Self-proclaimed
"Anonymous" hackers have justreleased
a video threatening
the Fullerton Police department with a site-wide shutdown if
certain demands aren't met. Called "Operation Fullerton,"
(#OpFullerton), the hackers are demanding that the officers involved in the beating
of homeless man Kelly Thomas be prosecuted, that the Fullerton Police Chief
resign, and that $5 million be awarded to Thomas' family.
If these demands aren't met,
the hackers threaten to bring down the Fullerton Police Department's website
and destroy all of its communication channels.
The
newly published video is basically a recitation of this August 5th statement released by people who claim to
be affiliated with the worldwide hacking network. While the letter lists the
officers allegedly involved in the death of Thomas, The Huffington Post
confirmed with police spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Goodrich that the Fullerton
Police Department has not released these names. Goodrich maintains that any
names that are "out there" come from dubious sources and are not
confirmed.
Both the letter and the video
compare the city of Fullerton to the Biblical cities Sodom and Gomorrah because
of its "broken moral compass." "Anonymous" also calls the
$900,000 offered to Ron Thomas (Kelly's father) "hush" and
"blood money."
Ron
Thomas told the OC Weekly that he does not condone the
cyber threats, saying "we’re not going to do anything that’s violent or
illegal." Instead, he encourages his son's supporters to visit the Kelly
Thomas Memorial Fund and
keep on peacefully protesting at the Fullerton Police Department on Saturdays.
While the date of the
threatened cyberattack has come and gone without incident, Fullerton Police are
still on high alert.
From an official police
statement:
There has been a cyber-threat made against the
City of Fullerton’s and the police department’s electronic communication
system. We believe this threat was received in relation to the death of Kelly
Thomas in July. Our citizen’s may be denied Internet communications with the
city and police. However, city services including police and fire will continue
to operate as usual.
We are in the midst of
several independent investigations related to the Kelly Thomas incident, and if
officers are found to be culpable, they will be held accountable. However, we
have to wait for the investigations to be complete.
Kelly
Thomas was a 37 year-old homeless man suffering from untreated schizophrenia
living in Fullerton, California. On July 5, Fullerton police officers were
responding to reports that a man was breaking into cars at a local bus depot.
When police tried to search Thomas' backpack, he resisted and it took several
minutes for officers to subdue him. Five days later, he died of the injuries he
sustained during the altercation with the police. Fullerton police are still
investigating the incident. Meanwhile, audio of the fight has surfaced, as
well as video of eye witness accounts
retelling what happened in vivid detail.
Yesterday,
hackers claiming to be affiliated with "Anonymous" broke into the Bay
Area Rapid Transit website and posted the private user information of more than
2,000, reports the Associated
Press. The action targeted Bay Area Rapid Transit officials who
blocked cellphone service last Thursday to prevent people from organizing a
protest of a recent fatal shooting by police.
