https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/sep/25/army-warns-credible-mass-shooting-threat-ahead-jok/
...considering the above re: Las Vegas/S. Adelson, etc., this 'Warning' takes-on an even more ominous tone.....
Army warns of 'credible' mass shooting threat ahead of 'Joker' premiere: Reports
Randy Jackson: “I transform
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Joaquin Phoenix in a scene from “Joker,” in theaters on Oct. 4.
By
Andrew Blake - The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The Army has warned about a potential mass shooting being planned to take place when a new Warner Bros. film, “Joker,” opens in theaters next month.
A memo issued this week to Army personnel stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, said that the base’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) received intelligence about a “credible potential mass shooting to occur at an unknown movie theater during the release of the new Joker movie scheduled on October 4, 2019.”
Posted on a military Facebook page, the memo said that warning was based on “disturbing and very specific chatter” recently discovered online.
“Commanders need to be aware of this threat for soldier and family safety and to increase situational awareness should they choose to attend the release of this movie at a local theater,” the memo said.
Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Command, subsequently confirmed the memo’s authenticity.
“Out of an abundance of caution, our Fort Sill office distributed the memo to internal military personnel at Fort Sill,” Mr. Grey
told Stars and Stripes.
Speaking to Task & Purpose, he
said that the Fort Sill CID office “put out a warning … to let leadership there and a select audience know at Fort Sill that this was a potential threat, so they could take care of their soldiers.”
The memo was based on information shared with CID by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Joint Crime Information Center, Mr. Grey told the outlets.
Neither Warner Bros. nor Texas DPS immediately returned messages requesting comment.
Centered around the Joker villain from the Batman franchise, the movie’s release next month comes more than seven years after a gunman opened fire inside a cinema during the opening night of another Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and injuring dozens more.
Relatives of several victims killed in the Aurora massacre wrote Warner Bros. this week raising concerns ahead of the new film’s release.
“We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe,” the relatives wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Gun violence in our society is a critical issue, and we extend our deepest sympathy to all victims and families impacted by these tragedies,” Warner Bros. responded in a statement later Tuesday, Vulture
reported. “Make no mistake: neither the fictional character Joker, nor the film, is an endorsement of real-world violence of any kind.”
....later.... this report on potential Joker violence, from Gizmodo..... new twist.... the
incels appear to be implicated now....
https://io9.gizmodo.com/u-s-military-issues-warning-to-troops-about-incel-viol-1838412331
U.S. Military Issues Warning to Troops About Incel Violence at Joker Screenings [Updated]
Dell Cameron
Yesterday 4:59pm
Filed to: JOKER
Joaquin Phoenix in a clown mask in Todd Philips’ Joker.
The U.S. military has warned service members about the potential for a mass shooter at screenings of the Warner Bros. film
Joker, which has sparked wide concerns from, among others, the
families of those killed during the 2012 mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
The U.S. Army confirmed on Tuesday that the warning was widely distributed after social media posts related to extremists
classified as “incels,” were uncovered by intelligence officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In a September 18th email, service members were instructed to remain aware of their surroundings and “identify two escape routes” when entering theaters. In the event of a shooting, they were instructed to “run, hide, fight.”
“Run if you can,” the safety notice said. “If you’re stuck, hide (also known as ‘sheltering in place’), and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.”
The Army said it became aware of potential threats after receiving a bulletin from the FBI, but that it was unaware of any specific plots or suspects. The notice, which was marked “For Official Use Only,” was relayed purely as a precautionary measure, it said.
A separate memo, issued on Monday by senior officials in the U.S. Army’s criminal investigation division, stated that the Army had obtained “credible” intelligence from Texas law enforcement officials pertaining to “disturbing and very specific chatter” on the dark web “regarding the targeting of an unknown movie theater during the release.”
“We do this routinely because the safety and security of our workforce is paramount,” an Army spokesperson said of the widely distributed warning. “We want our workforce to be prepared and diligent on personal safety both inside the workplace and out.”
Incel is
a term that was adopted in the ‘90s by an online subgroup of self-professed “involuntary celibate” men. Over time, some radicalized members of the incel community have formed an ideology that promotes violence. Elliot Rodger self-identified as an incel before he
killed six people near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2014. And
James Holmes, the man who opened fire in a crowded movie theater in 2012 has become a
bit of a heroto the incel community. It’s often been repeated that Holmes was
inspired by the Joker, a claim that primarily rests on statements the killer reportedly made to police after the fact in which he said he “was the Joker.” Speaking with the
Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Oates, Aurora’s chief of police at the time, said that “there is no evidence” the shooter ever said that.
In the alert emailed to service members, Army officials claimed that incels “also idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against bullies.”
“While our standard practice is to not comment on specific intelligence products, the FBI is in touch with our law enforcement and private sector partners about the online posts,” an FBI spokesperson said. “As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activity to law enforcement.”
In an age of frequent mass shootings by
predominately white American men—at least some of whom have referenced in writing their frustrations with sex—the film has sparked controversy over its desire to compel its audience (at least in its first half) to empathize with a mentally unbalanced and unloved “loser” who inevitably resorts to mass murder.
The gritty film, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker,
reportedly makes strides to depict its titular character in a far more realistic fashion than his comics counterpart. Rather than being transformed into the “Joker” after falling into a vat of acid—as the villain so often does in depictions of his DC Comics origin—a harsh life compounded by constant mockery and an
inability to “get the girl” is what ultimately leads to his rise as the infamously batty executioner of comic book lore.
The Hollywood Reporter
reported Tuesday that families who lost relatives in the Aurora shooting, which claimed the lives of 12 moviegoers in 2012 during a screening of the Batman film
The Dark Knight Rises, signed a letter this week to Warner Bros. sharing concerns about the
Joker film. With the film set to open on October 4th, the families asked the legendary film studio to donate to groups that aid victims of gun violence.
“We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe,” the letter reportedly says. The film will not be shown in the Colorado theater where the shooting occurred.
An Air Force officer at Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia—granted anonymity to discuss the Defense Department’s warning freely—said that such notices are occasionally circulated by security managers, but only when deemed “credible.” The officer said that in some cases, commanders may issue an advisory in response; however, one was not issued in this case.
“Frankly, beyond the email, I’ve heard little about it,” the officer said. “A few folks said they’d avoid opening night, or passed it on to their family members for consideration, but I haven’t heard much else in conversation beyond that.”
Warner Bros. did not respond to a request for comment.
In
a statement broadly addressing the controversy over the film, Warner Bros. called gun violence a “critical issue” and said that in recent weeks it has called on policymakers to enact legislation to address what it called an “epidemic” of violence. Regardless, the purpose of storytelling, it said, was to “provoke difficult conversations around complex issues.” The company went on to make clear that the film does not endorse real-world violence and said that “it is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero.”
You can read the email that was circulated by the military in full below:
Team,
Posts on social media have made reference to involuntary celibate (“incel”) extremists replicating the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, at screenings of the Joker movie at nationwide theaters. This presents a potential risk to DOD personnel and family members, though there are no known specific credible threats to the opening of the Joker on 4 October.
Incels are individuals who express frustration from perceived disadvantages to starting intimate relationships. Incel extremists idolize violent individuals like the Aurora movie theater shooter. They also idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against his bullies.
When entering theaters, identify two escape routes, remain aware of your surroundings, and remember the phrase “run, hide, fight.” Run if you can. If you’re stuck, hide (also referred to as “sheltering in place”), and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.
** this is a condensed version of an HQ Army Materiel Command, G-3, Protection Division Security message **