Why-SWAT-ing Of-Cons-is-Dangerous

Last Friday was variously described as a day of silence or a day of action for conservative bloggers hoping to draw congressional attention, as well as the eyes of the Justice Department, to an ongoing fight to quell free speech.

Some bloggers chose to go dark, while others decided Ato focus singularly on the actions taken by a domestic terrorist, Brett Kimberlin, and his band of brothers, which have included harassing, threatening, and even SWAT-ting those who they do not agree with.

Regardless of the path chosen, bloggers from the experienced and prolific, to the rookies, have chosen to stand in solidarity to fight for their right to free speech.

Michelle Malkin writes:

Free speech is under fire. Online thugs are targeting bloggers (mostly conservative, but not all) who have dared to expose a convicted bomber and perjuring vexatious litigant now enjoying a comfy life as a liberally-subsidized social justice operative.

Malkin’s site has a list of Congressional members that you can call to voice your support or demand an inquiry today. Additionally, Grassfire Nation has a petition you can sign as well.

But to many, the seriousness of these acts is difficult to comprehend. Many do not even know what SWAT-ting consists of, or who it may effect.

SWAT-ting is essentially a very serious prank, occurring when a person contacts the local police to report a violent crime being committed at the home of the intended target. They use various means to portray the call as coming from that particular home, and on several occasions have reported the homeowner as having just shot and killed their wife.

One problem with the coverage of these SWAT-ting attacks, is that the public may be content to assume it involves a grudge match between people of differing views. But these criminal actions, aside from sending police resources on a wild goose chase, also can effect the public in far more serious ways.

One example of this is the case of Mike Stack, one of the first victims of the tactic. Stack is a prolific Twitter user and blogger who was targeted last summer after helping to expose New York’s disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner.

On June 23rd, 2011, the Readington Police Department received a phone call from an unknown source, indicating that they were Mike Stack, and that they had just shot their wife in the head a couple of hours ago.

Audio of the 911 call here: reddington-full-mp3

A police report of the incident describes the events, indicating that Stack had to be pulled from his home, handcuffed, and the area assessed before they could even talk.

While this incident alone is terrifying for those involved, there has been little mention of what exactly preceded the Stack arrest. Other calls had been made – from addresses that Stack no longer resided.

Stack explains one such call, “… the call was made to the police department of the town where I used to live, and the police were sent to my FORMER address.”

Indeed, there is a separate police report for Stack’s previous address, where the residents who had no idea what was going on were pulled from their homes in what had to be a harrowing experience.

Stack also told us that, ““The police, in their hurry to control the situation, quickly accosted the innocent residents, handcuffing them on the ground…”

But it wasn’t just Stack himself and this innocent couple who were terrorized that night. Police also responded to Stack’s parents house, questioning them about the alleged shooting.

Essentially, what you have here are three sets of innocent parties who could have fallen victim to this vicious prank – Stack, his parents, and an unrelated family.

Had any of these raids gone wrong, had somebody made a wrong move for whatever reason, with officers approaching and weapons drawn, under the impression that they are fighting off an armed and murderous criminal, anything could have happened. Not just a conservative blogger involved in an online battle, but completely innocent people could have had their lives turned upside down, could have been injured, or could have been killed.

If it happens in your area, what would you do knowing you could be in harms way?

Don’t wait – Go to Michelle Malkin’s website, contact the people on her list and demand an investigation into SWAT-ting.

You might just be the next victim.

Cross-posted at The Mental Recession

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