On February 12, The Twitter Account @KnicksMemes was suspended. Knicks Memes was started nearly 10 years ago and has grown to the most-followed and one of the most-beloved New York Knicks Fan pages on the web. It is a place where Knicks fans can laugh together and love the Knicks together. And, when necessary, suffer together. 

I started Knicks Memes in high school, and have put years and years of work into it. It has become a huge part of who I am, and I've met many friends through it (along with many people I consider friends who I have not met in person). It is enjoyed by nearly 35,000 followers on Twitter. The Knicks are having their best season in years, but one of the most beloved pieces of Knicks Twitter is forced to sit on the sidelines.

The suspension notice was vague, and when the suspension was appealed, and the response given (after nearly a month) was as follows:

Hello,

We’re writing to let you know that your account has been suspended—and will remain suspended—due to multiple or severe violations of our platform manipulation rules.

Artificially inflating your own or others’ followers or engagement is a violation of the Twitter Rules. This includes:

selling/purchasing Tweet or account metric inflation – selling or purchasing followers or engagements (Retweets, Likes, mentions, Twitter Poll votes);

apps – using or promoting third-party services or apps that claim to add followers or add engagements to Tweets;

reciprocal inflation – trading or coordinating to exchange follows or Tweet engagements (including but not limited to participation in “follow trains”, “decks”, and “Retweet for Retweet” behavior); and

account transfers or sales – selling, purchasing, trading, or offering the sale, purchase, or trade of Twitter accounts, usernames, or temporary access to Twitter accounts.

Please do not reply to this message as this email address is not monitored.

Thanks,Twitter

These things are understandably violations of Twitter Policy, although I would question whether they deserve a permanent ban. But here's the thing...

 

Knicks Memes did NONE of the actions described above

 

Knicks Memes is suspended, seemingly permanently, and has not broken the rules it was told it was suspended for breaking.

 

Nearly 10 years of work, down the drain. Thousands of connections lost. An inability to do what I love most--- make people smile and laugh and enhance their experience as a Knicks fan. And shut off from thousands of people I communicate with, during a pandemic that has shut down "real-world" social life. 

 

All for something I didn't do.

 

To the best of my knowledge, I am completely innocent on this front. If I have done anything, it was certainly not knowingly or intentionally, and Twitter doesn't seem to have any sort of examples to show me of me breaking those rules. Mistakes happen and Twitter locking me out for a month is not the end of the world. But a permanent ban is not something I am willing to accept.

 

Knicks Memes is NOT guilty of artificially inflating its own or its followers' engagement. Banning a huge part of the Knicks community, and an account which means so much to its owner, is wrong.

 

I am calling on Twitter Support @TwitterSupport to unsuspend @KnicksMemes which has the Case Number #0197215458 

 

If you want to help, you can Tweet @TwitterSupport (not Twitter), and say this:

Hi @TwitterSupport, The account @KnicksMemes (Case # 0197215458 ) has been suspended since Feb for artificial inflation, but it NEVER did anything which violates that policy. The account means so much to its owner & Knicks fans. PLEASE pass the case along and unsuspend it today!

 

I will be very grateful for the support of the community and hopefully this will work. I didn't knowingly break these rules, and I certainly didn't do anything that I feel deserves a "one-strike-and-you're-out" permanent ban after a decade of hard work and pouring my heart into this account and this community.

 

Let's get Knicks Memes back! Sign and share this petition, and copy the tweet I wrote above!