{"id":607248,"date":"2021-07-30T18:36:20","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T22:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=607248"},"modified":"2021-07-30T18:36:31","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T22:36:31","slug":"loudoun-sheriff-closes-probe-into-anti-racist-group-asking-someone-to-hack-is-not-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/loudoun-sheriff-closes-probe-into-anti-racist-group-asking-someone-to-hack-is-not-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"Loudoun Sheriff Closes Probe Into \u2018Anti-Racist\u2019 Group: \u2018Asking Someone To Hack Is Not Illegal\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Floudoun-sheriff-closes-probe-into-anti-racist-group-asking-someone-to-hack-is-not-illegal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=607248&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Weiskopf.png?w=1200&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p>The Loudoun County, Virginia, sheriff\u2019s office has closed its investigation into a Facebook group that threatened to \u201chack\u201d and \u201cexpose\u201d parents who opposed Critical Race Theory in schools, saying \u201casking someone to hack is not illegal and that we would need a furtherance of the act. At present we do not have information that anyone has been hacked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The report also says that school board member Beth Barts, whose comments triggered the hunt for dissident parents in the affluent, semi-rural Virginia suburb, told police she did not access the group during a key period when the list-making was going on \u2014 a statement that appears to be contradicted by timestamped data from Facebook contained in the report.<\/p>\n<p>In a 41-page report obtained by The Daily Wire, deputies recounted how they executed subpoenas on Facebook and interviewed participants, including Barts, who had previously been censured and stripped of her committees in part for targeting parents on social media.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/loudoun-teachers-target-parents-critical-race-theory-hacking\">Teachers Compile List Of Parents Who Question Racial Curriculum, Plot War On Them<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Barts wrote on March 12 around 9:30 a.m. that \u201cI am very concerned that this CRT \u2018movement\u2019 for lack of a better word is gaining support. It is difficult for me to bring attention to it without calling out specifics which may violate our code of conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Group members appeared to take this as a cue to do what she could not, and assembled a list of parents. They made dozens of posts, eventually spinning off onto a thread dedicated solely to the list.<\/p>\n<p>Member Jen Morse replied to Barts\u2019 post asking the group\u2019s administrator, Jamie Ann Neidig-Wheaton, \u201cis it okay if I post a call for volunteers for these counter activities?\u201d She then posted below Barts\u2019 comment, \u201cI put up a call for volunteers post.\u201d That referred to a thread that called to \u201cinfiltrate,\u201d deploy \u201chackers who can shut down their websites,\u201d and \u201cexpose these people publicly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barts later wrote: \u201cThank you for the response to my post this morning. It is ironic that they have now gone \u2018underground\u2019 after being called out for their hate and ignorance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barts told detectives \u201cShe went on the site and asked for advocacy to share that LCPS is not supporting critical race theory\u2026 She said that she did not go back on the group until the next morning\u201d and \u201cdid not see the doxing post until the next morning. Her post thanking people for their advocacy was about educating people and not thanking them from [sic] doxing people,\u201d according to the sheriff\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n<p>But according to the Facebook records included in the sheriff\u2019s report, Barts returned to Facebook multiple times on March 12. Around 3:30 p.m., she responded to a comment \u201cWe have a mole. Smoke them out\u201d with the observation \u201c\u2026 well isn\u2019t that interesting\u2026\u201d By that time, Morse had posted to that thread that the group should make \u201clists\u201d and \u201cinfiltrate\u201d and directed readers to the standalone thread, which was in full swing.<\/p>\n<p>Barts did not return a request for comment from The Daily Wire on the discrepancy.<\/p>\n<h4>Hacking<\/h4>\n<p>Hilary Hultman-Lee, a former Loudoun teacher, was the most prolific commenter, listing parents\u2019 names, spouses, and employers.<\/p>\n<p>Detectives asked Hultman-Lee about hacking. \u201cShe said that her understanding and that what she thinks many people understood to be saying was not hacking but doing \u2018that thing where you buy a domain name that\u2019s similar to the one you\u2019re targeting so it looks like people are going to their address but they go to a different one to get education information.\u2019 She did not know of anyone who reached out\u2026 who said they could do the hacking. She said the initial conversation centered around creating their own website and\/or a re-direct type \u2018spoof\u2019 website,\u201d according to the sheriff\u2019s documents.<\/p>\n<p>It was not clear why the group would need to find someone with special \u201chacking\u201d skills to buy a domain name, since that is a simple online purchase, nor how that interpretation could be drawn from the call to \u201cshut down their websites.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>No charges<\/h4>\n<p>The sheriff\u2019s report summarized that a post solicited \u201cinformation regarding legal names, areas of residence and or school board reps, known accounts on social media, and other information relating to those who opposed [sic] to [Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County]. This prompted other members of the ARPLC group to volunteer these names.\u201d But this information did not constitute \u201cpersonal Identifying Information (as defined in Virginia Code S18.2-186.4),\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>It considered charges of \u201cusing a person\u2019s identity with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass,\u201d \u201charassment by computer,\u201d \u201cslander and libel,\u201d and \u201cracketeering.\u201d It concluded that any applicable violations would be \u201cmisdemeanor violations. Consequently, the LCSO will not be pursuing criminal charges. However, individuals interviewed during this investigation were notified\u2026 of their option to attempt to pursue misdemeanor criminal charges or other civil remedies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The county\u2019s elected prosecutor, Buta Biberaj, is a member of the anti-racist Facebook group. Though Biberaj did not appear to comment on the doxing thread, she did <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/loudoun-anti-racists-targeting-children-buta-biberaj\">participate<\/a> in another thread that involved soliciting videos of children being racist, underneath a comment that said we have to \u201cfight this s**t together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Virginia Project, a conservative group, sued group administrator Neidig-Wheaton alleging defamation after she allegedly claimed that it was her side which had received threats, saying, \u201cAs a matter of fact, the Virginia Project, who has been a vocal force in this is spurring other people to threaten us. \u2026 We\u2019ve been threatened with kidnapping; our children have been threatened. \u2026 They\u2019ve gone after my business; they\u2019ve gone after our jobs. \u2026 Again, we are being threatened. \u2026 The threats are real,\u201d according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baconsrebellion.com\/wp\/virginia-project-sues-for-defamation\/\">Bacon\u2019s Rebellion<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p>Neidig-Wheaton is a one-time George Mason University adjunct professor who, according to public records, was arrested on charges of trespassing and assault in 2012, which were later dropped.<\/p>\n<h4>Are schools for teachers or taxpayers?<\/h4>\n<p>The threshold for inclusion on the list was low. To earn their scorn, parents needed not be racist, but merely \u201cnot an antiracist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDecades ago I had some unpleasant interactions with one of them I think,\u201d one participant wrote.<\/p>\n<p>But beneath the surface was a different dynamic, one that was not about race so much as those who seem to prioritize teachers over the parents they are hired to serve. Barts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcps.org\/domain\/30426\">describes<\/a> herself as a \u201cformer educator,\u201d and the group included school system insiders like teachers, former teachers, and school board members.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I was still in that stupid LCPS Parents group, I\u2019d remember more names,\u201d Morse wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The sheriff\u2019s report said most of the parents targeted were actually opposed to teachers union-backed extended school closures, not racial issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBased on the interviews conducted, a majority of the subjects named had opposing views on \u2018Distance Learning\u2019 from that of the members of \u2018ARPLC\u2019 and a minority of the subjects named had opposing views on \u2018Critical Race Theory,\u2019\u201d detectives wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Members criticized one parent seemingly in part for believing a child\u2019s allegations of rape by a teacher. \u201cDid he use his brand on the rape allegations against the Trailside teacher? He was funding the litigation,\u201d one wrote, noting that \u201cI have not really been following that closely so I\u2019m not sure if they were corroborated allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neidig-Wheaton said \u201cI can\u2019t believe such a catch is single,\u201d calling him a \u201cloud loser incel pissed his wife left him.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>\u2018Silence is complicity\u2019<\/h4>\n<p>Though Barts used the catchphrase \u201cSilence IS complicity,\u201d only one member of the group appeared to speak out against the list-making, according to the contents of the sheriff\u2019s report. \u201cI have seen multiple members here say we don\u2019t keep \u2018list\u2019 [sic] of people\u2026\u2026how is this not exactly that?\u201d a man wrote.&nbsp; \u201cSeriously? Infiltrate? I joined this group because I can\u2019t stand trumpistas pretending racism doesn\u2019t exist. But keeping lists and infiltrating is exactly the bulls***t they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hultman-Lee responded, \u201cIf you don\u2019t care to participate in these factfinding and education activities, don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said, \u201ckeeping private lists and infiltrating out of a private group is \u2018education\u2019? Ha\u2026 I am a supporter of CRT. I engage with that daily. I will not engage or support tactics that racists and NAZIs themselves use. We are better than them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hultman-Lee wrote, \u201cI will not repeat myself again\u2026 You\u2019re welcome to start your own public group, if you disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after, the group went back to excoriating their neighbors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe parents are the cowards because they know we can\u2019t smack their kids. But not a single one will confront me face to face and try that shit,\u201d Antoine Wilson wrote of allegedly racist children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe person taking screenshots and running off like a little pathetic Karen should get a life,\u201d Heather Elise Barclay said.<\/p>\n<p>The group alternated between attacking those who objected to Critical Race Theory and claiming that it was not in schools.<\/p>\n<p>Some members of the group expressed hatred for their neighbors despite apparently not having any familiarity with the substance of their criticism. \u201cThese lunatics scare me. I haven\u2019t paid much attention, until now. What is the actual program that Loudoun is using? I can\u2019t believe these people are my neighbors,\u201d Kimberly Gould Crawley wrote.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/loudoun-teachers-attack-parents-protected-free-speech-mulls-banning-trump-flags\">Loudoun Says Teachers Who Attack Parents Protected By Free Speech, Mulls Banning Trump Flags<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and&nbsp;<span class=\"il\">counter<\/span>\u2013<span class=\"il\">cultural<\/span>&nbsp;outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1615934302565000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHOV8alRjqO61ImZWCRpqOILgWzkg\">member<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Loudoun County, Virginia, sheriff\u2019s office has closed its investigation into a Facebook group that threatened to \u201chack\u201d and \u201cexpose\u201d parents who opposed Critical Race Theory in schools, saying \u201casking &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-607248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}