TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Tag: vigilantes

  • Vigilantes and Clowns

    Contact Information Posted In ‘Cheerleader’ Beating, Families Seek Protection:

    There’s a lot of dumbassery to go around in this article.

    First, are the internet tough guy vigilantes who thought it was a great idea to post the names and phone numbers of the suspects in the Victoria Lindsay beating to YouTube. To whoever posted the video and the subsequent yahoos who harassed their families, you need to grow up. You’ve stooped to their level. And in the meantime, a family who had nothing to do with was harassed in the process. Did it accomplish anything except feeding your basement dwelling internet tough guy ego? That has probably made things worse. It could possibly make a jury more sympathetic to the suspects rather than the victim. So, way to go assclowns.

    Speaking of assclowns let’s go to one Stephen Schumaker. He’s the only suspect released on bail and acted as one of the lookouts. He doesn’t see what the big deal is…

    Schumaker, the only one of the eight arrested to be released from jail, told Local 6 that his family is receiving death threats from all over the United States.

    “I don’t see why I’m even in this whole situation,” Schumaker said in an interview for Local 6.

    What are you, stupid? You took an active part in a savage beating. It was your job to make sure that no one interrupted it. As the only ‘adult’ in the group, you should have known better but obviously, your mentality betrays your adult status.

  • Innocent family harassed

    Hundreds Of Callers Harass Wrong Family In Videotaped Beating Case:

    Here are two lessons for you. The first is don’t fall into the mentality of the mob. The second is don’t believe everything you see on the internet.

    The phone number that was supposed to belong to the family of Zachary Ashley that was posted on YouTube actually belonged to a different family. So 300 of you made harassing phone calls to a family that had nothing to do with the beating of Victoria Lindsay.

    So stop thinking that you’re some badass vigilante or something because you’re not. You’re nothing more than a vandal who can’t think for yourself.

  • Facebook Vigilantes in Oregon

    Facebook Vigilantes in Oregon

    Facebook Site Prompts Sexual Assault Charges At College:

    Every time I make a post about Facebook vigilantism, I hear the song “Ghost Riders in The Sky” by The Outlaws in my head.

    Anyway, Facebook Vigilantes have struck again. This time, the vigilantism has crept over our northern border and is now taking place in the good ol’ U.S. of A.

    At Lewis & Clark College, in Portland, Oregon, a male student who I won’t name was accused of a sexual assault against a female student.

    Before even law enforcement caught wind of it, a Facebook group targeting him was made. It was later removed.

    According to the Information Week article, the alleged victim went to the local media and as of the time of IW’s article had still not reported it to police.

    Even to her own admission, the victim admits she initiated the encounter but then changed her mind.

    Let’s just for a second say that her story is true. Personally, I’m not buying it, but let’s just say it is. By going public with the alleged aggressor’s name not only on Facebook but also in the media, she’s probably ruined any chance of him being prosecuted.

    Let the law do its job, people. When you pull stunts like this, justice doesn’t get served, it gets turned away at the door.

  • Canadian Facebook Vigilantes always out their man

    Canadian Facebook Vigilantes always out their man

    Facebook vigilantes identify alleged cat killers:

    The Royal Canadian Kilted Facebook Vigilantes have struck once more. I made that name up, by the way, with heavy influence from Ren and Stimpy.

    Anyway, this time they’ve published the names of four teenage animal abusers…

    In a case of vigilante justice, the identities of four teenage boys accused of killing a cat by putting it in a microwave oven in Camrose, Alta., were posted on a Facebook page on Sunday.

    The names of the boys, who were charged with animal cruelty and other offences after allegedly breaking into a home on Dec. 29 and killing the cat, were quickly pulled from the website by police because the accused cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The names had been posted on one of several group pages condemning the boys’ actions and threatening violence, said Sgt. Tony Thomsen.

    Now while I think these scumbag animal abusers should be hung by a certain body part, the Canadian Facebook Vigilantes have to understand that by posting the offenders’ names, not only are they possibly impeding the investigation, but they could be getting themselves in trouble as well.

    Now, if I was some kind of unscrupulous person, I would remind the Canadian Facebook Vigilantes that the Youth Criminal Justice Act doesn’t affect Americans.

  • Facebook vigilantes ride again

    Facebook vigilantes ride again

    Suspect identified, threatened on Facebook:

    Facebook may not be a hotbed of criminal activity like MySpace is, but it sure does have its share of dumbasses.

    16-year-old Mike Woloshyn was fatally stabbed at a house party in Selkirk, Manitoba.

    A memorial Facebook group was started so friends and family can post their thoughts and feelings on his tragic death.

    Of course, the internet being what it is, someone had to go and ruin it.

    The 17-year-old suspect in the stabbing was named on the Facebook group, which is a major taboo in Canada.

    On a linked message board, the 17-year-old accused of killing him is named and users are told the accused “should get stabbed in prison” and anally raped.

    The accused “deserves a kick in the balls and a shot in the face,” one user wrote on that message board, which has been shut down.

    A photo alleged to be of the accused after a fist fight was also posted.

    Thanks to posts like those, the Facebook group was shut down.

    And here’s why you shouldn’t do things like that on Facebook in Canada…

    A youth accused being named online raises issues of contempt of court and interfering with the administration of justice, said lawyer Jay Prober. Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, young offenders cannot be identified in the media, except under rare circumstances.

    This isn’t the first case of Facebook vigilantism that I’ve posted about.

    Let the law do their job, people. I want to see this scumbag put away as much as the next person, but don’t screw things up by pulling stunts like this.

  • Facebook lynch mob strikes again

    Facebook lynch mob strikes again

    Facebook group made false assumption with released sketch:

    The Riley County Police Department in the area of Kansas State University released a sketch on Friday of someone wanted for questioning in connection with a serial rapist that has been plaguing the area.

    A Facebook group called “Catch Him 2007: We Need Your Help!” posted the sketch and stated that the person in the sketch was the actual rapist. One thing leads to another and someone finds a picture on Facebook that resembled the sketch and the guy’s name and picture were posted next to the sketch. Those postings have since been removed.

    Not surprisingly, police are not happy.

    While this individual might have resembled the sketch, Swartz said, sketches are not always perfect representations because they are based on descriptions given to a sketch artist.

    “What I don’t want is people thinking this is the rapist and exclude other individuals that may appear suspicious,” Det. Carla Swartz said.

    A concerned citizen’s best option is to refer to police information on issues like the alleged rapist, because students easily can cross the legal grounds of libel or harm the reputation of someone who is accused in a public forum, Swartz said.

    Leave the sleuthing to the professionals.

  • Facebook lynch mob II

    Facebook lynch mob II

    Anti-rapist Facebook site gone:

    It seems that Facebook lynch mobs are all the rage now…

    A Facebook group where Carman residents discussed two recent sexual assaults has been removed from the Internet.

    The group’s creator took it down last week when a story about the group and its discussions appeared in the Winnipeg Sun on June 12.

    About 135 people joined the group titled “Kiss my ass, Carman Rapist.” Facebook is a social-networking website.

    Group members speculated about the identity of the suspect or suspects, naming at least two individuals. RCMP warned people the information could be harmful to people’s reputations and the ongoing police investigation.

    This is why I don’t dabble in armchair sleuthing. There are people who are very good and professional at it, like Steve Huff. However, Steve and some others from the crime blogging community are the minority. Most armchair sleuths, if taken seriously, do more harm than good.

  • Facebook lynch mob

    Facebook lynch mob

    Police interest has Facebook group changing tune:

    A Facebook group was started in Toronto when a woman by the name of Tabitha Etches, accused of abandoning her baby and leaving it to die, was granted bail.

    The moderator of the group claims that the group was started to speak out on behalf of the baby. However, with the internet being what it is, it didn’t take long for things to get out of hand.

    One of the Facebook group’s 200 members advocated running Etches out of the community for the alleged crime while another urged members to show up at her next court date with signs and friends to “show (their) hate for her.”

    Other messages posted on the website described Etches as “sick” and “twisted” and expressed hope she would “rot in hell” or be beaten while in prison.

    That, of course, attracted the attention of local police.

    The moderator now claims that she has deleted the more obscene and violent comments.