This chapter examines how local communities in “casual democracies” respond to crime when public debate unfolds on social media rather than through traditional journalism. Focusing on two tragic killings in Frederiksberg and a wave of thefts in Ringwood, it explores how Facebook groups became arenas for grief, anger, and moral negotiation. While national news offered factual anchors, online discussions often blurred boundaries between empathy and outrage, civic deliberation and digital shaming. The chapter highlights how algorithmic dynamics amplify emotion and ethical inconsistency, revealing both the potential for community solidarity and the risk of a modern “pillory stock” culture. It offers a compelling look at how crime tests the resilience of democratic discourse in platform-driven local publics.