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Oakland Police step in to protect Stray Kids members after vile death threats surface online

A Twitter account with the user name @nakiiioni posted death threats involving mention of gun violence against Bang Chan, Changbin and Felix

Content Warning: Mentions of death threats, violence, gore, and NSFW mentions

Like every coin has two sides, the dark side of K-pop fan culture is the threats fans bring to idols. There are stalker fans aka sasaengs who can go to any extent to get noticed by idols, and then you have anti-fans who think it's totally okay to pile hate on a celebrity. The latter tribe sometimes goes to serious extremes and causes concern for fans while also inviting action from the judiciary. K-pop companies have been taking note of the malicious comments as they protect idols by making the trolls pay for their words by suing them.

But in some extreme cases, legal action is simply not enough as the comments can translate into immediate threats. Over the years, many K-pop idols have been victims of violent death threats online as they perform for fans on stage. More often than not, these threats are dismissed as trolls bluffing to cause chaos during concerts. This time, however, the threats against Stray Kids members were concerning as they included mentions of gun violence while they are touring in the USA.

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Fans worried after Twitter user posts death threats against Stray Kids

Stray Kids hosted their ‘Maniac’ concert in Oakland on July 13 as part of the US leg of their 2022 World Tour. Days ahead of the concert, concerned fans took to Twitter to inform other fans and bring action against one user who was making vile and gory posts about Stray Kids’ Bang Chan, Changbin, and Felix. A now-deleted Twitter account with the user name @nakiiioni was reported by Stays (fans of Stray Kids) for posting vile comments about the three members of Stray Kids. In the post, the user said things like, “Bangchan i will come and eat your face till there nothing left but cartilage. You cant get rid of me…” Another post by the same user said, “I will shoot Changbin. When i see Stray Jids soon i will bring the biggest gun i own.”

There were other comments and posts by the same user that spoke about members’ genitals. Fans who saw the account while it was active reported that some posts had fake NSFW photos featuring the members. It seems like the posts got enough attention and traction online which led the Oakland Police Department and FBI to get involved in the matter.

On July 13, ahead of Stray Kids’ concert in Oakland, the city’s police department took to Twitter to reassure fans that they were taking extra precautions to protect the members while they perform. The tweet from Oakland Police Department said, “OPD is aware of threats concerning the Stray Kids concert tonight at the Oakland Arena. We take threats very seriously." The OPD continued, "The safety of our community is paramount. OPD is working w/ the Oakland Arena & FBI to ensure the safety of attendees. Additional officers will be present.” 

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Considering gun violence is at a peak in the USA, fans are relieved that police is taking the issue very seriously. Following the deletion of the original account, Stays were concerned to find another Twitter handle with the username @iloveflopkidz, which also had similar violent posts against the boy group. The Oakland Police Department's message has, however, reassured fans about the safety of Stray Kids members.