Yesterday the LA Weekly reported that White Rainbow musician and former Portland resident Adam Forkner will not face criminal charges for his alleged domestic assault of ex-girlfriend Christine Messersmith. Here’s what we know:
• According to the LA Weekly, who obtained a copy of the police report, after the couple attended a 2 Wet Crew comedy show Forkner was DJing in LA, they got into an argument and Messersmith hit him in the face. In a Facebook post she alleges he then brutally attacked her 15 minutes, with Forkner “cornering me and smashing my face and body into objects and the floor.” Three days later she filed a police report with the LAPD.
• Forkner has not commented on the situation; Messersmith provided the Mercury with a statement March 18th, which you can read here.
• Although he won’t face criminal charges, Messersmith can still pursue a civil suit against Forkner. She told the LA Weekly, “It’s a matter of principle. The legal system is there to protect people. It’s not like a marijuana case — it’s a person who hurts people, and it’s disappointing that the city has taken such a lax approach.”
• Almost $2,000 has been raised in an Indiegogo campaign to get Messersmith back on her feet after moving out of the apartment she shared with Forkner.
• Forkner’s former labels Leaving Records and States Rights have pulled White Rainbow titles, while 2 Wet Crew, Dublab radio, and Portland music licensing company Marmoset Music have also severed their ties to the musician.
• On March 22, K Records posted (and has now deleted) a White Rainbow track to Twitter as the “K Song of the Day.” The Olympia label’s founder Calvin Johnson tweeted (and has also since removed), “Forkner is not the enemy, making him a scapegoat no solution to a serious societal problem. I love Adam and won’t abandon him to the wolves.” He later responded to another user who condemned his support for Forkner, saying, “Agreed. A public show of support (as a friend) was inappropriate.”
