Imagine living in constant fear, your life turned into a nightmare by relentless online harassment and terrifying swatting attacks. This is the reality for a Wisconsin couple, Patrick Tomlinson and Nikki Robinson, who have been targeted by cyberbullies for the past five years – all because of a tweet.
Their ordeal began in 2018 after Tomlinson, an author with a modest Twitter following, shared his opinion about comedian Norm Macdonald. “I tweeted out…that I had never personally found the comedian Norm Macdonald very funny,” he said. Tomlinson believed it was a harmless tweet, especially considering his feed usually centered around political and activist content.
However, this seemingly innocuous comment unleashed a torrent of hate from an online mob. This group, who Tomlinson identifies as “white supremacists, misogynists, and frankly fascists,” latched onto his tweet, making him and his wife their next target.
The Tweet That Ignited Five Years of Terror
Tomlinson believes his tweet about Norm Macdonald, who was embroiled in a “cancel culture” controversy at the time, attracted this group who then fixated on him. He recounts, “My tweet…was enough for this group to decide that I was going to be their next clinically obsessed target, and they have since spent the last five years trying to destroy my career, destroy our reputations, break up our marriage, and ultimately drive me to kill myself.”
This wasn’t an empty threat, as the group has repeatedly and publicly declared their goal to drive Tomlinson to suicide.
A Campaign of Cyber Warfare: Doxing, Death Threats, and Career Sabotage
The relentless online harassment took many forms, including:
- Doxing: The perpetrators published Tomlinson and Robinson’s home address, phone numbers, and private email addresses online.
- Career sabotage: They created hundreds of fake accounts to post thousands of one-star reviews of Tomlinson’s books before their release, aiming to cripple his writing career.
- Defamation and manipulation: They photoshopped images of the couple, spreading false narratives and attempting to ruin their reputations.
- Death threats: Tomlinson shared countless messages he received, including one chilling statement: “He should be bullied until suicide.”
Robinson has also endured her share of abuse. She believes she’s being punished for simply being married to Tomlinson, with the perpetrators telling her they’ll stop if she divorces him. The harassment extended to the online obituary of her deceased father, which was defaced with hateful comments.
Swatting: Turning Their Home into a War Zone
As if the online torment wasn’t enough, the couple became victims of swatting, a dangerous prank where perpetrators make false reports to emergency services, often resulting in armed police officers responding to the victim’s home.
Over the last year, Tomlinson and Robinson have endured nearly 50 swatting incidents at their Milwaukee home. Home security footage shows officers, weapons drawn, storming their porch on multiple occasions, responding to false reports ranging from hostage situations to bomb threats.
“The police are not quiet when they arrive at your house. They’d pound on your door and then I’ve had to look at my security cameras to make sure that it is in fact the police because I don’t know who’s actually coming to my house to try to kill me,” Tomlinson shared.
The constant fear and trauma have taken a toll on the couple. Each police raid leaves them shaken and exhausted, transforming their home into what Tomlinson describes as a “war zone.”
A Broken System: The Search for Justice and Protection
Despite the relentless harassment, Tomlinson and Robinson feel let down by the authorities. They’ve pleaded with the police for solutions, suggesting code words or other verification methods to prevent unnecessary raids, but to no avail.
“Every single time it was, ‘Well, we’re working on it,’” Tomlinson stated. “For a while they weren’t working on anything. They said, ‘Well have you just thought of moving?’ Yeah, as if moving doesn’t cost tens of thousands of dollars and these people wouldn’t just dox our new home address immediately. Yeah, it’s not a solution.”
The couple’s attempt to sue the perpetrators has been met with resistance, with the court prioritizing the harassers’ anonymity over Tomlinson and Robinson’s safety.
Adding insult to injury, the couple’s tormentors have suggested that if Tomlinson simply disengages from online platforms, the harassment will cease. However, this ignores the very real danger they face and the trauma they’ve endured for simply expressing an opinion.
Spreading Awareness: A Plea for Federal Protection
As their story gains national attention, Tomlinson and Robinson hope to shed light on the devastating impact of online harassment and swatting. They advocate for federal laws that protect victims like them and hold perpetrators accountable.
“We’re trying to educate and advocate for other people because there are certainly many other people that this is happening to,” Tomlinson emphasized.
Their harrowing experience serves as a stark reminder of the very real dangers lurking in the digital world, highlighting the need for stronger legal protections and a societal shift in how we address online harassment.
