<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3o0l0Q_0uKyvhnJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3o0l0Q_0uKyvhnJ00" width="1520" height="1013" ></figure>OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — In the age of social media, a single post can alter lives in an instant. This was the harsh reality for Matt Croyle, a resident of Oil City, and until recently, the city’s First Ward Constable.Croyle’s now-infamous X post on July 3rd has not only gone viral, but he says has also cost him his job, his civic role, and potentially his place in his hometown. At 7:48 AM on that fateful day, Croyle posted: “If you have friends and family members who support Trump—if it comes down to it, you may literally have to kill them before they kill you. This is where we are headed. This is a fifty-alarm f***ing fire.” The post, intended to express his fear of increasing political extremism and the potential for civil conflict, he says, was immediately met with backlash and went viral, amplified by influential figures on the platform. Jack Posobiec, a conservative commentator with 2.5 million X followers, was one of the first to share the post widely. At 1:43 PM the same day, he tweeted, “Let’s just check in with how the left is dealing with all of this,” along with a screenshot of Croyle’s post. Posobiec’s background as a writer, filmmaker, and political operative, coupled with his significant social media presence, ensured that the tweet reached a vast audience quickly. <blockquote>Let’s just check in with how the left is dealing with all of this: pic.twitter.com/0Q1DIwtbBR— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 3, 2024</blockquote>Posobiec has authored several books, including “Citizens for Trump,” which details his involvement in the 2016 presidential campaign, and “Antifa: Inside the Black Bloc,” where he explores the Antifa movement from a conservative point of view. Posobiec’s role as a senior editor at Human Events and his previous work with One America News Network have solidified his status as a prominent conservative voice. Critics are quick to label him “alt-right.” Scott Presler, another high-profile conservative activist with 1.5 million X followers, further fueled the controversy. He posted: “Meet Matt Croyle. He is an elected official in Pennsylvania. Even worse, he’s a state constable… After being exposed for posting threatening messages about Trump supporters, he deleted his X account.” <blockquote>Meet Matt Croyle. He is an elected official in Pennsylvania. Even worse, he’s a state constable. After being exposed for posting threatening messages about Trump supporters, he deleted his X account. I went to his Facebook, where he’s still active, &amp; found a post where… pic.twitter.com/HYKGhqJVDU— ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) July 3, 2024</blockquote>Presler, known for his grassroots activism, gained attention for organizing “Stop the Steal” protests and his extensive voter registration efforts. His work has mobilized conservative voters across the country, and he has been a visible figure in promoting various Republican causes. In the controversy’s wake, Croyle posted an open letter to the community, attempting to clarify his intentions and address the fallout. “I did not, and would not, advocate for the killing of, or threaten, anyone. Period,” he wrote. Croyle explained that his post was a hyperbolic expression of his fears regarding political extremism and the potential for civil war. “It’s 2024 and the world is crazy enough and difficult enough to survive in as it is; we do not need to get to a point to where ‘brother vs. brother,’ which I was referring to in that post, is any kind of reality at all,” the letter said. Croyle says he’s been the target of personal attacks and threats because of the viral post. “My life was threatened a multitude of times today, my film organization attacked, all because one man decided to take it upon himself to throw me under a bus I can’t get out of now,” he wrote, emphasizing the need for civil discourse and understanding. “We all know what it’s like to love and to cry, to hurt and to mourn. We’re all good people. I just hope we can start to find a way (to) see in each other what we see in ourselves.” In an interview with me, Croyle delved deeper into his thoughts and experiences. “There are some political extremes going on in the United States, and they’re very dangerous. And the majority of Americans are not that. Most Americans want to get up every day and go to work and enjoy life,” Croyle said. “There is a real danger in letting political extremism, that is more prevalent now than ever, take over. And sometimes we need to use language, staying within the perimeters of what is legal, to get people’s attention to the dangers that are happening. And unfortunately, I was thinking out loud online on a platform that’s absolutely not designed for nuanced rhetoric,” he said. Croyle admitted he made a mistake when he made his post. “That was a huge mistake on my part because I’m the least scary person in the world. I am not violent by any means. I don’t want anything to do with violence. If that hypothetical situation that I was talking about were to ever happen, I would literally leave the country,” he stated. Following the backlash, Croyle said he deleted his X and Facebook accounts and went into hiding to protect himself and his loved ones. “It’s just beyond my comprehension. As soon as I was doxed, my initial instinct was to protect myself and anybody who I care about. And that was the reasoning for disappearing from online.” “It’s extremely dangerous because of the way the algorithms are set up, not only on Facebook but also with X, to where it pulls us into an echo chamber of people that may be dangerous,” he continued. “It’s not fair to the average person of the average intelligence to be exposed to that when they’re not aware of what is actually happening.” When pressed about the context of his post and whether it was advisable to share online, Croyle pushed back. “Again, it’s based on a hypothetical second civil war that it feels–at least within the media–is where the country is going. And that scares me,” he said. Croyle said his post, and the subsequent fallout, led to his resignation from his position as constable. “I did not want the county to have any kind of fallout, or backlash, about me being an elected official,” he explained. His desire to protect the integrity of elections had driven him to run for constable, he said, rather than a desire to work in law enforcement. He said he also lost his job at a local non-profit. According to Croyle, he’s been in touch with a local police agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “They have and will have every single threat that was sent to me today,” he said. Croyle’s story serves as a poignant reminder of the volatility of political discourse in the digital age. It highlights the profound impact that a single post can have and the importance of thoughtful, measured communication, especially on platforms where nuance is often lost. As Croyle himself reflected, “We all want the same things in our lives- safety, a roof over our heads, food and water, a sense of community. We just see different routes to get there. We’re not as different as we want to pretend we are.” In a follow-up email, Croyle added, “As different as we may feel and think we are as Americans, we’re much more alike than we realize.” </div></body>

NewsBreak

Political Rhetoric and Its Consequences: The Viral Post Matt Croyle Says Cost Him Everything

OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — In the age of social media, a single post can alter lives in an instant. This was the harsh reality for Matt Croyle, a resident of Oil City, and until recently, the city’s First Ward Constable. Croyle’s now-infamous X post on July 3rd...