- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
For all intents and purposes, Shelby, Occupy Denver's new canine leader, appears to be a polite and demure, if strangely food-focused, politician. The three-and-a-half-year-old will lead the group's march against corporate personhood this weekend, and all of her actions to date have been as sure-footed as someone with four paws should be. Why, then, does she appear to be tweeting about sex and weed?
The answer is simple: Some rogue agent with way too much time on his or her hands has created a fake Twitter account for Shelby, @OWSDenverShelby. This person appears to oppose almost every single aspect of the Occupy Wall Street movement and has opted to serve those feelings with a side of serious passive aggression. The account, which finds Shelby encouraging mothers to use their children as human shields, has earned attention from the movement's official Twitter account, which denounced its existence last night:
@OccupyDenver
OccupyDenver The vile twitter handle @OWSDenverShelby is UNAFFILIATED with #OccupyDenver, Shelby, or Shelby's owner. Please block and report spam. #ows
Favorite Retweet
"I want to thank #OccupyDenver for electing me their new leader! I will do you proud. #ows #woof," fake Shelby told 59 followers in her first Tweet. In the span of exactly one day, fake Shelby has managed to Tweet 123 times. It's tough being a faux-fur version of the world's first occupation leader, and fake Shelby takes out her frustrations, in large part, on anarchists. Although the account is currently following more than twice the amount of people who follow it (128 at this writing), Occupy Denver remains strict about its encouragement to block and report the human acting as a dog who is acting as a human.
In the meantime, read some of fake Shelby's most scandalous fake opinions below:
@OWSDenverShelby
OWSDenverShelby We #OWS want to applaud all the Moms bringing their children to #occupyPortalnd to use them as human shields! http://t.co/s3UnUCem
Favorite Retweet
@OWSDenverShelby
OWSDenverShelby We #OWS pledge to remain non-violent...and we will BREAK SHIT and FUCK THINGS UP until all Americans join us! http://t.co/k5Ip2cSc
Favorite Retweet
@OWSDenverShelby
OWSDenverShelby .@OccupyChicago we at #OccupyChicago and #OccupyDenver demand FREE coffee...and not that cheap shit...we want the gourmet stuff! #ows
Favorite Retweet
@OWSDenverShelby
OWSDenverShelby .@OccupyPics free "Mumia"?? is that some of that newfangled Weed they're giving away at #occupyOakland? How can I get me some? #ows
Favorite Retweet
More from our Occupy Denver archive: "Occupy Denver elects a new leader: Shelby, a Border Collie mix."
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
