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After Dallas Shootings, Police Arrest People for Social Media Threats Against Cops

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Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Sounds like we need high IQ people to solve a problem. But, cops actually stop it.

Unless you feel like above average people are good for the job. Because results say otherwise.

Like, how do we solve the problem of the blue wall of silence? Get me an average IQ person, or just one or two points above? I need a smart person. This isn't a 'everyone is smart except you' post. This is a 'smart people get things done' post.

With a sprinkling of, 'don't stop smart people from joining post.' The evidence is that cops have a problem. Above average is being okay with it if it creates more positive than negative. High IQ would be troubleshooting (excuse that one, that's not a pun) and solving a problem.

Stop using hero worship to justify terrible outcomes.

No, usually with a sample size of 900,000, things tend to average out

That's one case, not an epidemic. If they always did that, the average would be lower.
 
So, are some threats more important than others, and only certain one's should be pursued? It's not wildly inconsistent.

Right now? Absolutely..and it will remain that way for a minute thanks to that fuckstick Dallas shooter. Folks need keep that shit to themselves while tempers are fucking heated, less they want their people's reporting that shit. Like, the fuck are you thinking? lol..I'll never understand people taking that type nonsense in public in the first place.

Looked him up. All of his tweets are in All caps and are about as well worded as that one. Hopefully he's better writing songs than tweets.
Ehhh..you might wanna pass.
 

LifEndz

Member
Those who posted this type of threats with the recent incidents are fucking idiots. You deserve to be arrested

Exactly. I'm disgusted by police brutality and the murder of unarmed people, but to tweet out threats to towards officers is not the solution, and those people deserve to be arrested.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
The Tyler the creator tweet is just funny to me. Sorry I was having a bit of a laugh because it reminded me of it. It also opposes my opinion.
 

water_wendi

Water is not wet!
Threats happen all the time, and there's no interest, for the most part, to pursue them with the fire of a thousands suns like the one's in the OP. You can find plenty of online threats that get ignored, or see victims of such threats say they've gotten no relief or justice. Or how about that guy that got arrested for burning a flag, instead of others getting arrested for threatening his life.

So, are some threats more important than others, and only certain one's should be pursued? It's wildly inconsistent.

i did a quick look on Google News for incidents of people being arrested and charged for online threats from the beginning of the year to the end of last month and there seems to be quite a few people arrested for threatening non-police.

As much as i want to stay and discuss, work calls.
 
According to the article of the people arrested, one of them was calling for cops to be killed, one woman said she would shoot a cop if she were pulled over, and another said he would destroy a police headquarters.

Jesus fucking christ...that's not "criticism", those are death threats. Get your head on straight.

edit: I'm referring to the author of the linked article, Naomi LaChance. Not directed to the OP.
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
“I have no problem shooting a cop for simple traffic stop cuz they’d have no problem doing it to me,”
That ain't a threat.
It's a promise? I mean, it's certainly not simple criticism. I think a couple of the other comments cited in the OP article would qualify as criticism but this one definitely sounds like a threat to me. Now, we can argue whether it's an empty threat or not (probably...hopefully) but it's still a threat.

Anyway, bigger issue here is definitely the lopsided way police address online threats when they're the target vs. just about anyone else.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
According to the article of the people arrested, one of them was calling for cops to be killed, a woman said she would shoot a cop if she were pulled over, and another said he would destroy a police headquarters.

Jesus fucking christ...that's not "criticism", those are death threats. Get your head on straight.

The person who wrote that article should be ashamed of themselves.
 
Hmm..I like you too? This is your first post? 🔥


Obviously..and I want all white family members exterminated.


Are you going to deflect or answer an honest question about threatening cops with death and blowing up police stations. I think i know your answer but of course i would like to hear it from you.
 
Are you going to deflect or answer an honest question about threatening cops with death and blowing up police stations. I think i know your answer but of course i would like to hear it from you.
First two post dedicated to little old me? Listen, alt account..you don't know a thing. Ask Ray what I think. Use the ignore function. I will 😃

dYryW8ZaSYqnr73nuTDr_Tom.gif
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
I think when you've escalated it to "I have no problem shooting [blank] for [reasons]" you've entered the world of threats.

I'm not arguing against the double standard here, btw. I just don't think saying "I have no problem shooting someone" is the foundation of a reasonable, non-violent criticism.



I don't think they invented the bomb robot, just found a different use for what they already had. They're already meant to blow things up.

That bomb robot cost like $150,000!
 
They don't get like this with threats to the president, this is just insane.

Good point. Threats to the president do get investigated, but how many arrests are actually made? And how specific does it have to be?

I'm all for letting people know it's not okay to make death threats, but let's include everyone else, right?

I remember John Oliver's segment on online harassment. "I'm receiving death threats on Twitter". Police response: "What's Twitter?" I guess they've figured it out now.

Some of these definitely were not okay, but I'd say they were far less problematic than death threats to a specific person that included the person's address.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I wouldn't even try and test out whether tweeting a threat to Obama would get me arrested.
 
Yes.

1. This story
2. The story of literally anyone using the internet, especially women and minorities.

The complaint that police departments are treating threats differently based on the targets of the threats is only meaningful if it is the same department investigating both types of threats relatively contemporaneously. Detroit pd, mentioned in the article, can't very well investigate online threats made by persons outside their jurisdiction directed to persons likewise outside their jurisdiction. So I repeat myself, of the departments mentioned in the article, which have failed to investigate with any result similar threats against non law enforcement? I'm sure cases will come out of the woodwork eventually, since it appears a number of departments have now arrested and/or filed charges on police targeted threats.
 

rokkerkory

Member
Difference between criticizing and threatening.

No one should threaten anyone else, if they get caught for that then good.
 

Media

Member
Difference between criticizing and threatening.

No one should threaten anyone else, if they get caught for that then good.

Also this. Threatening people is wrong. Threatening to kill cops/condoning what happened in Dallas is wrong.

I wish people would stop treating the internet like it's a no consequences playground of bitter assholes.
 
As someone that has talked to police before concerning online threats, there is a real sense of "Look, it's just the internet" coming from them. They are not unable to solve these threats, but they are decidedly unwilling.
 

NimbusD

Member
I dunno man, for some of those posts they do read like threats, saying you would kill cops sounds like is a threat, Its not criticism.

Critique: The police show poor tact and professionalism by unfair targeting of minorities.

Threat: If I see a cop, I'm going to use my weapon and fire on him or her

What about: "That person deserves to be shot" "I would be happy if this person died" "Someone is going to shoot this person"

There's gray areas.
 
Is this America or Turkey? Please remind me.

That's a stretch.
It's fair to point out the true legitimacy and individual interpretation of what motivated violence looks like in it's incubating phase...but a death threat is still a death threat. And a death threat and satire are two extraordinarily different things. Nobody is going to jail for tweeting that cops are fat and like donuts..etc..

I still think this has the possibility to be a dangerous slippery slope.
 

Iorv3th

Member
As someone that has talked to police before concerning online threats, there is a real sense of "Look, it's just the internet" coming from them. They are not unable to solve these threats, but they are decidedly unwilling.

Where the threats from people in your local area though?

Sounds like this example the cops went after people living in their jurisdiction.
 
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