. It featured posts written by the survivors themselves, mostly anonymously, and included graphic descriptions of sexual abuse.
In many posts, the author would include the name of the alleged perpetrators. Numerous local businesses were named in the posts, including several in the restaurant and tattooing industries.
In some cases, the posts led to public accusations against notable people within the Regina community, and a heavy leadership shakeup at one local non-profit. In one of the posts, a person who identified themselves as a former employee of a local youth serving agency claimed they had suffered daily sexual harassment while working there.
In the comments of the post, the non-profit Street Culture Project (SCP) was mentioned. Dustin Browne, the executive director of SCP, later offered a public apology and stepped down from his role.
The repercussions at SCP did not end with Browne. SCP said it received further allegations concerning a toxic workplace culture, and on Aug. 5 the organization announced that its CEO Kim Sutherland had been put on leave. His retirement was announced on Sept. 25.
A third-party investigation was launched into the workplace culture at SCP. The investigation was expected to be completed by early November. However, SCP has not yet released any information on the conclusion or findings of the investigation.
The Instagram page also made waves in the world of local politics. Former Ward 10 city councillor and mayoral candidate Jerry Flegel was named in an accusation of inappropriate conduct.
Flegel initially denied the allegation during a campaign announcement on Aug. 20, saying he had not acted inappropriately in his personal or professional life. In an interview with CBC Saskatchewan the next day, Flegel maintained he could not recall the interaction he allegedly had with the woman, but offered an apology if he had “inadvertently” made an offensive comment.
Survivors' Stories also had an impact on Saskatchewan's music scene. Danny Kenyon stepped down from his role as a cellist with the Regina-based band The Dead South after the Instagram page published several anonymous accusations against him. The allegations involved non-consensual sexual interactions. On Instagram, Kenyon acknowledged the post and apologized.
On Aug. 10, a Regina man who had been named and accused of sexual assaulting a woman on the Survivors' Stories page filed a lawsuit against the account's authors and Facebook, which owns Instagram. The man is currently seeking $1 million in damages. The statement of claim lists the plaintiff as a teacher in Regina.
Not long after the lawsuit was filed, the Instagram account was deleted. In an email, the anonymous administrators of the page said they deleted it based on advice from their legal counsel. A new Instagram page called Victims Voices Regina was later created with a similar goal, but it does not list the names of alleged perpetrators.
The law firm Nychuk & Company, said it was working with upwards of 10 clients who are pursuing legal action against Facebook over the page. No other lawsuits have yet been filed in court.