Sexual aSSault and Sacramento See neWS
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life and fear aS a black man See eSSaY
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Political dabbing
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beatS
caSualtY of chaoS home addresses and phone numbers of the elected officials, after they refused to lift an anti-camping ban that targeted homeless residents. Not all of these doxing incidents are created equally, of course. The Trump supporters and others who took issue with the flag-burning video shared photos of Hampton at work and the address of Hampton’s mother; bombarded the biracial Muslim with racial and religious epithets; and tweeted things like, “We will find you!” and “someone needs to shoot her right between the eyes!” Hampton, who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, said they were unnerved by the venomous onslaught. “But more than any type of fear I just kept thinking to myself, you’re all just proving me right,” Hampton wrote SN&R in a Facebook message. “They defend free speech so much, then attack me for using it.” Braun didn’t experience anything that severe, but an alleged statement made by his attacker has fueled speculation about whether he was doxed—or casually doxed himself. Five days prior to the attack, Braun got into a Twitter spat that’s almost too silly to recount, but here goes: Responding to a tweet that has since been deleted, Braun, posting as Snarkramento, accused Sactown Royalty blogger Kevin Fippin of defending Mayor Kevin Johnson for punching a protester who surprised him with a coconut cream pie to the face. Fippin replied that he was simply making fun of what had become a ridiculous media sensation, the two bickered, others jumped in (mostly on Snarkramento’s side), Fippin accused Braun of trolling him anonymously, Braun (half-jokingly) suggested they get beers, and Fippin replied by asking whether there were any spots Braun liked near the state agency building where he works. In a separate tweet, Fippin referred to the Snarkramento persona as “Matt” after Braun tweeted that many already knew who he was. Braun’s girlfriend accused Fippin of putting their family in danger and, after some direct messaging between the two, Fippin deleted the tweet identifying Braun’s workplace. (As of October 11, the tweet that referenced Braun’s first name remained up.) The online feud took approximately two hours.
In the days that followed, Braun left other digital breadcrumbs to his real identity. one day before his attack, braun tweeted that he “yelled ‘more pies’ at KJ as he walked into Old Soul at 40 Acres. He didn’t think it was funny.” On the evening of the attack, approximately two hours before he was jumped, Braun posted a tweet that revealed he was at Fieldwork Brewing Co., along with a self-deprecating physical description of himself. Braun told SN&R he and a few friends hung out on the Midtown taproom’s small patio, discussing K.J.’s response to the pie-thrower and his own recent Twitter duel with Fippin. Braun says the conversation was loud enough for others to hear. He also says a friend addressed him as “Snark” when saying goodbye. Braun acknowledges his tweets, the conversation that night and his buddy’s “see ya Snark” adieu could have informed what happened later. Braun says he left the brewery on Capitol Avenue at 18th Street around 10 p.m. and began walking back to his car, which was parked near X and 10th streets. When he got to about 14th and U streets, Braun says he attempted to pass a couple on the sidewalk in front of him by walking along the grassy island that bordered the sidewalk. The next thing he knew, Braun says, the man spun around and cold-cocked him in the head. Braun wheeled to the ground and says he was hit at least one more time, possibly more, and that his attacker made two statements between blows. “Hit me once, said, ‘You looking at my girl?’ Hit me again, said, ‘That one was for Kevin,’” Braun recalled. “That’s probably not exact, but it was something like that.” Braun says he doesn’t really remember making it to his car and driving home, undressing and trying to clean up, or his girlfriend taking him to the emergency room, which occurred 1:59 a.m. September 28, according to a photo of the check-in document tweeted by his girlfriend. “The next thing I remember, I was talking to the cops,” Braun said. A police spokeswoman confirms officers responded that night to a reported assault of an adult male “near the 1800 block of Capitol Avenue as he was walking to his vehicle.” No arrests have been made and Braun
expressed frustration that the security cameras from a nearby Cal Fire station were not recording at the time, according to an email from the agency’s deputy chief of law enforcement. “It’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” Braun said. Days after the attack, Braun’s face remained pulped with large welts and swelling, including a left eye sealed shut and a warped lip sporting eight stitches. The mention of an unspecified “Kevin” prompted Braun’s girlfriend to tweet that her boyfriend was attacked by a man who mentioned Fippin specifically. While that claim was later retracted, it was too late. Fippin and at least one other Kings blogger say they’ve been the victims of ongoing retaliatory doxing, mostly by anonymous followers of Braun’s. “I think it’s horrible he was assaulted,” Fippin told SN&R. “The idea that this could happen to anyone is disgusting. But I don’t think our Twitter interaction had anything to do with it.” Asked whether he thinks his online argument with Fippin factored into his attack, Braun says he still thinks it’s possible. “There’s no way to really know for sure,” he said. “The circumstantial evidence definitely points to it being somehow related.” Fippin strenuously disavows the notion, reiterating that Braun himself has never made it all that hard to figure out Snarkramento’s secret identity. And he worries that getting linked, even tangentially, to the crime will lead to more online harassment, taking what had been a minor annoyance—being portrayed online by Braun as “a Kings bro who promotes violence”—and devolving it into a massive personal disturbance. “This is all convoluted and stupid,” Fippin added. “I shouldn’t have reacted in any way. I should’ve blocked him.” That’s what Fippin ended up doing, and Snarkramento responded in kind. As for the whole secret identity thing, Braun decided to drop it for this story. Whatever spurred his attack, Braun says he’s intent on not letting it change who he really is. “I’d rather take ownership of it all at this point,” he said. “I think most people who follow my account understand it’s satirical.” Ω
A uc davis researcher was killed in ethiopia last week after the car she was traveling in was attacked on the outskirts of the African nation’s capital, Addis Ababa. The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa reported that a passenger van was hit by rocks thrown by “unknown individuals” in the late afternoon that October 4. One of the passengers, a U.S. citizen, was struck by a rock and died from her injury, according to the release. Andy Fell, a UC Davis spokesman, confirmed that Sharon gray, 30, was the U.S. citizen involved in the incident. Gray, a post-doctoral research fellow at the university’s Brady Lab, was in the country for a meeting to discuss the next steps on a project she was involved in with the Netherlands Institute of Ecology and other charitable organizations, according to a campuswide statement from Ken Burtis, interim provost and executive vice chancellor, and Mark Winey, dean of the College of Biological Sciences. “Even in tragedy, we hope that we all can find some comfort in the wonderful work Sharon was engaged in that will better the lives of so many around the world,” they wrote. Several media reports attributed the attack to anti-government protesters, and the area has seen months of massive and deadly protests since November 2015. The weekend before Gray’s death, at least 55 people were killed in a stampede as protesters clashed with law enforcement during a religious festival in the same region. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the details of the incident, citing respect for the privacy of Gray’s family. (Mozes Zarate)
ticket to deride A program meant to bolster light-rail usage in the suburbs has drawn criticism from labor interests who say it will benefit ridesharing companies at the expense of low-income transit riders and industry workers. The new Station link Program launched with the opening of the golden 1 center on October 5. A partnership between Sacramento Regional Transit, Uber, Lyft and Yellow Cab, Station Link offers $5 off fares to or from select light-rail stations on event dates, up to 10 trips per rider, when riders use promo code “Sacrt” through the Uber, Lyft or Curb apps. While lauded by RT as efficient transportation consolidation in an already heavily congested area, the Sacramento Central Labor Council claimed the ride-hailing services engaged in exploitative practices. “When a public agency is contracting with companies that have a notorious reputation of not just exploiting the workforce, but also not even recognizing that these folks are their employees, that’s an issue for us,” said SCLC Executive Director Fabrizio Sasso. Sasso was referring to partly ongoing litigation brought against both Uber and Lyft by drivers who claim they have been unfairly misclassified as independent contractors, and want compensation for fuel and auto maintenance. In June, U.S. Northern District of California Judge Vince Chhabria approved a $27 million settlement on behalf of lyft drivers who sued to be classified as employees. RT spokeswoman Susan Bitar denied the lawsuits posed an issue for the ride-incentive program. The program is funded through a $50,000 grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District with administrative assistance from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. Bitar called the program a unique partnership of public and private entities. It will run until the budget is used up after 10,000 redemptions or until March 21, 2017, whichever comes first. (Matt Kramer)
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