[US] "Second" Level 2 Demotion Appeal - Omega-1 LTCOM

[Second]

Name: "Second"
Steam ID: STEAM_0:1:85768677
Please state if it is for SCP-RP UK or USA: USA
Level of appeal (2 or 3): 2
Have you already carried out a level 1 appeal - please give details: Yes, and it was denied.
Who did you carry out the level 1 appeal to, and where: Chairman Randal Murphy in his Discord DMs.
Rank demoted from: Omega-1 Lieutenant Commander
Who demoted you?: Ethics Committee Chairman Randal Murphy
Date of demotion?: 6/4/23
What is the case against you?: Playing an inappropriate sound clip.
Is this true?: Yes, it is.

Prior to this demotion, have you ever been demoted?: No, I have not. I have, however, recieved 2 Committee-issued strikes, both of which were appealed and subsequently removed from my record by former Chairman Sergio Valdez as he deemed them unjust. I have also received 1 O5-isused strike for FLC Violations, which is completely unrelated to my removal and as stated by the Chairman had little to no impact on the decision.

Please list any previous roleplay demotion appeals: Jack "Third" White UNGOC 1SGT Demotion Appeal - Was accepted by Senior Admins "Canoon" and "Mercer", as well as endorsed by "Cloak" that the demotion reason was not valid and was reinstated at my position of 1SGT. (UNRELATED TO THIS CASE)

What is your side of the story?: I will start this by admitting I did in fact play a soundclip of "LowTierGod" and his infamous rant over my microphone via Soundpad, I have no intent to deny my actions in this. My actions were unacceptable and unbecoming of a Lieutenant Commander and as a Senior Mod. My goal with this Demotion Appeal is to potentially get my rank back, obviously, but if anything I would like Server Leadership to review this case and potentially lessen the punishment with the Committee. I deserve reprimand for my actions, but personally I believe that the extend went to by the Committee is simply too far and too strict. Many people have reached out to me in the last 24 hours to express concerns or hear my side of events, and the common theme is that the crime does not fit the punishment. For the sake of context, I will include I was demoted from LTCOM to CSG for this one incident. The Committee added that my recent O5-issued strike was a factor, but was a very small part of this decision and included that this one event was the entire reason for demotion. As stated, I do believe I was wrong, I was out of line, and I made a mistake, but I wish for the Server Leadership team to review this and grant me a chance to better myself, not only for me, but for the regiment I poured my heart and soul in to. I would also like to add that I would be fine with a lesser punishment as a result of this appeal (such as a 1-2 rank demotion as opposed to 4).

Summary: Overall, I admit and own up to my mistakes, I just want a chance to prove my worth and that I can do better moving forward. I hope this will be reviewed by Server Leadership and I can move forward to grow, not only for myself but for the regiment I have worked so hard for. I really am dedicated to O-1, and I don't want to lose it all over a meme. I have done so much for this regiment and I don't wish for it to end like this.

 

[Deftone]

+Support

This man... is truly an asset to the foundation, what will O-1 become without this man. I would die for this man...

 

[PhoenixHeanix]

+Support
Good American, great leader and dedicated a lot of his time to make the regiment better, hope you get your job back my brother

 

[Sleepino]

+Support
free my boy

 

[Swag Messiah]

+Support the combat chef approves
-Its goofy that he was even demoted for that

 

[bug]

+support
He needs his rank back because he is carrying o-1.

 

[Starling6]

+Support

Can't believe they'd do my man like this

 

[Sheepshead5]

-Support

Has proven multiple times that he was not fit for LTCOM

 

[Gizzmo]

+support
When I got demoted for quoting a LTG meme it was just LTCOM to MAJ

 

[Claire!]

+support
When I got demoted for quoting a LTG meme it was just LTCOM to MAJ

Ethics are big brother

 

["Arachnid"]

+Support
Surely they aren't looking for a reason to demote second out of command :clueless:

 

[moonyguru]

+support smh etihics

 

[verybobby]

Appeal Denied

---

Hi Second,

Thank you for taking the time to level 2. As the Chairman of the Ethics Committee reports to the Server Leadership Team (US), Senior Administrator Canoon and I have reviewed the matter. Neither Canoon nor I played in part in either the staff side or the EC side of your removal in relation to this matter, and come at it with a fresh pair of eyes.

In relation to the incident, I have been provided with the clip of the incident in question. Firstly, without a doubt, what occurred was, at best, highly offensive. The video (which will not be posted here) depicts a member of the community walking out of their bunk area and being surrounded by yourself and 3 other members of Omega-1. This person did nothing to you prior to this incident except ask if everyone was alright, and at no point in the video did anyone indicate that this was a "joke". Initially at the start of the video, the member of the community was confused, by shortly after, the video started turning into an ERP session, with you playing a clip stating, "You’re going to stay on my dick till you die, your sole purpose in life is to be in my steams sucking on my dick." In the video, you can clear see that the community member is confused and turns around to the other members of O-1 , who had surrounded them at this point.

You then top it of by playing "your life is nothing, serves zero purpose, you should kill yourself, now!"

Having reviewed the clip of the incident, was a cheap shot at a member of the community who did not deserve it. You said it yourself, "my actions were unacceptable and unbecoming of a Lieutenant Commander and as a Senior Mod". As an RP leader, and a Senior Moderator, you are expected to by a role model in the community.

To address the specific concerns listed in your appeal:

"I deserve reprimand for my actions, but personally I believe that the extend went to by the Committee is simply too far and too strict."

As you would be aware, as a Roleplay leader, part of your role is to create a welcoming environment for those that play under you. There are time where goofy stuff occurs. But there are lines that need to be maintained, and this is one of those incidents which went beyond the well-established acceptable levels of goofy. The Ethics Committee, and the Chairman specifically, is tasked by Server Leadership in ensuring those that join under that Ethics stream are able to enjoy SCP-roleplay in that context, and at no point, should they have to be subjected to what occurred.

"The Committee added that my recent O5-issued strike was a factor but was a very small part of this decision and included that this one event was the entire reason for demotion."

Having consulted with the Committee in relation to this, their view on the matter is that it shows a continuing lack of judgement on your behalf. However, the main issue in your demotion was solely around what had occurred, which caused them to have a lack of confidence in your ability to provide effective leadership to your regiment.

Having established that there were reasonable grounds for demotion (which you admitted in your post), I now turn to the degree of demotion. As the Committee has indicated, the lack of judgment shown in this incident alone calls into question your ability to provide effective leadership to your regiment. An aggravated feature of this incident was that it didn't just involve you, it involved other members of Omega-1, who surrounded the member in the community and added to the level of discomfort that they felt. You were, in effect the "leader of this incident". Comparatively to other incidents of a similar nature, a demotion to Command Sergeant would be at around the middle of the road in terms of punishment. Others have been removed from MTFs (Including Omega-1) for less.

This is not to say that you are completely irredeemable in relation to this incident. You will need to work on regaining the trust of those around you, and of the Committee. These things will take time, and until that trust is regained, it’s hard to be in a leadership position.

As you can establish by now, Canoon and I have formed the view that this appeal cannot be successful as a result of the above information, and your level 2 appeal is denied at this time.

Given that this is a level 2 appeal, if you believe there is any bias or if what I have indicated above is incorrect, you may make a new appeal for a level 3 appeal, and a member of the Network Leadership team will review your demotion.

Regards,
Bobby and Canoon.
Server Leadership Team​