About the Dustin tragedy....

[kriskokid]

Someone opined a new thread should be started. Be assured I thought the entire episode was tragic, and of course offer condolences to Broke Straight Boys staff and the victim's family and friends.

It seems that throughout the posts in this matter, the fact that the cops were called was because of a "disturbance" at the Executive Inn in Panama City, FL was overlooked or ignored. Sheriff deputies were chasing Dustin because he had been suspected of hitting his girlfriend (TV anchor). The calling of the law had nothing to do with pot...the first they knew about pot was after Dustin managed to convey info by the standard waving of palm in front of throat- a supposedly universal signal of choking. If he wasn't breathing, he couldn't talk.

Despite emotions, the link shouldn't have been removed. The TV station outed Dustin's real name, not this website, and if Dustin had not run to escape a pot bust and placed his baggie in his mouth, he would still be alive. The cops did nothing wrong. Dustin was wrong to run and wrong to put the baggie in his mouth. On local TV news, (in the clip) the county sheriff explained all this.

The TV news show also said the episode was filmed because a reality show was going along with the sheriff deputies on a shift. Fox network's "Cops" reality TV on Saturday nights does a lot of filming in Florida; that may have been who was filming this episode. I'll be watching for it next season on Fox TV network.

Dustin was outed as a Broke Straight Boys model in the commentary on youtube below the video post.

The cops didn't appear to me to be any more obese than the victim.
If you haven't seen this five minute episode, and want to, you can find it on youtube by doing a search query.

It was shocking for me to see how much weight Dustin had put on, and how bald he has become. It didn't change my mind. There are bald hotties and I am not one, but Dustin was. He should have had thirty more years of stiff cock in him! As a baldie, I was offended, to a minimal degree, by the statement that Broke Straight Boys couldn't use Dustin anymore because of his weight and baldness. Couldn't that be construed to be ageist? I have no quarrel over BSBs right to set standards for models, nor would I demand they produce films using actors which prior experience has shown will not make a profit, but I wouldn't say so, either, unless this happenstance is covered contractually.

IMHO the family could possibly seek redress for his distress over not being hired for reasons he had no control over. There is no way they will collect over police misconduct.

PEACE AND LOVE

KK

 

[slimvintage]

Someone opined a new thread should be started. Be assured I thought the entire episode was tragic, and of course offer condolences to Broke Straight Boys staff and the victim's family and friends.

It seems that throughout the posts in this matter, the fact that the cops were called was because of a "disturbance" at the Executive Inn in Panama City, FL was overlooked or ignored. Sheriff deputies were chasing Dustin because he had been suspected of hitting his girlfriend (TV anchor). The calling of the law had nothing to do with pot...the first they knew about pot was after Dustin managed to convey info by the standard waving of palm in front of throat- a supposedly universal signal of choking. If he wasn't breathing, he couldn't talk.

Despite emotions, the link shouldn't have been removed. The TV station outed Dustin's real name, not this website, and if Dustin had not run to escape a pot bust and placed his baggie in his mouth, he would still be alive. The cops did nothing wrong. Dustin was wrong to run and wrong to put the baggie in his mouth. On local TV news, (in the clip) the county sheriff explained all this.

The TV news show also said the episode was filmed because a reality show was going along with the sheriff deputies on a shift. Fox network's "Cops" reality TV on Saturday nights does a lot of filming in Florida; that may have been who was filming this episode. I'll be watching for it next season on Fox TV network.

Dustin was outed as a Broke Straight Boys model in the commentary on youtube below the video post.

The cops didn't appear to me to be any more obese than the victim.
If you haven't seen this five minute episode, and want to, you can find it on youtube by doing a search query.

It was shocking for me to see how much weight Dustin had put on, and how bald he has become. It didn't change my mind. There are bald hotties and I am not one, but Dustin was. He should have had thirty more years of stiff cock in him! As a baldie, I was offended, to a minimal degree, by the statement that Broke Straight Boys couldn't use Dustin anymore because of his weight and baldness. Couldn't that be construed to be ageist? I have no quarrel over BSBs right to set standards for models, nor would I demand they produce films using actors which prior experience has shown will not make a profit, but I wouldn't say so, either, unless this happenstance is covered contractually.

IMHO the family could possibly seek redress for his distress over not being hired for reasons he had no control over. There is no way they will collect over police misconduct.

PEACE AND LOVE

KK

Hey KK,

I'm guessing you're being droll when you say his being dropped from team Broke Straight Boys because of his out of control physique could be grounds for a suit against D&E. Child stars used to stop getting work (not any longer, but hey) while they went through adolescence. They were only sometimes picked up again once they were acne free and sane again. Dustin stopped fulfilling the basic requirements for the job. At most he could expect a pension for disability from Dave, and no, of course I'm not serious.

As far as who might or might not have to bear some blame for his death, I PMed this just now in reply to a friend who is concerned about the bee in my bonnet regarding his arrest.

"In my dismay at seeing how Dustin was killed in that video, I guess that none of what I've been saying has been very clear, so I apologize for that. Dustin was obviously breaking a bunch of laws by doing what he was doing that night. The fact that he ended up dead in that particular parking lot, rather than alive and in custody in another one farther down the highway, is because of those particular cop's mishandling of his arrest. That's my only point, and I know that it's debatable. And because it is it should go to court to be debated.

I see how the police here where I live treat similar situations, and am appalled every time I see how the same scenario goes down in the US. People here aren't scared that every third cop they see is living out his own interior psychiatric nightmare, someone who signed up to serve on the force for all the wrong reasons. The fact that Dustin's killers were being filmed by a reality TV crew makes the way they handled his arrest even more suspect. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of our compatriots yearn achingly to have those 15 minutes of fame that are owed them, and I say these boys were unconsciously stimulated by the cameras to put some verve into their performances.

I hope action will be taken (3 of the 4 cops have apparently been suspended for the moment) but look, this isn't a crusade I can carry on from Europe very easily. I'll see the lawyer tomorrow and take it from there.

Thanks for going to the trouble to tell me this again in private. As you see, I agree with you on your point about Dustin's having broken the law."

Thanks KK for opening this thread. If you guys like, I'll post here what I find out about the family's having, or not having, a case to take to court.

 

[dande01]

Hey KK,

Your post has a lot of insight and thought placed into it. First let me say that *WE* as a studio and a internet company, can't be blamed for Dustin's/Andrew's action. We are a private corporation and models are independent contractors, if we do sign a model up as an exclusive model, they are still considered independent and must maintain a certain look and weight. When his contract was up, we are under NO obligation to renew or hire him back, so any insight or suggestion that some of Dustins/Andrews family can sue us or take legal action is unfounded and ridiculous to say the least.

As for outing him. We took the decision as a studio to inform our members first of what had happen. The only reason is, his death became news worthy, Dustin was a popular model with our site plus he went off to do other work for other studios so the gossip columns, the adult blogs and the adult news will be covering this story. Dustin as a model impacted many in this industry, not only here at Broke Straight Boys but with other models, talent agents, other studios, photographers, video production and the list goes on. We don't like giving out a models real name, but under the circumstances, we had no choice, keeping silence would have made it worse so we prefer that our members hear the truth and not read the rumors from a blog or see some video on youtube wondering if Andrew was Dustin and if he was a Broke Straight Boys model or not.

We are also not judging Andrew/Dustin, was he right or wrong...was the police right or wrong...I'm not going to pass judgments. However, Andrew/Dustin shouldn't be selling drugs, beating up on girls and then trying to swallow a bag of weed...however, at the time he most likely freaked out and did what he thought was right to protect himself. But he didn't deserve to die. He was certainly too young to die and pass away at such a young age.

I'm just hoping that this thread does not turn out to become, lets bash Dustin and the studio for what has happen to him. Andrew hasn't worked with our studio for well over a year, and what he did and what he does with his life, we have no control over his action!

-David

 

[slimvintage]

Hey KK,

Your post has a lot of insight and thought placed into it. First let me say that *WE* as a studio and a internet company, can't be blamed for Dustin's/Andrew's action. We are a private corporation and models are independent contractors, if we do sign a model up as an exclusive model, they are still considered independent and must maintain a certain look and weight. When his contract was up, we are under NO obligation to renew or hire him back, so any insight or suggestion that some of Dustins/Andrews family can sue us or take legal action is unfounded and ridiculous to say the least.

As for outing him. We took the decision as a studio to inform our members first of what had happen. The only reason is, his death became news worthy, Dustin was a popular model with our site plus he went off to do other work for other studios so the gossip columns, the adult blogs and the adult news will be covering this story. Dustin as a model impacted many in this industry, not only here at Broke Straight Boys but with other models, talent agents, other studios, photographers, video production and the list goes on. We don't like giving out a models real name, but under the circumstances, we had no choice, keeping silence would have made it worse so we prefer that our members hear the truth and not read the rumors from a blog or see some video on youtube wondering if Andrew was Dustin and if he was a Broke Straight Boys model or not.

We are also not judging Andrew/Dustin, was he right or wrong...was the police right or wrong...I'm not going to pass judgments. However, Andrew/Dustin shouldn't be selling drugs, beating up on girls and then trying to swallow a bag of weed...however, at the time he most likely freaked out and did what he thought was right to protect himself. But he didn't deserve to die. He was certainly too young to die and pass away at such a young age.

I'm just hoping that this thread does not turn out to become, lets bash Dustin and the studio for what has happen to him. Andrew hasn't worked with our studio for well over a year, and what he did and what he does with his life, we have no control over his action!

-David

David,

Thanks for this flawless explanation, yet again, of how the back stage mechanisms work at your firm.

KK, the original poster, as I said in my reply to him, was absolutely not being serious about Dustin being the victim of discrimination at D&E. It's out of place for me to say he was joking since this is a case of someone's death, but under other circumstances his observations, carrying as they did a ridiculous premise right through to the end, would have been genuinely funny. What he was really saying was that all my huffing and puffing about Dustin's family possibly having grounds to mount a suit, was absurd, as absurd as Dustin suing you guys for being ageist, baldist, and fatist. I went one farther and said the most he could hope for from you guys would have been a pension for disability, but I wasn't being serious either.

You're right not to take sides. You'll be in the spotlight anyway for a bit, and for you to rant about police brutality would be unbecoming and counterproductive.

I'm nobody, so my assertions on this forum (that the cops may have used overkill in this arrest because they wanted to show up as energetic macho security professionals in the TV footage) only get attention from the guys I've been irritating with them. But to everyone's relief I'll only do it until a lawyer tells me tomorrow that it's not a viable cause. If I get that verdict from her, I'll limit myself to mourning, along with all the rest of you guys. Otherwise I'll pvt you with her opinion and if you are in touch with his family you can pass it along if you want to.

 

[yabba]

I am closely following a case up north where a Canadian SF writer, Peter Watts. was arrested and beaten while crossing the border. That seems to be official overreaction. The tape did not to me show that. Being tased did not seem to affect Dustin much. It seemed to me that he died because no one had the proper forceps to take out the baggie if anyone even knew at first it was a baggie or the tools and expertise to do an emergency tracheotomy. Although he performed well at times(his video with Nelson comes to mind) mostly he was phoning it in. He also had a fairly large bald spot hence keeping his cap on. Still like most of us my main thought was the sad, sad waste of it all.









f

 

[jasonaz]

Someone opined a new thread should be started. Be assured I thought the entire episode was tragic, and of course offer condolences to Broke Straight Boys staff and the victim's family and friends.

It seems that throughout the posts in this matter, the fact that the cops were called was because of a "disturbance" at the Executive Inn in Panama City, FL was overlooked or ignored. Sheriff deputies were chasing Dustin because he had been suspected of hitting his girlfriend (TV anchor). The calling of the law had nothing to do with pot...the first they knew about pot was after Dustin managed to convey info by the standard waving of palm in front of throat- a supposedly universal signal of choking. If he wasn't breathing, he couldn't talk.

Despite emotions, the link shouldn't have been removed. The TV station outed Dustin's real name, not this website, and if Dustin had not run to escape a pot bust and placed his baggie in his mouth, he would still be alive. The cops did nothing wrong. Dustin was wrong to run and wrong to put the baggie in his mouth. On local TV news, (in the clip) the county sheriff explained all this.

The TV news show also said the episode was filmed because a reality show was going along with the sheriff deputies on a shift. Fox network's "Cops" reality TV on Saturday nights does a lot of filming in Florida; that may have been who was filming this episode. I'll be watching for it next season on Fox TV network.

Dustin was outed as a Broke Straight Boys model in the commentary on youtube below the video post.

The cops didn't appear to me to be any more obese than the victim.
If you haven't seen this five minute episode, and want to, you can find it on youtube by doing a search query.

It was shocking for me to see how much weight Dustin had put on, and how bald he has become. It didn't change my mind. There are bald hotties and I am not one, but Dustin was. He should have had thirty more years of stiff cock in him! As a baldie, I was offended, to a minimal degree, by the statement that Broke Straight Boys couldn't use Dustin anymore because of his weight and baldness. Couldn't that be construed to be ageist? I have no quarrel over BSBs right to set standards for models, nor would I demand they produce films using actors which prior experience has shown will not make a profit, but I wouldn't say so, either, unless this happenstance is covered contractually.

IMHO the family could possibly seek redress for his distress over not being hired for reasons he had no control over. There is no way they will collect over police misconduct.

PEACE AND LOVE

KK

My point exactly KK.
It is natural in a case like this to blame the police for misconduct because someone has to carry the blame. We certainly do not want to blame the "victim", especially when we have a perceived connection to that individual, so it makes us feel a whole lot better about ourselves because we are advocating for him and his family.
How many times have you seen a news story such as this and dismissed it as the "criminal" getting what he deserved because he broke the law? Or because he fought with the police or because he was "selling drugs" or any other number of reasons. If you are honest with yourselves, you must admit that you normaly would'nt give 2 shits about that individual who died or was severely injured in a case such as this. Unless you are hardcore cop haters, you would most likely side with the police.
It is only because we think we knew Andrew Grande that we even care, but in reality, the majority of us had no clue as to who Andrew Grande was, any more than he knew who most of us are, and I think it is presumptuious of us to even address him or refer to him as Andrew, to us he was Dustin, a pornstar for Broke Straight Boys who did his time on the futon and moved on. His friends, his family and his coworkers may have had the privelage to know Andrew, but we did not.
It is a shame that Dustin had to die like he did, but Dustin is dead because in the final hours of his short life, Dustin made some very bad choices, and he paid the ultimate consequence of those choices.
Yes, I will, and do grieve the loss of Dustin. At the present, I have no desire to watch any of his videos as I personaly feel it is disrespectful to his memory to think sexually of him at this point in time, even though that was the only side most of us will ever know, perhaps someday I will, but for the forseeable future, my memory of him will be the still shot of him and Danny in their baseball uniforms, posing for the College Boy Physicals episode, a time when he seemed to be truly happy, with life and with himself.

Peace Unto You Sweet Prince

Jason

 

[slimvintage]

Checked with an attorney. She started with the caveat that naturally her view of the circumstances surrounding Dustin's death would be colored by the view of any European in the face of the high school massacres, the bizarre debate over 3 lethal injections or one, the NRA lobby having it's way on gun control, the corruption in the police forces and the national obsession with getting your face on reality TV. It naturally follows from this that she thinks the family should mount a suit, "even if it's only to make a point". I came away realizing that my attitude is warped in the same way hers is and that she'd probably have been patronized too if she'd voiced her opinion in a forum like this in the US.

The Spanish judiciary is overly idealistic. A judge named Garzon wants to take Cheney's Chief of Staff David Addington before the court at the Hague for torture, with an eye to getting to Cheney by way of the evidence thereat produced, and eventually to Bush. So you can see where my lawyer's coming from. I will give her this, she had a whole dossier on illegal taser deaths, and their judicial outcomes, prepared for our appointment.

 

[tampa24]

Thank you for that Slim. Bless your heart. From thousands of miles away you were doing whatever you could to stand up for Dustin. I know that you went to great lengths in time and personal expense in order to get the advice of an expert. Based on the judicial outcomes of previous cases what did she think the chances were of a successful suit? I'm guessing she thought the chances were not great. Based on the fact that she thought they should file a suit that could be perceived as merely a symbol of protest.

 

[slimvintage]

Thank you for that Slim. Bless your heart. From thousands of miles away you were doing whatever you could to stand up for Dustin. I know that you went to great lengths in time and personal expense in order to get the advice of an expert. Based on the judicial outcomes of previous cases what did she think the chances were of a successful suit? I'm guessing she thought the chances were not great. Based on the fact that she thought they should file a suit that could be perceived as merely a symbol of protest.

No, she said the probability of winning is very good. Granted, I may have argued the case from my perspective, but that's what I was interested in testing her on: un-brilliant, bumbling and overly-zealous cops activated by reality TV film crew equals disaster waiting to happen. She said that in view of the huge awards in cases much less heart-breaking, it has an excellent chance to "prosperar en el tribunal" but that it would naturally depend entirely on how the case was presented, defended and then perceived by the jury et cetera, and that we were seeing it from a warped perspective, one of disgust at the whole klutzy process. She did say that without the video it would be a non-starter since the cops would tell it their way and that would be that.

Tampa, I have to thank you for what you say. I absolutely don't mind being pontificated to, either directly or indirectly, by people who have about the same ignorance level regarding right and wrong as I have. It doesn't faze me, really. Until, that is, someone like you actually twigs to what I was trying to do in the first place and slips me some encouragement, and then I admit I'm touched. Most of my battles in life have been blighted by an innate jeering disdain for the Conventionally Correct Way of Doing Things. It's usually only at the end that any acknowledgement, normally a bit baffled, is ever forthcoming: "ok, so maybe you were right, but you sure are a pain in the ass".

So I'm doubly grateful to you babe for your sweet support.

 

[slimvintage]

Post script

Tampa et al, in practical terms it's because Andrew Grande comes from a poor family that a law suit should be contemplated to help them. The larger reason is that every time the cops have to face facts in court there's a possibility that the experience will make them change their ways.

 

[joninliverton]

I havn't been involved much on the blame side but whilst the video does exist I suppose there should be some sort of independant enquiry into the affair.

 

[slimvintage]

I havn't been involved much on the blame side but whilst the video does exist I suppose there should be some sort of independant enquiry into the affair.

Thanks jon. You are probably right to use the word "blame", as have a bunch of my other friends on the forum, but for me that isn't the central issue. Not to sound pious, but I was thinking more of "justice".

 

[elyot1]

Blame

Thanks jon. You are probably right to use the word "blame", as have a bunch of my other friends on the forum, but for me that isn't the central issue. Not to sound pious, but I was thinking more of "justice".

You are right, Slim. There is a big distinction between blame and justice. I admire your sense of justice.

 

[tampa24]

I admire your sense of justice.

As do I Slim. I know that you hate to see the forum turn into a Kumbaya love fest. So I'll try to tone it down. haha

Your idealism and sense of justice is one of your most endearing qualities.

Your concern for Dustin and the well being of his lower income family is exemplary. Thank you for being the wise adult who steps in to try to contribute something substantive beyond just words of anger, regret and condolence. Though for many of us that is all we have to offer.

Fortunately we have a champion in you.

In my view the case should go to court even if there is no victory for the family. And I'm not saying that Dustin was completely without fault in his actions leading up to this. The tasers are getting more and more controversial here because the manufacturers are pushing police departments to buy them while advertising them as extremely safe to use on the "bad guys". Which of course they're not. It reminds me a bit of the controversy surrounding the use of rubber bullets in the 80's. If tasers are here to stay (and I'm afraid they are) then police departments need to do a better job of training their officers to use them with much more discretion and forethought.

 

[joninliverton]

Thanks jon. You are probably right to use the word "blame", as have a bunch of my other friends on the forum, but for me that isn't the central issue. Not to sound pious, but I was thinking more of "justice".

I cannot comment on the American judical system, as I know nothing. Over here in Blighty there would be an immediate enquiry made by another police force from another area. Of course there is the opinion that the police stick up for one another but I don't believe all the police are like that. There are genuine police officers who do play a fair game and would conduct such an enquiry fairly. OF course the family could also take the police to court under civil law.

 

[jimgym69]

I had not heard about this until today and it's a terrible waste of a young life. I hope all the Broke Straight Boys models/actors will take note of what happened make sure this doesn't happen to any of them.
I also was wondering if Broke Straight Boys is going to take off the videos featuring Dustin/Andrew? Personally, I think it would be a way of showing respect to him and honoring his memory. I know I won't be watching his videos.
Some might dissagree with me and think his videos should stay online. To each his own......
Just curious as to what the site is going to do.
Thanks,
JBL

 

[Sean]

I haven't even seen any videos this Dustin guy has been in yet, and I think it would be a shame if they took them all off the site! If there is anyone who doesn't want to see them, don't watch them. I think it would be a waste to take any scenes he was in off the site so that no one can see them, it would almost be erasing him from life itself like he never existed to begin with. From what I can tell from reading the threads regarding Dustin, he seemed like a cool guy who had a lot of the same issues that a lot of guys our age have especially if they are a porn star. Plus it would be unfair to his co stars if all his scenes were deleted too. I guess maybe it would be a fair question to ask what would Dustin want if he were still here? Would he want people to see him before this bad stuff happened to him, back when he was a really cool guy and having a great time, or would he rather have himself deleted off the site like he never was. From the sounds of things, Broke Straight Boys and his past experiences starring in porn videos were a long time ago and he had moved on to different things other than being a porn star. I'm guessing that his days at the Broke Straight Boys site were good times for him, and that was a long time ago but I don't know either of course.

Sean