Joker Violence Predicted: 10-4

The Kubrick stare is back. 

Cryptokubrology is revealed.

But for now, let us be forewarned.

The prediction of violent incidents associated with movies like Joker has been achieved. It is reality, not fantasy.

I did it in 2012. I foresaw the violence directly linked to The Dark Knight Rises, opening on July 20, 2012. Down to the date. 

The day before, I wrote:

Will any events take place on July 20, 2012, of any import?

Dates of movie releases have had strange links.

The day of neo-Nazi Breivik's massacre in Norway (July 22, 2011) was the day of the release of the film Captain America (July 22, 2011), with the first scene taking place in Norway, to the sound of Nazis' rapid fire machine gunning. A bizarre coincidence, to say the least.

...What will happen on July 20, 2012?

The 2011 Norway attacks, referred to in Norway as 22 July or as 22/7, were two sequential lone wolf domestic terrorist attacks by Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League summer camp, in which 77 people (mostly youth) were killed, and 319 injured.

The past is a good predictor of the future.

My ability to do what I do, based on human behavior even caused Dangerous Minds to write the article on September 17, 2012 entitled: "The Copycat Effect: Meet the Man Who Predicted the Aurora Shooting."

As the Dangerous Minds author Thomas McGrath would note, "Coleman had previously written of Nolan’s films, having predicted and then documented the emergence of copycats inspired by Heath Ledger’s Joker in 2008’s The Dark Knight. James Holmes, of course, would shed his gas mask, body armor, and fatigues to reveal that beneath his distinctly Bain-reminiscent exterior, he was himself a self-proclaimed Joker copycat."

(See also my other behavioral predictions.)

But 2012 is not 2019, and today, an odd bit of revisionist history is setting in. Seven years later, the media is trying to forget the reality of the copycat effect.

In the days following the massacre, Holmes was compared to the Joker character because he sported bright dyed hair and, according to a now-debunked report at the time, called himself "the Joker" as he was being arrested. [Daniel] Oates, [Aurora’s chief of police at the time,] maintains "there is no evidence" Holmes ever said that.” ~ as noted in "Aurora Shooting Victims Voice Fears Over 'Joker' in Letter to Warner Bros.

On July 20, 2012, I wrote "Eyewitnesses reported the assailant appeared to be wearing a gas mask, body armor, similar to how the film's villain Bane did too. Witnesses say the suspect was dressed all in black, with a riot helmet, goggles, and a gas mask."

 

And, "Police reported during the afternoon that Holmes did not look like Bane, after all. He first identified himself as "I am the Joker," and had his head and goatee hair painted red and did, somewhat, resemble (perhaps? under his body armor?) the Joker during attack."

James Eagan Holmes, mugshot, immediately after the Aurora arrest. Taken July 20, 2012.

James Holmes, 2012.

Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and James Holmes (2012).

Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), Heath Ledger

Many of us have warned of the potential for theater attacks in the wake of the opening of Joker (Phillips, 2019). Now media reports talk of the U.S. Military issuing warnings to troops about incel violence at Joker screenings (see here and here).

I am not certain it will happen on the opening day in 2019, because, literally, I feel people are getting the message (10-4). The weekend through October 5th and 6th could be especially dangerous.

Finally, that the awareness that the Incel Effect has significance in certain mass shootings is a hopeful preventive sign. For more insights, see: "Into The Valley of Virgin Violence: The Incel Effect." See more on the Incel Effect here and here.

Since the beginning of 2019, I have been warning readers that Joker was going to make a large violent impact. Now next week, the date will be upon us.

The date the movie opens in America is October 4. Or in police code, stated as 10-4.

10-4 is one of the so-called ten-codes, or radio signals, invented by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International. The ten-codes are credited to Illinois State Police Communications Director Charles Hopper who created them between 1937–40 for use in radio communications among cops.  

10-4 is an affirmative signal: it means quite literally “OK.” It translates, "I understand your transmission."

State Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Aurora) shows his tattoo that memorializes his late son, Alex, one of the Aurora movie theater shooting victims.

Daniel Oates, Aurora's chief of police at the time, who retired in June after nearly 39 years in law enforcement, says he believes the timing of Joker is poor, noting three mass shootings in the past three months: at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, where three people were killed on July 28; the massacre in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed on Aug. 3; and then the following day the shootings in Dayton, Ohio, where nine people were killed.

Aurora, Colorado is not screening the new Joker.

Landmark Theaters has prohibited moviegoers from wearing Joker costumes during its run, and the Los Angeles Police Department will increase police visibility at area theaters, though it has "not received any specific threat."

The military's interventions have been active.

This email was circulated by the military:

Team,

Posts on social media have made reference to involuntary celibate (“incel”) extremists replicating the 2012 theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, at screenings of the Joker movie at nationwide theaters. This presents a potential risk to DOD personnel and family members, though there are no known specific credible threats to the opening of the Joker on 4 October.

Incels are individuals who express frustration from perceived disadvantages to starting intimate relationships. Incel extremists idolize violent individuals like the Aurora movie theater shooter. They also idolize the Joker character, the violent clown from the Batman series, admiring his depiction as a man who must pretend to be happy, but eventually fights back against his bullies.

When entering theaters, identify two escape routes, remain aware of your surroundings, and remember the phrase “run, hide, fight.” Run if you can. If you’re stuck, hide (also referred to as “sheltering in place”), and stay quiet. If a shooter finds you, fight with whatever you can.

** this is a condensed version of an HQ Army Materiel Command, G-3, Protection Division Security message **

This memo was also circulated:

Philip K. Dick foresaw the year 2054 in his 1956 scifi short story, "The Minority Report."

We have not exactly come to the age of "precrime," where specialized police departments apprehend criminals based on the foreknowledge provided by psychics called "precogs." But the use of behavioral analysts and the information foretelling threats of violent behavior is leading to the arrest of people with criminal intent and prevention of crimes.

We should observe closely, which way will it go over the weekend of October 4-6, 2019. Be alert.

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On September 29, 2019, I posted on Twitter the following "footnote" about the release of Joker in India.

German Cinema Shooting

A mass shooting at a Kinopolis cinema in Viernheim, Germany, has left 25 people wounded, German public TV reports. One account said several people had been killed and 50 others injured.

Viernheim (the red dot) is in western Germany, near Frankfurt (the black dot) is southwest of Berlin (the starred dot).
At least that was the early report.
Later media accounts said people were hurt by tear gas.
That news was later withdrawn, as well.
A man dressed in a costume, who was taken to be dressed up for a movie, was seen by a popcorn attendant. The masked individual with a rifle asked for the theater to be locked, as he allegedly took hostages and fired four shots into the air.
Patrons of the theater were unharmed, despite reports initially to the contrary. No hostages were injured and the gunman was shot and killed by the Spezialeinsatzkommando.
Allegedly this all happened as a showing of Zootopia was to begin. It will be recalled Zootopia was the movie that played right before Lane Graves was taken by an alligator, at Disney World, Orlando.
Also playing at the theater was Clockwork Orange.

Star Wars Alerts, Incidents, and Security

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened widely on Friday, December 18, 2015. The film had limited showings earlier in the week, and some events have caused alarm.

Even before the new Star Wars movie was nationally released in the US, the widest, most discussed level of theater security every reported has been noted by the media. Some theaters installed metal detectors, banned backpacks and costumes, and allowed patrons with nothing more than lightsabers to cos-play. In the wake of the Aurora theater shooting of 2012, the Lafayette movie shooting in July 2015, the attack at a performing venue in Paris a few months ago, and the San Bernardino terrorist shootings of last month, the Star Wars movie was considered a major target for trouble.

There seems to have been some, but the media appears to have quieted what is really occurring. And the security is high.

There have been hints of a few instances that have bothered theater owners this week.

In an incident Wednesday night [December 16, 2015], two men in their 20s who were “Middle Eastern in appearance” and “spoke with a heavy foreign accent” entered a theater inside a mall in Tempe, Arizona, without tickets, and one of the men began recording video of the theater with his cellphone “in one slow swooping motion,” according to documentation of the incident obtained by Deadline. When asked what they were doing by theater security, the men replied they had “just wanted to see the restaurant,” pointing to the concession stand, and then exited the theater to a patio, where both men made phone calls.
In a separate incident last week, a man reportedly drove up to a theater in Southern California and began asking suspicious questions including, “When are the most people here?” and “How crowded is it going to be this weekend?” before driving off in a car with no license plates. A second man reportedly drove up to the theater and asked similar questions, before again driving off in a car with no plates. ~ Source.

The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) then sent a notice out to its members about these suspicious incidents, on Thursday, December 17, 2015, to be alert, aware, and heightened security.

One film buyer who has the film booked on the majority of their screens said they have five security guards employed at each theater. “We’ve hired security at every location to be safe,” the buyer said. “We will have five (guards) posted and reserve the right to check (customers’) bags. We will not let anyone walk in with a backpack or anything larger than a purse, and whatever they are carrying will be checked.” ~ Deadline. 

The incidents continued Thursday, December 17, 2015:

Moviegoers were evacuated from the Pacific Theatres at The Grove after a fire alarm was pulled on Dec. 17, 2015. (Credit: Michael Drake)

Hundreds of moviegoers were briefly evacuated from the Pacific Theatres at the Grove in Fairfax on Thursday evening. The evacuation occurred after a fire alarm was triggered inside the building, said Officer Norma Eisenman of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section. There was no threat to the theater or "anything else of that nature," she said.Several disgruntled movie fans took to Twitter and Instagram after the incident, which prompted a response from the Los Angeles Fire Department.Showings of the much-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens were interrupted, according to witnesses."As soon as the previews were over and the movie was about to start -- fire alarm. They evacuated the whole building," said an exasperated Andrew Gouch, adding that he had purchased his Star Wars tickets two months in advance."My kids want to still sit in there but … I don't know," he said. "I don't drink; I may start."The screenings resumed after firefighters determined that no fire had occurred and the building was safe. ~ Source.

A more serious threat occurred on Friday, December 18, 2015:

A showing of the new Star Wars movie was interrupted Friday in New Jersey after a theater was abruptly evacuated during the show. Friday night, police in Freehold Township announced that they had arrested a Middletown man and charged him with making a pair of bomb threats at the AMC Theater.
22-year-old Jesse Carroll of Middletown is charged with two counts of second degree Public False Alarm. He is currently being held in the Monmouth County Correction Institution on $200,000 bail with no 10% option.
On Monday evening, Dec. 14, and again on Friday afternoon, Dec. 18, notes were found in the men's room of the movie complex containing threats to either the theater management or specific threats of bombs inside the theater. One note on Friday afternoon read: "I'm coming for blood; 4pm bomb, 6pm empty mag in guests." ~ Source.

How widespread are these security measures? As of December 17, 2015, Disney (who owns the Star Wars franchise after George Lucas and Lucasfilms sold it to them) ceased the sales, display or brandishing of Star Wars blasters and any other type of toy guns as part of enhanced security policies.

There are also new metal detectors at the entrance of California's Disneyland and Florida’s Disney World. Furthermore, there is now a ban on individuals over the age of 14 wearing costumes or masks on the properties. Similar measures are going in place at Universal theme parks across the nation, reportedly. Random more extensive checks will now occur too, in addition to the bag checks that have been taking place at the parks for years.

Predictions, prevention and preparedness appear to be working.  Sometimes paranoid is really total awareness.

Bridgewater Plaza's WDBJ Shootings: Copycats & Cartoons

It will be on Wednesday, September 9, 2015, on the day of the second anniversary of the Bridgewater Plaza shooting, when the first highest potential copycat window will occur.

In the wake of the Bridgewater Plaza shootings, which left WDBJ cameraman Adam Ward and reporter Alison Parker dead, and Vicki Gardner, the local chamber of commerce director, wounded, there has been in-depth looks at the event and the gunman, Vester Lee Flanagan II (a/k/a Bryce Williams).

Let's look at some of the copycats that built up to this incident, through the political cartoons that have appeared in years and days after similar events.

The mass shootings, in recent years, have resulted in thoughtful, insightful illustrations of the community ethos and, even, mythos surrounding the violence.

Looking back to the Aurora shootings, for example, the image of Batman is often prominent.

Aurora also caused images of theaters to appear in these cartoons, and the other theater shootings have merged with that one.

The 2015 Lafayette shooting has been added as the sequel.

VA Tech, Sandy Hook, Charleston, Bridgewater Plaza/WDBJ - the list becomes overwhelming.

Even a real newspaper cover appears to be cartoonish in this climate.

And the holding of the gun appears programmed from the past - and we find out much of the Bridgewater Plaza shooting was born in the legacy of VA Tech, Columbine, and Charleston.

The copycat effect is strong in this event, sadly. Rick McKee's 2015 post-Bridgewater Plaza cartoon captures the concept well.

And yet, it almost seems as out-of-whack as another story that McKee dealt with in cartoon form in 2008 - down to a similar plaid outfit - a Bigfoot hoax event. Recall, Vester Flanagan wore plaid for his 2015 "media killing."

Which leaves me wondering, what odd stories did Alison Parker work on at WDBJ that have been scrubbed from her archives?

(The following is not Alison Parker, but a typical local - in this case, Channel 7 in Florida - reporter doing the kind of stories they sometimes have to do.)

Trees Again: Theater Shooting in Maple Grove

L

On August 11, 2015, I wrote about the sites of recent shootings, and noted: "The common denominator in all of these names: trees."

I looked at incidents aligned with Hickory, Oak, Willow, and Beech. Names of trees.

I ended that quick review by writing, "Are tree-linked locations worth watching for future risks? What's next? What happens tomorrow? Or more likely, on August 19, exactly four weeks after the July 22nd Trainwreck shooting? That fits into the copycat effect pattern, specifically."

Looking for the 19th, the exact four weeks mark, I'd forgotten that sometimes the "anniversary syndrome" goes for the specific same number in one month...in this case, the 22nd of August.

And what happened on the 22nd? 

Enki King alerted me to what occurred with a simple subject line: Trees Again.

Another theater-related shooting occurred at a location with four tree-linked names - Maple Grove, Arbor (= tree) Lakes, and Elm Creek Boulevard, plus the nearby Hemlock Lane. Also, there's another tree name, but more on that later.

At about 10:00 pm Central Time on Saturday, August 22, 2015, a shooting took place outside a Maple Grove movie theater, which sent two people to the hospital. The exact location was at the parking lot of the AMC Arbor Lakes 16 Theater, 12575 Elm Creek Boulevard North, Maple Grove, Minnesota theater. 

I don't need to be pounded in the face with this massive "coincidence" to consider this name game worthy of my attention, needless to say.

According to Maple Grove police, the event began at the AMC theater, but the officers found the victims at a Wendy’s, 7445 71st Avenue, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota (shown below).

The Fast Food Side Trip...

The so-called infamous "Wendy's Massacre" took place on May 24, 2000, at the Wendy's Restaurant, 40-12 Main Street, Flushing, Queens, New York, leaving five customers dead and two wounded. On March 3, 2008, at a Wendy's in West Palm Beach, Florida, two were killed (including the shooter by suicide), and four injured.

On Friday, August 21, 2015, a savage killing at a McDonald's in New York City made the Big Apple's tabloids. The alleged man with the knife is named Jesus Santiago, 46. "Santiago" means Saint James. The homeless man who was killed is named Orlando Rivera, 38. Orlando = fame of the land, and Riveria = river bank, coast.

For other recent surveys of fast food mass killings and mayhem, see here, here, and here.

Meanwhile in Maple Grove, Minnesota...

"It appears, at this time, the victims left this area, fled this area, and went to another location [the Wendy's] and that's where they called 911," said Capt. Adam Lindquist of the Maple Grove Police Department.

Whoa. The name Lindquist means linden tree + twig. Yes, another tree name. (Deep appreciation to aferrismoon for sending that insight along.)

The victims were injured but will recover after hospitalization.

Police then quickly blocked off a section of the theater parking lot to gather evidence.

Lindquist said. “We’re gathering all the information. We’re going to put as many pieces of the puzzle together. It’s an open investigation and hope to bring closure and figure out exactly what happened and find who’s responsible for the shooting.”

Moviegoers didn't know a shooting had occurred, and no one inside the theater was hurt. 

Police have not made any arrests and haven't given information on a potential motive. 

Lindquist said the public is safe.

+++

Another time/tree sync. Thanks to Enki King who passes along this:

More than one Maple Grove has emerged from the twilight and into the news this week. In a strange and tragic event, a man was killed by police in a church in Maple Grove, NC on the 19th. This Maple Grove is located in Haywood County.

ABC News reported:

An Army veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder was killed in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement at a church in the North Carolina mountains, officials and a charity said Thursday [August 20, 2015].
The shooting on Wednesday [August 19, 2015] happened after officers from multiple agencies responded to an emergency call claiming four people were shot, according to a news release from the State Bureau of Investigation.
When officers arrived at Maple Grove Baptist Church in Waynesville, the emergency call turned out to be false. The SBI said there were no shooting victims, and the only person at the church was 44-year-old Wade Allen Baker of the nearby community of Clyde.
A short standoff ensued, and Baker exchanged gunfire with officers, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were hurt....

Hickory Again, Ax Again, Clown Again

The name "Hickory" has been associated with three violent outbreaks this summer. Axes and hatchets are being more frequently involved. And, of course, clowns are nothing new to readers of this blog.

(1) On July 16, 2015, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He first committed a drive-by shooting at a recruiting center, then traveled to a U.S. Navy Reserve center and continued firing. He was killed by police in a gunfight. Four Marines were killed immediately. This all occurred near an area named Hickory Valley. The Derby Downs Subdivision off of Hickory Valley Road in Chattanooga placed its neighborhood flag at half mast and lined the entrance way with small American flags, as an act of respect for the four Marines who lost their lives.

(2) On August 5, 2015, a predicted theater incident occurred exactly two weeks after a shooting at a showing of Trainwreck in Lafayette, Louisiana. The Mad Max: Fury Road hatchet attack and air pistol shooting resulted in the death of the attacker. That incident took place at the Carmike Hickory 8 Cinema in Antioch, Tennessee. The gunman at the Hickory Hollow Cinema, Vincente David Montano was allegedly armed with a hatchet, pepper spray, an Airsoft gun, and a fake bomb. He reportedly was wearing a surgical mask. Later reports said he actually was dressed up as a clown.

Another clown?

(3) Now comes word of an incident Friday, August 7, 2015, from Hickory, North Carolina. A woman living in the 1300 block of 20th Avenue NE in Hickory, reported to police that at 4:32 a.m. Friday a clown with an ax knocked at her residence. The suspect then began swinging an ax and attempted to cut the victim. The clown was wearing a mask and a multicolored wig. She was able to remove his mask and recognized him as an acquaintance before he left, according to the Hickory Daily Record. An arrest warrant was issued. The suspect, still at large, is Jimmy Daniel Raybon (pictured above) and he has an outstanding warrant for the charge of assault with a deadly weapon.

(4 - Not Hickory-related) Eight people were found dead inside a home in north Houston on the night of August 8, 2015. Police officers entered the home after receiving a call asking them to perform a "welfare check" on the residents. Harris County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) deputies entered the home after seeing a dead child lying on the floor when looking through the windows of the home. The murders happened at 2211 Falling Oaks Road in Houston, Texas. Another tree-related, oak-related mass slaying. Five adults and three children were found dead. The suspect was arrested with a Batman shirt on. See more here.

(5 – Not Hickory-related) Meanwhile, in another theater related incident, on Saturday, August 8, 2015, in Newport Beach, California, three moviegoers were injured as panicked patrons fled a screening of the psychological thriller, The Gift, after someone opened an emergency exit door and began to shout while starting a handheld leaf blower above their head. Authorities received multiple 911 calls about a disturbance at the Edwards Big Newport 6 movie theater complex in the 300 block of Newport Center Drive beginning about 10:51 p.m. Saturday, the Newport Beach Police Department stated in a news release. The callers reported that at least two men had entered a theater with the loud machine.


Why Hickory?

The naming of some locations is related to the hickory tree, but for others, a more Masonic origin is directly involved. The name game for Hickory is linked to the nickname for Andrew Jackson, the face of the president on the U.S. twenty dollar bill.

Andrew Jackson's service in the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom was conspicuous for bravery and success. When British forces threatened New Orleans, Jackson took command of the defenses, including militia from several western states and territories. He was a strict officer but was popular with his troops. They said he was "tough as old hickory" wood on the battlefield, and he acquired the nickname of "Old Hickory." In the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, Jackson's 5,000 soldiers won a decisive victory over 7,500 British. At the end of the battle, the British had 2,037 casualties: 291 dead (including three senior generals), 1,262 wounded, and 484 captured or missing. The Americans had 71 casualties: 13 dead, 39 wounded, and 19 missing.

During the 1832 campaign, the Democratic presidential candidate was Andrew Jackson and the National Republican Party candidate was Henry Clay; both were well-known Masons. The Anti-Mason party ran William Wirt of Maryland and Amos Elmaker of Pennsylvania. Jackson was a Freemason, having been initiated at Masonic Lodge, Harmony No. 1 in Tennessee; he also participated in chartering several other lodges in Tennessee. He was the only U.S. president to have been a Grandmaster of a State Lodge until Harry S. Truman in 1945. Jackson's Masonic apron is on display in the Tennessee State Museum. An obelisk and bronze Masonic plaque decorate his tomb at The Hermitage. Andrew Jackson Masonic Lodge No. 120, in the Jurisdiction of Virginia, is named for him.

Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh President of the United States of America (1829–1837).

There are many locations in the United States of America directly named for Andrew Jackson. Some others are named in his honor, via his nickname and homestead, and include the following:

Hermitage, Pennsylvania (formerly Hickory Township), after his homestead
Hermitage, Tennessee, after his homestead
Hickory County, Missouri, after his nickname, "Old Hickory"
Old Hickory, Tennessee, after his nickname
Old Hickory Lake and Dam, Tennessee

The Hickory, Shelby and Oak name games and the Fayette Factor seem very hot this summer. The common denominator in all of these names: trees. Hickory = obviously, hickory tree. Falling Oaks / Oak Creek = oak trees. Shelby = willow trees, from willow groves and willow farm. Fayette/Lafayette = little fairy, little enchantment, the fairy tree. But more than that, the beech tree, literally, the "fairy tree," la fayette, is historically lexilinked to Joan de Arc.

Hickory Tree

Oak Tree

Willow Tree

Beech Tree

Are tree-linked locations worth watching for future risks?

What's next? What happens tomorrow? Or more likely, on August 19, exactly four weeks after the July 22nd Trainwreck shooting? That fits into the copycat effect pattern, specifically.

h/t Enki King, Travis Vaughn, and Chris Woodyard.