Nxivm-Controlled Dance Protest Group Issues Statement to Media – Without Disclosing Nxivm Connection

They want media coverage.

Before we move on to their media statement, I want to point out that their domain name, “we are the forgotten”, is not quite literally true. Few have forgotten Keith Raniere and his infamous followers who are now running the weareasyou dance protests nightly in front of the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.

Is this the last dying gasp of Nxivm, or the rebirth of it? Time will tell. But, while the cause of bringing attention to the horrific conditions of MDC, where their leader Keith Alan Raniere is held awaiting sentencing, is noble, I wonder if they are not spoiling it by declining to mention him and who they are, and why they took an interest in protest dancing outside of MDC.

These are legitimate things – their upset at the treatment Raniere has received – and do not negate their cause if it is as stated – to protest the horrific conditions at MDC.

However, if their dancing is also a surreptitious scheme to recruit people into Nxivm, including possibly into their sub-group, the master-slave group DOS, then there is every reason to keep the Nxivm connection hidden.

This was their modus operendi for years when Raniere was still a free man. He had his a Cappella Innovations – ostensibly a singing concert series, which actually was meant to lure in college female students. He had Knife of Aristotle to lure in female writers, the Source to lure in actresses, and a number of other groups that often seemed to neglect to mention Raniere.

DOS was the most notorious of the hide-Raniere groups. And people were convicted because of it, including Raniere, Allison Mack and Lauren Salzman, the two women, like Nicki Clyne, who leads the dance protest group, were first-line slaves of Raniere’s.

Nevertheless, the group is seeking media attention, while trying to obscure the Nxivm connection.

Here are a few of their tweets.

The tweet that suggests that prisoners are being punished because they watched the dance is troubling.

The prisoners are punished enough and if the dance protest can entertain or encourage these mainly pretrial defendants [who are innocent until proven guilty], then that is a positive good.

The actual media statement is:

Media Inquiries

We are a small but growing group of concerned citizens who started visiting the MDC Brooklyn parking lot in an effort to lift the spirits of those who’ve been locked in with no visitors since March.

What began as some tentative waves and flashing phone lights turned into a dance performance complete with audience participation. From their windows, the men flashed their lights and banged on their windows in a show of encouragement and appreciation. It’s possible this is the first interaction they’ve had in months with people whose only agenda is to help them feel seen.

We have channeled this experience into the start of a movement. We believe that even those who are locked up deserve to have access to moments of humanity. Whether that’s a smile, a wave, a twerk or a backflip, we are going to show up and remind them they are not forgotten.

Last night, we learned from sources inside that some men have been moved to different units and cells without windows due to their enjoyment of the gathering outside. This is wrongful and must be exposed. We intend to protest this unnecessary oppression by bringing increasing and consistent joyful human expression as close as we can to a structure that strips people of precisely that. The dance must go on.

Only with support from the media can we draw attention to these seemingly small, but egregious infractions that fuel mass incarceration and undermine justice. MDC Brooklyn is a pre-trial facility where inmates have been on lockdown with extremely limited time outside their cells since COVID and no outdoor space. Some have been in there for years awaiting trial or sentencing.

We are encouraging friends and family members who may have loved ones inside MDC and wish to join us. Inmates are not the only forgotten ones, friends and family members are often left without hope or support in an effort to just survive. We are dancing for them too.

Through the media, we hope to expose what happens when a small group of people try to spread joy to the most suppressed in our society. For further questions or inquiries, please email hello@weareasyou.com.