According to the Pittsfield Police Department, the one-year celebration of Drag Story Hour Berkshires at WANDER Berkshires was the subject of a threat Saturday night.
“We are a multi-faceted community gathering space," said Jay Santangelo, founder of the café and venue on Depot Street. "By day, we are a cafe, and then in the evenings, we are an event space available to people come and use, I guess, in any way that they see fit. So, I say, if you can imagine it here, we can make it happen. So, it's available for public and private events, and then it's also going to be a future community teaching darkroom.”
Police tell WAMC that the threat was “an email that was initially sent to an Administrator of the Pittsfield Public Schools” before being directed to the PPD around 8:30 p.m.
Santangelo and the roughly 75 attendees of the anniversary event found out once the fire department appeared at WANDER’s front door.
“We were just kind of like, this is really happening, this is not part of the performance, and we're going to just leave the premises and let people do their jobs," they told WAMC. "And that was kind of really it. Everybody was calm, and we just all gathered outside and waited for the clearance that we could go back in.”
According to the police, the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad found no explosive devices after a sweep of the premises.
Chief Thomas Dawley explained what happened next in an email to WAMC:
“With the assistance of the MSP’s Critical Incident Technical Investigations Team and the Pittsfield Police Detective Bureau, it was quickly determined that this was a swatting incident, and the source of the email came from outside the United States.”
It was a deflating experience for Santangelo.
“It just kind of makes me sad that people feel that they need to try to promote fear, where we're quite the opposite," they said. "It's just like, we are here, we are a community. WANDER was founded as a place to bring people together, and togetherness means together. We aren't biased, we don't discriminate. We are here for all. We are here, like- My mission and statement is very clear. We are here to spark joy and to relieve loneliness after the pandemic. I built this space as a place to bring people together, and we're standing by that.”
The distant bomb threat is in stark opposition to the kind of space Santangelo hopes WANDER can offer the Berkshires.
“I just want people, if they have questions or have disagreements- You know, we have conversations," Santangelo told WAMC. "But to put out bogus threats of things that aren't true, it's just, I just want to speak to that- It's just like, why? Look into yourself. What is it that you actually fear that you're trying to bring fear? We're just regular human beings just living our lives just like you. I am a parent, I am a partner, I am a business owner, I'm a person who gets up every day just like you and goes to bed and pays my bills.”
Drag Story Hour Berkshires Chapter Director Poppy DaBubbly tells WAMC the organization is committed to de-escalation, keeping their experiences safe, and further developing safety protocols so that “the show will always go on.”
In a press release Sunday, Drag Story Hour Berkshires said “in the face of fear and intimidation, our community did what it always does: we gathered, we showed up, and we celebrated unapologetically. Although new and continuing threats are made, our joy was not dimmed, and our mission remains unwavering.”
The release also included a message to the unidentified source of the bomb threat:
“To those who would attempt to sow fear — know this: you’ve only strengthened our resolve. Our joy is our resistance. Our love is our power. Our community will continue to rise louder, prouder, and more united.”
