Thank You, Giant Bomb Team (Tuesday Pause)

I've been a subscriber to Giant Bomb for awhile, but I don't really interact much. I just love listening to the Bombcast and watching the Quick Looks or watching Jeff play old games and I wanted to support. It got me through some tough times when my mom passed away and I just love hearing the team talk about gaming.

I was looking forward to watching the livestream today, but when I hit the page, I just felt the tears coming down. I know how much the subscriptions mean to you guys and I know that you don't want to involve politics into what you do. After all, everyone has different ideas and ultimately it's about the games. But this just made me stop and appreciate you all in a way that's so much greater.

This isn't about me and I'm just a regular guy like everyone else. But I've been stopped by law enforcement before. I'm a loner so I usually just drive alone. One time I did think my life was going to be threatened. The officer asked me what I was doing in Bayonne (NJ). I told him I was driving to visit a friend. (I was). He asked "Oh yeah? Where?" I told him the street. He asked me if I think I should be here. I was scrambling in my mind to think of what to say. I was facing forward and had my hands open on the steering wheel. He poked me in the arm and said, "I asked you a question". Eventually his partner on the other side of the car said something like, "easy on this one." (I think that's what he said. I was shaking and afraid so I couldn't really tell.) Then the main officer said, "You be careful around here" and they left and I was never so relieved.

I know this comes at the risk of alienating some folks because everyone loves the Bombcast and people have different views. But I hope people understand. I would have loved to hear the Bombcast today also -- just as an escape from everything. But as a subscriber who is of African American heritage, I thank you for this gesture and I almost don't want to subscribe during the discount period anymore - I'm paying the full price. You guys already were awesome and now you're that much more awesome.

Thank you for sharing.

Agreed. Thanks to the team for standing in solidarity.

I can't even begin to imagine what that's like but it sounds terrifying. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing and thanks to the team.

We're all brothers and sisters. United we stand, divided we fall. Equality and justice for all. Especially those that are oppressed.

This website man. Ryan would be proud.

This was the right decision, and the post by Brad was worded perfectly and sincerely.

That experience sounds awful, and I'm sorry you had to even be in that sort of situation.

We are all one duder today. Much love and respect to all.

@devron8: ✊

I want you to know that as your white ally and your brother on this earth, there is no room around me, or in the communities that I occupy, for any belief that stands in opposition to your well-being, directly or indirectly. That includes the belief that the subject of your well-being is inherently 'political' and is therefore unwelcome. I hope that we live to see a world in which such differentiation is no longer acceptable, here or anywhere.

Thank you for sharing your story.

While there is a lower class, you are in it, while there is a criminal element, you are of it, and while there is a soul in prison, you are not free.

America, do not look away. Do not be silent. Solidarity forever.

I have been a fan of GB for a very long time. Sometimes premium and sometimes not. This is my first post. I wanted to say thanks to the site and thanks to you for sharing. What drew me to this site is the fact that I’m old and found a place where I could relate to the contributors but mostly I came here as I found a place where the community was largely supportive and positive. Let’s keep it up duders and continue to support posters like this.

Thanks for sharing this duder. I'm sorry you had to go through that, here's hoping someday soon nobody will have to endure such treatment.

It's real nice to hear that this shutdown has had such a positive effect on you, posts like these make me proud to support the site. Much love.

This is the first time I've seen them miss a Bombcast in the better part of a decade that I've been listening. And it's a justifiable reason. Good on everyone for their understanding.

I agree that they definitely made the right call and I appreciate you sharing that story. As an outsider looking in, and someone that honestly loves America (even had a girlfriend over there at one point), I truly hope you guys come out of this the other end a better place. I can’t do much from here (but I’m open to suggestions), other than express my solidarity and make sure I work to make my own country a place that is treating everyone as equals. Especially in the eyes of the law.

Ryan would definitely be proud. <>

@alwaysbebombing: Wouldn't he though?!? I was thinking the same thing.

@devron8: I'm glad you're safe and still a part of this community.

Thank you Giant Bomb. I think you are doing the right thing today.

@pezen: Totally. I always try to stay positive. This is why I love the GB community. Because we all have different upbringings and we even live in different countries, but all it takes is the love of a weird game and instantly we're just guys/gals that love something like Windjammers or watching Alex drumming or Brad and Vinny playing Astroneer.

@devron8: Thanks for your story. It really pisses me off. Last time I checked it's perfectly legal to drive to a friends house.

I'm so happy and proud to follow this website. Thank you, GB crew.

@devron8: Well said bruh

I'm also a black man who has followed this site since its inception and felt heard when I landed on the page today.

Living in Oakland CA I can't even begin to explain to you how frightening it was to be pulled over late at night by police, only me in the car and no one else on the road. I first think "There are no witnesses here" followed by "Stay calm and keep your hands visible at all times," constantly aware of where my license and my dad's car registration are, and how I need to announce my actions then retrieve them.

I know this thought process may seem overly cautious, but now that I have moved out of Oakland I can confidently say that thought process was a product of my environment, and not my personality.

@tdous: @sawtooth said:

@shadykx125 said:

@devron8: ✊

Sorry you had that awful experience, OP. It seems to be so common, which is horrible.

It makes me proud of the site team to see them stand in solidarity with the folks being murdered over the color of their skin. We need to be much better as a country.

I just stopped by to drop some kudos on Brad for the wording of the Bombcast post. It’s reassuring to see that the time to pull our punches on these topics, to couch the wording, and to gloss over what is happening is passed. GB has always been a personality-driven gaming experience. The crew’s opinions on culture, gaming, politics, etc is why we’re here and we’ll continue to be here. You won’t scare us away by being honest.

I was shocked when I saw the post, GB seems to have always streamed, recorded podcasts; through personal tragedies, during tough times but this is genuine watershed moment and the response is merited.Thank you for all the great content as always and for the 100% right messaging in Brad's post.

Hoping everyone in the US is safe.

Thank you to the GB crew for taking a pause to recognize such an important moment and for supporting Black Lives Matter!

It's been rare for GB to have any vocal stance as a website over world events but I was glad to see the people who I have listened to and watched for years are every bit the people I thought and hoped they were.

The Community as ever seems to be 99% supportive, with the usual small amount of people failing to grasp the reason behind this or the symbolism and solidarity it represents.

If the world could operate under the GB community rule of "don't be a jerk" then it would be a better place.

This is not an American only thing. Racism and bigotry should be a thing of the past.

Stay safe everyone.

Im really glad the giant bomb crew and the giant bomb community is supporting each other like this.

Thank you to the crew for taking the time to acknowledge this national, even global event. The giant bomb community has always been mostly awesome when it comes to being inclusive, so everyone please be safe, and remember: love, compassion, empathy and understanding is how we will all get through this. If you feel you need to talk to anyone, do it. I will be there for you, much like most of this community.

This is more than warranted. I support the stance GB has taken as a result of this moment in time. While I was waiting for the podcast to drop before reading the post on the front page, it can wait.

As I read everyone’s responses, and join in the Greek chorus of compassion, care and consideration, I am proud to be a part of what we all represent as a community here.

There ought not be any misgivings towards the notion of more important matters taking precedence at a time like this, however much more time it requires, even if that means holding off on the release of a podcast.

We’ll all be here, come tomorrow, come next week, come next year, just as we have for years.

Stay safe.

I'm kind of struggling on how to say this so hopefully it comes off right. I just want to say that I come here, and support here, and care about here, because the GB Crew have always seemed like really good people. Like top to bottom, everybody who I've ever seen on has seemed like they are decent human beings. This is just another thing that reinforces my love for the crew. Thanks guys!

I knew the situation in the US was extremely fucked for black people but until a few years ago, i always kind of assumed the police at least tried to keep up appearances to the outside world of 'just doing their job, sticking to the laws as best as possible'. The kind of racism where they technically could be anywhere in the city, but prey on the neighborhoods with a bunch of low income black families, knowing those tend to be in the most desperate situation and therefore the most likely place for crimes to occur. Or smoking some weed to deal with the stress. Or people not being in the best mood towards the cop who is on a powertrip and keeps nagging them to be obedient. Whatever can be qualified as a crime to fill the prisons and keep the numbers up to show how necessary they are.

But the last few days it truly feels like the mask has completely fallen off the faces. At least for me personally a few seas away. I figure that's more obvious if you have dealt with it yourselves over and over again. I see a police chief saying that rioters and looters are equally responsible for the death of George Floyd as the murderer. I don't care how you feel about this whole situation, but if that's the kind of nonsensical reasoning you produce, that should be an immediate disqualification for pretty much any job, especially one that deals with people's lives.

I see the police shooting at reporters and unarmed protestors. Police smashing up their own cars in plain view, not even feeling the need to hide that shit in a alleyway because 1+1=2 and big crowd of people being mad at the police + smashed car is a simple story to tell. I see them cause a trail of destruction, smashing windows in, smashing cars, shooting rubber bullets at people standing on their own patio observing a flock of cops pass through the area. Pulling masks off just to put pepper spray in people's faces. The military gets sicced on their own people, protesters are given a label so the president can enjoy the irony of calling those who oppose him the domestic terrorists instead. All while a bunch of white kids with AR-15's get to talk shop with the police buddies and hang out on a rooftop for that GTA feel. It's appalling stuff to see play out. I can't imagine talking for hours about the latest in gaming right now.

fists in the air. full respect.

come back when you're ready.

I appreciate all the kind words in this thread, as I'm sure all the staff do.

Edit: Because I'm sure what I wrote could come off as pat, if anyone would like to help contribute to causes that would benefit from your help, please refer to our homepage post here for more information.

You pretty much summed up the perspective most white Americans, @onemanarmyy, except instead of now being appalled, many of them continue to cheer brutal police tactics and vilify anyone who dares oppose their viewpoint. Meanwhile, persons of color have to plan out their every move when they leave house and learn from an early age how to interact with the police in a way so as not to get murdered for having the temerity to exist. It's abhorrent.

Despite having witnessed so many large-scale demonstrations of this nature, this situation does feel different. There is a sense that some people who don't pay much attention when these events occur have started to do so. It probably helps that the heavy-handed police tactics in response to the protest are so widespread and brazen--and being grotesquely celebrated by our so-called president--that the reality is harder to ignore.

GB and other platforms suspending normal operations for a day may be a small thing, but showing respect for the movement and the moment is critical, and I'm happy that they unequivocally voiced their support for those whose lives are at risk on a daily basis.

To @devron8, thanks for sharing your story. The more people hear about racist police tactics, the harder it is to ignore and the more likely things will eventually change for the better. I hope.

Thanks for sharing duder. While I sadly understand why they disabled comments on Brads post today. Reading through the comments here have really uplifted my spirits today, and I just wanted to say that I stand 100% behind GBs decision. ✊ Solidarity.

Solidarity Forever!

Well I agree politics is always a messy topic, I for one think this isn't about politics, at least not really.

This is about right and wrong. And standing up right now is doing what's right which sadly isn't always easy to do.

Seeing what Giant Bomb did today brought warmth to my heart. Made me smile. Made me add another reason to the list of why I love this site. And seeing the comments and Twitter replies made me smile even more. This is an amazing community. You guys are amazing. Stay Strong everyone!

@tearhead: Hey thanks for sharing, if anything you cannot be overtly cautious in those situations and I'm glad that the GB crew are being transparent on how they feel about what is happening.

Thanks to the crew as well, good call

Just wanted to say that I support this response and am glad many others do, too. It's been a terrifying week (I live a few blocks from the epicenter of the Minneapolis fires) and GB's content and people have been incredibly helpful in keeping me from a constant state of panic, but it's so much more important to call out these issues and I'm glad they're doing it directly and explicitly.

I'll look forward to more podcasts and whatnot, but please take the time you need and thank you for addressing this.

Just got back from a protest. Get out there people. We need to keep showing we have no quit in us. They expect us to quit. Do whatever you can, even if its a little or showing up before things might get dicey. Don't be afriad!

@devron8: I wish the charities wenr't so leftests

@onemanarmyy: I have to agree that this is shocking on many levels. I've lived in the US, in NYC no less, for many years and had friends of different backgrounds. One of my African American friends once told me about a story where him and his brother were pulled over by cops in Long Island (a wealthier part of NYC) and asked if they were lost and if they needed help getting back. Little stories like these here and there that we all laughed at and said "man thats nuts Joe.. anyway". I was once mugged coming back from work on a night shift and despite the aggressors wearing masks, the cops that showed up and drove me very excitedly around the neighborhood pointed out every racial minority out and about asking "that them?" despite me pointing out numerous times that they wore masks so I don't know. Little stories that made you aware that yah, people were still prejudiced all these years later, but man nothing as blatantly evil and as you said, so.. unmasked.. as we are witnessing now. We all assumed that there were bad cops, but from the looks of it I could never imagine it was like 90% of the force? The fact that they continue harming reporters, medics, the elderly or even children children indiscriminately, all while being aware that they are filmed at all times - thats the scary part. The confidence that nothing will happen to them despite blatantly committing crimes in broad daylight, more often than not with no justification other than for the sake of violence itself. It's really terrifying.