Conventions, or cons, bring out a real sense of community. Not everyone has access to people who share in their interests, so when a group is able to get together, it can be a really heartwarming thing. Fandom is more widely accepted than ever before. Trekkies and Potterheads are no longer on the fringes of the social stratosphere, for example. When it comes to furries, there's a little less understanding.
Furries are a fandom who shares a love of anthropomorphic animals. They're sometimes viewed negatively by people who don't understand their interests. That became a bigger problem when their fandom was negatively portrayed as a form of sexual deviancy. In reality, they're made up of as many different people from different backgrounds as you'd find in any other fandom.
While gathered at one of their annual events, Further Confusion (FurCon), a group of furries sprung into action when they witnessed a domestic violence incident. A female driver was being beaten by her male passenger outside the convention. The group of furries grabbed the male passenger out of the car and restrained him until the police arrived at the scene, CNN reports.
This story first appeared on LittleThings in January 2020.
A group of furries came to the rescue of a woman in a domestic violence incident in San Jose, California. If you don't know about furries, allow us to catch you up. Furries are fans of anthropomorphic animals. Many of them like to dress up as the animals.
Psychology Today says that "the furry fandom is comprised predominantly of white males in their teens to mid-twenties."
The members of the fandom have "above-average school performance (nearly half are college students), an interest in computers and science, and a passion for video games, science fiction, fantasy, and anime." There's a popular misconception that the furries are all about sex, a misunderstanding that furries have worked hard to clear up.
The furries were gathered in San Jose for Further Confusion, or FurCon. The website describes the event and the community in further detail. "In general, the furry community is a large, diverse group of people, combined with a shared interest in anthropomorphic animals," it explains.
"These are often animal or animal-themed characters in movies, cartoons, books, or comics," it continues. "Many of our attendees created their characters, and some even attend in costume." It goes to show how committed they are to their community.
A group of six of them were outside the conference when a car pulled up. They watched as the female driver was repeatedly beaten by her male passenger. Reportedly, people standing outside could hear the woman screaming, "Get out!"
Robbie Ryans is a 26-year-old DJ who was outside on break with a friend when the car pulled up. "We heard a woman's screams coming from inside and saw the passenger throwing full fists at whoever was driving," he told CNN.
"We got up and ran towards the car, my friend pulled open the door and we both held onto the attacker. The girl driver was yelling for him to get out, as he started trying to fight us off."
Four people joined to help Robbie and his friends grab the man. They were able to get him out of the car. Then, they kept him restrained until the San Jose Police Department showed up. Once things calmed down, Robbie began filming.
Another member of the group who intervened, Kin Z. Shiratsuki, spoke to NBC Bay Area about what happened that night. "This guy was just walloping a lady," Kin recalled of the incident. "He had to have hit her 10 times."
Kin couldn't help but jump in when she realized people were intervening. "I’ve had … my whole life, a bunch of taekwondo and Shotokan karate and I was able to grab him by the back, pull him out of the vehicle and put him on the ground," she explained.
"I just couldn’t sit there and watch that. I’ve been a victim of abuse myself."
Police determined that the suspect, 22-year-old Demetri Hardnett, assaulted his girlfriend in their car. He was arrested and booked into Santa Clara County Jail for domestic violence. CNN was unable to determine whether he'd gotten a lawyer.
"It all happened so fast, I still can't believe it," Robbie said of the quick and chaotic situation. "I'm so glad everything worked out in the end. It was a horrible sight to see. Afterward, we were very shaken up but relieved."
Kin hopes that the incident will shed some light on the humanity of the furry community. "Even though we’re wearing animal costumes, we’ve got some humanity as well," she noted. "It’s just a natural thing to want to help someone in need."
