(Updated)
How brave some little cowards can be, behind their little keyboards. Here's to social media for making it easier to bring them down. Last week, Zerlina Maxwell, a feminist writer, and recent guest on Fox's Sean Hannity's show, discussed how arming a women with guns, would not solve the problem of rape. After the show, Maxwell began receiving racist rape and death threats via Twitter.
Last week, Zerlina Maxwell, a feminist writer, and recent guest on Fox's Sean Hannity's show, discussed how arming a women with guns, would not solve the problem of rape.
After the show, Maxwell began receiving racist rape and death threats via Twitter.
Though it's disturbing to see the content in these messages tweeted to Maxwell, there is some comfort in knowing many cyber-bullies are now more easily tracked down, and some can/will be prosecuted for hate speech/threats of violence. http://thinkprogress.org/... In New York, where Maxwell resides, a person who “[w]ith intent to harass, annoy or alarm a specific person, intentionally engages in a course of conduct directed at such person which is likely to cause such person to reasonably fear physical injury or serious physical injury, the commission of a sex offense against, or the kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment or death of such person or a member of such person’s immediate family” is guilty of stalking in the third degree, http://www.safehorizon.org/... and may be punished by up to one year in prison. At least some of the attacks on Maxwell also could qualify as hate crimes, http://ypdcrime.com/... which would lead to a higher sentence. Additionally, under federal law, “[w]hoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, http://www.law.cornell.edu/... be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.” Although the First Amendment normally forbids prosecutions for speech, the Constitution does not “encompass those statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence http://scholar.google.com/... a particular individual or group of individuals.”
http://thinkprogress.org/... In New York, where Maxwell resides, a person who “[w]ith intent to harass, annoy or alarm a specific person, intentionally engages in a course of conduct directed at such person which is likely to cause such person to reasonably fear physical injury or serious physical injury, the commission of a sex offense against, or the kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment or death of such person or a member of such person’s immediate family” is guilty of stalking in the third degree, http://www.safehorizon.org/... and may be punished by up to one year in prison. At least some of the attacks on Maxwell also could qualify as hate crimes, http://ypdcrime.com/... which would lead to a higher sentence. Additionally, under federal law, “[w]hoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, http://www.law.cornell.edu/... be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.” Although the First Amendment normally forbids prosecutions for speech, the Constitution does not “encompass those statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence http://scholar.google.com/... a particular individual or group of individuals.”
http://thinkprogress.org/... In New York, where Maxwell resides, a person who “[w]ith intent to harass, annoy or alarm a specific person, intentionally engages in a course of conduct directed at such person which is likely to cause such person to reasonably fear physical injury or serious physical injury, the commission of a sex offense against, or the kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment or death of such person or a member of such person’s immediate family” is guilty of stalking in the third degree, http://www.safehorizon.org/... and may be punished by up to one year in prison. At least some of the attacks on Maxwell also could qualify as hate crimes, http://ypdcrime.com/... which would lead to a higher sentence.
Additionally, under federal law, “[w]hoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of another, http://www.law.cornell.edu/... be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”
Although the First Amendment normally forbids prosecutions for speech, the Constitution does not “encompass those statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence http://scholar.google.com/... a particular individual or group of individuals.”