Yesterday, a woman's racist Facebook diatribe quickly spread through social media after Twitter users incorrectly identified her as the wife of Ferguson, Missouri police chief Thomas Jackson.

In the inflammatory post, she accused an unnamed "they" of being "feral and violent," murdering "white people"/"babies"/"each other" and living their lives "off the hard-earned tax dollars of other Americans." While a fairly accurate (if overly judgmental) description of police, many believed the screed to refer to another, more melanin-rich "them."

First posted by popular Anonymous account @YourAnonNews, a screenshot of the rant was retweeted by thousands—including rapper Talib Kweli—after being captioned "wife of #Ferguson police chief."

Fortunately for the police chief, claims that the woman is married to Jackson are entirely false. In reality, the author lives more than 700 miles from Missouri, practicing a life of bigotry presumably unrelated to the situation in Ferguson.

The error is all the more glaring given that Internet activists recently mis-doxxed Chief Jackson's wife under an entirely different name—one connected to St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar.

Both @YourAnonNews and the user who originally identified the woman have since deleted their posts, but the image continues to spread online, misdirecting outrage when there are plenty of real things to be pissed about.

[ Image via Twitter]


Antiviral is a new blog devoted to debunking fake news, online hoaxes and viral garbage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and send your tips to hudson.hongo@gawker.com.