Bullet in my head? Political discourse takes an ugly turn in Citrus County

Forty years in journalism, and this happens.

Political writers are used to the occasional cheap shot or criticism. It’s never really rattled me.

Until now.

After a 34-year career at the Citrus County Chronicle, I write a blog in Citrus County called Just Wright Citrus. In its fifth year, we discuss issues of local significance. Sometimes, it can get a little rowdy.

I’m a stickler for keeping the Facebook comments on topic and clean of threats, coercion or foul language. Spirited conversation, yes. Nasty stuff, no.

Tuesday’s blog wasn’t all that exciting — nonpartisan School Board elections — and the photo showed me near the municipal air strip in Cedar Key. I know … totally unrelated. Welcome to my blog.

I posted the blog link on Facebook at 6 a.m. and then checked back about 20 minutes later to make sure everything was OK. I can usually tell within the first half hour what kind of day it’s going to be.

And that’s when I saw it. Three comments, all in a row. The first two were simply insulting, unrelated to anything, and I started to delete them. That’s when I paid closer attention to what he was saying.

“This guy makes me sick,” the second post states.

And then: “I’d put a bullet thru this guy’s head and that’s how I feel and what I feel like doing everytime I see this nasty looking guy.” 

Um, what?

I didn’t recognize the name, Matthew Galit. His Facebook page said he lives in Crystal River. As far as I know, we’ve never even met. I don’t recall him offering an opinion on past blogs. And based on the comment, I’m not sure he read this one.

Hold that thought a moment.

Citrus County’s political season is especially intense this year due to a number of factors: growth, taxes, road congestion, data center scares, and the overall feeling that something just isn’t right. Citizens are at each other’s throats on social media. Two County Commission seats are at stake in the Aug. 18 Primary, and sides are clearly drawn.

It’s also the ugliest election cycle I’ve witnessed in four decades. Social media has so engrossed the conversation — I use that word loosely — that I started cutting back political subjects to only one or two a week. The noise is that loud, even in my little community.

That’s why I’m so cautious about Facebook comments on the blog. We want debate, not bullfights.

Deleting Galit’s post was easy. The question was whether I should go further. Before deleting, I took a screenshot of Galit’s comments and then blocked him.

I sent a text to Calvin Adams, Chief of Staff for Sheriff Dave Vincent, asking for a chat. We talked, I told him what happened, sent him the screenshot, and within an hour a detective was on the phone with me.

He explained that Galit was a familiar name. Just six years earlier, Galit was arrested for making online threats against law enforcement. According to court records, he was sentenced to two years in prison, was given most of that in credit for time served, and received mental health treatment.

The detective put me on the spot. Could I be named in the incident report as a victim, even though Galit hadn’t specifically targeted me by name? He was rather blunt. No victim, no potential case to the State Attorney. Got it.

That took a few minutes of deep thought. I’m a newswriter, not a newsmaker. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to get that involved. Couldn’t they just talk to the guy and get him to knock it off?

Then, though, I became angry. This happened on my own blog. It was clearly directed at me. I don’t recognize this guy, but I know a threat when I see one.

Plus, I couldn’t shake the thought of him escalating the anger off Facebook and into real life.

I told the detective they could count on me. He called Wednesday morning with news that Galit had been arrested the night before, charged with threatening to kill or do bodily harm to another, a second-degree felony. At first appearance, the Judge kept him jailed without bond.

I posted the arrest info on the Just Wright Citrus Facebook page, and as expected, it blew up: Nearly 50,000 views and about 200 comments. Most readers were appalled; others, friends of Galit, had a more compassionate take.

Me? I’m off the beam. Big time.

Not just the threat; it’s the overall mood of the Citrus County election. Man, this just stinks. I have to ask myself, “Am I causing this? Does my blog encourage community debate, or stifle it? What message am I sending that someone would respond in such a hateful manner?”

I have no answers. They seem more elusive to me today than yesterday.

Two things, then I’ll shut up.

Mental illness is real. Left untreated, horrible things can happen. It’s my hope and prayer that Matthew receives the help he needs from this arrest. If you’re struggling with depression or have dangerous thoughts, the National Alliance on Mental Health can help.

Second thing. Hey, you keyboard warriors, take a moment before hitting the send button. Can we make an attempt to dial down the rhetoric some? I promise to do the same.

We live in a weird world these days. There’s no such thing as an idle violent threat. I couldn’t live with myself if I ignored this and his behavior escalated.

I’ve been Citrus County’s political reporter since 1988. It’s what I do. Nothing has stopped that yet.

And this won’t either.