There is a Washington Post editorial today about a Charlottesville, Virginia woman who went to jail for “identifying a police officer with intent to harass” on her blog. She posted his name and address with a street-view photo of his house. She also “previously advocated creating a separate, all-white nation and her blog veers from the whimsical to the self-righteous to the bizarre.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/09/AR2009080902126.html?nav=hcmoduletmv
The Post defends her Constitutionally-protected free speech, but also identifies what it calls the real problem, “an overly broad, ill-defined ban on harrassment-by-identification” in the Virginia statutes.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was an opinion piece. I wish I had seen the original story. I actually think this woman should be stopped if the ‘facts’ are correct. She was interferring with the cops doing their job. Try doing that to the military and see where it gets you.
I don’t think their judgement was skewed.
Perhaps the laws on harassing cops are week. However, one’s ability to do one’s job without interference has all sorts of possibilities. Virginia is a right to work state.
My comment in WAPO: I think she should have been brought in for obstruction of justice or something. And why wouldn’t she just remove the posts?
Ironically, we’ve had plenty of barely veiled threats against residents here in PWC by local bloggers and the cops maintain they can’t do anything about it. I think it’s high time we start taking this stuff more seriously and start taking reasonable action.
I do NOT think it’s reasonable to hold her this long. Hold her over night and shut the site down until it goes to court.
She is free to leave if she posts bail. $750 bucks is not that much. Has she no friends or bank account?
Did you read her blog at all? Wackjob!
Stalking seems to fit in here also. Why would a drug task force want to be publically identified? Why not just paint on a bulls eye on the people she is targetting.
I think people should also search for her name on the internet. I did and the news stories about her husband and her especially in 2007 should tell you some background about her.
She’s definitely crazy with some of the stuff she’s appeared to have done – as I did what An Ordinary Joe recommended and google’d her and it turned up some pretty strange stuff. Wackjob would definitely be a word for her! If she can’t pay the $750 bail then she deserves to stay in jail, if you ask me.
More on this story including a video that is informative.
Strom’s address is listed at Bedofrd but she targeted Charlottesville cops.
http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/bedford_co._woman_blogs_about_police_then_gets_arrested/43318/
I went down to the Daily Progress for my info. I will take Joe’s advice next.
This story should be followed. Thanks, Cindy.
I forgot she said she couldn’t pay the bail.
Maybe they should commit her until her trial.
I believe in free speech. Some things I’ve seen on this blog recently have made me uncomfortable, however, and that’s why I posted this — to take a look at ourselves.
Outing people’s real names when they, by choice prefer a screen name. Playing investigator and unearthing “facts” on the Internet, when the Internet is like a big huge river after a hurricane, swollen with everybody’s flotsam and jetsam, and not very clean. Pulling a “fact” here and a “fact” there and splicing them together would make a very bumpy jumpy portrait of anyone.
When you’re posting and someone’s at the door, a line has been crossed. I remember when my daughter was a teenager, she and a friend were upstairs on the computer. The doorbell rang. I answered it and said, “Hi….” but this teenager just whizzed by me, ran upstairs and slapped the teen who was with my daughter! Turned out he had said something “unkind” on Instant Messenger (is that still around?), and the provoked party came to deliver justice.
I like Anti’s “reasonable debate” headline. I like how there’s four different people starting threads, so you get a variety of viewpoints. Just hate it when it gets to middle school “drama.” That’s why I’m more into public dialogue. I like when Anti gets together for social events — what happened to the help-the-economy dinners?
Actually, this article claims the bail is $7500. It also has some other interesting things in it about her – http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/30/hobby-or-harassment-blogger-strom-jailed-for-cop-site/
Southern Poverty Legal Center has her:
https://blogs.sans.org/security-leadership/2009/07/31/free-speech-blogs-and-elisha-strom/
(scroll down 3)
https://blogs.sans.org/security-leadership/2009/07/31/free-speech-blogs-and-elisha-strom/
And so does everyone else it seems.
She is listed as a neo-nazi by splc.
Surprise. All roads seem to lead to Rome, now don’t they?
Joe is right. This wackjob seems to have quite an electron trail behind her.
Pinko, just smack me but…still want to let her out? I want to change her bail to 75,000 dollars instead of $750.
@Moon-howler
LOL! That does change things, rather, MH.
If she’s crazy, put her where she really belongs. Otherwise, keep her in jail, but be careful about what she is charged with.
Clearly, she isn’t interested in justice of ANY kind.