“Let the buyer be aware that the product you are purchasing comes in the condition you find it — AS IS — without warranty, without guarantee, and the buyer accepts these conditions.  The sale, once made shall be final.”

On May 24, 2014 an event was held at the Atlanta lifestyle location known as Incognito.  The event when announced caused a bit of a stir, as happens on occasion.  There is a theory that goes there is no such thing as bad publicity.  This post questions that theory.

The alternative lifestyle scene in Atlanta is alive and well despite the city’s location on the map.  Atlanta has a fairly large group of kinksters who participate in the large umbrella known as the ‘alternative lifestyle’.  Those who practice BDSM and/or also engage in swinging have their choice of venues to participate in a public capacity.

One such location is Incognito, a venue that is sex positive and opens her doors to the community, for a price.

The venue is owned by Marcus Williams. As the venue’s owner he will tell you that events at Incognito are done with his consent and approval.  One such event was the KKK party of May 24.

The event itself was a karaoke night.  The title was intended to be a play on words. The joke was, or should have been, that a Black man was hosting a KKK party.  The title was a little edgy, and in theory should not have been very controversial.  In reality, some took offense and the response to that offense, combined with other information that will be disclosed here should serve as information for the consumer.

The consumer will do with that information as they wish.  I send no endorsement in either direction, I am simply sharing the information as it was presented to me, with the facts I was able to verify.

The discussion about the KKK party happened in both a public venue on Fetlife, and also in private phone calls, text messages, and private mail.  Some found it cute, others amusing, some found the title offensive. One Fetlifer expressed her offense, stating that she would use her option to never again attend an event held at Incognito.  That simple expression prompted Mr. Williams to post a statement about the controversy.

First, Mr. Williams changed the name of the event.  Instead of the abbreviation KKK he altered the title to the full words of the event, effectively removing the potentially offensive acronym from advertising.  Second, Mr. Williams posted on his Fetlife page, a ‘response’ which expressed in essence that Incognito was his house, he paid the bills, he makes the rules, and those who are unwilling to accept that were invited to kiss his ass.  [his words not mine]

In the interim that post has been deleted, and Mr. Williams has held fast to his position that it was not an open invitation to all consumers to kiss his as, rather it was a specific invitation to the two individuals who he felt were being divisive and harmful.

I engaged in both a public and private dialogue with Mr. Williams regarding the original content of the post.  Our public exchange has since been deleted.  Our private exchange is below in both a cut and paste for your your review, and a screen shot to offer that the conversation has not been altered by me:

 

{{{ EDITOR’S NOTE – ON JUNE 8, 2014 THIS POST CONTAINED A SCREEN SHOT PHOTO OF THE CONVERSATION LISTED BELOW.  THAT PHOTO HAS BEEN REMOVED.  THE PHOTO REMAINS AND CAN BE EMAILED TO THE READER UPON REQUEST.  THE DETAILS OF WHY THE PHOTO WAS REMOVED IS BELOW IN THE ADDENDUM}}}

← list of conversations
__Nicole____Nicole__ 93F
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
written 16 days ago:
I don’t necessarily want to get into a lengthy debate about the issue. It’s not that important to me until the next time I come to Atlanta.
I simply wanted to share that while your target audience may simply have been a handful of people, your method of delivery is accessible to all.
People are watching and not commenting but they are watching. While I make no judgment on if your position is just or unjust I wanted to share that the overall statement of kiss my ass leaves a sour taste in those who consider where to spend their consumer dollars.
In a city like your own where the consumer has multiple options watching one owner operator say kiss my ass does not increase the appeal of their establishment. While you might not be overly concerned with my semi annual business, offending your base who will come more than twice a year should be in your mind.
For as many who choose to support you in public, there are an equal amount who see this display and choose to support a competitor. My simple wish is that all who choose to service the community keep the community in mind as they make statements. Please do with that what you will. Be well.
MarcusWilliamsMarcusWilliams 44M
Atlanta, Georgia
written 16 days ago:
Noted…….

 

I debated for a time if i would share this specific conversation.  I opted to share as this blog took shape.  As I decided to share this story and the other details that will be disclosed I felt it was important to demonstrate that despite personal feelings and opinions about the business practices of Mr. Williams, that I’ve always been respectful and direct in our interactions, limited as they were.

The discussion about the title of the event and the controversy that followed was extensive.  Those who supported Mr. Williams’ position, or his statement were allowed to have their comments remain on the post listed above. Those who shared a different point of view were deleted.  The reader can reach their own conclusions about that action.

The following information comes from information known to a small circle of people about the business practices of Mr. Williams.

A group of kinksters in the Atlanta, GA area approached Mr. Williams about holding an event at the Incognito venue.  This is not unusual, he owns a facility that is accessible, affordable, and can accommodate large crowds. The story of how that event landed elsewhere is the opposite.

The group approached Mr. Williams about using the venue.  Mr. Williams and the group spokesperson came to a hand shake agreement to the date and availability of Incognito.  In the weeks that followed the group attempted to formalize that handshake into a contract. Those negotiations failed in glorious fashion.

Mr. Williams was consistently unavailable to speak with the group. He gave the technical responsibilities to his then administrative assistant, who was also consistently unavailable to speak with the group to formalize the contract.  It is important to note that the then assistant is no longer working for Mr. Williams or Incognito in that capacity.

After weeks of back and forth with text, phone calls, and missed appointments, the group pushed back their date, with the hope that the delay would allow them to get a contract signed.

The negotiations to secure the venue did not go well.  The end result is that the group went elsewhere to hold their venue.  The specifics of the negotiations while known to me shall not be repeated because I could not obtain independent evidence one way or the other to tell the specifics in an objective fashion.

What I was able to obtain independently is that Mr. Williams after this group decided to go elsewhere to hold their event, proceeded to jeopardize the success of this event in two specific ways:

• Mr. Williams contacted the local vendor responsible for supplying dungeon furniture to the group with a request to rent all of their furniture, for the exact dates of the event for the group.  This action is suspicious in nature due to the fact that Incognito is a fully equipped facility that has no need to rent equipment.
• Mr. Williams instituted a policy for Incognito to coincide with the event held by this group.  The new policy offers a six month basic membership free of charge for those who attend the events of Incognito, coincidentally held on the first night of the event planned by the other group.  Mr. Williams has insisted this is a long held practice yet a review of Mr. Williams’ Fetlife activity displays that his assertion is not true.

 

It is possible that the practice was in place and simply not advertised previously.  If that is the case the recent decision to advertise, to coincide with a competing event is suspicious at best.

The judgement of the owner/operator of Incognito, Mr. Williams is the question of this blog.

A man who appears to on purpose sabotage a one time competing event, is questionable.

A man whose judgment allows an event to be called KKK at his establishment, is questionable.

A man who when confronted with concerns and questions from his consumers about the event responds with an invitation to kiss his ass, is questionable.

Those questions are up to the individual who reads to answer for themselves.  I am simply providing information.

As is the practice of Vizionz from the Bottom, responses are encouraged and welcome. The Disqus format will allow a registered user to post their responses without moderation from me.  I welcome opposing view points and give my word that if Mr. Williams or those who choose to defend him opt to respond that their responses will stand as written.

 

Aphrodite Brown 

 

 

 

 

June 9, 2014 – Editor’s Addendum:

This post was shared because it was something I thought needed to be shared.  While some have questioned publicly my motive, or need to complete this blog, I stand by my work.  Although I am not a part of the “Atlanta Kinky Community” I am a kinkster of color who deserves to be treated respectfully.  As I’ve stated elsewhere, this post is neither an endorsement nor an attack.  It is an information exchange that will give the reader knowledge they might not have had previously.  That knowledge is yours to do with as you wish.  Vizionz from the Bottom is not Politifact.  It is a personal platform you opt to share with me.  When I make the complex decision to share things like this, I make the attempt to filter out as much of my bias as possible.  Filtering out the bias does not mean that I will be neutral.  If I were neutral on the topic, it would never see the light on this page. I write about what happens in my life, and the passion it inspires in me will at times shine through.  I do not apologize for that since I feel strongly that is why you visit here to begin with. Mr. Williams and I had an exchange yesterday on Fetlife.  I posted a link to this blog in the Incognito group on Fetlife.  One of the moderators of that group edited my post to include a message of endorsement for Mr. Williams and signed my name to that edit.  I reported the violation to Fetlife and that report led to Fetlife requesting that I remove the photo that was in this post previously.  Although I could ignore that request, I chose not to.  Fetlife prefers that screen shots of their site not be used elsewhere.  It was a courtesy to Fetlife.

Finally I want to point out that Mr. Williams has chosen to respond to this blog.  His comments stand unedited.  While I point out that his comments are unedited, I will also point out that he’s been unable or unwilling to share that what I’ve reported on here is untrue.

I stand by my statements here, and give you constant reader the chance to determine for yourself if the behavior of this business owner warrants your consumer dollar.