Tom’s girlfriend has set up a fundraising campaign to cover the medical costs. The campaign has already raised over $10,000. From the campaign page:
Our good friend, Tom Alderson, has experienced many heavy burdens recently, but more-so now than ever he needs our help. Sunday night, Tom suffered an incredible amount of physical injury and trauma to his head and other parts of his body. Currently hospitalized, he is going to be spending his 24th birthday laid up in a hospital room hooked to machines and barely being able to do much of anything for himself on his own. The injuries he has sustained are so severe, that they will be keeping him out of work for an undetermined amount of time and he has a long road to complete recovery ahead.
This is an extremely rough time for his family, friends, but most importantly himself. Those of you who know Tom know that he is a genuine, kind-hearted, funny person whose legitimate love of hardcore has made him a staple in our scene in many ways. What you see is what you get with Tom and he has never tried to be anyone but himself which is a rare trait amongst people in a world who strive to belong anywhere they can at any cost. As many people have stated on many social media sites, Tom would give you the shirt off of his back if you needed it whether he knew you or not and what has happened to Tom is the exact opposite of what he could even remotely deserve… And so, it is time for us as a community – friends, family, acquaintances, members of the hardcore scene – to pull together and do what Tom would do for anyone else if they ever needed it.
There has been an extraordinary amount of people asking how they can help – from donations to general support – to help relieve the mounting medical bills, expenses, and stress and we are setting up this GoFundMe for just that purpose. Anything anyone could offer, from pennies to dollars, will go straight to Tom and every little bit counts.
We’ll keep everyone updated on positive progress, but we do ask that everyone respect Tom and his privacy during this difficult time. He will talk when he is ready, willing, and able to do so. Even if you can’t donate, send you prayers, positive thoughts, and well wishes his way. He needs them now more than ever.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and GET WELL SOON TOM!!
Another fundraising event, Tattoos for Tom will take place August 15th at A1 Tattoos in Franklinville, NJ.
The identities of the assailants are thought to be known, but no information is available as of yet through the Philadelphia police department about any charges being laid. Updates will be provided as they are made available.
Update:
Alderson was at the show to drum for the band Drown, and Jordon McKinney of Drown has issued a statement formally implicating Ian Adams of Heavy Chains and Ryan Taylor (Karebear) of Suburban Scum as the assailants.
Heavy Chains have now been removed from The Life and Death Tour with Backtrack, and have since deleted their Facebook page. The tour was being booked by Backtrack, who made the following statement:
Official Statement from the Life & Death Tour :
After careful consideration Heavy Chains will no longer be on the Life & Death Tour 2015. The number one priority for this tour is to provide a fun and safe environment for everyone at our shows, we have no further comment regarding the situation. Full dates are below, replacements will be announced soon.
Suburban Scum were set to perform as part of the Back To School Jam 2, but have been removed. As well, Ryan Taylor has been removed as co-promoter of the event, and the show is now a benefit for Alderson. Promoter Gregory Falchetto (formerly of The Mongoloids) provided a statement:
So the last week has been one where a tornado of Chinese whispers, regarding a situation that only a handful of people truly know anything about , has developed and over shadowed shows , fests and bands that have a passion for hardcore , friendship and standing up for what’s right .
We have both decided that Karebear will step down from his position as co promoter of this show. Also Suburban Scum will no longer be playing and a replacement will be added ASAP.
It’s important to state that Karebear did not jump anybody – and him stepping down is by no means an admission of any kind from his behalf but is out of respect for all involved. This situation should not overshadow the hardworking bands that are playing or the excitement about the return of one of the best modern HC bands , Trapped Under Ice. An important aspect of hardcore is about coming together and turning the negative into positive. With that being said this show will now be a benefit for Tom Alderson and ALL the money made from ticket sales will be donated to him. Plus Lifeless NLFTW will once again be apart of the Back to School Jam lineup.
Myself nor Karebear condone the actions that led to Toms current position and hope that this sends a clear message that the correct steps are being taken to make this situation right and to ensure that the truth will surface.
We truly hope that Tom has a very speedy recovery.
xxx
Update, August 6, 2015:
Suburban Scum has released a statement addressing the attack on Tom Alderson. The band was recently removed from the Today’s Mixtape Festival, and Weekend Nachos have chosen to back out of the Back To School Jam 2 because of Suburban Scum’s involvement. From the Suburban Scum Facebook page:
We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Tom Alderson, his family, and his friends at this time. Although it is clear that little can change the trauma this situation has caused Tom, the people close to him, and the community at large, we would like to extend our support to Tom and his recovery. We do not condone senseless violence in our community. We are all a part of this scene because we feel passionate about this music and this culture. It is a place for people who don’t fit in to feel at home and it deeply saddens us that this situation has possibly changed that for some people.
The bottom line is this should not have happened. We can only hope that people who know Suburban Scum as a whole, know the people we are and that we are not the people we have been painted out to be in this situation.
Please click on the link below to help with Tom’s recovery.
Jeremy, Paul, Shawn & Dayn
