10 ms·
Arrested by Undercover Officers After Trying to Sell His Laptop Online
- nathancahill 10y agoFuck everything about this.
- ryandamm 10y agoThis is a good reminder of the various bubbles I live in -- geographic, racial... okay, those two. Appalling. I wish it were more unbelievable.
- gsklee 10y agoI once dreamed of immigrating to the US and working in the Bay Area... but it's become apparent to me now that there's something inherently wrong with that country. I guess I'll go to Australia or Canada instead.
- i_feel_great 10y agoCome to Australia! We need as many skilled workers as possible.
- toomuchtodo 10y agoEase of receiving an Australian work permit/visa as a US citizen tech worker? Definitely interested in working outside of the US.
- adamseabrook 10y agoYou can self sponsor with this https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/189- https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/189- bit of mucking about to get but once you have it you can work for any company. Otherwise company will need a company to sponsor you on https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457- https://www.border.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/457- which is not hard to get but does limit the companies you can work for as not all will know how to do it.
- toomuchtodo 10y agoThank you!
- i_feel_great 10y agohttps://www.border.gov.au/ https://www.border.gov.au/. I don't know the details of the process though - I am a New Zealander, and I get right of residence automatically. There is always New Zealand of course, so you can live and travel between the two countries without hindrance once you get a passport in either.
- beardog 10y agoGovernment in general in the US doesn't have much accountability, that includes law enforcement.
- kiba 10y agoWE need an independent committee against corruption, that is completely independent of the FBI and law enforcement agencies, directly accountable to the President of the United States.
- solipsism 10y agoAre there any governments which do have high levels of accountability? Honest question.
- beardog 10y agoNo, not really... although Iceland seems good...
- djrogers 10y agoWow, I am really looking forward to finding g out more about this. What agency were they with? How often do they do this? Was it random or targeted, and if the latter at the person or device? Side note - he wasn't arrested, he was handcuffed, had a weapon stuck in his back, was detained, had an illegal search performed on his possessions, and all by purported law enforcement officers who refused to identify themselves. In many ways this is worse than being arrested - with an arrest there are other layers of law enforcement to appeal to and receive justice. With an arrest at least we would have officers names, charges, etc, which if faked could theoretically result in discipline or firing of the officer. I know it doesn't always work that way, but at least the checks and balances exist. With this kind of officer-level illegal search and detainment, there is very very little that can be done to seek any sort of justice. If this kids mom wasn't a reporter, nobody would have heard or believed the story.
- iandanforth 10y agoJaded guess; still in the guise of the 'buyer' they asked if they could look through the machine. He gave verbal consent at which point they started the search / threat / handcuffing.
- hoppa_liza 10y agoThey still need to identify themselves as the police. What they displayed is mob behavior; armed people threatening and going through a person's possessions.
- brbsix 10y agoThere's no need for an undercover officer to identify themselves as such. They're free to lie and manipulate (to an extent). It would kind of defeat the purpose otherwise.
- Veratyr 10y agoThere's definitely a need if they intend to wield their authority as a police officer. Random people on the street can't just come up and handcuff me and go through my stuff.
- proyb2 10y agoSeriously, either Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore are safest countries than in USA. Need more startup in Singapore.
- kelukelugames 10y agoSo that's what a Twitter moment was. Cool. Does the tweeter set it up or Twitter automatically figures it out?
- senectus1 10y agothis sort of crap is what keeps me from letting the wife book a holiday to the US. Damn, US you a scary country.
- segf4ult 10y agoAnd what country are you in where things like this don't happen?
- fucking_tragedy 10y agoWhat countries do you expect things like this to happen so I can avoid them?
- skimmas 10y agoI would say that as an example, in most European countries the relationship between police and citizens is a lot more civilized. But them again this is my impression not sure if it's based on facts. I would sure consider this if I was planing to travel to the US.
- redcap 10y agoFrom Australia, live in Japan. Having a gun pointed at you by police would not happen in the situation described.
- krapp 10y agoOn the other hand, Japan's justice system has a 99% conviction rate. That doesn't happen without blatant, systemic corruption. I'd rather deal with cops who might shoot me than cops who will definitely get a confession out of me if they want one.
- SolaceQuantum 10y agoAFAIK a big chunk of the 99% conviction rate is because police will not pursue a case that isn't easy open and shut.
- _ati 10y agoWould there be any cc camera recording of the entire incident probably that might help in identifying those officers
- troisx 10y agoThis whole thing seems a little fishy. It supposedly happened on Friday and the only news article I could find about it didn't have any independent verification.
- jerrycabbage 10y agoYes. Cuffs "cut his hands". They apparently sold the laptop with the evidence. Gun "in his back".I hate cops more than these geeks but even I can figure out BS. The "buyer" blamed it on the police but sounds like he wasn't a cop? Why? ycombinator is a sharpish crowd but they tend to not underestimate how many random liars there are. Thats why this account has a -1 score.
- masonic 10y agoIf you've been dumped by MSNBC, can you even claim the title of "journalist" in the first place?
- chisleu 10y agoI was with her until she started talking about Trayvon.
- colemickens 10y agoSeriously? You're really willing to make that comment? After George just tried to auction off the gun he used to kill Trayvon? Even after he's had multiple run ins with the law due to gun violence since he killed Trayvon? Really? I don't know why I stick my neck out to engage with people like you about topics like this, on a forum like this, but what the hell is wrong with you? You were worried about the authorities kidnapping and holding someone at gunpoint (sans an arrest, that's exactly what happened) but the second the mom references another person of color who was possibly wasn't served justice, you just don't care anymore? Is that really what you're saying? Or is there some nuance here I'm missing? edit: I'm genuinely sorry I said anything; I should have ignored it and I won't be replying further.
- bruceb 10y agoOne doesn't have anything to do with the other. Zimmerman wasn't law enforcement. We also have only one side to this story. It does appear in this case he was not treated appropriately but would like to find out more before rushing to judgment.
- chisleu 10y agoI'm confused. I didn't say anything about Zimmerman. That dude is a dick. It doesn't change the fact that Trayvon was a violent, brain damaged, hard drug abuser that attacked someone without just cause.
- troisx 10y agoIt's probably because like many "reporters" at Daily Beast, she apparently has an agenda to push. Why not just report the story, complete with facts like where exactly it happened, and maybe at least one interview with a witness on this "busy street".
- 10y ago
- DrScump 10y agoThis sounds far more like a robbery or mistaken-identity case (or a theft victim thinking that the subject was himself a thief of that person's property). There is nothing about this indicative of actual police procedure. Craigslist-originated robberies are fairly common in urban U.S. CL regions. In any case, there are contradictions in her account. For one, she expresses concern about his "personal files" being probed, copied and taken (with no indication why any would be of any interest to any level of law enforcement), yet this was a computer he was selling to a complete stranger as it was -- why would any personal files of any value or vulnerability be left on it in the first place?
- gdix 10y agoSo the subtext here is that the cops are racist, right? How would the police know the seller of the Macbook was black from the Craigslist post? How did her son know it was a weapon pressed against his back? How could the handcuffs possibly have cut his wrists? Handcuffs don't have, like, blades on them that just cut you as they're hanging off your wrists. Seems like something added to punch-up the narrative. And then tag it with a couple "Trayvon" mentions at the end. This screams "hoax" to me.
- geierdmtr 10y agodid u ever have handcuffs put on you? i did and trust me, they cut into your wrists just like blades. and the cops don't hesitate to tighten them up and humiliate you with pain. and i am white. your ignorance might catch up with you, but it might be too late for you then.
- thedz 10y ago> This screams "hoax" to me. Healthy skepticism is useful, but if you think that the editor-at-large of a well known U.S. media publication would conduct a public hoax involving her son, well, you do you.
- gdix 10y agoOr it could be her son did not give an accurate account of what happened. You keep doing you as well. We'll see how this shakes out.
- csydas 10y agoAs the above poster mentioned, skepticism is fine, but I think you need to be careful not to fall prey to turing speculation into evidence, and also considering all possible scenarios/outcomes instead of just those that point towards your conclusion. What I mean by the second part is when you come up with a reason to question a claim, that doesn't automatically weaken or invalidate the claim. Your first contention is basically "how can it be racism from just a craigslist posting?", that is, how did the assailants know he was black? Well, it's possible the assailants became more aggressive at the time of the meeting, after seeing the seller was black. Or perhaps the seller included a name more common with people of color. This is not suggesting that either absolutely is the case, but they are both likely and not uncommon scenarios in the present day. If you're going to begin speculation in this manner, it is only fair and reasonable to consider how your conclusion might also be falsified, considering alternate and equally plausible scenarios. Or in the case of the cuffs, for which your comment seems to rely more on a rather dismissive statement of ignorance - cuffs certainly can and do cut and tear into skin when not used properly. Just do a quick image search for "injuries from handcuffs" (warning, some images on this search are nsfw and unpleasant) and it's plain enough to see multiple examples of damage from handcuffs, whether it be bruises or lacerations - it's fairly hard metal tightened hard around a fragile point on the human body. It's not hard to imagine how that could do damage or how bad the damage could be when used improperly (Intentionally or not). Yes, it is important to get this verified (a picture from the author would do nicely), but the basis of your skepticism is not really set in reality, but seemingly in raw skepticism. The point I'm trying to make is that it is good to withhold judgement, but the attitude and the questions you raise really aren't sound, and instead appear almost vindictive. Be skeptical, but part of that requires being a bit dispassionate and openly considering reasonable possibilities. It does not mean building up speculation as the foundation for a conclusion. It is possible this is a hoax, as you say. But to suggest it "screams" hoax is inaccurate.
- brett40324 10y agoI hope she and her son get justice. Theres another story here somewhere. Those agents were looking for someone specific. Perhaps even a specific macbook. Who? Why?
- xupybd 10y agoTwitter is the worst way to communicate a story like this. Is there an article on it?
- shitshow 10y agoNo one would publish that delirious crap.
- geierdmtr 10y agoi got arrested, jailed and beaten by police after calling them to help me with a car accident resolution. 4 month and $15000 spent on lawyers later they are still trying to frame me although by now all blood results show that i wasn't under the influence. and the beating, they claim it never happened and are not releasing the surveillance video of the beating. and it happened in my community into which i pay over $100k in taxes, annually. i was treated like an animal, and nobody cares since they don't believe it can happen to them. and i am white, although a european with an accent. the jail i was beaten in had 8 suspicious inmate deaths just last year, only one of them is a confirmed killing by police and 3 guards are being sued. all other deaths are written off, since the killed inmates don't have family and nobody cares to dig.
- jjawssd 10y agowhat country province city state ?
- geierdmtr 10y agosanta clara county, california
- axlprose 10y agoYikes. When I read your first post, I just assumed this to have happened in some rural area in a less popular state or something, certainly not in silicon valley of all places. That hits a bit too close to home for comfort to say the least.
- geierdmtr 10y agoits a parallel universe, right in front of us. its disgusting what the executive branch gets away with. When you do a little research and see what is happening there right now and how there is no accountability its paralyzing. After my arrest, there has been at least 2 murders by guards. Both unaccounted for as far as i see. One person they claim died of pre-existing condition. When i was in that jail, they blatantly refused to give me my medications. And it seemed like a norm. A second was an alzheimer person. They refused to release him to his family after the judge ordered release. They made the family wait for hours, then lied to them ( or confused ) and told them he was released already. Family rushed to streets to look for him. The sick man was released at 6AM finally. Family was on the streets looking for him for hours by then. An hour later he walked onto a freeway and got killed by a car. His crime was creating a scene at a local synagogue due to his illness. As far as i can see, all it deserved was an article in a local newspaper. And thats the norm here.
- dumptheram 10y agoLE here. First, who releases something like this via Twitter? Second, her story makes no sense in regards to how LE operates. I suspect this will turn out to be all false or at least a half-truth.