Over the weekend, horrified animal lovers used social news bookmarking sites to collectively track down the teens who posted a video of torturing a cat, and now they've been arrested. Here's local TV news coverage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCaFiEE9lqE
And here's front-page discussion from reddit.com, one of the sites where the posse formed up (reddit has a large number of very technologically sophisticated members):
http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/7xogq/cat_dusty_is_alive_and_the_cat_abuser_is_in/
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » The Newsroom
YouTube cat abuser identified by online activists and arrested
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Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #
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Oh dear God--I wish there was a way to put something in the title of this thread that this is very graphic. Due to the case in my town I had thought it would be a report like mine. IT IS NOT! IT IS THE ACTUAL VIDEO. I immediately stopped the video, but I know that there are several here that this will disturb beyond belief.
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It's pretty awesome how they tracked them down,I was on Reddit and I could tell they were zeroing in on where they were and they were calling the local police and media.
They saved the kitty and he's at a vet thank God. I couldn't watch the video either.
Yay for the internets. -
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Request: if you're going to post a link to something that may cause others upset, please consider first whether it's appropriate - read the posting guidelines - and if you're still determined to do so, please make it absolutely clear that it may be upsetting.
Thanks.
Posted 2 years ago by The Kittenmaster #
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Thanks, KM. I think Angela may have been trying to post an actual news story instead of the video itself. I'd be fine with you removing the link to the video of the abuse if you are so inclined.
Posted 2 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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I guess the problem is that scenes of the crime are peppered throughout the news story. Dusty the cat is staying with the vet and is supposedly doing fine...at least physically. And the two pieces of human garbage were released to their parents. Let's not forget that thousands of people reported the crime and helped track down these monsters. Good trumps evil once again.
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I think this story needs to be out there. The public should be outraged. And to be honest I turned it off and it did disturb me--as it should disturb anyone with a heart. I think sometimes we need to see the ugly so we don't become complacent. It is no different than what the town I live in is going through. It wasn't until there was a public outcry that the teens responsible for the torture and death of a cat were actually charged with more charges pending. The first news story only reported the cat was killed--nothing happened. When the kid then described what he did and that was reported people went nuts wanting this kid locked up. The more people speak up on animal and people rights the more protection is afforded to them.
Thank you dear God that Dusty is doing fine physically. With prayers and kind loving caregivers may Dusty learn to trust humans and know that he is loved and will be protected forever.
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Sorry for the failure to warn in the title of this post. Kitten whisperer is right: I chose the least upsetting version online at the time, which was a local TV news clip. I averted my eyes during the worst of it, and I guess assumed others would do the same -- but you're right that everyone should have had the choice.
It's interesting that the TV station did not feel it necessary to add an upfront warning; I think they were so close to the story that they assumed most people had either seen it or had heard enough to expect it to be appalling. My own attitude about this is the same as toward the testimony of human torture victims: if they can live it, I can learn it.
Unfortunately, choosing not to watch the video means one does not see the face of the Sheriff after he watched the whole thing: the man looks like he'd just seen his own mother treated the way Dusty was.
At least one commenter at reddit makes the point that there's still a danger the kids will get just a slap on the wrist. Perhaps emails to the TV station making the twin points about advance warning and harsh penalties would help.
Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #
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I do think that everyone should be raising H@%% about this. Here at least one of the teens involved in the death of a cat is sitting in jail. The others have not even been charged yet. They did this with the intention of distributing online. Everyone had best be outraged and now is the time to speak up. Jack the cat from here can never speak again. Although Dusty is physically doing better, it will take a long time to regain trust and help ease his tortured mind.
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This is EXACTLY how people progress (uh, I mean regress) into sadists, serial murderers and dictators. It starts with animal cruelty early in life. We must ALWAYS be vigilant against these kinds of obscene, sub-human and outright evil perversions and squash them in their putrid budding.
* slinks away disgusted *
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I am glad I read the posts before viewing----right now I don't think I could stand seeing anything like that. I hope they get a punishment to fit the crime!
Posted 2 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Phoenix, AZ 10/8 #
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I'm sitting here crying my eyes out and feeling sick. The cat should never be returned to that family and they should be legally barred from ever owning any more animals. I'm appalled, although not surprised, that the boys were released to their parents' custody. After all, those same parents weren't vigilant enough to prevent the abuse in the first place, what makes anyone think the kids will be adequately supervised now on release?! This isn't some kid caught with a first time small shoplifting offense on a dumb dare to be released to parental custody, grounded, and facing parental wrath. This is cruel assault and battery on an innocent animal. If they'd committed such an assault on a person they'd still be sitting in lock-up, which is exactly where they need to be! Who's next, the small child down the block? A homeless person?
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Here's the email address address for letters to the editor of the local newspaper:
letters@lawton-constitution.com
Since TV news still takes most of its cues from print news, this is a good place to vent.Meanwhile, over at reddit, a couple of interesting developments: Some of the detective work was done by comparing images -- a tiny square of the teen's bedroom wall that appeared on several different sites including facebook showed both a guitar and a confederate flag (!), and made possible the deeper digging into ISP info. But it also helped that other teens in Lawton joined the posse, so we know the kids are not all bad.
Also, a debate has arisen over whether it was reddit, Digg, 4chan or some combination thereof whose members located the perps -- as one poster spins it, "This is like the internet battle of the century - which community likes cats the most? I fear this will end in blood."
That last comment (which is a standard joke) reminds me of an interesting point that sparked debate in another related thread there: "One thing that really strikes me from reading all these comments, including the ones from all the previous posts, is that everyone seems to want to solve violence with violence."
I know that last assertion is not true here on DailyKitten. But what do you all think about how to get the rest of society past this common impulse?
Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #
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Don't slink away Tigger!! Carry that disgust and outrage! We need to stand up in society and let it be known that this behavior is not to be tolerated and a slap on the writst will not heal the over all problem!
I agree with you Marnet. These kids are at home in the comfort of their beds tonight. That should be an outrage to all citizen of this country. These kids will be in the school system tomorrow with your kids. Scream and get outraged.
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Tigger you are absolutely correct! This behavior is indicative of serve mental disturbance. Serial killers from Ted Bundy, Charles Manson to Jeffery Dahmer and Son of Sam--al have animal abuse in their background. While I am outraged and furious that they could do this to an innocent animal, I am also worried that these boys will get punished--and then let go. Months in jail will only breed angry criminals who will turn into even angrier adults. If they are incarcerated-and they should be-it is my hope that while there they will get mandated, intensive psychotherapy, and mandated counseling for a few years after while on parole. It may be the only hope to end the violence. Counseling is not the "be all and end all", but I have seen amazing turn-arounds in my own practice over the years, and it is worth a try for the sake of both society and the boys involved.
Posted 2 years ago by rainingwolf #
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Here is a concise article on the story...
http://www.kswo.com/global/story.asp?s=9850040 -
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Here's the phone number for Comanche County OK District Attorney Robert Schulte, who will be meeting with the two abusers, their parents and lawyers on Tuesday morning to decide what to charge them with and how to dispose of the case: (580) 585-4444 (He does not have email listed). If you call, please be polite AND CONCISE -- the point is to get a large number of calls. The county offices general line is (580) 353-3717; Fax is (580)357-9478.
The newspaper and TV stations are the best venue for longer statements, but what happens in this particular case will be decided very early tomorrow morning.
Posted 2 years ago by AngelaMotorman #
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