Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

vice.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 456 posts

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#131

Post by nickff »

testbot123 wrote: post #104
nickff wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So the rioters are hurting their fellow innocents because it's easy and less risky than going after the guilty? You're probably right, but it's not a flattering view of the rioters.

> hurting their fellow innocents Are you talking about property damage, or actual violence like police killing unarmed black folks?

I am talking about the potential for injury (as always exists with fires, looting, and the like, here exemplified by the wheelchair-bound woman sprayed with a fire extinguisher), as well as the property damage, which often causes stress and emotional injury.

It's also easy to forget that the people most harmed by looting are usually members of the (original) victims' own communities.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#132

Post by [deleted] »

petee wrote: post #5

The tracking website has some great info, like this RC-26B with electronic surveillance hardware headed for Louisville: https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com/?icao=adfd7f https://www.flickr.com/photos/eigjb/3460872978 And this is the track of the drone over Minneapolis, which seemed to veer off around the time the story came out: https://tar1090.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae4bd7

[deleted]

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#133

Post by jmisavage »

colejohnson66 wrote: post #56
beambot wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do you draw the distinction between a drone (presumably unarmed) vs a police helicopter?

One is purposefully designed to surveil and kill (the Predator drone), while the other has a variety of uses. That’s where I draw the line: what was the purpose of creating it?

Actually the original Predator drone was meant strictly for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) and didn't carry weapons. It was modified later to carry two Hellfire missiles. There are other far larger drones out there that were designed for carrying weapons from the get go.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#134

Post by evanlivingston »

mythrwy wrote: post #108
evanlivingston wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This comments reads as "god save capitalism. Everything is justified unless dollars are burned in the process."

More like "god save common sense and basic human decency" WTF is the matter with people?

A group of people who are systematically disenfranchised witnessed a visceral oppression committed by the guardians of that system. They are now extremely upset and frustrated and expressing their anger and frustration at a system that for a long time now made snail's pace progress toward equitable treatment of them.

The police largely function as protectors of personal property and relationships of ownership. I mean, look at the very reason that the cops arrested George Floyd; an alleged fake $20 dollar bill. In a time of pandemic 4 police offers showed up to enforce the ownership of capital.

Those guys who the state dispatched to enforce the value of money then ended up killing a guy. Its quite possible that the people who are rioting and protesting feel pretty damn angry at their treatment under capitalism and don't give a damn ownership of resources right now. They might even feel angry about ownership of resources in general. This is their community, and I suspect it's not yours. They get to decide their relationship to owners of resources, not you.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#135

Post by remarkEon »

komali2 wrote: post #120
remarkEon wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another fellow Minnesotan here and former Minneapolis resident (used to live a mile away from Hiawatha and Lake back in the day). >Characterizing what is happening as an edge case is a huge mistake. People do not spontaneously start protesting with so much anger if it hasn't built up over so long. These protests are at least partly drummed up by out of state agitators, and are implicitly condoned by a feckless and we…

Why did the cops shoot tear gas at peaceful protestors yesterday, when they didn't two weeks ago when armed militia stormed the statehouse? The cops brought this on themselves. There's nobody to blame here but them.

Because the "armed militia" that "stormed" the statehouse had no designs on doing any harm. It's really that simple. The "protestors" that got some tear gas shot at them went on to burn down some buildings that had nothing to do with this tragedy. You gonna blame them or nah?

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#136

Post by nightski »

jorblumesea wrote: post #118
armitron wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, the President's "take" is totally irrelevant in US being an authoritarian police state. The issue is systemic and can not be attributed to an individual or office. I'm not an American but have lived there in the past for many years. It has always baffled me how Americans are willing to blame the left or the right instead of the system as a whole. Maybe because if they did so, they would be undermining the very…

The DOJ is part of the executive branch and is instrumental in setting national standards and investigating police departments. FBI as well. The executive branch has a fair amount of sway in how policing is done in the US and largely can help set direction, set policies, investigate departments and "clean house". for example: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-... Who is President is very muc…

Really? It is my understanding that in Minnesota the governor did not even have control over the local policing, that was left to local leadership (mayor + police chief). He only took over control today, which was a very rare move. So I am not following how the president has much authority over local police activities. That is why Trump is referencing the National Guard and not an actual police force.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#137

Post by billme »

dpflan wrote: post #15

FTA: "Unarmed Predator drones were first used within the United States in 2012, when the Department of Homeland Security flew one over the property of a cattle farmer named Rodney Brossart to surveil him, and to help end a 16-hour standoff between him and another rancher over a stolen-cattle dispute. The use was highly controversial at the time; since then, CBP has used drones hundreds of times, and has not kept very…

False; Katrina & US border patrol was what officially sparked the call to (publicly) use drones in the US.

CBP has used drones with FAA approval within the US since 2006; which does not included any use prior to 2006 which remains classified.

SOURCE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115491642950528436

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#138

Post by HarryHirsch »

meragrin_ wrote: post #121
dv_dt wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps this is too political, but the only tool they actually needed was one they had the whole time. Charge the offices based upon the evidence and open a more detailed investigation. The military equipment was entirely unnecessary - but it's very availability makes opportunity for bad decisions.

In all probability, union rules stand in the way of making any quick arrests. Their hands are tied. It is better for them to appear slow and do things by the book than try to appease the irrational mob. They'll eventually get to where the mob wants to go rather than ending up with the cops "winning" in some way due violations of union rules and procedures.

It's hard to see why union rules would trump criminal procedure - if that were true the cops would really be a law above the law. You'd think the much delayed arrest was so that the suspects had time to scrub social media, get rid of Nazi paraphernalia, get their stories straight, that kind of thing. They can't get their fellow officers in trouble, that's part of their code.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#139

Post by nightski »

dvdhnt wrote: post #46
wafn wrote: post #35

Pretty sure there are laws against mass arson, looting, rioting, vandalism, etc. so if the people can't follow laws why should the government?

Surely, you aren't comparing mass murder, likely an international crime, to spray painting a building or stealing a TV? Property != people. People > property. Period. Nothing else to consider. Additionally, it's fairly common for security forces to instigate criminal behavior during protests in order to justify the extreme measures they use to suppress those protests.

I am from the area and I agree wholeheartedly that people > property.

But let's be real, we saw a 182 unit multi story low income housing unit burn down to ash (the blaze was enormous). We also saw a police department building burn to ash. Countless local businesses have been completely destroyed by fire. That's a little more than spray paint and tv looting.

Re: US customs and border protection is flying a surveillance drone over Minneapolis

#140

Post by komali2 »

remarkEon wrote: post #135
komali2 wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why did the cops shoot tear gas at peaceful protestors yesterday, when they didn't two weeks ago when armed militia stormed the statehouse? The cops brought this on themselves. There's nobody to blame here but them.

Because the "armed militia" that "stormed" the statehouse had no designs on doing any harm. It's really that simple. The "protestors" that got some tear gas shot at them went on to burn down some buildings that had nothing to do with this tragedy. You gonna blame them or nah?

Lol.

The protests started peaceful. There were no calls to burn down a police station. The first window shattered was done so by an undercover cop.

The first violent action taken was by the cops. So the people responded in turn.

Nope, I don't blame them. They tried kneeling, so the president got a football player fired. They tried peacefully protesting, the cops showed up armed to the teeth and fired at people with plastic bullets and tear gas. There's a video of a parade of cop cars driving by protestors, the last of which indiscriminately sprayed pepper spray into the crowd.

Lmao. The very audacity of your comment.

Post reply on HN