To report or not to report

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Rainbow_connection
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To report or not to report

Post by Rainbow_connection »

So I have a relative on Facebook who is a major conspiracy theorist and is always posting things about how Obama is the Antichrist, vaccines are created for population control, fluoride is mind control, etc. etc. etc. The last couple of days his posts have been increasingly disturbing to me. For instance, yesterday he posted an article about one of Obama's executive orders with the comment "Someone needs to do a 1 Nephi 4:12." Today he posted an article about how a new law has been passed in Indiana that allows people to shoot the police in self-defense with the comment "We need a law like this in Utah." Overall this person seems not too mentally stable (he has been fired from multiple jobs for anger management issues and once punched out a car window when he was upset about something).
Is this something I should report? Who would I report it to? Can I report it anonymously?
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Whistler
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Re: To report or not to report

Post by Whistler »

I don't think he or she would be in trouble with the law, but maybe you could brainstorm ways to help this person with other relatives?
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Shrinky Dink
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Re: To report or not to report

Post by Shrinky Dink »

Until your relative makes direct threat to specific people, there isn't really anything the cops can do. Some people in Britain recently went to jail for some death threats they made on twitter (http://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/is ... -interview) but since your relative doesn't seem to be doing stuff of this caliber, the cops won't be able to do anything until your relative is perceived to be a danger to them self or others.

Maybe there's a mental health line you could call. I did a quick google search (maybe a more intense search would yield better results) and the best I could find was NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Although, I'm not sure your relative even has a mental illness, but they definitely sound paranoid. Either way, you could give them a call and see if they have any better advice for you.
*Insert Evil Laughter Here*
Rainbow_connection
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Re: To report or not to report

Post by Rainbow_connection »

It's just frustrating (and a little frightening). I can see him snapping, and then people will be talking about how all the warning signs were there and he was posting increasingly violent and disturbing things on Facebook. Or maybe he will just keep posting things and never doing anything about it. Either way, I think it would be almost impossible to get him help preemptively, especially since we're not close.
Rainbow_connection
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Re: To report or not to report

Post by Rainbow_connection »

Ok, new quote from the same person today about a senator being attacked. "I would like to admit to something like that, but sorry it was not me. And if I ended up in a lower kingdom I am now debating if it would be worth it seeing how it is better for one man to perish than a whole nation think going on. Or I am just too vulgar a person still."

This is seriously getting frightening and I think I need to let some officials know. Any ideas who I could tell? I already tried reporting it on Facebook but they said it wasn't a credible threat of violence.
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Shrinky Dink
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Re: To report or not to report

Post by Shrinky Dink »

I would google "[state] police non-emergency number" or something to that affect and see if they can investigate a little or maybe just help you keep an eye out, especially since it seems like your relative has somewhat admitted to being a part of an attack or wanting to be part of an attack of some kind.

Here are the non-emergency numbers for Utah http://911.utah.gov/pop8.php
*Insert Evil Laughter Here*
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Portia
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Re: To report or not to report

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