Photographer Amy Harris, who was allegedly assaulted by Odd Future member Left Brain at a concert in New Orleans, has changed her mind and decided to press charges against the rapper. Harris was a member of the official press invited to the event and the alleged assault occurred whilst she was in the photo pit shooting the rappers.
According to Harris who issued a statement on her blog, she filed charges on Friday after receiving death threats from an anonymous source. “It is my understanding that a police report I filed in New Orleans on Friday has now become public knowledge and is being reported on various websites,” she wrote.
“At this time, I do not wish to discuss the filing of the police report other than to say that, upon further reflection of events of the past week, it is something I needed to do.”
She continued “The week’s events have been extremely upsetting and culminated with an email from an unidentified person threatening to kill me and rape me and my family. While it is certainly possible that the email came from an overzealous fan of Odd Future, and not from the group itself, it has become clear to me that this is a matter for the police.”
According to Venues Today, who Harris was shooting for at the concert, the Louisiana criminal code says that simple battery is a misdemeanor offense and carries up to 6 months in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
Odd Future’s publicist issued a statement after the incident was made public last week denying the accusations and saying “there simply is no truth to the accusation floating around the internet”.
Surprised by the response from Odd Future’s representatives Harris wrote “I was very disheartened to learn yesterday that Odd Future is denying that one of its members, Vyron Turner (“Left Brain”), engaged in the violent conduct that so many people witnessed and even photographed or videotaped. After he so publicly attacked me, I truly believed that an apology would be immediately forthcoming, which is why I declined to press charges at that time.”
She continued “The unexpected turn of events, including an attack by Odd Future on my credibility and motives for discussing the incident, have caused me to re-evaluate my initial decision. I’ve contacted an attorney – Amy Borlund with Doll Amir & Eley in Los Angeles – and am pursuing my options. At a minimum, I am seeking a public apology from Vyron Turner. Ultimately, I want a resolution in which Turner is held accountable for his actions.”
Odd Future were recently pulled from the Auckland date of the Big Day Out festival due to complaints to the local council about their homophobic lyrics.
