Sandy Hook hero harassed by conspiracy theorists

Gene Rosen sheltered six kids during the Sandy Hook massacre. Now the Good Samaritan’s deeds have been called out by a group who believes the shooting was a hoax.

By Charyn Pfeuffer - MSN Living Editor Jan 15, 2013 8:01PM

What would you do if you found six little children and a bus driver at the end of your driveway? Now imagine if one of the kids said, “We can’t go back to school. Our teacher is dead,” reports Salon.com.

That’s the scenario Newtown, Conn. Resident Gene Rosen faced on the morning of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Like any civic-minded citizen, the 69-year old retired psychologist brought the kids inside, gave them food, juice and toys and called their parents.

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In the hours and days that followed, Rosen became a bit of a local media darling.

“I wanted to speak about the bravery of the children, and it kind of helped me work through this,” he was quoted.

What seemed like the simple gesture of a Good Samaritan went horribly wrong though when he started getting harassed by a conspiracy theorist group that alleges that the entire shooting was a hoax. Photos of Rosen’s house have been posted online, fake Google+ and YouTube accounts have been created in his name and dozens of blog posts and videos have surfaced “exposing” him as a fraud.

“I don’t know what to do,” Rosen was quoted. “I’m getting hang up calls, I’m getting some calls, I’m getting emails with, not direct threats, but accusations that I’m lying, that I’m a crisis actor, ‘how much am I being paid?’”

One purported business query even taunted: “How are all those little students doing? You know, the ones that showed up at your house after the ‘shooting’. What is the going rate for getting involved in a gov’t sponsored hoax anyway?”

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In speaking out about the harassment, Rosen asked Salon.com, “Am I being stupid?” But as a staunch believer in free speech, he decided to talk because he feels there needs to be some “moral push back.”

“There must be some way to morally shame these people, because there were twenty dead children lying an eighth of a mile from my window all night long,” Rosen was quoted.

How would you react to such harassment?

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Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP

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2Comments

Newest

Jan 15, 2013 9:10PM

Harassing a Good Samaritan? The gun nuts have no mercy.

The gun lobby is working overtime to maintain its cash cow: sowing fear, uncertainty and doubt is almost as good for their business as a school shooting. The gun industry loves horrible crimes like this. They have made billions on the Sandy Hook mass murder alone!

The more I hear of right-wing harassment, the more I am inclined to vote for fair-minded, moderate legislators. The gun lobby should be stopped before we have lots mor murders of little children.

Ban guns now.

Previous replies

jantec

Jan 15, 2013 9:07PM

That's horrible! I wouldn't even go to one of those conspiracy sites! This is not the kind of thing the government would conspire about, for one thing. Anybody that thinks this was made up needs to be carefully monitored for mental illness and other bizarre behavior.