It’s on!
I’ve received a lot of questions regarding the attempted hijacking of the Twitter chat, #CopChat which happens every Wednesday night at 9pm eastern, 6pm Pacific. To sum up the questions:
- Should the hashtag change?
- Should we move nights?
- Does it bother me?
The answers:
- NO – The hashtag will remain. Changing it would serve no purpose since the Anonymous people would simply find it and it would start all over again.
- NO – Same as above
- YES – But probably not for the reason you’d think. It does make it harder to follow the chat and there are some really good questions and conversations that are getting over shadowed.
The reason it really bothers me is that I will make the assumption that the folks who are, and support Anonymous complain, whine, point out problems and RT each other like lemmings, is because they are unhappy with the system and the perceived lack of justice or the real injustices that occur in the police and societal systems.
What do they do? Spam, hijack, yell and accuse. So much so that they end up being ignored. Think about that… they have an audience of online police and members of the public that are working towards positive change and instead of joining the conversation, they ostracize themselves within the group. They could be part of the solution and the change, but instead they are just a nuisance at best.
They have an audience that will listen and may possibly help lead the charge for change and they have successfully ended up being ignored. Kind of ironic. The end result, no one listens to them, no one supports them (except themselves) and in the end, the get no attention and worse, no hope for changing the system they want to see changed. WAY TO GO!!
Will #copchat stop? Nope
Will #copchat change? Nope (except get bigger, better and more relevant)
Will Anon change their tactics to change the system? Only they can answer that, but from what I have seen and the evidence to support it shows, no. They will just continue to be ignored and make themselves irrelevant.
So call this a challenge to Anon… try a new tactic to become relevant and work with the people you want to change. All the cops I know want to see the bad ones gone, the good ones praised and the great ones be the best role models possible.
Similar posts: http://walkingthesocialmediabeat.com’/2012/09/13/you-know-youve-scared-people-when/
Tim having been involved in Twitter chats and even helped develop them. Let me give my two sense worth. You will never stop people from Hijacking your hashtag. The reality is Hashtags are public and CAN NOT be registered. That said this practice is wrong.
The best thing you can do to educate our community. That is the key word and ignore the spammers. The minute you give them time and space you might as well give in.
My two sense worth.
Unfortunately we are headed out and I will miss tonight. Good luck. If you need some advice feel free to call me tomorrow.
Hey Rob… I think you missed some of the post. I didn’t say anything about stopping the hijack or registering the tag. This was all about education and trying to help the anon folks see a better means to get their message heard and supported.
Thanks though.
Well done! You hit the nail on the head with this article. Thank you!
Thanks!
you have no idea what you are talking about, anonymous has millions of listeners world, and it is growing by the day, nobody is listening to you because we are hashjacking your whole #copchat.
We do this because the police are corrupt, and protect the criminals in power, and we do not want you trying to pretend that you care for the people.
Expect us
Not pretending at all.
Thanks for proving my point… you have no desire to see real change. You’re just trying to stop the people who can actually make a real change happen. Once again, way to go!
Maybe if you confronted one of their topics head on one week (i.e. Trapwire, NDAA, cops enforcing laws that are unconstitutional) they will at least feel like they are being heard then we can start a dialogue. Then possibly they won’t hijack the conversation (as bad) on topics which they aren’t as interested in. What you’re trying to do is a good thing, I’d love to see it work out.
I’d be very open to taking on one of those subjects.
The challenge that I have seen from them though is that they aren’t interested in the truth or facts of even having an honest and open minded discussion, but I will certainly try it.
Thanks
I’ll admit they focus on the negative, but it’s hard not to when the system is so tilted toward the wealthy. Rich OJ gets away with murder, poor OJ can’t even steal his own stuff back. Law abiding citizens shouldn’t have to deal with police as often as we do. The fundraising aspect of police work hits low/middle income (largely) law abiding citizens. Traffic citations, war on drugs. I met a man named Daryl Hunt and you should have seen the trouble the police (indeed the entire system) went through just to keep him wrongfully imprisoned for rape/murder. Of course there are good cops, but when the only interactions we have with them are picking on us for piddly things like speeding, or the crack down two blocks from me the other day for people running a four-way stop, seems like little more than selling Girl Scout cookies when there are so many worse things going on. Many of them inside of the system. If cops truly wanted justice, someone would have stepped forward and saved Daryl Hunt long before he spent 20 years in prison. To say Anons focus on the bad is a viable point, but it seems many cops are in it to protect their brethren and the system as a whole. This is beyond infuriating when you are the ones with guns and a license to kill.
I agree whole heartedly.
It frustrating for us too when so many do a great job with fairness, impartiality and honour and so few screw it all up for us. I understand the points that the anons are making, but their tactics are just horrible.
Thanks
Please don’t take this as trolling, but in cases such as Mr. Hunt’s, if there are so many good cops, then why didn’t even ONE step up and say something? Evidence was hidden and ignored. Somebody, somewhere knew the truth. The fact that they’ll do it to one of us means they are willing to do it to any of us. All from people just like us who were given a little training and a badge. If it can happen in the Winston-Salem, NC police department, there isn’t any reason to believe it can’t happen anywhere else. Maybe things are better in Canada. With the NDAA & Trapwire here, I’m looking for a new place to go anyway.
Don’t see it as trolling at all.
Stories like that are not good for policing or for society in general. Hate hearing about them. Thankfully, it’s rare, but painful none the less.
Its a shame to think you believe anon are such self proclaiming deviants. If you believe you can change your corrupt, performance driven box ticking system from within then your blinkered by the constraints and requirements your system has setup to keep you in check. If you are honest with yourselves you all know one corrupt officer or civil servant. You may have reported them to the IPCC or similar body. But how many times did you get rejected or turned away. How long before the corrupt practises you witnessed became justified in your mind because the system didn’t help you stop this criminal from offending again. Your beloved system is now used against law abiding public marching in the streets for civil rights. Union men and women picketing for better pay and standards. Your system should be there to protect these ppl. Not intimidate them. The sooner you see the laws your unholding are being manipulated and changed to the point where your no longer the publics police but rather policing the public. Until the people on the inside start to force change by any means including refusing to commit wrongful arrests or leaking corrupting info then the ppl on the outside will continue to believe your part of the problem.
We are leigon
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us
Yeah…ok.
Leigon is spelled leagion
HA!
Also your use of “your” is atrocious. I am always amazed at the rhetoric that always gets spewed is an attempt at education, but lacks originality. I, personally, have witnessed nothing but good from the officers that I have come across. Even when given a speeding ticket, because guess what, I was breaking the law by speeding. I spend every day telling people that we only see and hear about the minority of police officers that are corrupt. News media won’t sell if we show the Police doing their jobs, only the 5 second clips of what, is usually out of context, looks great on our video screen. Am I saying that all cops are good? Hell no. Am I agreeing that police that do wrong should be given the same consequences, AND rights as anyone else. Cops tend to be seen as guilty until proven innocent, and are then still viewed as guilty. Anonymous, has a lot of power behind their computers, please use that power…LEGALLY…to fight all wrongdoers, not just the ones that you feel are wrong. Please use your powers…LEGALLY…to help root out the bad cops, politicians, doctors, teachers, garbage men, electricians…computer programmers too. Help the good cops find the bad people, no matter who they are.
Tim, your last sentence about wanting to see the bad ones gone, the good ones praised and the great ones be the best role models possible gives me great hope. That is why I support #copchat and the work you are doing to foster dialogue, despite the voices that try to drown out a good interchange.
I am aware of a very egregious case where the least admirable acts were perpetrated, and the worst police officers protected. I believe there are good people in many areas of the justice system who could help address this situation, and that reasonable conversation with mutual respect is the way to go about it.
Thank you for braving those choppy waters every week. I believe that if enough of us get talking together, we can solve the problems that have everyone riled up. But they must give us a chance. Better yet, they should join the discussion with a view to finding a solution.
AMEN
And then, this happened: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/crime/article/1274166–peel-police-officers-won-t-face-criminal-charges-despite-judge-s-finding-of-misconduct
If this sort of police behavior is allowed to go unpunished, it clearly states that there is no accountability for police wrongdoing. That destroys any trust we might have in our police forces. The only remedy is for police organizations to condemn such a miscarriage of justice and call for the perpetrators to be charged as other citizens would be. No one gets to be above the law.
We need dialogue more than ever, and our heroes in blue to BE the heroes we desperately need them to be.
Wow… I read that when it came out and I was really bothered by it. Its important to remember that the police agency is still pursuing an internal investigation which will be under the Police Services Act of Ontario.
I don’t know the specifics of the consultation between the Crowns Office and the police, but in the end, the decision to lay those charges would most likely have been made by the Crown.
No matter what though, very troubling.
Indeed! From the public’s perspective, however, it seems as if the Attorney General has declared a double standard and given tacit permission for police to lie in court. Coupled with disproportionately few findings of wrongdoing by internal investigations, it leaves us with little confidence that anything will be done to hold these particular offenders to account. The question for all of us is, How do we fix such a messed up system?
If you want Anonymous to take your talk seriously, you could begin by acknowledging the massive amounts of corruption in police departments nationwide. Acknowledge the beatings, illegal shootings and even rapes committed by police in America. Acknowledge the fraternity that exists in police departments that prevents most of these incidents from ever seeing the light of day. There was a time when police were respected in our communities, but the excessive force and rudeness of police officers these days has led us to reject any notion of real change in your departments. You can mock Anonymous all you want, but no one is attacking #CopChat for fun. We’re pretty pissed about the lack of humility, service and respect police give the communities they are charged with protecting these days. As you continue to militarize your forces, training officers to be soldiers instead of stewards of public service and you will continue to see this lack of respect grow throughout the cities and suburbs of America. Your profession will be the most despised, likened to violent street gangs. I AM middle-class white America and even I am forced to deal with the fear of being intimidated or possibly injured every time I encounter a police officer. You serve us. We pay you. Until you are honest, until you begin to speak openly about the corruption in your force, you will continue to be met with hate and fear. It’s a shame you don’t recognize the danger you put your officers in.
I whole heartedly agree with everything you have said.
What is the real shame though is you haven’t paid any attention to what you are trying to destroy with attacking #copchat.
Those of us here are in it for the change. We are in it to clean up the reputation of our chosen profession.
We want the nostalgic days of being the most respected people in the community back.
I don’t want the people who make excuses for the wrongs that have been done at the hands of the police. I don’t want people leading me who won’t say, “I’m sorry, we were wrong” when we truly were. I want, as do the other officers and community members who support #copchat, a better balance between transparency, accountability and respect.
To say thought that it is massive corruption, cover-up and illegal acts is just not factual which is where the defences go up. Is ther some corruption? Sure there is. Have there been cops who have broken the law? Yup. Have other cops tried to cover it up… no doubt. But its not systemic or reflective of the entire profession.
People are quick to paint all police with the same brush of those that are the worst of our profession. I accept that, since we should be above reproach and are rightfully held to a higher standard in society. We should strive to live up to that higher standard at all times. But, I have not met a police officer worth their weight that judges all of society by the worst of human nature and considers all of society systemically corrupt.
And in all honesty, as a percentage, the worst of society and the worst of police are a very small number… thankfully on both accounts. But, to judge any group by the actions of their worst is just simply wrong and over inflated. In the end it serves no purpose. Honestly, I am offended by the fact that I am painted with the same brush as those who are the worst of policing that have broken the law but when I am compared to that, I will close my ears as well since it shows me that the person doing the painting has no real interest in the truth or the facts.
That is my problem with the tactics and accusations. Want meaningful discussion and honesty, meet me in the middle and start on a balanced field.
Thank you Tim. This makes sense.
Thank you!
With all due respect, what you said above was a non-answer. Edmund Burke said: ” All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” It appears that is the main problem with police nowadays. Until the good ones are no longer afraid of the repercussions or whatever it is that keeps them from coming forward, little things like HashJacking are the only options we have. As annoying as that is to you, imagine what it’s like being told to remain in your car while an armed man walks up with the ability to lock you away for the rest of your life just because he had a bad day.
Many,many officers have spoken out. I have the benefit of being in the inside and knowing that is a fact. I also know that others have been stifled when they have spoken out, which is unacceptable. Those days and the dinosaurs that created them are nearly gone, thankfully.
Hashjacking is not your only option and its not a little thing to me because of what we stand for and are working towards. We have the same interest I believe which is a better police profession and a better working relationship with our public. You choose to try and stop that, well, then I am wrong.. you really have no interest in a better relationship. That you have made obvious.
As far as an armed person approaching your car… I’ve been there sitting in the seat. I have been profiled and stopped and I have been stopped because I broke the law. Either way, I feared nothing than the possibility of a ticket or an investigation. I have nothing to hide, I have no reason to be arrested. I give the officers no reason to fear for their safety or give me a hard time. Being polite, respectful and following direction means a quick and painless stop. I’ve stopped career criminals, bikers, drunks and drug heads and have only once had a problem that escalated. Respect given, respect earned, respect deserved.
I have no interest in a better relationship? I asked you an honest question that you dodged? Why don’t good men step up? Where have they gone? Why does the system scare them away? You want an open/honest conversation, I came here away from the crowd noise to get one and you dismiss me because I ask an honest question. You sir have just proven that #CopChat, much like police in real life, are just looking to hear what they want to hear. We agree on one thing now, open/honest conversation apparently will never exist. You had a chance to change a mind and ruined it.
Sorry, but I didn’t doge the quesiton.
I answered it:
Many,many officers have spoken out. I have the benefit of being in the inside and knowing that is a fact. I also know that others have been stifled when they have spoken out, which is unacceptable. Those days and the dinosaurs that created them are nearly gone, thankfully.
I didn’t think I was dismissing, you but actually answering your question.
Over the last decade, I have seen many Chiefs from across the world acknowledge historical mistakes that have been made. They have vowed to change things and I have seen some succeed and some fail.
I don’t have all the answers to what has happened or why some have made it work, some haven’t and some have ignored it.
Please don’t close your mind to this.
Yes, we would all like to hear what we want to hear… I for one would also like to hear what we need to hear, but understand, I will also defend our actions when they are being judged wrong, and I will hold those accountable when we are wrong in the same way.
Tim, When you said this,
“As far as an armed person approaching your car… I’ve been there sitting in the seat. I have been profiled and stopped and I have been stopped because I broke the law. Either way, I feared nothing than the possibility of a ticket or an investigation. I have nothing to hide, I have no reason to be arrested. I give the officers no reason to fear for their safety or give me a hard time. Being polite, respectful and following direction means a quick and painless stop. I’ve stopped career criminals, bikers, drunks and drug heads and have only once had a problem that escalated. Respect given, respect earned, respect deserved.”
That is what I try to tell my peers all of the time.
” I have nothing to hide, I have no reason to be arrested. I give the officers no reason to fear for their safety or give me a hard time. Being polite, respectful and following direction means a quick and painless stop.”
That part is exactly why I haven’t had an issue with the police. Have I dealt with jerks? yes Have I been given a ticket? yes Have I been arrested, tased, beaten, abused, treated poorly in any way? Never. Why? Because I am polite and respectful, therefore I am treated as such. Whatever your occupation, when you are treated with respect, you do your job with respect. If I came to your place of work, and yelled at you, spat at you, tried to abuse you, told you where to go, even just gave you snide remarks or looks, would you not treat me poorly? Why should cops be treated like garbage, day in and day out, and yet be criticized if they are rude?