As the pre-trial hearing for the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore got underway Wednesday, racial unrest followed. Under debate was the fate of six officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray, an African-American male who died in their custody. The judge decided the criminal charges against will remain and that they would each face separate trials.
Police feared the worst, knowing full well what happened the night of April 27, when citizens burned buildings, looted stores and threw rocks at police. They essentially destroyed the city in retaliation of 'police brutality.' Wednesday's protests were not quite as disruptive, but they weren't exactly peaceful either. Before the judge even announced his decisions, protesters were already blocking downtown traffic, while others chanted slogans and waved "Justice 4 Freddie Gray" signs. One arrest was made as well.
Then, panic ensued.
Wednesday night, a Maryland county received a very disturbing threat. Here is the initial press release from the La Plata Police Department, via its Facebook page:
PRESS RELEASES THREATS MADE AGAINST THE CITIZENS OF LA PLATA
On September 2, 2015 at approximately 4:43 P.M., the La Plata Police Department was alerted to a threat of violence against La Plata residents that was made on social media. The agency is working with allied law enforcement agencies to establish the creditability of the threat and the identity of the individual. The tweet read, “IM NOT GONNA STAND FOR THIS NO. MORE. TONIGHT WE PURGE! KILL ALL THE WHITE PPL IN THE TOWN OF LA PLATA”
More information will be forthcoming as it is available. The Department has added extra officers to patrol in an effort to protect the public.
The individual was identified as Carlos Anthony Hollins and was taken into custody. The culprit continued, however, to post on social media and defend his tweet, insisting that he was just "joking."
obviously was joking lol no cops are taking them serious ??????
— black guy in avi (@_TRVPCOCAINE) September 2, 2015Regardless of whether he was joking or not, the tweet was way out of line. Police do take such threats seriously, especially in the current environment, where cops are being murdered all across the country largely due to racial unrest. Katie has written about the "black lives matter" movement and how, instead of protecting lives, it is ushering in a 'cop-kiling culture.'
Thank goodness this time it appeared to be a false alarm.