Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Social Media Cheers For Anti-Hero Christopher Dorner

team_dorner.jpg
via We Are All Chris Dorner Facebook page

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

On Monday morning, no one was rooting for whomever it was that killed an Irvine basketball coach and her fiancé. But by Thursday morning, things had changed. A lengthy, rambling but shockingly lucid "manifesto" surfaced explaining why the suspected killer and disgraced ex-LAPD cop was going on a killing rampage that has so far claimed three lives. Dorner claims that he was targeting a corrupt and bloodthirsty law enforcement agency—that he said hadn't improved since the days of the Rodney King Riots or the Rampart Scandal—earned him fans.

There are a couple of Facebook pages dedicated to Dorner, including We Are All Chris Dorner, which states: "Christopher John Dorner is the victim of a manhunt and smear campaign. 5 years ago he was fired from the LAPD for seeking to expose corruption within it..." There's the Christopher Dorner Appreciation Society, which posts pictures of police brutality and images from the Rodney King Riots in 1992. It says, "This man's life was ruined for fighting back against a racist culture. We here at C.D.A.S. will always remember his story."

Of course, those pages on Facebook only have a few hundred likes altogether. It's on Twitter that the people are really coming out in support of Dorner and what they see as his crusade against a corrupt, racist establishment.

Sponsored message

And then there's Dorner's cinematic appeal:

Of course, not all of the people who admire the manifesto are untroubled by his actions:

The LAPD's bumbling and tragic response to the killing didn't earn them much respect either: officers mistakenly shot two newspaper delivery women in their haste to find Dorner.

Sponsored message

Of course, obviously not everyone is on #TeamDorner. There's a Facebook group called "Christopher Jordan Dorner should be hunted down and killed." And there's another group that calls him a crooked cop who "NEVER WORE THE BADGE WITH HONOR, COURAGE, AND COMMITMENT..."In our own comment sections, he's been called everything from a "left wing nutball" to an "angry man who has been pushed beyond his limits." And there's plenty of discussion in the middle, like one commenter who said, "Every reporter in L.A. should be looking to investigate this person's claims but he had no justification to kill those people no matter how angry."

Related:
Manhunt For Ex-Cop Christopher Dorner Continues
Ex-LAPD Cop Christopher Dorner Believed to Be on Killing Rampage Targeting Law Enforcement
Christopher Dorner's Manifesto, In Full [Content Graphic and Disturbing]
Police Shoot Newspaper Delivery Women Mistaken For Christopher Dorner During Manhunt [UPDATED]
Killer Cop Christopher Dorner's Rambling Manifesto Praises Charlie Sheen, Anthony Bourdain, Gov. Chris Christie And More
Wounded Riverside Cop Shot By Dorner Expected to Survive, Suspect's Connection to Riverside Unclear
Christopher Dorner's Burned Truck Found Near Big Bear Lake, Big Bear Resort Shut Down
Woman Mistakenly Shot By Cops Looking for Dorner Remains Hospitalized

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right