In the hours before the grand jury decision in the Michael Brown case was announced, a cacophony of racially insensitive tweets infested social media under the problematic hashtag: #FergusonRiotTips.
Most of the tweets featured racial put downs directed at the presumed fallout of a potential non-indictment of Police Officer Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Brown on August 9 in Ferguson, Missouri.
RELATED: Grand jury decision expected imminently in Michael Brown case
The outpouring of comments (the hashtag was briefly a leading trending topic) was a stark reminder of the divisiveness this case has provoked. The tweets suggested there would be looting in the wake of the grand jury decision, with more than a few quipping “pants up, don’t loot” in a cruel twist on the popular “hands up, don’t shoot” phrase popularized by pro-Brown protesters.
The tweets under this hashtag need to be seen to be believed:
#FergusonRiotTips Pants Up Don't Loot… pic.twitter.com/fgIvayfiXc
— RedLion24 (@eddiern) November 24, 2014#FergusonRiotTips With only 30 more shopping days til Christmas loot wisely. Don't hit the same shop twice yo!!! pic.twitter.com/dfBjf9gheM
— Daniel Snyder (@danmsnyder) November 24, 2014If you MUST loot, set up a buddy system; those curved Samsung Large screen TV are heavier than it look. #FergusonRiotTips
— TallJohnSilver (@TallJohnSilver) November 25, 2014#FergusonRiotTips Only 31 looting days left until Kwanzaa
— Paul Izzo (@PaulIzzo2) November 24, 2014Don't feel guilty.
Remember…. Michael Brown would have wanted you to steal that. #FergusonRiotTips
— Cigarsandscotch (@cigarsNscotch) November 24, 2014Some Twitter users began pushing back against the meme, calling out the bigotry attached to the hashtag.
Just in case you hadn't lost all faith in humanity – Check out #FergusonRiotTips and tell me how there is no REAL racism in America.
— Darryn M. Briggs (@darryn_briggs) November 24, 2014the amount of out-right racism being displayed in the #FergusonRiotTips is absolutely disgusting.
— hannah marie (@xohannahh87) November 24, 2014The tweets to #FergusonRiotTips are so unbelievably racist. Since tweets never disappear, I hope they cost the racists jobs in the future.
— Dan Schultz (@schultzilla) November 24, 2014
Adam Howard