4 ms·

Here are his last tweets before being deleted: http://archive.is/4a138 http://archive.is/4a138

puppetmaster3 11y ago
Notice in his last distressed tweets above Ian specifically says: "if anyone would post this to hacker news, I would appreciate it" He was dead shortly after.
ojiikun 11y ago
Reading those makes this sound more like a police casualty. Regardless of how it started, the altercation ended in emotional injury, physical violation, financial ruin, and a head trauma. The latter has been known to increase risk of suicide (http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/71/4/436.full http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/71/4/436.full) and the emotional and social stressors cannot but have hurt. There are some echoes of Aaron Swartz here. Brilliant mind contributes to open standards or open software and ends up dead after a run-in with the law. Very different scales, but all too similar outcomes. (I won't go down the rabbit hole of analysis as to whether they could have been offed by the gov't, but I can't deny the thought immediately crossed my mind. Supporting freedom of data rather than corp./gov. control? Yikes.) This case escalated all too quickly, but what could we as a community do to stop this sort of outcome the future? Could we form (have we formed?) a watchdog/support group to pay professionals to reach out to those in our world who are at high risk, provided evidence is uncovered that our population has a higher base risk of these incidents or that they are being intentinoally triggered by powers that be?
- puppetmaster3 11y ago
  It was somehow known that Ian was contemplating suicide https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3yktcg/ian_murdock_debian_founder_is_threatening_suicide/ https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3yktcg/ian_murdock_d... Is it conspiracy to wonder why he would consider that? What happened to make him think that is an option and to select it. Maybe hit in the head, or some credible threat on things he ares for.
- chillingeffect 11y ago
  After even mild police harassment, I have experienced extreme emotional discomfort. It can be very upsetting to be face-to-face with uncompromising power. This is intensified when it includes a collision of worldviews (you think you're right, they think you're wrong). And it must be even worse when it involves physical injury. I am fascinated that he has dedicated the end of his life to pointing out that police violence hurts white people and black people equally. Ironically, I am upset that he used the slur N____r in his final tweets, because it would have really united people in the cause against police violence. However, I think it just shows how unbelievably emotionally distressed he was. That poor man. This type of violence is happening to lots of people all over the U.S. The internet is bringing some light to it and we've got to get a grip on it. We have to calm the flip down and remember we're here on Earth to enjoy it as a gift, not win contests and hurt each other. I imagine Ian felt something like that "egalite, liberte and fraternite" based on his immense gifts to the world, but when he saw that world view get shaken, that despite his contributions, he could still be beaten down by uncompromising, self-righteous power, it might have cast serious doubt in his mind. God damn it.
  - huac 11y ago
    > I am fascinated that he has dedicated the end of his life to pointing out that police violence hurts white people and black people equally. absolutely not - his point is that police violence hurts black people way more, but nobody pays attention unless a rich white guy tells his story too.

Notice in his last distressed tweets above Ian specifically says: "if anyone would post this to hacker news, I would appreciate it" He was dead shortly after.

ojiikun 11y ago

Reading those makes this sound more like a police casualty. Regardless of how it started, the altercation ended in emotional injury, physical violation, financial ruin, and a head trauma. The latter has been known to increase risk of suicide (http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/71/4/436.full http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/71/4/436.full) and the emotional and social stressors cannot but have hurt. There are some echoes of Aaron Swartz here. Brilliant mind contributes to open standards or open software and ends up dead after a run-in with the law. Very different scales, but all too similar outcomes. (I won't go down the rabbit hole of analysis as to whether they could have been offed by the gov't, but I can't deny the thought immediately crossed my mind. Supporting freedom of data rather than corp./gov. control? Yikes.) This case escalated all too quickly, but what could we as a community do to stop this sort of outcome the future? Could we form (have we formed?) a watchdog/support group to pay professionals to reach out to those in our world who are at high risk, provided evidence is uncovered that our population has a higher base risk of these incidents or that they are being intentinoally triggered by powers that be?

puppetmaster3 11y ago
It was somehow known that Ian was contemplating suicide https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3yktcg/ian_murdock_debian_founder_is_threatening_suicide/ https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/3yktcg/ian_murdock_d... Is it conspiracy to wonder why he would consider that? What happened to make him think that is an option and to select it. Maybe hit in the head, or some credible threat on things he ares for.
chillingeffect 11y ago
After even mild police harassment, I have experienced extreme emotional discomfort. It can be very upsetting to be face-to-face with uncompromising power. This is intensified when it includes a collision of worldviews (you think you're right, they think you're wrong). And it must be even worse when it involves physical injury. I am fascinated that he has dedicated the end of his life to pointing out that police violence hurts white people and black people equally. Ironically, I am upset that he used the slur N____r in his final tweets, because it would have really united people in the cause against police violence. However, I think it just shows how unbelievably emotionally distressed he was. That poor man. This type of violence is happening to lots of people all over the U.S. The internet is bringing some light to it and we've got to get a grip on it. We have to calm the flip down and remember we're here on Earth to enjoy it as a gift, not win contests and hurt each other. I imagine Ian felt something like that "egalite, liberte and fraternite" based on his immense gifts to the world, but when he saw that world view get shaken, that despite his contributions, he could still be beaten down by uncompromising, self-righteous power, it might have cast serious doubt in his mind. God damn it.
- huac 11y ago
  > I am fascinated that he has dedicated the end of his life to pointing out that police violence hurts white people and black people equally. absolutely not - his point is that police violence hurts black people way more, but nobody pays attention unless a rich white guy tells his story too.