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Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

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Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#81

Post by coldtea »

mcphage wrote: post #63
dahart wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a dismissive, unsympathetic response. His computer was temporarily seized & searched without his consent, under immediate threat of force with a weapon. He was prevented from even voicing concern or asking questions through threat of violence, and forced to comply with actions that were not backed by a probable cause or even a reasonable suspicion of a crime having been committed. In the US, there are laws again…

> Innocent until proven guilty doesn't mean only if it takes longer than 5 minutes to prove. It means you start with the presumption of innocence. Innocent until proven guilty does not mean police aren't allowed to investigate crimes. And it does not mean they are't allowed to detain subjects.

So, let's see how content with you'll be with technical platitudes if it happens to you...

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#82

Post by loeg »

dang wrote: post #76
loeg wrote: post #40

https://github.com/mark And yet, he is a white male. It's a mindset problem where you project your experiences on everyone else.

Please don't invoke someone's personal details here to make a point in an argument. That's a significant breach of HN's rules, and this argument is already nasty. We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715005 and marked it off-topic.

Sorry. searine is really missing the point, though.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#83

Post by loeg »

searine wrote: post #41
loeg wrote: post #40

https://github.com/mark And yet, he is a white male. It's a mindset problem where you project your experiences on everyone else.

>And yet, he is a white male. It's a mindset problem where you project your experiences on everyone else. Invalidating someones argument/opinion based on race/sex, is racist/sexist. Your argument also assumes "bad faith" based on race/sex, which is also racist/sexist.

No, you misunderstand my statement. I'm not arguing anything. You're missing the point. E.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715126 and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11716004 .

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#84

Post by bonestamp2 »

TheCoelacanth wrote: post #60
bonestamp2 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally agree with you and I'm generally very critical of the police and I think they handled this very poorly, but I don't think we know enough to say they shouldn't have been involved at all. If Derek is telling the truth that his stolen laptop with lots of personal information on it has turned his life into a movie then it sounds like there is a lot more to know.

It's okay for them to have been involved, but it certainly wasn't okay for them to use violence in this situation. A taser is a potentially deadly weapon; it should only be used in response to deadly force not simply because someone is suspected of theft.

I completely agree. Like I said, they handled it very poorly. But OP made it sound like they shouldn't have even been involved and I don't know that part is true.

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#85

Post by searine »

1024core wrote: post #78
searine wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Let me guess: you're a white male, aren't you? This is an extremely shitty and racist argument to make, particularly on the internet where you shouldn't make assumptions about who people are. Were the cops wrong in being overzealous? Obviously. Is the poster automatically a "white male" because they consider an alternative perspective? No, they just have a different opinion than you.

Let me give you an example. I'm not a white male. My girlfriend is white. I have learned, after several experiences, that if you are pulled over, you roll down your window, keep your hands on the steering wheel, look straight and answer "yes sir", "no sir". Deviation from this protocol can result in anything from a search, to a beatdown (in extreme cases). She, on the contrary, has not. She has been pulled over a few…

> if you are pulled over, you roll down your window, keep your hands on the steering wheel, look straight and answer "yes sir", "no sir".

This is just common courtesy? I've always acted this way, and never had bad experience with the police, because I treated them with respect.

Sounds like your GF showed a lack of couresty/respect for the officer's safety and got treated like a threat as a result.

That's not racism. That's an officer protecting himself from an unknown quantity.

>you will never understand their point of view.

Because every human being is completely devoid of empathy...

Re: Cops Cuffed Me for Selling My Own Mac

#86

Post by fucking_tragedy »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #24
fucking_tragedy wrote: post #11

If this can happen over a stolen laptop, we have given the police too much power, resources and authority, and too little training, education and accountability. They are essentially armed goons for those with property and the right complexion. The people responsible for these actions make upwards of $180k a year and will suffer no repercussions for their actions. Let that sink in.

I generally agree with you and I'm generally very critical of the police and I think they handled this very poorly, but I don't think we know enough to say they shouldn't have been involved at all. If Derek is telling the truth that his stolen laptop with lots of personal information on it has turned his life into a movie then it sounds like there is a lot more to know.

I can't think of a situation where events in someone's life justify this kind of behavior being inflicted upon an innocent person.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though.

They certainly should have been involved, but the way the went about their investigation was unprofessional and significantly affected a person who was completely uninvolved in the original crime.

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