Ever heard the phrase, when you least expect it someone is watching you? That would apply to the situation in Brooklyn, New York, where 17-year-old Osiris Aristy was placed under arrest for terrorist threats against police officers, aggravated harassment, criminal possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. All of it began when Aristy took to his Facebook, and started posting emojis of guns pointing at little yellow emoji smile faces with a police hat on them. Aristy was not busted as part of some large terrorism ring.
He was located because his profile had a global, public status on it, and someone came across it and reported it to the police.
The thin line of free speech and Facebook is becoming more blurred over time. One of those “threats” posted by Aristy shows a status as shown below, which prompted investigators to take a second look. Social media has become a hot bed of monitoring activities of “terrorist” threats from American citizens to public workers, especially police officers. The status of this high alert turn around results from the case involving 28-year-old Ismaaiyl Brinsley. Brinsley had a troubled history and took to Instgram in December to write a status of “I’m Putting Wings on Pigs Today,” and “They Take 1 of Ours, Let’s Take 2 of Theirs.”
Just as police received a tip of the post, and was ready to dispatch a warning to all officers, the tragic call came in. NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were killed by Brinsley. He was found dead later that day at a subway station with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The murder case sparked a debate on what is acceptable on social media before it turns into a threat. For police, they consider Aristy’s statuses more than a veiled threat, but an intent of suggestion. The criminal complaint filed by police state due to the conduct of Aristy’s actions he has caused “the informant and other New York police officers to fear for their safety for public safety and to suffer alarm and annoyance.”
Police obtained a warrant for the arrest of Aristy and arrived at his home last Sunday evening. There they arrested him with a litany of charges. Officers claimed they located marijuana in 21 Ziplock bags and confiscated a .38 handgun, that made its presence known in one of Aristy’s Facebook statuses.
After his arrest, it was discovered the teen had acquired 12 prior arrests including similar charges of criminal possession of marijuana and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was due in court on Feb. 20 for a separate incident of robbery and assault, following a six month stint in jail. Aristy is currently on probation and must submit to drug-testing and school monitoring. He posted frequent pictures of smoking marijuana.
The case between social media versus free speech becomes blurred when the subject posting the threats has a flagrant disregard to previous charges, and probation.
Aristy’s attorney, Fred Pratt, defended his client and said while people found his statuses “distasteful,” he found many people across Facebook using the gun emoji next to the police officer emoji but that “doesn’t mean they’re actually threatening officers.”
The 83rd Precint advised they are actively monitoring social media for threats against police officers, and they will “prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”
