[Foundation-l] Fwd: [WikiEN-l] School shooting threats

[Chad]

On Thu, May 22, 2008 at 1:46 PM, Brad Patrick <bradp.wmf at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have spoken publicly about this issue on several occasions.  Using the
> "moral" argument, the fact of someone posting on a project in such a manner
> is grounds for another individual in receipt of this information to act.  In
> previous instances too numerous to count, the posting was brought to the
> attention of the admin community, and inevitably someone at the office on
> IRC, with the question "what do we do?"  "We" of course is the problem.  If
> we mean the community, we're talking about a whole lot of editors around the
> world; if we are talking about admins, a narrower group; if we mean the
> foundation, then we are taking about a handful.  Point being, you contact
> authorities if you believe the threat is credible.  You do what you can
> because ethically you don't want to be responsible for having the capacity
> to act and not doing anything.
>
> These kinds of situations are a tremendous time sink and a point of stress
> for all concerned.  But, if they are simply ignored, one day it will turn
> out the warning signs were there, something awful will happen, and we will
> be tarred and feathered.  In my view, imposing any type of obligation as a
> matter of policy is impossible.  We assume good faith; we should assume
> people who intersect with something as unusual and concerning as this will
> do the right thing.
>
> Brad
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Exactly what I was thinking, you just managed to express it better than any
of the e-mails I drafted and subsequently tossed. Thank you Brad.

-Chad