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Wellington musicians at the center of multiple allegations of sexual assault have been banned from some bars in the city.
The ban comes as new figures show the city has the worst rates of assault and sexual assault in the country, with the capital’s party zone centered on Courtenay Place and Cuba St, the scene of most crime.
Multiple complaints have been made about the musicians, who are accused on social media of sexual assault, sexual harassment, drug addiction and rape, mainly in Wellington.
Police opened an investigation Tuesday and urged people to approach them directly rather than naming them on social media.
Wellington CIB Detective Inspector John van den Heuvel confirmed Wednesday that police had received “more complaints” about the accused musicians since the allegations were made public Tuesday.
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He was unable to comment on whether he had spoken to the men or how many people had shown up.
When Stuff He approached one of the subjects of the accusations Tuesday afternoon, who declined to comment but said he had been the victim of threats since the allegations emerged.
Rosa Woods / Stuff
Danger Danger owner Matt McLaughlin has confirmed that the accused musicians are excluded from his three bars.
Jordan Mills, owner of Betty’s Bar on Blair St near Courtenay Place, said the Courtenay Place hospitality community was tight-knit, understanding that bars throughout the Courtenay district were banning accused musicians.
The men’s names had not been officially released, but everyone in the industry knew who they were, he said.
Like Mills, Matt McLaughlin, owner of Danger Danger on Courtenay Pl, Panhead on Tory St and Gasworks in Miramar, confirmed that men were now banned from all of his bars.
“They’re certainly not welcome, they can get f …..” he said.
KEVIN STENT / Stuff
DotLovesData director Justin Lester’s company released figures on assault and sexual assault, painting a bleak picture for Wellington.
They were not known to visit his bars, he said.
Wellington student Maya Sims, who lobbied in bars around Wellington to ban men, applauded the move as it “lowers their [alleged] stepping on strong ground “.
Former Wellington Mayor Justin Lester, now the director of DotLovesData, compiled figures showing that in the past five years there were 2,056 assault charges in the Cuba Street to Courtenay Place district, and 176 sexual assault charges.
On a per capita basis, Wellington led New Zealand for assault and sexual assault charges, with crimes focused on its party zone.
Monique Ford / Stuff
Councilwoman Tamatha Paul said people were moving away from Wellington because they felt unsafe.
During the same period, which ended in July 2020, downtown Hamilton had the highest number of all crimes charged, followed by the area around Queen St. Wellington’s Cuba district and Courtenay Pl in Auckland ranked third in the total charges figures. The figures come from police crime data.
Tamatha Paul, head of the Wellington City Council’s city security portfolio, said Wellington was becoming a place that people didn’t want to visit “because they don’t feel safe.”
There were known problem areas, such as Te Aro Park, and the council was already looking for ways to address those problems. There were also initiatives like Zeal and Take 10, where volunteers were helping young people.
Wellington Area Investigations Manager Detective Sergeant Major Warwick McKee said police were aware that downtown Wellington, particularly around Courtenay Place, was overrepresented for disorder and assault. The problems worsened over the weekend and were fueled by alcohol.
ROSA WOODS / Things
Wellington’s Courtenay Place precinct is New Zealand’s center for sexual assault and assault, new figures show.
The police were already investing significant resources in the area and were working with the city council to reduce problems related to excessive alcohol consumption.
The council’s grants committee chair, Fleur Fitzsimons, said that ending sexual violence in Wellington had been her priority since she was elected, and was committed to addressing it in the council’s long-term plan in 2018.
“Ending sexual violence is possible. All cases of sexual violence and harm are preventable.
“Wellington has a long way to go to change our culture, which still blames victims and tolerates sexual harassment. However, this does not mean that we will stop trying. “
