Swatting is the illegal act of harassing an individual by deceiving emergency services into sending a large number of armed police officers to break into their home by reporting the person as armed and dangerous. Swatting can be extremely dangerous, as showcased by the death of Mark Herring during a swatting in 2020. This destructive form of harassment began online, as malicious viewers would swat video game live streamers.
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| Tanya Chutkan |
But swatting has escalated from petty online trolling to something much more sinister and disruptive as a new trend of US politicians being the targets for swatting emerges.
US district judge for the District of Columbia Tanya Chutkan was swatted just weeks ago. Police and firefighters were sent to her house due to an anonymous source informing the police that there had supposedly been a shooting there. Thankfully during the swatting, no one was injured. However, what is alarming is that Chutkan is the federal judge currently presiding over the case of Donald Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Considering the circumstances, it is reasonable to conclude that this was likely a pointed threat toward Chutkan due to her proximity to the case.
Beyond Chutkan, other cases where prominent politicians have been victims of swatting include:
- Federal lawmakers Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, New York Rep. Brandon Williams, and Florida Sen. Rick Scott.
- Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting former President Trump in two cases.
- A 911 caller pretended to have broken into the home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows the day after she disqualified Trump from being on the state’s primary ballot.
The implications of this trend are frightening. With presidential election season approaching, the threat of violence may strongly affect the decisions of certain politicians as they now must weigh their personal safety into the equation. Fear and self-preservation are factors that threaten the democratic thread of the country as a whole.
Of course, people and politicians alike are moving for legislation that would make it easier to identify those responsible for swatting and to impose harsher penalties on those caught doing it. The question is, is swatting a small trend that the US will be able to quickly get control of, or does it point to a greater trend of increasingly polarized and undemocratic politics?
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/us/mark-herring-swatting-tennessee.html
https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2024/01/10/swatting-targets-politicians
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/14/us/swatting-incidents-trend-explained/index.html
2 comments:
I think that this swatting trend is absolutely ridiculous and extremely dangerous. I remember coming across a swatting prank on YouTube, and thinking how sad it is how everyone just watches that person/ streamer become harmed and terrified for their life--just for the audience's own entertainment. But this "trend" shouldn't have to escalate any more than this. Hopefully, higher authority would be able to get control over this ridiculous prank.
In 2015, rapper Lil Wayne was known to be a victim of the swatting prank. The police received a call that 4 people were shot in his home, and they didn't know the severity of this false crime--so they sent the SWAT team to his home. This was all unexpected for Lil Wayne, and the police didn't realize it was a hoax until after. This makes me wonder how the police feel after something like this happens?
(https://www.sj-r.com/story/business/2015/03/12/swatting-is-dangerous-new/34877615007/)
Swatting politicians can deter people from running for office, which can be detrimental for democracy. It is additionally frustrating how people are using public services that are meant to protect people for harassment. It can act as a sort of "boy who cried wolf" situation where the emergency services may start doubting whether or not the call is valid or a hoax if this trend magnifies. It's so important that people respect national resources and the safety of even politicians they disagree with. This trend also more generally speaks towards the violence that intense polarization can lead to. Hopefully politicians can mobilize to charge people who swat with serious crimes so as to deter others from propagating this trend.
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