Boushie verdict fallout sparks allegations of threats, harassment

An online fundraiser for Gerald Stanley, theSaskatchewan farmer found not guilty in the shooting death of ColtenBoushie, has stirred up an online war of words as well asthreats against an Ottawa woman.

The crowdfunding campaign,whichhas raised more than $200,000,began after the high-profile trial.

They're angry. They want me to shut up.- Miranda Dyck, Ottawa-area woman

Earlier this month, a jury acquitted Stanley, 56, of second-degree murder. Boushie, 22, was shot and killed after he and four others from the Red Pheasant Cree Nation drove onto Stanley's rural property nearBiggar, Sask., in August 2016.

The verdict sparked protests across the country, anda rally in Ottawa on Parliament Hill in support of the Boushiefamilythat was organized byMiranda Dyck.

Dyck saidshe hasfiled a report with policeafterbeingbombarded withharassing phone calls, threats and hate mail after shesingled out peopleonline for donatingmoney to the Stanley crowdfunding campaign.

"They're angry. They want me to shut up. It's definitely a concern," said Dyck. "It's easy to say they're just cowardly empty threats. But if you get enough of them, there may be one person who is motivated to actually act."

What Dyck did is called doxing the act of posting a person's personal information onlineagainst that person's wishes.

Dyckhadincluded some donors' hometowns and places of employment to her tweets, and called for boycotts of some donors' workplaces.

In a statement, Pioneer Co-op suspended an employee after he was centred out in one of Dyck'stweets.

Threats escalated

Dyck, whosehusband and children are Indigenous,said she was shockedwhen she learnedof the campaignto cover Stanley's legal bills and lost farm revenue. She hasbeen pushing to have the page removed.

GoFundMetoldCBCin a statement, "Given the jury verdict, the campaign for Mr. Stanley does notviolateour terms of service." The campaign organizers turned off the public comments.

Dycksaidshe turned to Twitter to start a discussion. But one of the peopleDycksingled out online disagrees.

"I really don't see how someone can judge me as a person and what I support without ever talking to me, without knowing me," said CurtisStachniak. "She'sjust going by a donation I made by aGoFundMepage."

I don't like being called a racist.- Curtis Stachniak, Saskatchewan mechanic,farmer

Stachniak, 39,is a self-employedmechanic in Prince Albert, Sask. Most of his customers are farmers and he runs a small hay farm himself. Hesuggested the idea of aGoFundMepage for Stanley on a farm equipment Facebook group, and within a few minutes ,another member created it.

Stachniakwas the first to donateand thenfound himselfidentified in one ofDyck'stweets.

Stachniaksaidhe calledDyckat work hoping to talk to her about the post.When he didn't reach her, he tried to file a complaint with her employer about her activity on social media.

"She's basically saying that Isupport people that kill young Indigenous men which I do not," saidStachniak. "I don't like being called a racist I personally feel for thefamily ofColtenBoushie.A young man died. He shouldn't have. What happened was a tragedy for both sides."

Stachniaksaid he hassincereceived a handful of vulgar messages from people and is concerned Dyck's post will live online forever, potentially harming his future employment.

"Any decent person can realize that this is not a good situation for either side," says Curtis Stachniak

8 years ago

Duration 0:31

"A young man died, he shouldn't have," says Curtis Stachniak

'I hope someone breaks into your house'

Others have taken their anger against Dyck offline and started calling her directly over concerns she's destroying people's reputations.

In one day alone,Dycksaid herwork phone rang every 20minutes, adding up to roughly50 calls. More than 10 men left voice messages fromas far away as Saskatchewan and Australia.

"A lot of it isintended tohumiliate,and demean me,and attack me as a woman and as a person," saidDyck. "Then it just escalated from there into threats."

CBCNews has listened to thevoice messages thatincludederogatory language.

"Pretty spineless bitch, eh," said one anonymous caller."I think you've got some explaining to do if you're going to put everyone's name on Facebook, MirandaDyck. Good to know that we know where you are.... You ain't too smart, girl."

Miranda Dyck listens to angry messages.

8 years ago

Duration 0:58

Warning: explicit language

Another phone message said, "You play a man's game. You pay a man's price. Don't forget that."

The dozens of online messages toDyckwent further, detailing violent threats and warning they would post her home address online.

Dyck saidit's "deeply ironic" people are saying she's harassing them, when she's being targeted as well.

"It really floors me that they're accusing me of harassment, given that they're calling me every 20 minutes," saidDyck.

Tensions are high

Ottawa-based lawyerRichardWarman, who is active in human rights law, saidthis case confirmstensions arerunning high aftertheBoushiecase.

People have this illusion of anonymity on the Internet and just open the tops of their skulls and let the demons out.- Richard Warman, human rights lawyer

"It's the era where people have this illusion of anonymity on the internet and just open the tops of their skulls and let the demons out," saidWarman.

"Generally people have the sense that,'I can do anything on the internet.' That's just simply not the case. What's unlawful in real life is unlawful online."

Warmansees no issues with calling attention to someone's public utterances onlineor potentially where they work. But he also said it'sproblematic to mentionfamily members who aren't involved andit's also acriminal offence to threaten violence.