FBI and Oakland Police joined hands in protecting Stray Kids against potential attacks
Thanks to Oakland Police’s quick response to the online threats against Stray Kids, thousands of people attending the group’s concert breathed a sigh of relief. Concerns arose when an anti-fan, ironically with the name of one of the group members as their username, posted threatening messages on Twitter.
Trigger warning: death threats, graphic descriptions of violence
On July 11, fans found a Twitter account threatening the Stray Kids members. The user threatened to use a gun against them during their concert and posted extremely graphic descriptions of their attack.
The eight-member group was due to perform for its MANIAC World Tour at the Oakland Arena on July 12 in the evening. The disturbing tweets soon caught the attention of the fandom who then mass-emailed the group’s agency, JYP Entertainment, so they could take necessary action.
A few hours later, the Oakland Police Department assured concert-goers of additional safety precautions and informed them about the FBI’s involvement via their official Twitter account.
Fans rally behind Stray Kids after they receive death threats online, Oakland Police Department assured amped up security
What was a lucky and exciting day for thousands of Stray Kids fans could have turned into a nightmare. The Thunderous group performed at the Oakland Arena on July 12, as part of the North American leg of their MANIAC World Tour.
However, just a few hours prior to the performance, the group received death threats from an anonymous user on Twitter. The account in question bore the user name, ‘Han Jisung,’ which is also the name of one of the group’s rappers. Their previous username was @nakiiioni, which they then changed to @iluvflopkids as a dig towards the million-sellers.
The anonymous netizen indicated that they would be attending the Oakland concert and made multiple gun violence threats. They specifically targeted Bang Chan, Changbin, and Felix.
Fans instantly started reporting the account and mass emailing the concerned authorities, including JYP Entertainment, about the same.
As fans brought the disturbing posts to light, the Oakland Police Department dispatched additional personnel to the concert.
On the other hand, another Twitter account received a message from "Oakland Police Department" for “instigating and interfering with an active shooter investigation,” allegedly. As per the notice, they were asked to comply with the police officials and visit the station if necessary. It is unclear whether it was a message from the real police department or if someone was playing a prank.
However, one thing became clear. Threats of any kind, especially those related to gun violence in the US, were nothing to be joked about. The country has recently witnessed a series of horrific mass shootings.
Netizens also discussed how boundaries differ on Twitter and in real life, which can ultimately be a bad thing.
Fortunately, no attacks occurred. All eight members of Stray Kids, along with their staff, venue crew, and audience, had a fun time during the concert.
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Mohini Banerjee