The Ghost Inside have parted ways with bassist Jim Riley. The bassist was accused of making racist slurs five years ago, and while he issued a statement on Twitter, he has now departed the band.
TGI said in a statement on social media: “The Ghost Inside was born from a scene of forward thinking, understanding and progressiveness. Our music and message has always been one of hope and finding that light at the end of the tunnel. Racism and bigotry of any kind stifle that journey the light. It closes and locks doors that need to be broken open.
“We have decided to part ways with bassist Jim Riley. While we didn’t hear these words spoken directly from his mouth, we did hear mutterings of the incident. At the time we thought this to be just a rumor, but it offended and hurt a community. A community we are meant to bring together. We should’ve spoken up back then and we didn’t, we should’ve dug deeper. We acknowledge that we were silent. We are self educating and growing and learning as individuals. We are here to say that we as a band fully condemn racism and support the black community in the fight against systemic racism.”
The departure of Jim comes one day after The Ghost Inside released their fifth studio album, the first new music from TGI since the devastating bus crash that left two dead and the band seriously injured.
