Leaving Bear Ghost

The following entry contains references to grooming, suicide, emotional abuse, and sexual assault. It is meant to inform the public of my departure and what has happened since to help prevent future incidents. All information is documented and verifiable upon request.

Introduction

My name is Thomas Knight. I am a founding member of Bear Ghost and managed the band from 2011-2015, before signing an agreement with Mattx Presents.

Some sections contain my personal testimony, conversations with the band, and statements from two women who lived intimately with Andrew.

Bear Ghost has indicated they do not wish to discuss this topic in any capacity, but I believe what happened is of public concern. Meaningful accountability cannot exist without honesty and transparency, so discussion among fans is strongly encouraged.

What Happened?

On May 24th, 2019, I chose to quit Bear Ghost.

Andrew Heath (30) began dating an 18 year-old shortly after she graduated high school. He had an unusually close relationship with her while she was a minor and had invited her over frequently during her senior year.

I learned about their relationship in late July of 2018, when I overheard Andrew and Ryan arguing about it before rehearsal. They had not heard me come in and went silent when they noticed me. I asked what was going on and they said Andrew had a girlfriend.

This was unusual.

Andrew had dated women before, but since forming the band in 2010, he had only one girlfriend that I was aware of. Her name was Larena—and I don’t remember the specifics, but they dated sometime between 2013-2016. Before they started dating (when we still lived together), Andrew’s sexual relationships were often intimate without labels.

I was initially glad to hear Andrew was dating again, so I looked at Ryan and said this was great news. Ryan replied she was 18 and I said, “That’s not so great news!” I asked how they met. Andrew said karate. Ryan then told me her best friend was upset with her for dating Andrew because she liked him first. I don’t know if I made a face, but they stopped fighting and tried to assure me it wasn’t what it looked like.

I later talked to Ryan about this and expressed my concerns. He sympathized with me and said he was frustrated with Andrew too. I wanted to intervene and get his parents involved, but Ryan insisted there was nothing we could do. He said he would keep me updated and I believed him. He later tried to assure me that Andrew and his girlfriend were being smart by not changing their relationship status or posting about each other online.

I told our manager, Matthew Bentley, everything. He told me he didn’t know what to do, but that I should stay low and keep him updated if anything changed. This was August of 2018. I did not hear about Andrew’s relationship again for several months.

In December of 2018, Andrew and Ryan held their annual Christmas party. I didn’t go this time because things between us had become strained while I was trying to finish Haunt, the Cartoon Heart. I later learned Ryan had instructed our friend, Brenna, to not invite me to the party because Andrew and his teenage girlfriend would have been upset.

Months later, while we were on tour with Okilly Dokilly, I overheard Andrew talking about his girlfriend moving in with them. As soon as the tour ended, I confronted Ryan. I was upset he hadn’t kept me in the loop and I was learning this now 19 year-old girl was moving in with both of them. Two men in their 30s. Ryan told me he didn’t want her to move in and that he argued with Andrew and the compromise they landed on was she would have her own bedroom.

At this point, I hadn’t said anything to anyone. I felt shunned by the friends I met through them and the only person I trusted anymore was my partner, Marina. So I told her everything. She took a moment to process it all and then told me that in January of 2018, Ryan had called her and complained about Andrew spending time with a high school student. And when she expressed concern and started asking questions, Ryan downplayed it and never brought it up again.

There were a lot of red flags over the years, but everything I learned made it impossible for me to trust my bandmates. I needed to know how this relationship developed.

Taking Action

On May 4th, 2019, I reached out to Andrew’s mother. She did not respond.

On May 5th, 2019, four hours after I messaged Donna, Andrew sent me a message on Facebook and started off saying, “I fully understand the concern over our age gap. If this were someone else, I’d probably think it’s pretty fucked up too.” He claimed he had talked with his girlfriend about the hard realities that come with dating someone his age and assured me, “there’s nothing you could tell her that I haven’t already discussed with her.”

In regards to her moving in, Andrew immediately disparaged her parents and accused them of being verbally abusive, racist, physically abusive, manipulative, and controlling. He told me his girlfriend’s parents were not comfortable with their relationship and that her mother had resorted to harassing his family. Andrew had made several failed attempts to ingratiate himself and complained about how her family had recently rejected three $200 tickets he had purchased for them—his girlfriend later claimed it was her idea and intended for her family to pay him back.

In response to her family’s concerns, Andrew told them, “I am dating [her] as an adult that can make adult decisions,” and “her choices are her choices alone.”

At the end of the message, Andrew accused me of dragging his family into manufactured drama.

Later that week—after I had to coordinate with Ryan to determine when I could come over to speak with Andrew—he finally agreed to sit down with me and discuss his relationship in full.

Andrew confirmed he and his girlfriend met when she was 13, after she joined a martial arts class at The Center for Humane Living, a non-profit that provides community services to low-income families. Enrollment for martial arts begins at 13 and many students are young girls from unstable homes. Andrew’s parents, Donna Heath and Eric Heath, are instructors at the school.

Eric and Donna have a long history of inviting young students into their home, integrating them into their family, and mentoring them outside of class. As a Legacy Instructor, Andrew is introduced to a new group of 13 year-olds every year.

According to his girlfriend, Andrew’s mother began developing a mother/daughter mentorship with her while she was a minor. She claimed she and Andrew were not close during this period and that they had barely spoken to each other until she was 17.

Larena (Andrew’s ex-girlfriend who remained a close family friend) claimed Andrew was very close with the minor during their relationship and was told she was his “younger sister”—this allegedly occurred while I was still managing the band. She also believed the minor had a crush on Andrew at the time and felt then that he was not doing enough to set clear boundaries.

On Bear Ghost’s Facebook page, Andrew’s teenage girlfriend responded to concerns that he had taken advantage of his role as an instructor and strongly clarified he was never her mentor, stating:

“Andrew’s mother is my second mom. At times she was my only mom. SHE was my person. SHE was MY mentor. My go to. Not Andrew. […] His mom gave me everything when I had nothing. She is my mom too, just like his dad is my dad. They both have gone above and beyond for me and they are my other parents. My family.”

According to additional public statements, Andrew’s girlfriend experienced a traumatic loss when a friend at her school took their own life. She was 17 when Andrew reached out to support her. On Bear Ghost’s Facebook page, she stated:

“This was new to my friend group and none of us really knew how to cope with it. No one really understood the pain I felt. Andrew happened to be there when I was talking about this. He reached out to support me when no one else would.”

According to Andrew’s former roommate, he began inviting the young student to their home in 2018, during her senior year, with visits becoming more frequent as she approached graduation. In her blog, his girlfriend claimed these visits did not occur while she was underage and that she and Andrew would have weekly lunches, stating:

“I never went to Andrew’s house when I was under 18. We had lunch sometimes. After a while it became lunch on Tuesdays. Always in a public place and never more than an hour or two.”

On February 13th, 2018, Andrew took her to see Hamilton and posed with his arm around her for Instagram. She was 17. On Valentine’s Day, she posted the photo without tagging him and included the words, “Wait for it ⭐”.

In Hamilton’s “Wait For It,” Aaron Burr sings about his love affair with Theodosia, the wife of a British officer. Believing their relationship would be problematic if it became public, Burr decides he will wait for an opportunity to be with her that no longer poses a threat to his political image and career.

During my discussion with Andrew, I expressed concern with the possibility that his gestures and lack of conventional boundaries may have facilitated romantic feelings in the recently traumatized high school student. Andrew strongly disagreed and assured me romantic and sexual feelings were never a part of their friendship—and that he was also not attracted to her until after she graduated.

His girlfriend later shared a similar, but different, sentiment, saying she never thought about dating him until after she turned 18 in late February. She also claimed in her blog, “The romantic aspect of our relationship was not spoken about or even hinted at until I was over 18.”

These details, along with Andrew’s refusal to acknowledge the influence of his age and experience over a teenager, as well as his resistance to talk about his relationship, made me concerned that he had groomed her or worse—and that his support system had enabled him.

Pressure

I talked to each member of Bear Ghost about the situation (including our manager, Matthew Bentley) and outlined my personal concerns as to how this could reflect on our work if his relationship became public. I also told them I was no longer comfortable with playing Disney covers or doing all-ages shows, which had become a significant part of Bear Ghost’s image.

Every member I spoke with expressed discomfort with Andrew’s decision to date a teenager and agreed it would be damaging to Bear Ghost’s reputation if the public found out. However, when discussing possible resolutions, Ryan continued to reject attempts to intervene, draw boundaries, or get in front of the issue and proposed instead that we keep quiet about the relationship.

Shortly after these discussions, Matthew “Mattx” Bentley revoked my access to all Bear Ghost accounts and attempted to cut off my ability to communicate with the fans, so I compiled a list and began sending out friend requests. Bear Ghost later portrayed my efforts to sustain communications as a calculated attack.

I began to see a pattern of cognitive dissonance. I was right to be concerned, but there was nothing to worry about; Andrew was being transparent, but he didn’t want to talk about it; nobody was hiding anything, but we should avoid drawing attention; and everyone is being honest, but there are certain things we shouldn’t discuss publicly.

Ryan told me my suggestion to replace Andrew made sense, but he was opposed to it because he worried that Andrew’s girlfriend lacked the “cognitive capacity” to understand what was happening.

I removed my gear from the studio. I told Ryan I quit and the next day, I sent a message to Matt, Myke, and Ryan announcing my departure. I included my reasons for leaving, my perspective on what led us here, and what I wanted to say to the public.

In response, Ryan accused me of blackmail. I had explicitly told them I quit (twice at this point) and did not ask for anything. I assumed Ryan meant emotional blackmail and in response, I readily admitted to my shortcomings. Ryan told me that I was selfish, that I did not care about Bear Ghost or how this would affect Andrew’s girlfriend, that drawing boundaries would be damaging to her because of her age, and that my intentions were malicious. But he also said (in the same message) that he understood I was trying to protect her and he believed I was right to take the measures I had.

The following screenshots are taken from BearGhostOfficial’s leaked Timeline (I suggest using the Wayback Machine):

On May 25th, 2019, I announced my departure on social media.

The Response

Many folks were supportive of me, but many former friends, fans, and musicians distanced themselves or harassed me online. Ryan and Andrew were harassed as well and after Andrew’s girlfriend positioned herself in front of the controversy and made her aforementioned public statement to the Bear Ghost’s Facebook page in their defense, additional harassment was experienced by all parties.

As I confronted the loss of my relationships, I began to spiral. On May 29th, 2019, I sent Andrew an apology and took everything down. He did not respond.

Months later, I learned many Bear Ghost fans were not aware of why I quit. Some were not aware of my departure at all. I also learned Bear Ghost intended to continue using my work without paying royalties or acknowledging the details of what happened—and a significant number of fans, fellow artists, photographers, venue owners, and audio engineers (Jeremy Parker) still continued to support the band, despite knowing why I left.

On August 30th, 2019, I created grizzlyphantom.com to act as a permanent resource for what happened.

If you have read this far, thank you. The rest of this entry covers some very specific events that are necessary to understand the legal threats we received from Bear Ghost.

Zia Records

On September 8th, 2019, Zia Records rescinded a split-vinyl distribution deal with Bear Ghost and Mega Ran after becoming aware of why I left. In response, Bear Ghost drafted a lawsuit and accused me of “tortious interference of business relationships.”

In contrast, Mega Ran expressed his support—and when talking about whether or not I should contact the Phoenix New Times, he told me, “You’ve come so far. And what’s right is right.”

Podcast Interview

On September 25th, 2019, I was contacted to do an interview about my decision to quit Bear Ghost. The host attempted to contact other members of Bear Ghost, saying, “I want to make sure I present the story very unbiased and give everyone an equal opportunity to say their side.”

Bear Ghost declined the interview.

Three months after it was published, Bear Ghost accused me of making “defamatory comments” such as:

• referring to Andrew’s teenage girlfriend as a teenager;
• discussing the possibility of abuse in situations that involve grooming;
• alleging Ryan had enabled the relationship and tried to convince me to stay quiet.

Sexual Assault Allegations

Lawsuit

On December 18th, 2019, Bear Ghost drafted the aforementioned lawsuit and cited various tort claims, including:

• defamation
• blackmail
• false light invasion of privacy
• tortious interference with business relationships
• intentional infliction of emotional distress

Bear Ghost also claimed to have suffered “reputational, business, and emotional damages” and outlined that any resolution would need to include a Non-Disclosure Provision, stating that both Marina and I would agree to “not discuss Bear Ghost or any of its members in any way” for an unspecified length of time.

We were put into contact with a skilled lawyer and were advised to take down all content related to Bear Ghost and its members as a gesture of good faith during negotiations. While we found it difficult to navigate with the feeling of being silenced, we attempted to form a compromise all parties could accept—which would have included Bear Ghost making a public statement acknowledging key details about Andrew’s relationship. Bear Ghost refused and over the course of several months, negotiations stalled.

Arrest

On May 28th, 2020, Marina and I were arrested for protesting police brutality. I bring this up because the incident was extremely public; we were the first two people arrested and our mugshots were being shared online. On June 1st, 2020, we appeared on AZFamily with Briana Whitney to talk about the ongoing protests.

Later that night, we received an email from our lawyer informing us Bear Ghost intended to file the lawsuit if we did not agree to their terms by June 5th, saying, “The other side is apparently not interested in any further concessions.”

As we understood it, Bear Ghost had not made a single concession during negotiations and were now pressuring us to sign a Settlement Agreement:

Marina and I believed the initial legal threat was an attempted SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation), so we decided to call their bluff and not sign.

Bear Ghost never filed the lawsuit.

Concluding Remarks

I recognize that Bear Ghost is able to spend tens of thousands of dollars on litigation to hold me liable for whatever losses or reputational damages they believe they’re entitled to, but they could also donate that money to organizations like RAINN, Joyful Heart Foundation, Safe Horizon, Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, National Sexual Violence Resource Center or Darkness To Light and help provide resources to victims of abuse.

There is still a lot more that needs to be discussed, but for the time being, I would like to thank you for reading this. I know it’s a lot, but I appreciate your efforts in doing what you can to ensure accountability within our communities.

If you would like to listen to the interview I did in September, it can be found here.

Thank you for reading.