On Tuesday night, CNN Tonight asked viewers to follow along with their special #CopsUnderFire episode by sending questions on Twitter using #AskACop, so viewers could ask a police officer direct questions about issues raised by the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases and subsequent protests.
It went over just as horribly as you would expect:
Our special Town Hall, #CopsUnderFire, starts now. Join @donlemon and the conversation online via #AskACop. pic.twitter.com/OnnIdqZSMg
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) December 17, 2014
https://twitter.com/_jackfreeman/status/545055846783123457
Here’s just a sampling of the fallout that ensued:
https://twitter.com/HighYellowThght/status/545054790443466753
#Askacop I have a math question: if 1 Black man has zero guns, zero knives and 2 hands, how many bullets does it take to disarm him?
— @Jamilahlemieux on Threads (@JamilahLemieux) December 17, 2014
@cnn got both hands on the keyboard…cool if i reach for the remote? #askacop
— bomani (@bomani_jones) December 17, 2014
https://twitter.com/Spiral_Infinity/status/545265286694600704
Doesn't it bother you, even a little, that so many of your colleagues keep getting away with murdering unarmed black people? #AskACop
— Simon Vozick-Levinson (@simonwilliam) December 17, 2014
Pop quiz: are these guns? #AskACop pic.twitter.com/WherY2PbHx
— Jane Belfry (@janebelfry) December 17, 2014
Pop quiz: Your gun is pointed at an unarmed man. What do you do? Bzzz. Wrong answer! #AskACop
— Cole Haddon (@colehaddon) December 17, 2014
https://twitter.com/jaewiki/status/545183931684126720
https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/545237759053406209
#AskACop Did you play with toy guns when you were a child? Did a cop shoot you to death for it? Why not?
— Jeff Tiedrich [retired account — see bio] (@jefftiedrich) December 17, 2014
There were others who criticized the way the hashtag was being used to praise the police:
https://twitter.com/TattedWifeToBe_/status/545246664861425665
https://twitter.com/Bidenshairplugs/status/545247643367407616
@OutFrontCNN @CNN #AskACop I would like to thankyou for risking your life daily to protect me!! Much Respect!!!
— WolfMan (@randylobo1964) December 17, 2014
#AskACop How do you keep serving the public when you face daily threats like this from hateful citizens? http://t.co/gJ8AmTGWhF
— Ryan Visconti (@ryanvisconti) December 17, 2014
And on top of all that, the show touted the fact that #AskACop was trending nationally:
#AskACop is trending nationally. Thanks for joining the convo. & catch @donlemon w #CopsUnderFire at 10p on @CNN pic.twitter.com/6VPZehb2R4
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) December 17, 2014
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