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uh, idk, try and look for it on Craigslist, eBay, and the local flee market? If they cared about justice this is something that they would do. I’ve seen cops l

uh, idk, try and look for it on Craigslist, eBay, and the local flee market? If they cared about justice this is something that they would do. I’ve seen cops laugh at property crime, even with specifics on who stole it and where they are. They can never be bothered unless you are powerful.

knzhou 7y ago
> uh, idk, try and look for it on Craigslist, eBay, and the local flee market? How much free time do you think these guys have? They have a full time job, you know. My dad likes to tell this story: when he was my age, his bike would get stolen all the time, and it would always end up at the same spot in the local flea market. He'd come up and say "that's my bike!", they'd say "no it isn't", and he'd just have to buy it back. Now suppose the police actually could have been damned to show up. Obviously, the same thing would happen. He'd say "that's my bike!", they'd say "no it isn't", they would just stare at each other for a while and the policeman would have wasted his time. For this reason property crime has never been worth it for police to pursue unless the object is very valuable, or unique, or its ownership is easily identifiable. Yes, that correlates with being rich and powerful, but that's not the actual reason.
- riversflow 7y ago
  How much is justice worth to you? I think it would be worth it for the police to have squads of people dedicated to this when we spend so much on things like EOD techs, armored cars and SWAT teams in America. Phone thievery should be a risky business to associate with. Also, the police absolutely have no business caring if something is valuable, their work all pays the same. What you are suggesting is not justice at all, and justice is at the very core of American values. In your dad’s story, suppose he had a receipt with a serial number, which is fairly common these days. The police absolutely should have done something. The fact that you see activation locked phones on eBay is honestly disgusting, stealing a smartphone should be treated as a special case of grand theft like stolen cars! A $300 asset loss is a big hit for a lot of people, and the impact it has on the victim’s life beyond the monetary loss is substantial and usually lasting(loss of photos, contacts, communication, banking) Try getting your phone stolen when you just started a vacation or lost a job(or both at the same time like me).
- fzeroracer 7y ago
  You're quite literally advocating for selective law enforcement based on the income of the individual in question. If the victim is too poor or the thief is too rich, then the law doesn't get enforced. In this scenario then, only the corporations can enforce the law or prompt the police to act. Do you not see why that might be a problem?
  - knzhou 7y ago
    I'm not advocating for anything, I am describing what already happens and why it is pragmatic. Look, in a perfect world, maybe there would be a police officer ready to spend all day scouring the flea markets for my stolen bike, the second I ask, but we don't live in that world. There are a finite number of police officers and, unless the stolen object is very valuable or the investigation will be quick, they have better things to do. For example, they have reduced the murder rate in East Palo Alto (right next to Facebook campus) by over 97%. That is far more important than anything discussed in this thread.

knzhou 7y ago

> uh, idk, try and look for it on Craigslist, eBay, and the local flee market? How much free time do you think these guys have? They have a full time job, you know. My dad likes to tell this story: when he was my age, his bike would get stolen all the time, and it would always end up at the same spot in the local flea market. He'd come up and say "that's my bike!", they'd say "no it isn't", and he'd just have to buy it back. Now suppose the police actually could have been damned to show up. Obviously, the same thing would happen. He'd say "that's my bike!", they'd say "no it isn't", they would just stare at each other for a while and the policeman would have wasted his time. For this reason property crime has never been worth it for police to pursue unless the object is very valuable, or unique, or its ownership is easily identifiable. Yes, that correlates with being rich and powerful, but that's not the actual reason.

riversflow 7y ago
How much is justice worth to you? I think it would be worth it for the police to have squads of people dedicated to this when we spend so much on things like EOD techs, armored cars and SWAT teams in America. Phone thievery should be a risky business to associate with. Also, the police absolutely have no business caring if something is valuable, their work all pays the same. What you are suggesting is not justice at all, and justice is at the very core of American values. In your dad’s story, suppose he had a receipt with a serial number, which is fairly common these days. The police absolutely should have done something. The fact that you see activation locked phones on eBay is honestly disgusting, stealing a smartphone should be treated as a special case of grand theft like stolen cars! A $300 asset loss is a big hit for a lot of people, and the impact it has on the victim’s life beyond the monetary loss is substantial and usually lasting(loss of photos, contacts, communication, banking) Try getting your phone stolen when you just started a vacation or lost a job(or both at the same time like me).
fzeroracer 7y ago
You're quite literally advocating for selective law enforcement based on the income of the individual in question. If the victim is too poor or the thief is too rich, then the law doesn't get enforced. In this scenario then, only the corporations can enforce the law or prompt the police to act. Do you not see why that might be a problem?
- knzhou 7y ago
  I'm not advocating for anything, I am describing what already happens and why it is pragmatic. Look, in a perfect world, maybe there would be a police officer ready to spend all day scouring the flea markets for my stolen bike, the second I ask, but we don't live in that world. There are a finite number of police officers and, unless the stolen object is very valuable or the investigation will be quick, they have better things to do. For example, they have reduced the murder rate in East Palo Alto (right next to Facebook campus) by over 97%. That is far more important than anything discussed in this thread.