Crimes Worry Celebrities

Original article found at: The Hutson Street Journal

Date published: November 15, 2018

Written by: Mary Schneider

Crimes are abound in North Providence.

Some make the papers, some do not. This interview with the rhythm guitarist and rough-voice vocalist from award winning band Vaarallinen, Callith Appleton, shows that the security issue is leaving a lot to be desired and much more is expected of the new mayor in this regard.

He sat with me at the end of this afternoon, having a tea and nice conversation, where his cat, Bastet, was more than eager to participate. She stayed on my lap, only moving slightly for the photo at the end. Despite the heavy subject, Callith was apparently in good spirits and as funny as ever.

Mary Schneider: So, Callith, today in the newspaper there are the news of a priest that was found murdered; not two days ago the housemaid of the new Mayor was found dead; not a week ago you guys nearly died in an event involving fireworks; and before that the Mayor was also attacked. But if we dig further back, it is also a common knowledge that you and the other members of your band had been targets of crimes. How is it going, the investigations about that?

Callith Appleton: I read the article and given that the other night I was in the church and found a necklace of mine there, and I had been shot a few days before Halloween, and also given that this is the first time anyone has interviewed me about it, it is safe to say that if there is an investigation, or investigations, not much has happened. I think that only Erik (Severn, also vocalist and guitarist on the band) was interviewed after his attack. I understand there is a private investigation into some of the attacks, but beyond that, you are the first to speak to me about it at all.

MS: Do you believe the attacks between you and the mayor entourage to be related, since he used to be your manager?

CA: First a correction on that, David Pink is still our manager, the only differences now is that he is mayor. He is opening his own record label. Erik Severn, our other guitarist and lead vocalist, has gone free lance at this time. Now to speak of these attacks, I am unsure. I know that the mayoral race here in North Providence was rather heated and polarized, but I know too that our drummer, Gabriel Ivanov, had been suspicious as well of his ex-boyfriend’s new boyfriend. I personally do not have details on either of these cases, so I cannot safely say one way or the other if they are or not. But between the attacks against Mayor Pink’s entourage, us, and then what some called a harmless prank that did put me in the hospital for a night, it is a lot of violence.

MS: Is there any proof of the involvement of this ex-boyfriend’s boyfriend?

CA: I understand there is an ongoing investigation so I am not sure how much I can or cannot say. There are behaviors of people for one. For example, our original bass player, Trish Claremont, we managed to find where he is as well as gain further proof that it is his probably now ex-boyfriend. Then there was the head. After Hannya’s party last week, Gabe that night hired a PI to follow Trish, get information on this guy and make sure that Trish stayed safe. I understand after the PI did not check in, his head was delivered to Gabe in one of Trish’s hat boxes. As for my own testimony, unfortunately I am suffering a loss of memory from Wednesday evening before I was found until when I woke. I have been told some of what happened during that time, but there is a period of 24 hours that are unaccounted for.

MS: And Callith, This 24 hours, were a consequence of the fireworks thrown at the stage?

CA: No not at all. The fireworks were about two weeks after those 24 hours. So, it was the weekend before Halloween. We had played at the Atlantis and from my understanding Erik was ill so we took him to a doctor and he was admitted. We apparently fought, which is something common to our friendship. But I ran from there and that is where the 24 hours of nothing starts. I pieced together everything up until that point, and I think I was in the park and church as well during that time. Then Saturday night, several people received a phone call with a clue as to where I would be found, which was right in front of the police station. As for the fireworks, as far as we can tell, it could have been a lot worse. We are grateful that the extent of the injuries to the band’s members, management, and staff were limited to a few of us being checked over. I did collapse as I walked off stage however. I woke up in a hospital. I am told that if we did not have two doctors in the band I would have had a stroke and probably would not be out of a hospital bed.

MS: Erik did mention something about that on his own interview, he is pretty mad at someone calling it a harmless prank, but you seem just fine, thankfully.

CA: To be honest, we think the fact of my survival to be an act of the gods. Perhaps Anubis likes me.

AS: Callith, what happened to you all? Hannya got shot, Erik got attacked too you said. I am not sure how he was attacked. And you got shot, the PI was decapitated, and now Trish was missing and was found, kidnapped by his own boyfriend was it?

CA: That’s so far what we think happened. Hannya was the first. He was playing at a bar just outside of town here when someone just started shooting at the crowd. Hannya was hit in the abdomen, both from bullets and shards of his keytar. Ryujin (Styne), our current bass player, I think was hit in the leg. I did have one graze my arm as I fell for cover. Second was Erik. It was after a fight, so at first it looked like perhaps it was something he did. Gabe found him through a good Samaritan calling him from Erik’s phone. He was attacked here in the office, drugged, then the attacker tried to make it look like a suicide attempt. Since then we changed the design in here and increased security. If you look around, you’ll notice that every corner is visible as you move through the office. We still may downsize to a place near that bar however. I was third, which we discussed what happened there. Fourth was Trish. Gabe had said he received photos of him and Trish taken while at the party that was at the same bar that Hannya had been shot at.

MS: And what about Ryujin Styne? Rumor has it he was at the hospital, poisoned. Do you confirm or deny this rumor? And furthermore, do you believe it to be related?

CA: Ah yes, thank you. I was in a coma at the time so I obviously did not remember it well. I of course was not there, but my understanding was the night or two after I was shot, he, Erik, Gabe, and our friend (name omitted) had gone to the haunted house. Gabe and Erik bought cupcakes from a man that was there, in a costume. Gabe and Hannya had gone the night before and there was food out to be bought, but the final night it was just a random vendor there. Partway through, Gabe and Ryu both became ill, Ryu with some stomach thing they never did figure out, and Gabe had been drugged through the cupcakes they bought. Erik and the (fourth friend) did not eat any that I am aware of. And yes, we believe it to be the fourth attack I believe? While it’s fully possible that the attacks against Mayor Pink are related, I understand he had been receiving death threats and has been physically injured several times before the election, where our attacks have been silent and come out of nowhere. He has been vocal about his experiences in the Journal.

MS: And aren’t the police doing anything? I was told the best they did was to take away the head of the PI, but no one came to seek for you or nothing, correct?

CA: Not even that. When Erik was in the hospital, a police detective visited a couple days in, so already two or three days after the attack. No one asked Hannya, no one asked me, no one asked Ryu or Gabe. And while the head was collected, I am unsure of who collected it. Gabe had mentioned that he and Hannya had been told the police would come interview them about it, but it never happened that I am aware of. To be honest, that is what angers me in this. I see police out when we go to events, and yes, protection is needed. But police didn’t stop them from throwing fireworks after the first one was thrown. I understand it took Mayor Pink to react to the crowd to get them to calm down enough for police to handle the scene. We need better trained police in this city, better coordinated, and we certainly need better response than to just happen to have them there when something happens. Our new mayor, while he has not been sworn in, had started his career as a police officer in Louisiana. He knows what it takes to make a good police force, and I am hoping that once his tenure starts we get actual response to these crimes. Because the next time someone is hurt we won’t be lucky. It is an act of the gods that I am still alive, and that is that, but this also could and should have been stopped already after Hannya was shot. Not only the crimes against us, but the crimes against David Pink’s entourage, and the other hate crimes that have happened in response to the mayoral race, specifically against the members of the LGBTQ community here in North Providence.

MS: Well Callith, what would you expect as an outcome? What would you like to see happen now?

CA: I would like whoever did these crimes, person or people, to come to justice. And I would like there to be some outcome to calling for the police where we aren’t told that someone will come by in a day or two and then never show up. Just as I would like there to be an end to these hate crimes in this community. We’ve had that one man protesting before the election, we had our manager and his assistant brutally attacked in their own home, their housekeeper was murdered, and technically all of the members of this band have been attacked. As far as I know, that is a vast majority of the LGBTQ community in this city.

So here we have, another celebrity concerned about the constant increase of crimes, and while none of them ever said police idleness, they all agree that more coordination is needed, lest North Providence will become just another Hathian. Let us all hope for conclusions where, this time, the police becomes more active and interested, reaching out to the citizens, and the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice.