After Dallas, cops arresting people for posting anti police posts on social media

A general threat of "police officers should be killed" is not an immediate or specific enough threat as opposed to say, "I'm going to shoot the next cop who pulls me over."

Reynolds is accused of posting a message on her Facebook page saying "all I know is if the police stops and request me to get out of the car I'm shooting instantly. It may not solve anything and yes I will die but Jenesis will be revelation for my people.

Link

^^ That sounds like a specific threat. Free speech doesn't cover specific threats. Not free speech.

Detectives were able to locate the posts in question during their investigation, which indicated the gunman sympathized with the identified shooter, Mikah Xavier Johnson. In one post, he referred to Johnson as “a hero,” and also called for police officers to be killed.

Link

^^That doesn't sound like a specific threat. It's too broad, unless it was a call to action for the killing of police, then it *could* be incitement of violence, even though it's not a direct, immediate call for violence. Similar to saying abortion doctors should be killed without actually saying one is going to target abortion doctors, or specifically targeting a doctor with a threat. Depending on what he actually said is key.

A 30-year-old man was arrested Monday after allegedly posting a threat on social media "to destroy the Perth Amboy police headquarters,"

Link

^^That sounds like a specific threat. Not free speech.

This is in an interesting situation.

originally posted by: TheLaughingGod
a reply to: Annee

I say let's elect some fascist warlord because why in the hell not?

Warlords think they are above the law. They think they can make their own.

Police enforce the laws of society. They don't make them.

a reply to: Liquesence

^^ That sounds like a specific threat. Free speech doesn't cover specific threats. Not free speech.

Free speech does cover anything anyone says

wordcrimes, thoughtcrimes, computer crimes, victimless crime in general actually, isn't illegal as per the law of the united states of america

Wrong City

a reply to: wisvol

Free speech does cover anything anyone says

No, it does not.

See Watts v. US, etc:
NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co.; Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists

It does not, for instance, cover true (or specific) threats. Or shouting fire in a crowded theater.

It does cover vague threats (the vageness of some of the supposed threats as mentioned in the OP), of which simple advocacy of violence is part. Unless that advocacy is time/place/manner specific (which must be determined by the court), then it can become incitement of violence.

a reply to: concerned190

Good... Maybe this will also lead to a shut down of social media and bad journalism... Ok, just kidding about the bad journalism, that'll never be stopped.

Got to love this forum. The same people who think these arrests are right are literally the same exact people with posts supporting racism, supporting trump, supporting ignorance. Literally, take a look folks, starting with the third poser of this page, I can't make this up.

Nice to see you folks are plentiful, though I'm a bit peeved that you folks focus more on skin color instead of acquiring a proper education to reduce the surface area of denseness that clouds you. It's upsetting. Had those arrested been born white, and had the incident in Dallas not been racially motivated - you same weirdos would be saying that the government is infringing on free speech and all kinds of other liberties, liberties that you folks seem to think only white people are allowed the luxury of having.

It's absolutely disgusting.

And if these young boys were trully arrested for this, than we need to arrest john walsh for making threats to the president right after Dallas attacks.

The thing is these cases cannot possibly hold weight in court. Someone calling for the killing of police is not specific enough to be considered a threat. What police? The police in the Islamic State? Or the police in New York? The police in real life, or the ones in grand theft auto 5? Many peoople on facebook and twitter constantly troll and call for the deaths of blacks, especially as of late - even right here on this website, you don't see people going to jail over it though. Threats of killing celebrities, politicians, most pretty much going unnoticed and uncared for - unless you are black or muslim.

I think a serious line is being crossed when people are not locked up for making a legitimate threat, but locked up as punishment for what happened to these white cops, and as punishment for a group being seen as "fighting back" against the establishment.

It's going to take a whole lot of blood spilling to correct these evils.

a reply to: Liquesence

See Watts v. US, etc

Is this a supreme court ruling against the right to say something?

If so, t&c

originally posted by: theySeeme
Got to love this forum. The same people who think these arrests are right are literally the same exact people with posts supporting racism, supporting trump, supporting ignorance. Literally, take a look folks, starting with the third poser of this page, I can't make this up.

Nice to see you folks are plentiful, though I'm a bit peeved that you folks focus more on skin color instead of acquiring a proper education to reduce the surface area of denseness that clouds you. It's upsetting. Had those arrested been born white, and had the incident in Dallas not been racially motivated - you same weirdos would be saying that the government is infringing on free speech and all kinds of other liberties, liberties that you folks seem to think only white people are allowed the luxury of having.

It's absolutely disgusting.

Aren't you a daisy.

It's America.

You have freedom of speech.

They have freedom to sue.

They have freedom to take offense at what you say.

Of course, they have to prove these things in court.

But, remember, anyone can accuse anyone else of anything and make them go through the process of proving in front of a judge and/or jury that they were in the right.

Never forget when you say something about someone else, that they have certain freedoms too.

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: TheLaughingGod
a reply to: Annee

I say let's elect some fascist warlord because why in the hell not?

Warlords think they are above the law. They think they can make their own.

Police SELECTIVELY enforce the laws of society. They don't make them.

There. I fixed it for ya....

originally posted by: FaunaOrFlora

originally posted by: Annee

originally posted by: TheLaughingGod
a reply to: Annee

I say let's elect some fascist warlord because why in the hell not?

Warlords think they are above the law. They think they can make their own.

Police SELECTIVELY enforce the laws of society. They don't make them.

There. I fixed it for ya....

NO! I posted exactly what I meant.

People are people and reflect who they are through their work and social involvement.

For every questionable LEO, there are thousands of good ones.

One bad apple is BS.

So this guy posted the video of a cop shooting and got arrested. The cops lied to him and wouldn't even tell him at first why he was under arrest. Spirce

...freedom of speech should not include praise for cold-blooded murder. that should be a crime...

it's sad but why should it be a crime. Many US citizens support the "war" on terror and killing innocents just because they are near the bad guys. Who about those who praise Manson after all these years.

a reply to: theySeeme

I think that you need to look again. I have never seen Annee support Trump or any of his policies. It must be nice to sit back at your keyboard and make sweeping generalizations without having to support them.

originally posted by: concerned190
I just wonder if all of them actually posted threatening posts or merely rants. The article listed some threats but where is the line drawn. And also, do cops just scroll through Facebook or Twitter all the time to find these people. Getting paid to look at social media all day long. Must be rough.

There were threats in each of the detroit cases. Thats not protected speech.