Photo: Facebook
The Runaways' Jackie Fuchs has released a statement following the revelations that she was drugged and raped by the band's manager Kim Fowley - an assault that she claims former bandmates Joan Jett and Cherie Currie were witness to.
Last week, Fuchs published an extensive indictment of Fowley, which included testimony from Fuchs (better known as Jackie Fox) that says she was raped during a New Year's Eve party in 1976.
According to Fuchs' testimony, she was forced to take a Quaalude by a roadie, before being raped by Fowley in front of several other people. "I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me," she said. The article goes on to describe how "she looked out from the bed and noticed Currie and Jett staring at her. She says this was her last memory of the night."
Subsequently, both Jett and Currie have denied that they witness Fuchs' rape,with Jett writing on Facebook: "Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened."
Now, in a new statement also published on Facebook , Fuchs responded to the reaction from the public to her story, as well as the reaction of Jett and Currie. "I have been so incredibly moved over the last few days by the outpouring of love and support that has followed the story of my rape on New Year’s Eve 1975."
She continued: "I know some people watching the online drama unfold have been discouraged by the lack of support I’ve received from my former bandmates. To which I can only say that I hope you never have to walk in their shoes. My rape was traumatic for everyone, not just me, and everyone deals with trauma in their own way and time.
"It took exceptional courage for many of the witnesses to talk frankly about how they felt. Most have apologized to me for their inaction that night -- apologies that have been unnecessary, though welcome."
She concluded, "I only wish that if my bandmates can’t remember what happened that night – or if they just remember it differently –they would stick simply to saying that. By asserting that if they’d witnessed my rape, they’d have done something about it, they perpetuate the very myth I was trying to dispel when I decided to tell my story. Being a passive bystander is not a 'crime.' All of us have been passive bystanders at some point in our lives."
Fowley recruited The Runaways after placing an ad in a fanzine, and co-wrote their biggest hit, 'Cherry Bomb' as well as producing their self-titled debut album.
