My name is Mees Brenninkmeijer. I am a Pokemon player from the Netherlands that qualified for and participated in the 2013 Pokemon World Championships in Vancouver.
On Monday, August 12, the day after the World Championship, my MacBook laptop as well as many valuable cards were stolen from my luggage at the bell keep desk of the Pan Pacific hotel. These items were stolen by two other players, Gino Lombardi and Jon Bristow, who were caught on video. Images from the video showing both Gino and Jon as well as an accompanying report from security explaining what was seen in the videos were sent to Dave Schwimmer. Additionally, eyewitnesses, including one who saw Jon and Gino with the stolen items, messaged Dave what they saw.
The official security report from the Pan Pacific Hotel.
This first picture, included in the report, shows Gino Lombardi, exiting the Pan Pacific with my bag in his hand.
This second picture, also provided by Pan Pacific security, shows Jon Bristow exiting the Pan Pacific after stealing cards from my luggage.
It is important to note after being caught, Jon returned all of my cards by mail. Gino never returned my computer or even responded to my messages. After receiving all of the evidence, TPCi's official response was as follows:
"Mees, Thank you for the report. We will file this in Jon and Geno's files for future reference. We do not feel it would be appropriate for us to take any disciplinary action for this issue. The matter did not take place at the World Championships event, and should be handled directly by the authorities."
The letter goes on to say that Jon and Gino will receive warning letters. The e-mail is signed by Dave Schwimmer.
Of course, I was outraged when I read this. How could they not be suspended or banned? Why should I be subjected to these people in future tournaments? Why should any other players? What is going to stop Jon and Gino from stealing at future events, where there are hundreds of vulnerable out-of-town travelers and young children toting valuable cards and items?
So who is on my side here? Not TPCi. They'd rather hide behind a technicality than keep this game safe for international travelers. Let it be known that if TPCi invites you out to a tournament and puts you up in a hotel you are on your own -- if others they've invited to that same tournament steal your things or commit any other crime that doesn't happen to occur exactly during tournament hours or within the play area, they don't care.
Dave didn't say that Gino and Jon were innocent, or that TPCi didn't have enough evidence, he said that because it was outside of the tournament that it wasn't their concern. Well, when I'm invited by TPCi to a foreign country, I would expect TPCi to look after my safety instead of just "leaving things to the authorities."
On Monday, August 12, the day after the World Championship, my MacBook laptop as well as many valuable cards were stolen from my luggage at the bell keep desk of the Pan Pacific hotel. These items were stolen by two other players, Gino Lombardi and Jon Bristow, who were caught on video. Images from the video showing both Gino and Jon as well as an accompanying report from security explaining what was seen in the videos were sent to Dave Schwimmer. Additionally, eyewitnesses, including one who saw Jon and Gino with the stolen items, messaged Dave what they saw.
The official security report from the Pan Pacific Hotel.
This first picture, included in the report, shows Gino Lombardi, exiting the Pan Pacific with my bag in his hand.
This second picture, also provided by Pan Pacific security, shows Jon Bristow exiting the Pan Pacific after stealing cards from my luggage.
It is important to note after being caught, Jon returned all of my cards by mail. Gino never returned my computer or even responded to my messages. After receiving all of the evidence, TPCi's official response was as follows:
"Mees, Thank you for the report. We will file this in Jon and Geno's files for future reference. We do not feel it would be appropriate for us to take any disciplinary action for this issue. The matter did not take place at the World Championships event, and should be handled directly by the authorities."
The letter goes on to say that Jon and Gino will receive warning letters. The e-mail is signed by Dave Schwimmer.
Of course, I was outraged when I read this. How could they not be suspended or banned? Why should I be subjected to these people in future tournaments? Why should any other players? What is going to stop Jon and Gino from stealing at future events, where there are hundreds of vulnerable out-of-town travelers and young children toting valuable cards and items?
So who is on my side here? Not TPCi. They'd rather hide behind a technicality than keep this game safe for international travelers. Let it be known that if TPCi invites you out to a tournament and puts you up in a hotel you are on your own -- if others they've invited to that same tournament steal your things or commit any other crime that doesn't happen to occur exactly during tournament hours or within the play area, they don't care.
Dave didn't say that Gino and Jon were innocent, or that TPCi didn't have enough evidence, he said that because it was outside of the tournament that it wasn't their concern. Well, when I'm invited by TPCi to a foreign country, I would expect TPCi to look after my safety instead of just "leaving things to the authorities."
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