S.F. theater director resigns after anti-predator group posts alleged ‘catch' video

San Francisco Chronicle​

11 hours ago

The executive director of Boxcar Theatre in San Francisco resigned Sunday, the organization said, after anonymous internet vigilantes accused him of attempting to meet up with someone who had posed online as a 14-year-old boy.
The former executive director, Nick Olivero, did not immediately respond to the Chronicle's requests for comment on Monday.
'A private citizen's social media accounts personally accused Nick Olivero of sending inappropriate digital messages to someone who presented as a minor,' Boxcar Theatre said in a statement on its Facebook and Instagram accounts on Monday.
'We are shocked and appalled by these allegations and take them very seriously,' the statement said. 'Thankfully, we have expert leadership ready to assume executive duties and keep Boxcar Theatre's mission moving forward.'
The social media account making the accusations, People v. Preds, had more than 67,000 followers on X and more than 24,000 on Facebook as of Monday. It referred to Olivero as 'Catch 540.'
Around the country, a group of often unaffiliated groups has in recent years engaged in what is often called 'predator catching,' seeking to trick online targets into meeting with people pretending to be children and then filming the encounters. The phenomenon resembles the 20-year-old NBC show 'To Catch a Predator.'
While these groups sometimes work with law enforcement and have prompted arrests, the methods are controversial, in part because the groups may be partially motivated by the prospect of making money or gaining online fame. Proving the cases in court can also be difficult.
The Aug. 8 thread by People v. Preds contains a video showing a person strongly resembling Olivero walking out of a grocery store, into a parking garage and onto a street. The vigilante group said the store is in San Diego.
A person holding a camera follows the man, saying, 'Yo, Nick, I have pictures of you, bro. I can turn it into the cops.' Then: 'You're here to meet a 14-year-old kid, dude,' and 'This ain't gonna look too good, dude.'
Another video in the same thread shows what People v. Preds described as a text conversation with Olivero. One side identifies himself as Tim, who says he's 'bout to be 15' and that he 'can't put 14 on grindr :(.'
David Oates, a spokesperson for Boxcar's board of directors, told the Chronicle that the board had planned to meet Monday to discuss Olivero's status with the company, but that Olivero resigned before they could do so.
Managing Director Stefani Pelletier and Executive Producer Laura Drake Chambers will take over Olivero's duties.
The conduct alleged in the vigilante group's posts appears to be unrelated to any activity by Boxcar Theatre.
Boxcar Theatre was founded in 2005 and built a reputation for daring, gritty work. It had planned to mount the Halloween-themed show 'Nightmare: House on Franklin St.' at the Haas-Lilienthal House beginning in September, but that show has been canceled, Oates said.
'The company is working on a new haunted house production concept,' he said.
The Chronicle last year investigated allegations of bullying, sexual harassment, racism, violence, wage theft, retaliation and more at the San Francisco theater company, which produced the long-running but troubled immersive, Prohibition-era show 'The Speakeasy.'