
Police Arrest People for Criticizing Cops on Facebook and Twitter - vezycash
https://theintercept.com/2016/07/12/after-dallas-shootings-police-arrest-people-for-criticizing-cops-on-facebook-and-twitter/
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beyondcompute
Violence is terrible, terrible thing. But when a society starts to prosecute
people for thoughtcrime, it is even more chilling.

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cLeEOGPw
There were open calls for murder of cops along with an image of an officer
with slit throat. This is as blatant violence incitement online as it gets. It
is against the law and posters should be charged.

Also, saying things like "all cops should die" and "we all should grab our
pistols and start busting at 'em" are not criticisms of police.

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hobs
"The policing of online threats is hardly a new issue. The Supreme Court set a
precedent last year when it ruled that prosecutors pursuing a charge of
communicating threats need to prove both that reasonable people would view the
statement as a threat and that the intent was to threaten. Elonis v. United
States dealt with a man who had posted violent rap lyrics about his estranged
wife; the court reversed his conviction."

"All cops should die" is not a credible threat and should not be viewed as
one, and though "you should all die" is not an actionable criticism it
certainly implies the existential critique that the black people in America
have for the police, eg that they kill black people for nothing and treat them
as subhuman.

Arresting people for e-threats is probably not a good use of police time
considering the real problems they have, it's simply a use of intimidation and
overreaction to a situation they feel like they can't control.

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millzlane
One tweet that led to an arrest said that Micah Johnson, the man who shot
police officers in Dallas last week, was a hero. None of the men have been
named, nor have they been charged.

“I know this is a new issue, but I want these people charged with crimes,”
said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. “I’ve directed my officers to prepare
warrants for these four individuals, and we’ll see which venue is the best to
pursue charges,” he said.

The war has begun.

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Cypher
How long until people are arrested for thinking a cop is bad?

