Swatting: A Reminder from the Past

self | J. Johnson

[jimjohn]

This article contains a re-post of a December 2023 article when the tradecraft known as swatting had been recently wielded against Real American during that time. It should serve as a clear reminder that we are in fact in a de facto state of war with both our foreign and domestic enemies. What’s troubling me as before, is the broadcasting of these terrorist acts against victims and their families, as if it’s a badge of honor. In plain terms:

Acknowledgement that you have been ‘swatted’ not only confirms a successful attempt, but can place others in danger as well. Based on the increase and publicity of these crimes, this article seems more relevant today than when it was published. If possible, please distribute to all popular Real American podcasters - Thank you.

SWATTING: Defeating the Modern-Day Cross Burners
self | By J. Johnson

Posted on 12/30/2023, 12:00:17 PM by jimjohn

If one needs any evidence of American society falling apart, look no further than the newest tradecraft of America's domestic enemies, ‘swatting’; where such enemies exploit the time-honored practice of emergency response measures, and turn it into a weapon. Like cross burnings of the past, it is meant to intimidate, produce fear, and in worse cases provoke victims to take actions that could prove fatal. It is in fact, the definition of modern-day terrorism. Its continued use will rise exponentially unless Real Americans decide to take direct action against it.

CNN recently defined swatting as “...a prank call made to authorities with the express purpose of luring them to a location – usually a home – where they are led to believe a horrific crime has been committed or is in progress. This results in a forceful response from local police or SWAT teams, who have no way of knowing the call is a hoax…” 

But yes, there is a way…

This weaponized use of law enforcement is nothing new. And in some cases it may involve more than law enforcement. fire departments first responders, rideshare and delivery services could also be called in on a potential victim. It has gotten people killed in the past, such as 28 year-old Andrew Finch of Wichita KS. In recent days, the pace of these calls have picked up, and it appears many of the targets have become political; victims whose policies and opinions don’t follow the narrative of the day. With little enforcement and the publicity following such actions, domestic terrorists of the narrative (a.k.a leftists) are currently enjoying this new tool. 

Back in the day, unsuspecting victims would notice two pieces of wood fastened perpendicularly, and set alight outside their residence. In many cases, it served as a warning, and an understanding that stepping outside to address the matter with the perpetrators could result in serious harm or worse. This practice went on for years, especially in certain parts of the country (ironically by the same political party commiting most of these acts today). However I remember my father and grandfather who both told me that despite all the marches against this injustice, what eventually deterred these actions was not more engagement by law enforcement, but an attitude change by the victims (i.e., black men with shotguns).

Also, the perpetrators in those days were known to hide their identities, thus avoiding prosecution or retribution. But things changed once the suspect could be identified. 

To defeat these modern-day cross burners, we need to both change our attitudes, and pull the masks off the perpetrators. But allow me to first dispel 3 myths:

1. Law Enforcement have difficulty tracking down the perpetrators.
   In my 25 years in the world of I.T, I can dispel this myth by knowing that all electronic contacts with a 911 center from the outside world (phone, text, fax, etc) are logged. Not just the contact, by the target address as well. If a call is made via cell, it can be tracked down to the nearest cell tower to the source, and even down to the serial number on the SIM card in the phone that made the call. This is NSA 101 stuff. Satellite phones are registered. The most difficult would be a VPN, but a 911 dispatcher can check that by simply asking the caller to verify their location. This happens often and serves as a validation: If the caller is not in view of the ‘crime’ taking place, chances are better than not it’s a fake call.  Yes, bomb threats are a different matter, but most folks who plant real bombs, don’t give real warnings.
   
   (I’m sure the reader could name at least 10 people who, if victims of a swatting call, would have the suspect(s) in custody or worse within 48 hours, especially if said victim fit a certain political narrative).
2. Law Enforcement Agencies don’t know if the call is a hoax.
   Along with what is stated above, dispatches can view the history of calls a given address, put in a call to that address and talk to a person in the domicile, or in some cases, contact a nearby neighbor for validation (trusted persons, apartment dweller, other law enforcement in the area, etc). They could do this, instead of the hair-trigger response of sending in the guns first. Also, if the caller is disguising or hiding their location regarding a call where the caller themselves are not in danger, that should be an immediate clue that such an emergency call is suspect.
3. Law Enforcement are the ones making the false calls.
   In case you haven’t been following the news these days, it’s easier for law enforcement to simply show up claiming you are a ‘threat to democracy’ for whatever reason, and haul you into custody. And since many of the recent targets fit a certain political narrative, peace officers can merely fire tear gas and rubber bullets into a peaceful protest, then spend the next 24+ months rounding up anyone who was (or was not) there. But I digress…

My first suggestion to fighting against this evil phenomenon is for victims to not make an assault public. Controversal, yes - but hear me out. We live in a world where oxygen thieves enjoy any harm that can be brought on their political or ideological opponents, and each report will breed copy cats, but there’s more:

When a fake call is made, it is rare that the caller is anywhere near the potential victim, thus no real way of knowing if their attack was successful, unless either the victim broadcasts it, or gets neutralized by said attack. Think of it as someone firing mortar rounds from far away at your home, with no line-of-sight to verify. But then you get on social media and say “Hey, they missed my house”, as if they won’t try again. Keeping quiet may also have the bad-guy(s) looking over their shoulder wondering when a response may be coming back in their direction.

Next, is an action that can and should be taken up by any legislature, even on a local level:
Pass laws for a) severe penalties for those found guilty of making such calls, and for the victim to have the immediate access to all information regarding the call including log records, recordings, etc. This is the modern-day equivalent of pulling their masks off. In fact, the police don’t have to wait for this legislation, as we all know how 911 calls mysteriously get leaked.

If you are a victim and denied information as listed above, I would suggest using lawsuits if necessary to receive such information and/or compensation for any pain and suffering. After all, these calls are being weaponized to do you and others harm. This information in the hands of the victim may be the most effective way to track down the true perpetrators.

Unfortunately, too many of us live in a world where we expect to be protected by peace officers. The reality is that times have changed. We are actively dealing with a domestic adversary waging war against us, and we have a law enforcement apparatus that is either incapable or unwilling to provide functions necessary for peace and tranquility. Regrettably at some point, it will be left to the individual to take matters into their own hands.

Just my $0.02

P.S. (related): To show you how bad it can get, recently in a Buffalo, NY suburb, someone using a voice disguise called police threatened to shoot people at a Tops grocery store On Dec 28, 2023). You may recall another Tops grocery store in the area less than 2 years ago being attacked killing 10. This recent incident put everyone on edge for obvious reasons, and tied up virtually all law enforcement in that suburb and nearby towns. The call turned out to be fake. But can you imagine the cops running across a shopper who happened to have a CCW at that time?

Enough said.

[Carl Vehse]

Make conviction of swatting a capital crime with the sentence to be carried out in the public square.

[I want the USA back]

Swatting is attempted murder. It should be punishable by death.

[ByteMercenary]

It just happened in the San Antonio Texas area yesterday or Sunday. A broadcast personality who works at an all-news conservative leaning AM station was swatted. Before acknowledging the LEOs, he called 9-1-1 to verify the raid and they called the LEOs to stand down.

Some a$$whole needs to be caned ...