NYPD on Twitter: "We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased." (See guidelines before posting)

RROCKMAN · Jun 25, 2019

I seriously dont understand how he was allowed out. He even assaulted an police officer.

I really thought that that he would be forced to remain in the care of rehabilitation services and would be eventually be fine and would leave the internet behind.

I realize now that I am an Idealistic fool.

May Etika rest in peace.

TheGreatMightyPoo · Jun 25, 2019

Probably a really good dude, just had too many demons.

May he be at peace and no longer be eaten up by his mind.

z1ggy · Jun 25, 2019

Cerium said:
Official Staff Communication

This tragedy is not an opportunity for drama, it is not entertainment, nor is it an occasion to organize harassment against people who most likely already feel terrible about what has happened here. Our guide/FAQ states:

"Members that appear to be using an obituary thread as an opportunity to post vitriol will be moderated."

Attempting to hurt or punish is a poor way to pay your respects. This thread began with a tremendous outpouring of sympathy and support. It must not end by tearing itself apart.

As always, our Mental Health community welcomes members seeking support or company during difficult times like these:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/mental-health-era-ot2-community-and-understanding.95803/

If you or someone you know is suffering, additional help is available:

International: https://ibpf.org/resource/list-international-suicide-hotlines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines

US: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

UK: http://www.samaritans.org
Samaritan Lifeline: 116 123

US/UK: https://www.crisistextline.org/

AUS: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14

IMO it would be nice to pin this info so it cant get lost between the thousands of threads we have.

Melkezadek · Jun 25, 2019

No, these "RIP so sad" condolences are HOLLOW without a serious discussion on how moderation is going to handle this shit going forward. "I feel bad" doesn't fucking cut it.

I'm disgusted and people need to be held accountable. People were all but GOADING this outcome. And people AREN'T going to forget this.

Kingpin Rogers · Jun 25, 2019

I'm really going to miss him. Been watching him for almost 5 years now and I always thought he was such a genuinely entertaining person. He really had a spark that not many people have that just boosted him to be as funny and as interesting as he was.
It's an absolutely massive loss.

It annoys me that these professionals just let him out every single time when it was obvious he needed actual help. You don't have the cops breaking down your door whilst you're screaming random shit out the window if you're completely fine as they seemed to decide every single time he was sent to a mental hospital. I get that maybe he acted fine in there but they should have known about his behavior when he wasn't in there.

Tatsu91 · Jun 25, 2019

JB2448 said:
Rest in peace.

Edit:

Knew nothing other than he was going through some stuff RIP man no one deserves to feel so bad this happens

Deleted member 18944 · Jun 25, 2019

Komo said:
Same shit happened to Lil Peep. Everything he did all his cries for help on Instagram had been brushed off everything he had been saying was just touted at being a part of his image. But really everyone ignored some of his last cries before it was too late.

This is a common issue.

I will always find it strange to see comments saying that someone is just faking it. That its just their "thing" like its a shtick. I will never understand the comments that brush it off. I'm sure the same people who made jokes about it are the same people who also needed mental health help at one point.

We live in a time where it feels like we are more reactionary and angry than empathetic and its honestly killing some of us.

KaCo · Jun 25, 2019

Rest in peace Etika, tragic to hear someone so young passing away.

My condolences to his family and friends.

Rurouni Kenshin · Jun 25, 2019

RIP Etika. You were entertaining AF.

Wise · Jun 25, 2019

I don't know what to say. I'm really down right now. I remember when I used to watch his X and Y videos :(

This is extremely heavy. Rest in peace.

HockeyBird · Jun 25, 2019

LookAtMeGo said:
Its messed up that he was in custody not long ago when it was obvious to everyone that he wasn't OK but they just let him go like "he's fine". He obviously wasn't. This most likely would have been avoided if he had got the help he needed when he needed it. Its a shame.

I doubt they thought he was fine. He was most likely offered help but unless he posed an immediate threat to others then they can't just lock him up indefinitely.

EVA UNIT 01 · Jun 25, 2019

Dude taught me how to WiiU mod smash first in videos then over discord.
RIP my guy

Avenger54321 · Jun 25, 2019

I was just watching some of his reaction videos earlier this week. Rest in peace, Desmond

Kiraly · Jun 25, 2019

Damn, RIP.

Deleted member 28076 · Jun 25, 2019

Cerium said:
Official Staff Communication

As always, our Mental Health community welcomes members seeking support or company during difficult times like these:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/mental-health-era-ot2-community-and-understanding.95803/

Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

pokéfan · Jun 25, 2019

Oh my god

Rest in peace Desmond!

The guy needed help, he wasn't taken serious enough and all the systems failed, and most people were laughing at him or thought he was joking or acting, what a joke, i am disgusted.

Deleted member 51691 · Jun 25, 2019

Melkezadek said:
No, these "RIP so sad" condolences are HOLLOW without a serious discussion on how moderation is going to handle this shit going forward. "I feel bad" doesn't fucking cut it.

I'm disgusted and people need to be held accountable. People were all but GOADING this outcome. And people AREN'T going to forget this.

Yeah, the lack of compassion in the threads about Etika's mental health leading up to his suicide was unreal

dark_prinny · Jun 25, 2019

Didn't know or follow the guy but always sad to see someone so young go this way.

Rest in Peace

Quacktion · Jun 25, 2019

RIP, tragic that it has come to this.

Deleted member 7279 · Jun 25, 2019

Melkezadek said:
No, these "RIP so sad" condolences are HOLLOW without a serious discussion on how moderation is going to handle this shit going forward. "I feel bad" doesn't fucking cut it.

I'm disgusted and people need to be held accountable. People were all but GOADING this outcome. And people AREN'T going to forget this.

It is as much a reason for the outcome as the illness itself. It wasn't unique to this place.

Atom Heart Mother · Jun 25, 2019

stealthyfrog said:
Yeah, the lack of compassion in the threads about Etika's mental health leading up to his suicide was unreal

The worst posts were the ones that FELT the need to say "I don't know who Etika is". Thanks for your input. Glad you wasted time posting that.

Eslayer · Jun 25, 2019

RIP Etika,

I hope this serves as a reminder that influencers, personalities, celebrities (or whatever you want to dub them) are as human as anyone else and can suffer from mental illness.
Money, fame, etc are not a cure for those issues and if you're skeptical of someones actions or intentions it's best to keep your mouth shut rather than clown them, and if you can you should help them.

Again, rest in peace Desmond.

MechaX · Jun 25, 2019

Taker34 said:
My condolences to everyone affected.

This.

It's undeniable that previous comments have been disgusting and if some people want to turn this tragedy into Twitter drama then yikes. Report posts which are against the rules.

The thing is that this is an incredibly difficult and complex situation to talk about, has the potential to lead to very dark consequences, and did, in fact lead to the darkest worst case scenario.

But leading campaigns to quarter folks ain't it. Nor is it lashing out by saying that no one was helping him (which is one slap in the face to the people that we know did likely try to support him leading up to the end). This needs to be a learning experience for everyone that mental illness is never something to take lightly, as there's no repeats if things turn out like they did here.

Alternatively, also don't be like the old place in using this as a means to rail against a certain, purple-themed message board.

OfficerRaichu15 · Jun 25, 2019

Rip Etika. You have me lots of memories over the course of watching you the last six years.

tulpa · Jun 25, 2019

CGiRanger said:
Actions speak louder than words....

I'm pissed as hell at how Etika was treated here, but apparently cannot express that fact without retaliation now.

for the response to just be "if you're criticizing us, you're just trying to start drama" with ZERO acknowledgement of the systemic ableism that is now festering on this board and ZERO acknowledgement that mistakes were made and then saying basically "we've always supported people with mental health issues" when there's mountains of evidence that's not true is really a shockingly disgraceful response. there is zero chance i will ever feel comfortable talking about my mental health issues on era. it's not a safe space for people with mental health issues, it's a safe space for their harassers, attackers, and ableists instead.

Era needs to launch a review into its policies on ableism. now.

Yearsoflurking · Jun 25, 2019

I don't know of him but RIP to the breh. mental health is serious especially in my community considering everything we go through daily, take care of yourselves.

The 8-Bit Raider · Jun 25, 2019

It's a shame to see someone so young parish

Deleted member 32822 · Jun 25, 2019

This thread should be a celebration of this young man's life, but of course, it's turned into a "I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG" echo chamber of people who should be spending more time focused on the way this kid brightened people's days and should be less focused on derailing the thread.

Go start another thread in Etc if there are serious concerns about moderation and mental health on this forum, but don't turn his death into an opportunity to act holier-than-thou for no reason other than your own narcissism.

JusDoIt · Jun 25, 2019

Doctor Ironic said:
Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

You could have kept that cynicism to yourself and let people who might need someone to talk to decide for themselves.

Xiaomi · Jun 25, 2019

Cerium said:
Official Staff Communication

This tragedy is not an opportunity for drama, it is not entertainment, nor is it an occasion to organize harassment against people who most likely already feel terrible about what has happened here.

I don't think anyone here is treating this like "drama" or entertainment, nor are they organizing harassment campaigns. Explain why you think this is an apt description of the people who are upset.

PlanetSmasher · Jun 25, 2019

Kingpin Rogers said:
I'm really going to miss him. Been watching him for almost 5 years now and I always thought he was such a genuinely entertaining person. He really had a spark that not many people have that just boosted him to be as funny and as interesting as he was.
It's an absolutely massive loss.

It annoys me that these professionals just let him out every single time when it was obvious he needed actual help. You don't have the cops breaking down your door whilst you're screaming random shit out the window if you're completely fine as they seemed to decide every single time he was sent to a mental hospital. I get that maybe he acted fine in there but they should have known about his behavior when he wasn't in there.

I hate it, but it's unfortunately the way the system works - you can't legally hold someone in the hospital once they consider themselves lucid and express a desire to leave. It sucks, it's terrible, but if we change the rules to allow hospitals to hold people indefinitely we essentially wind up with mental health prisons. There has to be a better way to help people who are in bad shape but don't necessarily want to be helped, but...I don't know what it is.

Alastor3 · Jun 25, 2019

Doctor Ironic said:
Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

exactly, while I like ERA for the gaming news, i will personnaly reach for support with a professional, certainly not with ERA, no offence, but the bad apple just sour the whole website

Ferrs · Jun 25, 2019

Doctor Ironic said:
Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

Take a look at the Mental Health thread and see how there's a lot of caring people helping each other.

Xiaomi said:
I don't think anyone here is treating this like "drama" or entertainment, nor are they organizing harassment campaigns. Explain why you think this is an apt description of the people who are upset.

People here were doing screenshots of posts and demaning bans, and claiming they had to be accountable

Miracle Ache · Jun 25, 2019

He showed so many signs of needing help and the system, his fans, and everyone who treated this like a joke completely failed him. A tragic yet unsurprising outcome. Hopefully one day mental health will be taken seriously.

RIP

Deleted member 36578 · Jun 25, 2019

Melkezadek said:
No, these "RIP so sad" condolences are HOLLOW without a serious discussion on how moderation is going to handle this shit going forward. "I feel bad" doesn't fucking cut it.

I'm disgusted and people need to be held accountable. People were all but GOADING this outcome. And people AREN'T going to forget this.

There's a much more serious matter at hand and someone lost their life. Rip to him.

Pein · Jun 25, 2019

RIP

I was literally hyped about his smash reactions, I don't even like smash like that but it was really nice how he was so hyped and happy over it. I'll miss him, honestly dude was a beacon of happiness at times and thats what makes it even more tragic.

Raccoon · Jun 25, 2019

edit: rip

Foffy · Jun 25, 2019

tulpa said:
Era needs to fundamentally reform the way it approaches conversations around mental illness. There is no rule against ableism on Era and why its tolerated is beyond me. This board is not a safe space for people suffering from mental illness and long before the Etika incident the way people on this board openly mocked people with mental health issues with zero consequences ripped me apart and deeply hurt as someone with a life-long history of mental health struggles.

I hope we can take this as an opportunity to listen and learn because what's happening now on this board is systemic ableism and there needs to be a fundamental review of policy

Echoing the shit out of this. I'm not big on callout culture, but if we're going to be a zero-tolerance place for other abuses towards others, mental health must be the next thing we take seriously. We don't let room for many other forms of projection that are a form of violence, and yet people are furious, myself included, that many posters here meet that very specific criteria right now, and it seemed like an issue when and only when we learned Etika died. Nothing changed a week ago from today, other than the stories of doing this for attention have finally been put to rest, because someone ultimately killed themselves.

Staff better do better going forward with dealing with this. Apply the same level of sharpness to TERFs and transphobia in always making sure to call it the fuck out the same way you apply it to mental illness.

entremet · Jun 25, 2019

Doctor Ironic said:
Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

No one should discuss these issues in an online forum alone. This is why professionals exist and spend years honing and learning their craft.

Puck Beaverton · Jun 25, 2019

Sega Dreamcast said:
This thread should be a celebration of this young man's life, but of course, it's turned into a "I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG" echo chamber of people who should be spending more time focused on the way this kid brightened people's days and should be less focused on derailing the thread.

Go start another thread in Etc if there are serious concerns about moderation and mental health on this forum, but don't turn his death into an opportunity to act holier-than-thou for no reason other than your own narcissism.

most memorial threads on controversial figures are like that with internet discourse

its honestly best to just say whatever you want to say, positive or negative or whatever, and then bounce.

Deleted member 56266 · Jun 25, 2019

Cerium said:
Official Staff Communication

As always, our Mental Health community welcomes members seeking support or company during difficult times like these

Do they?

Papercuts · Jun 25, 2019

Meta commentary on this subject is pretty hard to avoid given the situation and all the events that led to this unfortunate outcome. Wanting a thread that's nothing but "RIP" with no opportunity to bring up the issues mental health runs into is reallly damn similar to the thoughts and prayers crap that basically just blockade discussion and change from happening. There were very real examples of the type of stuff that bring to this outcome on this forum.

There's nothing wrong with having an open outlet for discussion about this. If anything I'm sure Etika would love to see even the smallest nudge to getting these issues help for people suffering in the future. It's incredibly unfortunate he wasn't able to get the help he needed, but this affects so many people that can still be helped.

cyress8 · Jun 25, 2019

Sega Dreamcast said:
This thread should be a celebration of this young man's life, but of course, it's turned into a "I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG" echo chamber of people who should be spending more time focused on the way this kid brightened people's days and should be less focused on derailing the thread.

Go start another thread in Etc if there are serious concerns about moderation and mental health on this forum, but don't turn his death into an opportunity to act holier-than-thou for no reason other than your own narcissism.

Yep, people using this as a soapbox should be fucking ashamed of themselves.

IceFireTerry · Jun 25, 2019

just gonna leave this here

the magical kitsune · Jun 25, 2019

This is tragic. :( Rest in peace Etika

This is why you should NEVER EVER DOWNPLAY mental health issues. I feel so bad his call for help was sneered at

HypedBulborb · Jun 25, 2019

Loved his reaction videos... So sad man.

RIP

ScoobsJoestar · Jun 25, 2019

Doctor Ironic said:
Why would anyone feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues here anymore?

Yeah, no kidding. Not gonna lie...everyone's rush to be "good" and jump on a man needing help because he was saying offensive things irks me a lot. "We're here for you...but only if you behave well while having a suicidal crisis, otherwise we'll be quick to jump on you to show our moral superiority because, why, we would never say anything bad while suffering from mental illness because we are too strong for that!"

I feel terrible about this. Honestly, feel like I'm gonna quit on this place. This whole thing is a really sour note for me.

HardTimesFamilyPride · Jun 25, 2019

I didn't expect this to hit me as hard as it did. RIP

Ryng™ · Jun 25, 2019

This is horrible, i remember i used to watch him some times 2 years ago.
Always sad to hear those news

UltraGunner · Jun 25, 2019

The last headline I wanted to wake up to. RIP Desmond.

NYPD on Twitter: "We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased." (See guidelines before posting)

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