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Prosecutors argued that since Salinas was answering some questions - therefore not invoking his right to silence - and since he wasn't under arrest and wasn't c

Prosecutors argued that since Salinas was answering some questions - therefore not invoking his right to silence - and since he wasn't under arrest and wasn't compelled to speak, his silence on the incriminating question doesn't get constitutional protection. This judgement sends a very strong message to never talk to the police. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik explains why its a monumentally stupid idea to talk to the cops.

glesica 13y ago
I wish I could upvote this more than once. Not talking to the police isn't just a good strategy for an individual, it is also important for the collective. If no one ever talks to the police, then not talking to the police won't be a suspicious or rebellious act, just par for the course.
- mikegioia 13y ago
  I find it somewhat upsetting, and somewhat expected that the more the police and judicial system use people's words against them, the further they push communities away from cooperating and even helping the police. I had a friend who used to police in Queens, NY and he said relations got so bad with the people in some neighborhoods that these people wouldn't say a word to the cops even when someone they knew was killed on their block! Talk about a sick world to live in, but can you really blame them?
tzs 13y ago
Hypothetical: you are visiting a zoo. You see a bear get out of its enclosure, grab a baby human, and run away. You are the only witness who saw which direction the bear ran. A police officer comes running up and asks where the bear went. Question: Do you tell him, or do you say that you will not talk without a lawyer present? I've asked people on Reddit similar questions when this video has come up there, and a lot of them say they would not talk without a lawyer, based on the video. I'm curious how many here feel that way.
- jlgreco 13y ago
  Missing unattended baby, and I was the only witness? I want nothing to do with that. I'd point in the correct direction then run in the opposite direction, as presumably everybody else was doing (because hey, escaped bear).
- sukuriant 13y ago
  I think there's a difference between: "Hey, did you see which direction [insert bad situation that just happened that the police can help with] went!?" and "Do you know how fast you were going?"
  - jbicha 13y ago
    …except that answering any questions at all by the police now means that the police can accuse you of some unrelated crime and use your silence at that point against you.
    - sukuriant 13y ago
      This is going to be a rough one, but in the hypothetical situation provided, how?
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        I am guessing the angle would be something related to why you and the baby were the only two people present if you were not the parent. If you were the parent, then I would be concerned about being blamed for somehow purposely causing the incident. Aside from the police I would be worried about the parents and any civil case they might try to bring in some misguided attempt to find someone to blame in their grief. These are probably unlikely concerns, but I can imagine them and I don't like them. If there were other people around then these issues would be mitigated... but I would also feel no pressure to talk to anyone.
        sukuriant 13y ago
idupree 13y ago
If you're arrested or indicted, these make it clear: it's better not to have talked to the police. But I'm still looking for analysis of how talking to the police affects the chance that they won't arrest you at all. If we're interested in P(trouble | talk to police) vs. P(trouble | don't talk to police), this part is just as important.

glesica 13y ago

I wish I could upvote this more than once. Not talking to the police isn't just a good strategy for an individual, it is also important for the collective. If no one ever talks to the police, then not talking to the police won't be a suspicious or rebellious act, just par for the course.

mikegioia 13y ago
I find it somewhat upsetting, and somewhat expected that the more the police and judicial system use people's words against them, the further they push communities away from cooperating and even helping the police. I had a friend who used to police in Queens, NY and he said relations got so bad with the people in some neighborhoods that these people wouldn't say a word to the cops even when someone they knew was killed on their block! Talk about a sick world to live in, but can you really blame them?

tzs 13y ago

Hypothetical: you are visiting a zoo. You see a bear get out of its enclosure, grab a baby human, and run away. You are the only witness who saw which direction the bear ran. A police officer comes running up and asks where the bear went. Question: Do you tell him, or do you say that you will not talk without a lawyer present? I've asked people on Reddit similar questions when this video has come up there, and a lot of them say they would not talk without a lawyer, based on the video. I'm curious how many here feel that way.

jlgreco 13y ago
Missing unattended baby, and I was the only witness? I want nothing to do with that. I'd point in the correct direction then run in the opposite direction, as presumably everybody else was doing (because hey, escaped bear).
sukuriant 13y ago
I think there's a difference between: "Hey, did you see which direction [insert bad situation that just happened that the police can help with] went!?" and "Do you know how fast you were going?"
- jbicha 13y ago
  …except that answering any questions at all by the police now means that the police can accuse you of some unrelated crime and use your silence at that point against you.
  - sukuriant 13y ago
    This is going to be a rough one, but in the hypothetical situation provided, how?
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      I am guessing the angle would be something related to why you and the baby were the only two people present if you were not the parent. If you were the parent, then I would be concerned about being blamed for somehow purposely causing the incident. Aside from the police I would be worried about the parents and any civil case they might try to bring in some misguided attempt to find someone to blame in their grief. These are probably unlikely concerns, but I can imagine them and I don't like them. If there were other people around then these issues would be mitigated... but I would also feel no pressure to talk to anyone.
      - sukuriant 13y ago

idupree 13y ago

If you're arrested or indicted, these make it clear: it's better not to have talked to the police. But I'm still looking for analysis of how talking to the police affects the chance that they won't arrest you at all. If we're interested in P(trouble | talk to police) vs. P(trouble | don't talk to police), this part is just as important.