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The situation in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of teenager Mike Brown there in August 2014 has been a subject of national attention and action. In the wake of the controversy, many political interests have spoken out about the incident and its aftermath, including the "hacktivist" collective known as "Anonymous."
Several readers have written to ask about Anonymous
and current reports of a "Day of Rage" series of protests affecting several American cities scheduled for
One of the key aspects of Anonymous is its amorphous nature and overall lack of central organization. As such, anyone can initiate an Anonymous "operation," and none is ever officially sanctioned by any particular aspect of the collective:
While the loose organizational structure of Anonymous actions allows for a level of unpredictability, the @OpFerguson Twitter account has more than 28,000 followers and appears to be a larger and more cohesive mouthpiece for Anonymous operatives supporting Ferguson protests. The rumors of a 21 August "Day of Rage" have been in circulation for some time, and that account denied any involvement in planning or calling for such an action several days ago:
In addition to the @OpFerguson account, the larger and more "official" account @YourAnonNews makes no mention of nationwide "Day of Rage" protest calls to action. However, the Twitter feed of @YourAnonNews posted the following tweet on 20 August 2014:
Iterations of the circulating emails and Facebook messages warning Americans about potential "Day of Rage" protests or unrest have linked to a Pastebin post listing the following locations and scheduling information:
DATE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 2014
7PM ET, 6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT
Phoenix: 5:00PM (EASTLAKE PARK, 1549 E Jefferson St , Phoenix, AZ 85034)
Tuscon: 5:00PM (CATALINA PARK, 900 N 4th Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85705)
Little Rock: 6:00PM (OUTSIDE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, Dr Martin Luther King Jr Dr., Little Rock, AR 72201)
San Francisco: 4:00PM (CIVIC CENTER PLAZA, 355 Mcallister St, San Francisco, California 94102)
Oakland: 4:00PM (FRANK OGAWA PLAZA, 1 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA 94612)
Los Angeles: 4:00PM (LEIMERT PLAZA PARK, 4395 Leimert Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90008)
Denver: 5:00PM (CIVIC CENTER PARK, 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, Colorado 80204)
Washington DC: 7:00PM (OUTSIDE WHITE HOUSE, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500)
Atlanta: 7:00PM (OLD DECATUR COURTHOUSE, 101 E Court Sq, Decatur, GA 30030)
Tampa: 7:00PM (OUTSIDE HILLSBOROUGH COURTHOUSE, 800 E Twiggs St, Tampa, FL)
Orlando: 7:00PM (LAKE EOLA PARK, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801)
Miami: 7:00PM (GWEN CHERRY PARK, NW 71 St., Miami, Florida, 33147)
Chicago: 6:00PM (RICHARD J DALEY CENTER, 50 W Washington St, Chicago, Illinois 60602)
Des Moines: 6:00PM (IOWA STATE CAPITOL, 1007 E Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA 50319)
New Orleans: 6:00PM (LAFAYETTE SQUARE, New Orleans, LA 70130)
Baltimore: 7:00PM (201 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202)
Boston: 7:00PM (MASSACHUSETTS STATE HOUSE, 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA 01233)
Detroit: 7:00PM (HART PLAZA, One Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan 48226)
Lansing: 7:00PM (STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, Capitol Avenue at Michigan Avenue, Lansing, MI 48933)
Ann Arbor: 7:00PM (THE DIAG, Burns Park, Ann Arbor, MI 48109)
Minneapolis: 6:00PM (MINNEAPOLIS URBAN LEAGUE, 2100 Plymouth Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55411)
St. Louis: 6:00PM (GATEWAY ARCH, St. Louis 63102)
Carson City: 4:00PM (NEVADA STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, 101 N Carson St, Carson City, Nevada 89701)
Manhattan, NY: 7:00PM (TIMES SQUARE, Manhattan, NY, 10036)
Newark: 7:00PM (NEWARK CITY HALL, 920 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102)
Durham: 7:00PM (200 E. Main St. Durham, North Carolina)
Columbus: 7:00PM (GOODALE PARK, Columbus, Ohio 43215)
Cleveland: 7:00PM (CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY, 325 Superior Ave E, Cleveland, Ohio 44114)
Portland: 4:00PM (PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE, 701 SW 6th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97204)
Philadelphia: 7:00PM (LOVE PARK, 1599 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102)
Pittsburgh: 7:00PM (PITTSBURGH CITY-COUNTY BUILDING, 414 Grant St, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219)
Nashville: 6:00PM (801 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 Estes Kefauver Federal Building)
Memphis: 6:00PM (Health Sciences Park Memphis, TN)
Austin: 6:00PM (TEXAS STATE CAPITOL, Outside South Gate-11th and Congress Ave.)
Salt Lake City: 5:00PM (SALT LAKE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, 4600 S Redwood Rd, Salt Lake City, Utah 84123)
Seattle: 4:00PM (QUEEN ANNE BAPTIST CHURCH, 2011 1st Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98109)
Milwaukee: 5:00PM (DINEEN PARK, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
IF YOUR CITY IS NOT LISTED, MAKE A FACEBOOK EVENT FOR IT NOW.
The following video message frequently accompanies the list of cities:
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It's virtually impossible to say who specifically began "Day of Rage" rumors calling for protests across the U.S. on 21 August. However, the @OpFerguson account and the @YourAnonNews account do not appear to be organizing or endorsing the actions mentioned in the circulating emails and Facebook posts.
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