Help-I was freeped at home by a TV Station Staffer.

[myrna minx]

One of our local TV stations has begun playing "The West Wing" in syndication. On Saturday night, I phoned this local station (believing that I left a message in the general mailbox) gushing about how I loved the show and how I appreciated that they chose to broadcast the program. I left my name and number (just like I would for a LTTE) and to my dismay, I received this chilling phone call the next day (Sunday):

Me: Hello.

Channel Staffer: I don’t give a G*d D**n if you like the West Wing. I don’t care what you think. Don’t ever call us again.

Me: Who is this?

Channel Staffer: Someone you called last night.

Me: Who is this?

Channel Staffer: Don’t ever f*cking call me again. Don’t ever call Channel ** again if you know what’s good for you.

This station has two telephone numbers in the phone book. I phoned the first one. At first I thought that perhaps I had misdialed, and this guy was some freeper, angry that I had left a message. After that angry man’s phone call, I dialed *69 to find out what phone number had phoned my house. It was a number associated with the station, but you could not get a direct call through. It was perhaps in a conference room or something.

Holy Mother of God, I was chilled to the core. What should I do?

[zbdent]

1. Start taping your phone calls

that one would have been a dandy!!!

[Kamika]

2. Find his boss and get him sacked :D

Id do it

[el_gato]

sounds like a threat

call back and ask the person if it's a threat
call their bluff

[GOPisEvil]

3. I'd inform the station's general manager.

In writing.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

4. Call the Station Manager

and tell him/her what happened. The staffer was making threatening phone calls on company time, and that, if the station is a public company, is this the image that they'd like to present to their viewers and shareholders?

On edit: bottom line (viewership, ratings and $$) is what usually gets through to upper management.

[bleedingheart]

5. That is so wrong... the person deserves to lose their job for that

type of behavior.

[Guaranteed]

6. First off, figure out

what you said that he was responding to.

Secondly, call back, tothe other number, preferably, find some kind of station manager, and tell that person what happened. Tell them that you're scared out of your mind, and that they've got some kind of psycho working in the station. See if you can get the ball rolling on some kind of investigation.

If that doesn't work, call back, leave the same message, and maybe the guy will call back again, which will give you another opportunity to find out who the hell he is.

[Dogmudgeon]

7. Get a lawyer -- NOW

This is a serious felony. Get a lawyer and open up that proverbial can of whup-ass on the station. Jump on them now before they realize they have a loose canon at the station and can close ranks.

If you let this go, the freep will tell all his buddies that they can get away with brownshirt tactics.

--bkl

[Guaranteed]

9. Why would a freeper do this?

All she said was that she liked the West Wing. Can you tell what's going on here?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

10. I just caught 'if you know what’s good for you'...call the cops

this is no idle threat...get the police involved.

[northernsoul]

17. yo!

I'm not a member of the bar (yet), but I do know enough to get the ball rolling. I need to find out if this qualifies as a terroristic threat under MN law.
The station is vicariously liable for the acts of its' employee when he acting under color of his employment purpose, which means that if there is a legit cause of action there will be deep enough pockets to get a real lawyer interested.

you may also need to look into getting a Harassment Restraining Order, the bad news on that is that Gov. Timmy and his pays just upped the application fee for an HRO to $275, which you might be able to recover at judgment. Yup, someone threatens you and you've got to cough up nearly 3 bills to get the courts to do something about it. Way to be tough on crime, Timmy!

[dpbrown]

45. Minn. Stat. 609.713 is the Terroristic Threats statute

http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/609/

609.713 Terroristic threats.

Subdivision 1. Whoever threatens, directly or indirectly,
to commit any crime of violence with purpose to terrorize
another or to cause evacuation of a building, place of assembly,
vehicle or facility of public transportation or otherwise to
cause serious public inconvenience, or in a reckless disregard
of the risk of causing such terror or inconvenience may be
sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to
payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. As used in
this subdivision, "crime of violence" has the meaning given
"violent crime" in section 609.1095, subdivision 1, paragraph
(d).

Subd. 2. Whoever communicates to another with purpose to
terrorize another or in reckless disregard of the risk of
causing such terror, that explosives or an explosive device or
any incendiary device is present at a named place or location,
whether or not the same is in fact present, may be sentenced to
imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a
fine of not more than $3,000, or both.

Subd. 3. (a) Whoever displays, exhibits, brandishes, or
otherwise employs a replica firearm or a BB gun in a threatening
manner, may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than one
year and one day or to payment of a fine of not more than
$3,000, or both, if, in doing so, the person either:

(1) causes or attempts to cause terror in another person;
or

(2) acts in reckless disregard of the risk of causing
terror in another person.

(b) For purposes of this subdivision:

(1) "BB gun" means a device that fires or ejects a shot
measuring .18 of an inch or less in diameter; and

(2) "replica firearm" means a device or object that is not
defined as a dangerous weapon, and that is a facsimile or toy
version of, and reasonably appears to be a pistol, revolver,
shotgun, sawed-off shotgun, rifle, machine gun, rocket launcher,
or any other firearm. The term replica firearm includes, but is
not limited to, devices or objects that are designed to fire
only blanks.

HIST: 1971 c 845 s 19; 1988 c 712 s 15; 1990 c 461 s 3; 1993 c
326 art 4 s 34; 1994 c 636 art 2 s 45; art 3 s 23; 1995 c 244 s
24,25; 1998 c 367 art 6 s 15

Copyright 2003 by the Office of Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota.

[Loonman]

8. Get a baseball bat and some ten-penny nails

n/t

[gratuitous]

11. File an FCC complaint against the station

The television station broadcasts over the public airwaves, and is supposed to be responsible to its owners, which is to say us. Make an FCC complaint against the station, which will go into their file and be considered when they're up for license renewal. They are supposed to explain what happened, why they did what they did, and declare any corrective steps that might be needed.

Hold them to their obligations.

[myrna minx]

12. Thanks guys--

I am so freaked out. This person can google my number and find out where I live. I do plan on writing the General Manager, but after receiving a threat, you wonder who WAS the person that made the call? I did phone the police, and left the info on a voicemail, but that is a little cold comfort.

Thanks for the advice.

[truthspeaker]

13. call the General Manager

If that phone number is in the book they know the public is going to call it. The management will want to know that one of their employees is making them look bad if nothing else.

[myrna minx]

16. I just received the name of the general manager, so

I shall get into contact with this person.

[RebelOne]

18. You can remove yourself from Google.

I did.

[myrna minx]

27. How?

:shrug: I would love to have myself removed from google. This is scarey, folks. I mean , what if I sent a LTTE with all of my personal info, and someone stalked me to silence me?

[Cadfael]

62. To remove your entry from Google:

this is from an email my aunt sent me:

"Google has made available an option that will allow anyone to REMOVE
their telephone number from the database that is linked to the mapping
feature.

You will first need to check if your number is listed in this
manner by attempting a search - entering your full telephone number
separated by dashes (e. g., 404-524-5811). If the number appears in
the mapping database, an icon resembling a telephone will appear next
to the first or second entry on the results page. Clicking on this icon
will take you to a page containing a description of the service, and a
link to request your number be removed from the database."

Hope this helps!

[myrna minx]

68. This is great information.

Thanks Cadfael. :hi: I will follow these instruction right now. :hi:

[blondeatlast]

63. Just type in your info, when it comes up,

look for the removal link. They had my info WAY off, so I left it alone, but you can be damned sure I removed my 80 year old mom's info.

I know this will be tough, but don't let this rest. We're behind you all the way.

[sangh0]

32. Tell the FCC and your phone company

.

[northernsoul]

14. Myrna,

this must be one of those fat, bald, impotent, bankrupt "Patriot" listeners we've been wondering about.

Seriously, get ahold of one of the adults at said station, and make sure you get this mouthbreather's nuts on a platter (make sure you get his name in case of future incidents).
And if anybody gives you any more crap, I'd be more than happy to write some really scary "I'm Myrna's Lawyer and I'm Gonna Sue the Living Bejeebers Out of You for Harassing Myrna" letters to station management.

[myrna minx]

15. Thanks so much NS.

:hi: I cannnot tell you how fearful I am about this. I'll send you a PM with more details. Thanks for your help.

[northernsoul]

19. I'm sharpening my legal knives as we speak...

This dumbass just messed with the wrong MinneDUer.
:evilgrin:

Yo freeps, you want a piece of Myrna, you're gonna have to come through me first.
:nuke:

[Maeve]

25. One of the reasons I LOVE this board!

A cry for help and it's "Ball, meet bat!"

:thumbsup: :toast: :hug:

[Guaranteed]

20. I'd still like to know why this guy did this.

Was it because of Martin Sheen? I don't get it.

Figuring out why he did this could also help in finding out who actually did it.

[myrna minx]

24. I don't know why...

I gushed about their programming. Let's say I was inflammatory in nature...all he would have to do is send my message onto one of his superiors and say “keep this whacko away from me.” It obviously was not, otherwise he would not have to be an anonymous coward, call me at home and threaten my life.

[Dogmudgeon]

28. If you want to know why ...

Let the station worry about it.

Let the station manager present the Excuse, the Remedy, and the Apology. Why should you have to go to the trouble of finding out why one of the station's employees threatened you over your politics?

This is political intimidation. It's not supposed to happen in America. Not even with King George II in power. Not here, not ever.

Get a lawyer who does this kind of public-interest law. Let the station's owners, managers, and accountants worry about this now.

Don't worry about the legal fees. A competent attorney ought to be able to earn his or her fee as part of the settlement. Anyway, the main thing is, you're not going for a jackpot, you're standing up for your rights.

Don't worry, either, about all the "litigious society" and "personal responsibility" crap you've heard. This was a serious transgression and you can't handle it alone. Hire yourself some serious firepower and put the fear of God into them.

And make sure your legal help understands the value of contacting every newspaper in Minnesota (or wherever you are from) and spreading the news far and wide throughout the republic. It's really the only way abuses of this sort will be stopped.

Good luck!

--bkl

[Guaranteed]

30. That's what I'm asking...

Was this political? Or was this someone who REALLY doesn't like the West Wing?

IF this is political, what the hell is political about it? It's a TV show.

[Deja Q]

46. Malice, pure malice

There's no need to rationalize such insanity, though the reasons are limited (liberal show, appreciative caller must be a liberal, person calling is a female and therefore is more likely to be intimidated - note that that is their thought process, not mine...). I'm sure there are other possibilities, though there's simply no excuse so there is no point to rationalize something that clearly is not rational.

Having the recording is enough, voiceprints can't be disguised.

The vermin should be fired for his threats, to say the very least... threatening another person, misusing private information, domestic terrorism. This was obviously an act to instill terror and to persuade a person to react according to the fear, therefore it is terrorism.

[cosmicdot]

21. there definitely is a mean-spirited ugliness streak in our society

hope you have success ... these people pollute our communities, businesses and institutions ...

another pseudo-leader loose in our system doing damage-at-will

my guess: a good ol'boy who thinks he is King of the Hill ...

the whole Bush-Cheney-money-power trip going on makes them think they can abuse anyone without any retribution

[HEyHEY]

22. Call the cops, call his boss

ANd call the station raging about westwing again!

[lpbk2713]

23. If you really want something done about this.........

...... call this station's main broadcast competitor in your area, whether it's a TV station or a radio station, and fill them in on the whole story. After all, you are just a viewer who was only showing your support for their decision in the first place and then they responded in a vile way. Also you might fire off an E-Mail to whatever network they represent and make them aware. Lastly, call this station and play the tape back for them. They might recognize the voice of this loser and give him his just reward.

[blondeatlast]

64. I like this idea!

But I'd work it through a lawyer or perhaps an alternative press in your area.

[tom_paine]

26. Anbd he probably erased your message, too

This, I believe is going on all around the nation and may be one reason why CBS caved. Freeper Brownshirts are everywhere, they have no morals, ethics, or conscience. I imagine a fair number of calls and e-mails supportive of CBS were deleted, their messages unsent.

Freepers have been programmed by Goebbels v2.0 to do these things because "the end justifies the means" because liberals are so EVIL (God, the projection of the monstrous automatons!).

I would call up the station and report this bastard. Also, arm yourself.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

29. Look at it this way, you have the opportunity to bring to an end

the behaviour of someone who has serious anger management issues. If this person is like this about the West Wing, what are they going to be like about serious issues? For the sake of the next person this idiot is going to hassle, and for this sick person's health, pull the trigger. It must have been really painful for you to have to take this bullshit, and it has to end now before someone gets hurt.

[MiddleRiverRefugee]

31. Give ME the phone number you called.

The problem will NOT be repeated. I will personally see to it.

I mean this.

[Oracle]

35. Yeah, what was the number you called...I want to call.

[dpbrown]

33. Document everything, then begin TV station jihad

Make sure you have the number you called, and if your *69 gave you the number, make sure you've got that written down.

Determine the management authority structure.

Contact everyone.

Win.

[myrna minx]

34. Yep-

I have the numbers. I am working on the management structure. I have the name of the GM, and I am working from there. Thanks for the support, Dan. :hi:

[HEyHEY]

36. Also Dan...maybe I'm just a hothead

Years of pacifism did this to me...but have you considered going down there. ANd speaking to the GM in person, be real intimidating. That way the guy will know you're serious.

[dpbrown]

40. Once everything is documented, perhaps a "talk" would do, but...

But from a public relations standpoint, I would think there would be much better ways to show "seriousness."

For example, perhaps this incident would prove of interest to the Better Business Bureau, of the Attorney General (of Minnesota, not Crisco-head the Ineffectual Booby-fearer, silly!). Either of which would produce more leverage used effectively than just going in as a single citizen/viewer and trying to appear "intimidating."

Or maybe a rival station, or the independent media, would be interested in picking up this thread for an investigation of some sort.

Just a couple of ideas. I'm not saying it's bad to talk seriously with the station, I just think there are better ways to have leverage with them if you're trying to get some action from them instead of being swept under the carpet as irrelevant.

[geniph]

39. I agree with previous posters

Post the number you called, Myrna - it's a public number - and maybe several of us can call and express the same support for the program and see if we get harassed by psycho-boy, too.

[dpbrown]

41. I'm not sure everyone calling wouldn't become counterproductive

I wouldn't want the TV station to be able to claim "harassment" from the viewing audience as anything like a cover for what their employee did on company time.

I'd also be a little worried that it's fairly easy to find out where someone lives from a phone number, and at any rate, that information was given to the TV station at the beginning.

A flurry of calls from others might cause the sociopathic employee to decide to take vigilante action on his own against the original caller.

I think the best recourse is to document this very thoroughly, and then take it up with the management of the TV station (including its national affiliation), and to make it incredibly public either by working in league with a rival or independent media outlet, the Attorney General, and/or the BBB to make it officially a "very big deal" for the TV station to deal with.

[TXlib]

37. Don't give in to intimidation!

Call the station back.

Tell them what was said to you, and tell them WHAT TIME you got the phone call.

Chances are, their IT dept can determine when an outgoing call was made to your number, and from where. They've got a pretty good chance of figuring out who made that call.

Not only can you get this person fired, you can probably press legal charges against him.

I'd also leave the same message again that prompted this reaction, and see if he returns your call again. Tape it.

[TXlib]

38. Also - write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper

I bet they'd love to dish the dirt on their competition.

[myrna minx]

42. Thanks everyone!

I have decided not to broadcast the phone number as of yet. I want to make sure that I have contacted the GM to see what they have to say. I have now confirmed that it was not the GM who phoned me. I cannot tell you how disturbing this was for me, but knowing that I have all of you behind me has given me such comfort, and a sense of power. Thanks to all of you. I love DU. :loveya: I'll keep you posted as to the progress of this ordeal.

[saganaki]

43. File a Complaint with the FCC

:yourock:

According to the FCC, filing a complaint is easy...

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html

The letter you wrote to the station manager is great.

[myrna minx]

55. Thanks for all of your support, saganaki.

I don't know what I would do without you! :loveya:

[bbernardini]

44. Please keep us updated on this!

This is my kind of crusade. :)

[myrna minx]

47. I was brushed off by the management,

but I am seeking legal advice. I'll let you know what transpires from here.

[bbernardini]

48. Can you elaborate?

Or do you feel that would not be wise?

[myrna minx]

51. I am seeking legal action...

I'd rather not go into details for now, but I was brushed off. Like flicking a mosquito off your arm. When I can, I'll post more deatils. I HAVE been raped before, and I must tell you, this feel quite similar. :-(

[Lydia Leftcoast]

49. Brushed off?

Maybe the offending staffer is the station manager's nephew or something like that.

I'm sure a rival station or City Pages or someone like that would love to get their paws on such a story.

[myrna minx]

52. It could be, Lydia,

but I don't have any proof, yet. Thanks for your help.

[dpbrown]

50. No leverage

To get these corporations to pay attention, you have to have an angle.

The Better Business Bureau.
A rival station doing an expose.
Attorney General investigation.

The problem is, you're nobody going alone. Sad, but true.

Well, I don't think you're nobody, but you get my drift.

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[myrna minx]

54. I cannot tell you how angry I am.

At first I was frightened and scared, but now I am angry. I'll be the peskiest (is that a word?) nobody this company has ever tried to ignore. :hi:

sheesh-on edit- I can't even spell words I KNOW are words. :silly:

[dpbrown]

56. TV Station Jihad

You will prevail.

[indigo32]

70. Hey Myrna

lemme know if there is anything this fellow MN can do. I figured out which station your dealing with I think... and may call. I don't think they should be overwhelmed though.

[brainshrub]

53. Give me the number & I'll tell them how much I love West wing

If we all do it the station will have to notice!

[Nlighten1]

67. Yes, please what is the number of this TV station?

[mark0rama]

57. Strength in numbers

I'm sorry this happened to you, but I'm glad you're moving beyond being unnerved and getting angry.

Here's a great story that ran in my local paper in July. Read the whole thing if you get a chance, but here's as much of the relevant part I can post in 4 paras:

http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=tct:2003:07:29:275470:EDITORIAL

At any rate, during the (radio) show, the topic turned to rude people's children, and Ellswick made the comment, "Well, if they'd stop acting like little Indians, things would be OK."

A fellow Menom living near Little Rock called Richie (Plass) to tell him of Ellswick's comment. Richie called the station that morning to register a complaint, and he was treated rudely by a producer. "He told me, Why don't you just go home, smoke your peace pipe and have a nice day,' " Richie says.

...

Here's what he did: "After processing all of this for a while, I posted this story on some e-mail groups I am a member of. These groups deal with Indian issues across the country. I then listed the phone number and Web address for KARN, for everyone's information, and then the contact began. Boy, did the contact begin."

People of like mind from all over the country bombarded the station with telephone calls and e-mails. It went on for days. It prompted the station manager to personally apologize to Richie. It led to the disciplining of the producer, or so Richie was told. In all, it tied the station in knots for awhile. The producer and station manager begged Richie to call off the campaign. But he didn't. Not right away, anyway. So it continued for days.

(end excerpt)

So, when you're ready for us to help you, just let us know!

[myrna minx]

58. Thank you so very much.

I cannot tell you how moved I am at the wonderful support I have received here. Thank you, thank you , thank you. :lovaya:

[northernsoul]

60. We'll get 'em, Myrna

It's a matter of when not if

[trogdor]

59. Some freeper got my home phone somehow...

...and called my wife with much of the same brand of angry shit. Told her I had better not post anything else at Daily Kos or else. Had her shook up for a couple of days (and pretty steamed at me).

Seems the guy clicked the link, got my Yahoo! email address, and there it was - my real name and home address in my profile (dumbass). You gotta be really careful nowadays.

[havocmom]

61. This points up another thing for all of us to ponder:

Google any of your own screen names used for message boards. You may be surprised at what is indexed out there! Make sure you consider your own personal security when making any relevant information about yourself available online! (I take great liberties about this for myself as I tend to post enough info that people familiar with the area could narrow down where I live, but then I am old, done with family raising, don't have much to lose, and fairly well armed. :P )

Then consider how bullies operate. They like to intimidate while preserving their own safety. There is strength in numbers when standing up to them. If you are gonna go toe to toe with one, make sure you have a good public forum to do it in. Lots of witnesses gives one an edge; take a page from Ambassador Wilson's playbook on this one!

The current social climate in this country makes it cool to be a bully and the current economic conditions make some people just plain mean. Be careful out there DUers, but let the bullies know their day is done.

[blondeatlast]

65. Unnerving. My "Happy birthday" greeting

is listed, along with the date. Two pages of listings, most (thankfully) in the archives. Why is Google searching DU that much? I've only been here just less than a year, and I have 2 pages in Google?

Yikes!

[ComerPerro]

66. At leats its DU

Try googling some other Screen Names, and you can find pages built by FReeper types who hate certain posters here.

[myrna minx]

69. Hi all...

I have been able to connect some dots to prove that the two phone numbers are connected. I feel great about this info.

Please understand that I do not want to broadcast the phone number of this station until I have the police investigate. I will keep you all posted of any developments. Thanks everyone!