It was nearing midnight when the Dallas, Texas, police department first tweeted news that a #BlackLivesMatter protest had turned deadly:
Tonight it appears that two snipers shot ten police officers from elevated positions during the protest/rally.... https://t.co/JzHhoMzF5k
— Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) July 8, 2016
Speculation and finger-pointing began almost immediately, and, it would seem, everyone was a suspect:
.@Ryebread8D I%27m not gonna speculate but the 4 obvious possibilities are:1. BLM2. Jihadists3. An ugly BLM+Jihadist combo4. KKK/Neo-Nazis
— John Schindler (@20committee) July 8, 2016
“It was the [Ku Klux]Klan,” one individual posted on the Dallas PD’s Facebook page, “trying to destroy the #BlackLivesMatter reputation.”
at this point it feels obvious the KKK, and most likely the media are trying to provoke a race war...
— frank lucas (@zakeise) July 8, 2016
Some blamed the #BlackLivesMatter (BLM) group for fueling hatred against whites. It is the activist movement that began in the wake of the July 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Florida shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin.
Snipers. This was no mistake. This was intentional targeting of cops. This was premeditated. Anti-cop demonstrations created this.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 8, 2016
Time for the left to dial back its racist anti-white rhetoric in the aftermath of #Dallas.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 8, 2016
Blame for #Dallas rests with those who encouraged violent, racist hate speech against cops & white people in general.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 8, 2016
Counteraccusations flew across Twitter by those angered over an alarming rise in police violence against people of color.
White people throw around %27race war%27 like they don%27t have a long and sorted history of terrorism against black and brown people.
— Chakra Flocka (@_MrsBre) July 8, 2016
"I don't condone the killing of innocent police, but I understand the public's anger towards what has been happening to INNOCENT people of colour all across America for far too long! It's about time they copped some of their own medicine!" another user posted on the Dallas Police Department's Facebook page.
Ya%27ll love this "race war" fantasy. Was it a race war 50 years ago when dogs & water hoses were set on black people?
— Saffron the Sadge (@JSoAbove) July 8, 2016
The Twittersphere exploded after conservative American talk radio host Joe Walsh, who formerly served one term as a U.S. congressman, tweeted what was broadly interpreted as a threat to the U.S. president.
Former one-term Congressman Joe Walsh tonight. He later deleted the %27This is now war. Watch out Obama%27 tweet. pic.twitter.com/Yrg85NgB7a
— Victor Blackwell CNN (@VictorBlackwell) July 8, 2016
That tweet subsequently disappeared, and Walsh offered his defense for having posted it.
I wasn%27t calling for violence, against Obama or anyone. Obama%27s words & BLM%27s deeds have gotten cops killed. Time for us to defend our cops.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 8, 2016
Who the heck is @JoeWalsh? He seems to have forgotten whose labor built America for FREE....not FREEDOM.
— Donta Williams-Lyles (@msdwill) July 8, 2016
Why do white people get away with threatening the president? lmfao
— sabrina (@indiansinner) July 8, 2016
Joe Walsh needs to be arrested for threatening our President. STFU @walshfreedom
— John Legend (@johnlegend) July 8, 2016
And some turned their frustration against the media, worrying that in covering events it may only fuel anger across the nation.
Front Page of the NY Post."Civil War"Next could be martial law and canceled election.@Grimerica @BigfootStacy pic.twitter.com/iEqpOgnkS8
— FRINGE Media (@FreidrichDean) July 8, 2016
Unfortunately the media get%27s to shape the narrative now, further dividing and distracting the general public. #DallasPoliceShooting
— JC Langley (@TheLangleyJ) July 8, 2016
The media is trying, don%27t let them!#StandUnited #DallasPoliceShooting pic.twitter.com/FOjdMsdNNR
— KatⓋKrow (@RockinkajKat) July 8, 2016
But as many as took to social media to express their rage, millions more posted expressions of sorrow and condolence...
Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of the officers in the Dallas community. A needless and senseless loss of life.
— Charlie Strong (@Strong_TexasFB) July 8, 2016
These are the brave men who rushed in and died to protect the very ones protesting them. Rest easy gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/euqbH7qSq1
— Jarhead (@LCplSwofford) July 8, 2016
...calls for peace...
For the sake of our children and their future, this generation must end racism, hate & violence #StopTheHate pic.twitter.com/DIvT19eZog
— Supt Runcie (@RobertwRuncie) July 8, 2016
No more hate, no more killing, no more discrimination. More love, more life, more freedom. (I don%27t know how we get there & that scares me.)
— Jason Kottke (@jkottke) July 8, 2016
...and hope that Americans can overcome their differences in the future.
We have faced challenges in this square, but we must have an attitude of humility. We will face challenges together. pic.twitter.com/mt70W8WtHn
— Mayor Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) July 8, 2016