Summary
- Twitch responds to Santa Monica Pier attack, emphasizes ongoing safety concerns for IRL streamers.
- Stream sniping issues persist both online and offline, posing serious threats to streamers’ safety.
- Valkyrae vows to pursue justice in response to the attack, encourages anyone with info to contact police.
Twitch has responded to the recent altercation that occured when streamers Valkyrae, Emiru, and Cinna were live on the platform during a visit to Santa Monica Pier. The recent attack has concerned fans about the overall safety of IRL streaming on Twitch and elsewhere.
On March 2, Valkyrae, Emiru, and Cinna were visiting Santa Monica Pier as part of a streaming marathon that the three had been holding. As the three women approached the pier, they were immediately recognized by an apparent fan. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse when the “fan” began pushing the three to give him one of their phone numbers, and escalated from there until the man began chasing the women around, claiming he’d “kill them right now.”
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Now, over a week after the original incident, a Twitch representative has issued a response to the harrowing encounter. In a statement to Rolling Stone, the unnamed Twitch rep said that the company is “horrified” by harassment and abuse targeting their creators, whether it happens on the platform or outside of it. They went on to say that Twitch “cares deeply” about its streamers and is “working to ensure they’re being supported,” while also acknowledging that Twitch’s own safety teams are investigating the issue. The representative didn’t specifically state whether the company had reached out to Valkyrae, Emiru, or Cinna directly or not.
Streaming, Snipers, and IRL
Unfortunately, this is far from the first dangerous encounter that’s happened to a streamer, whether they’re filming from their own bedroom or the world at large. Stream sniping in the real world is an issue, with viewers sometimes tracking down where a streamer is located and then proceeding to look for them. However, streamers have even been targeted in the privacy of their own homes, with so-called swatting incidents leading to police raiding homes of people who have done nothing wrong. In some cases, this has even turned fatal. Unfortunately, there have also been cases of IRL streamers being assaulted or even killed while filming.
In the wake of this incident, Valkyrae has openly sworn to do whatever she can to ensure that the perpetrator of their attack is caught and brought to justice. Anyone with information on the suspect has been encouraged to come forward and contact the police. Since his face was seen on-stream, it’s possible the police already have an idea of who they’re looking for. However, Valkyrae, Emiru, and Cinna may not fully rest easy until an arrest is actually made.