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Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

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Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#2
Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on.

I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#3
post #2

Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on. I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

I disagree that everyone across the political spectrum agrees on this: Thin Blue Liners have considerable sway over politics, and they're happily on the take.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#4
post #2

Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on. I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

Biden was one of the "architects" of modern civil forfeiture: https://fee.org/articles/how-a-young-joe-biden-became-the-ar...

Voting gets us nowhere with limiting state power. Like falling for a good cop bad cop routine. It provides consent for both sides of the aisle abuse like this.

edit: I don't know fee.org. Here's a more neutral reference to widely-known facts: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bidens-crime-preven... It's easily researchable.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#5
The key question is "What will SCOTUS Do?" There have been numerous cases where Civil Asset Forfeiture has been overturned, but only AFTER the wronged party sued for actual and punitive damages. I wish the law required that LEOs who steal people's stuff to be automatically criminally charged for theft upon the overturn of civil asset forfeiture (along with treble damages awarded to the wronged party)... but that would make sense so it's likely not going to happen.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#6
post #2

Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on. I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

Biden was one of the "architects" of modern civil forfeiture: https://fee.org/articles/how-a-young-joe-biden-became-the-ar... Voting gets us nowhere with limiting state power. Like falling for a good cop bad cop routine. It provides consent for both sides of the aisle abuse like this. edit: I don't know fee.org. Here's a more neutral reference to widely-known facts: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bidens-cri…

"Voting doesn't help: it only encourages the bastards!" Too much truth in that, sadly.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#7
post #2

Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on. I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

Biden was one of the "architects" of modern civil forfeiture: https://fee.org/articles/how-a-young-joe-biden-became-the-ar... Voting gets us nowhere with limiting state power. Like falling for a good cop bad cop routine. It provides consent for both sides of the aisle abuse like this. edit: I don't know fee.org. Here's a more neutral reference to widely-known facts: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bidens-cri…

So are you advocating for not voting? Exclusively using Tor and ProtonMail? Mass civil disobedience? Overthrow of government?

Or becoming a lawyer and filing suit against police departments and other government agencies? Or financially supporting those lawyers?

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Biden was one of the "architects" of modern civil forfeiture: https://fee.org/articles/how-a-young-joe-biden-became-the-ar... Voting gets us nowhere with limiting state power. Like falling for a good cop bad cop routine. It provides consent for both sides of the aisle abuse like this. edit: I don't know fee.org. Here's a more neutral reference to widely-known facts: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bidens-cri…

So are you advocating for not voting? Exclusively using Tor and ProtonMail? Mass civil disobedience? Overthrow of government? Or becoming a lawyer and filing suit against police departments and other government agencies? Or financially supporting those lawyers?

Voting is at best a harm reduction tactic. But as I said for limiting state powers specifically, it's usually not even that.

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So are you advocating for not voting? Exclusively using Tor and ProtonMail? Mass civil disobedience? Overthrow of government? Or becoming a lawyer and filing suit against police departments and other government agencies? Or financially supporting those lawyers?

Voting is at best a harm reduction tactic. But as I said for limiting state powers specifically, it's usually not even that.

So what actual actions do you advocate for ordinary citizens to take?

Re: Police Seized Innocent Peoples Property, Kept It for Years. What Will SCOTUS Do?

#10
post #2

Severely limiting the scope of civil forfeiture seems like one of those political issues that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on. I'm constantly hearing horror stories like the ones in this article and I've never heard any reasonable defense of our current system. In fact, I've never even heard an unreasonable defense.

Biden was one of the "architects" of modern civil forfeiture: https://fee.org/articles/how-a-young-joe-biden-became-the-ar... Voting gets us nowhere with limiting state power. Like falling for a good cop bad cop routine. It provides consent for both sides of the aisle abuse like this. edit: I don't know fee.org. Here's a more neutral reference to widely-known facts: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bidens-cri…

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