Pages

Monday, September 30, 2013

Lori Stewart, Troll Hunter

How do I start this one? That's the reason it isn't written yet; that question, there. How do I start this one? A while back, my friend Lori, over at This Just In, picked up a troll. Only...he was so much more than that. A troll is someone who passive-aggressively "just wants to play devil's advocate" in a marginalized person's space. Or asks stupid questions on serious forums. Or makes the cyber-equivalent of prank ~ even perhaps obscene ~ phone calls. I'm not saying these are good things. Trolls are horrible, horrible people and need to be ignored (at a minimum) or a slap down. This person...this person was more than a troll. 

This person said horrible things about Lori, her son, her dying sister, her sick mother. Graphic, detailed, and grotesque. And he moved onto those of us who would comment on her posts. Making horrific statements in our comments. Less personal, but anti...everything and everyone. Antisemitic. Racist. Misogynistic. And he always linked back to a white supremacist, faux-Christian, hate group. 

Some people replied. Some people became afraid. Some people had anxiety attacks. Some people stopped blogging. Some people ignored him. He never went completely away. For years. And years.

Eventually, Lori shut down her comments entirely, tired of having to filter his venom every post, several times per post. And that pissed him off. That's when he started posting the same vituperative bile on other blogs ~ under her name. Using her email address. Referencing her.

He made comments about my readers. He made comments about my father. He made comments about me and Lithus. He made comments that made no sense, were just hateful. And I wasn't the only one.

Free speech had become hate speech. And Lori had had fucking enough already. Another friend of hers mentioned a cybercrime unit in the police force, and she was off to the races.

His name is Robin King. He is a 55 year old Missouri man, who used to live in Illinois. He is an employee of the Department of Defense. He was arrested, at work, on Monday, September 23rd. So, yeah, fuck you, Robin.

We have no idea what caused him to choose Lori. To her knowledge, their paths have never crossed. She does not know the man. But what we have always known ~ and he knows now, as well ~ is that he chose...poorly.


Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee ~ and jail time.

8 comments:

Angela said...

I LOVE the Batman comic so much there are no words! After urging Lori to contact the law, I remember scouring the internet looking for a picture of "Robin". I was ecstatic to send her the image which refuted the one she had conjured up in her mind. Scruffy bearded, overweight older white male. We can all be thankful he wasn't wearing tights. Go Lori!

Glock21 said...

He spent nearly 3 years threatening to hunt me down and/or kill me. He threatened to rape my female family members. He went into graphic detail about raping and murdering my female family members. He bragged and fantasized about killing african americans who showed up to his door without an invitation. He fantasized about shooting people. He warned me several times to arm myself. He even gave me 1 in 5 odds that if I armed myself that he would still emerge victorious in the gun fight.

During and beyond those three years he was busy threatening and harassing people associated with his obsession, with rape, death, and general obscenity.

And someone paid $25,000 to pay the 10% of his bond/bail and let him back into the world with his guns and bile and everything he ever threatened to do to people. This thing is running loose... holy hell!

Anonymous said...

I have know Lori along time I went to school with her, I have been praying for her since I found out about this. I know she will win this battle she has to many people supporting her. I just want anyone affected by this man to know I have and will be praying for you and that I support you through this. Becky

christine mtm said...

lori is my hero!

AppsRus said...

Bravo Lori?

geewits said...

Lori has always rocked and I was so pleased that SHE BROUGHT HIM DOWN. He left some messages on my old blog at the time, but I didn't know it was him and just deleted his stuff. I'm sort of creeped out that he was not too horrid on my blog - I mostly deleted his stuff because of the name he used. Did that mean he liked me? That makes my skin crawl.

BostonPobble said...

Angela ~ I had the best time designing that. Glad you approve. And yes, your finding that picture made a difference!

Glock21 ~ The depths of his depravity no longer surprise me. Mortify and appall me me, but no longer surprise. Neither, though, does his cowardice.

Anonymous Becky ~ We thank you for that support!

Cats ~ She's fucking brilliant.

AppsRUs ~ Pretty much. Good for her, but why the hell should she have had to do it at all????

Geewits ~ Love Lori. LOVE her. And I hear your skin crawling response. :)

neo-prodigy said...

Lori, just in case you are reading this, as someone who has been on the receiving end of domestic abuse, online stalking and real life stalking, I just want to say that you are an inspiration and I applaud you for standing your ground and making yourself a legend with an internet takedown to end all takedowns.

And the well punned use of this Robin meme is this:

I'm sure Robin King though he was real funny, a Joker.

But the problem with Robins and Jokers, is that they wind up meeting the same fate as one Jason Todd.

As King just found out.