Here’s why Meow Mix exists, and why it MUST exist.
Brace yourself: ranting ahead.
The internet is full of trolls and antagonists that simply want to inject themselves into conversation and be relevant. Some of these people want to fight simply to have fun. They’ll tell you black is white and then laugh at you when you tell them they’re wrong. Others want to seem smart and informed, and they’ll go off on tirades about this sub-sub-subsection of law and how nobody knows what’s right except them.
Then there’s the people who think the police should handle everything. They’ll sit on their porches and scream at the victim chasing down her purse thief, telling them to call 911 instead. They’ll say things like, “the police would have done something by now, so obviously there’s no problem with this”, or “let the police handle it”. Another good one is, “you’re hurting the police case”.
To them, I say this: BULLSHIT.
I started Meow Mix with the sole intent of exposing this one particular predator, and I will continue to do so until he is no longer able to add new victims to his slate. Some call what I do cyberbullying, or vigilante justice. I call it standing up for what’s right when others won’t.
I also want to say that I am pro-police, and pro-courts. They’re overworked, underpaid, backlogged, and (rightly) held to a higher standard than any other group of people in the world. If you’re a cop, you can’t drink a fucking cup of coffee without some punk cracking a joke about a donut. There is such a high bar for them to make sure they dot every I and cross every T or else someone will file a lawsuit or a start a hashtag trend.
Having said that, it’s extremely challenging for the police to take real action against Yaniv. Things like evidence, victim statements, and even jurisdiction play such a huge role in this. Yaniv has victims in Canada, the United States, France, and who knows where else. They’re in dozens of different cities and provinces/states. They live in cities with police forces with widely varying jurisdictions.
Furthermore, these jurisdictions don’t always communicate effectively with each other. A girl that lives in Nixon, Nevada (population: 374) complaining to her local part time police officer about a cyberbully 836 miles away in another country is going to struggle, especially when what Yaniv does isn’t always technically illegal.
That’s another thing to consider – the list of actual Yaniv crimes is relatively small compared to the list of actual Yaniv really shitty things he’s done. Want some examples?
- Yaniv is a notorious flirt with young girls. That isn’t illegal.
- Yaniv tells young girls how sexy they are. Not illegal.
- Yaniv scoots around, claims he’s disabled, and fakes seizures on webcams. Illegal? Nope. In fact, it’s incredibly easy to get a doctor to sign off on things like handicap cards in Canada if you shop around for the right one. The fact that he can jump up and chase Rebel Media reporters like an orangutan on bananameth is a different story.
- Yaniv has discussed periods and menstrual products with young girls. Not illegal.
- Yaniv has asked young girls for pictures of their outfits. Not illegal.
- Yaniv said a 9 year old girl is “going to learn one day” about sex. Not illegal.
- Yaniv briefly flashed his moob on a webcam. This is so gray. In many places, he’s legally male. Nobody will even investigate. In Canada, legally female, but arguably male. As much as you hate what I’m about to say, there isn’t always enough for it to be viable to prosecute.
- Yaniv lies about medical conditions. Not illegal.
- Is Yaniv faking being a trans person illegal? Unlikely.
- Yaniv spammed Cimorelli’s site with porn, etc and then stepped in to help. Maybe illegal? But do you really think the FBI is going to investigate this? No, and Yaniv knows this.
I could go on, but I need to say this: there are certainly things Yaniv has done that are criminal (that’s a list for a different article) and should be investigated thoroughly, but not everything that Yaniv has done is criminal.
And that’s where the community needs to come in.
I firmly believe that the community has a responsibility, not just a right, to protect people from the Yaniv’s of the world. The community has a role in keeping each other safe from harm, and this includes harmful, predatory behavior like Yanivs.
Look at my list again and tell me how many of those things need to be made known, and what we can do as a community to teach our children how to identify predators. Step 1: expose their ways.
Do you think the police in France are going to work with the police in Canada because some Canadian scumbag is encouraging one girl in France to kill herself? No, but, the community can make sure this girl knows she is loved, and offer her support, and make sure that the scumbag is outed for that behavior.
Is this vigilante justice? Maybe. Maybe not. We’re not encouraging violence against Yaniv. Simply exposure. I made a personal decision that what Yaniv is doing is wrong and I started a blog. I wasn’t the first, by far, and others will do this long after I’m gone. We will not stand for this predator roaming our streets unchecked.
There’s so many other scenarios that prevent police action, but still require community action.
What about the young girl who was scared into sending a picture to Yaniv and then deleted her whole history so she didn’t get in trouble with her parents? Do we tell her she’s lying because there’s no proof?
Do we tell the young girl who was encouraged to kill herself to toughen up? They’re just words?
Do we tell the young girl who filed a police report in Ontario, Canada about a predator in Langley, BC, Canada that we’re sorry, the police won’t act because Twitter is under American jurisdiction and all he really did was say “go jump in front of a train” and ask you about your preferred tampon brand so it really isn’t worth opening up an international case with the FBI?
Do we tell the local girl down the street in Langley, BC that a predator took her picture in the bathroom and posted it online not to worry because “he’s a girl too” and it’s a public space, and he was just taking a selfie, and you’re a bigot for thinking otherwise?
Of course not. Fuck that and fuck every single person that thinks this is how it should work. There are a million scenarios where the legal system simply can’t act, but that doesn’t mean that the community has to accept this behavior.
So let the police do their thing, investigate their suspects, and pursue charges as they see fit, and we will do ours. I refuse to be silenced and told that “the police should handle it” when the police won’t, or can’t. I know the cops WANT to take Yaniv out back and run him over with a cruiser a few times, but they can’t.
Here’s what we can do to promote police action:
- Shine light on predators. Take away the darkness they lurk in.
- When victims speak up, believe them. Hear them. Give them a platform. This takes courage and bravery, especially when their abuser tried to intimidate them into silence.
- Encourage victims to phone police, and support them if the police simply don’t have enough to act on.
- Raise children to know the warning signs of internet predators.
- Make sure your children know that you’re a safe place to turn to. If someone hurts them online, if they make a mistake online, if they send a pic they shouldn’t have sent, don’t yell at them. Support them, and teach them about predators.
- Raise our daughters to be strong, brave women, able to stand up against people like Yaniv that seek out vulnerable girls with low self esteem.
- Unite as a community against internet bullying and cyber predators.
- Support your local police. It isn’t their fault that their hands are tied on this sometimes.
- Report everything, even if it can’t be charged. A police file is worth more than a “shoulda, woulda, coulda”.
- Finally, don’t be discouraged when internet trolls try to tell you you’re wrong. If you believe it in your heart, stand up for it.
Why does Meow Mix exist? Because there exists a space below the threshold for police action that requires community strength and action to care for, lest it be filled with darkness and evil, waiting to lure in our most vulnerable. I won’t stand by while people like Yaniv occupy this space, intentionally living in the gray area so they can get their rocks off.
/rant
