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I got shouted down in a reddit thread for suggesting that getting cops to arrest people that were scavenging for recyclables was not the best use of their time

by runamok 13y ago

I got shouted down in a reddit thread for suggesting that getting cops to arrest people that were scavenging for recyclables was not the best use of their time and our tax dollars.

sliverstorm 13y ago
On the other hand, do you want anybody who is interested to be able to dress up like a hobo and sift through your trash with impunity any time they feel like? Of course the actual hobos aren't interested in your old credit cards and such, but allowing that behavior is not without risks.
- judk 13y ago
  Indeed, the city should put people on payroll with oversight.
- DanBC 13y ago
  Why aren't you shredding anything you put in the trash?
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    Because secret documents are the easy targets. I can't shred everything that goes into the bin, and secret documents aren't the only ones that give away information.
- Amadou 13y ago
  do you want anybody who is interested to be able to dress up like a hobo and sift through your trash with impunity any time they feel like? As far as I know, that is perfectly legal throughout the USA. Certainly there is no warrant required for the police to do exactly that. I've actually got a big problem with the police doing that without any judicial supervision, but if it is OK for them to do it carte blanche, then in a just society it must be OK for anyone else to do it too.
  - steveklabnik 13y ago
    You arent even required to dress like a hobo for it to be legal! http://freegan.info/what-is-a-freegan/freegan-practices/urban-foraging/diving-and-the-law/ http://freegan.info/what-is-a-freegan/freegan-practices/urba...
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    Huh. I always thought it was illegal, much the same way opening someone's mail is illegal. I could be wrong though.
    - steveklabnik 13y ago
      The difference is that when you throw something away, you're indicating you don't want it any longer. Mail is something that is very explicitly for you only. Does that make sense?

by runamok 13y ago

I got shouted down in a reddit thread for suggesting that getting cops to arrest people that were scavenging for recyclables was not the best use of their time and our tax dollars.

sliverstorm 13y ago

On the other hand, do you want anybody who is interested to be able to dress up like a hobo and sift through your trash with impunity any time they feel like? Of course the actual hobos aren't interested in your old credit cards and such, but allowing that behavior is not without risks.

judk 13y ago
Indeed, the city should put people on payroll with oversight.
DanBC 13y ago
Why aren't you shredding anything you put in the trash?
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Because secret documents are the easy targets. I can't shred everything that goes into the bin, and secret documents aren't the only ones that give away information.
Amadou 13y ago
do you want anybody who is interested to be able to dress up like a hobo and sift through your trash with impunity any time they feel like? As far as I know, that is perfectly legal throughout the USA. Certainly there is no warrant required for the police to do exactly that. I've actually got a big problem with the police doing that without any judicial supervision, but if it is OK for them to do it carte blanche, then in a just society it must be OK for anyone else to do it too.
- steveklabnik 13y ago
  You arent even required to dress like a hobo for it to be legal! http://freegan.info/what-is-a-freegan/freegan-practices/urban-foraging/diving-and-the-law/ http://freegan.info/what-is-a-freegan/freegan-practices/urba...
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  Huh. I always thought it was illegal, much the same way opening someone's mail is illegal. I could be wrong though.
  - steveklabnik 13y ago
    The difference is that when you throw something away, you're indicating you don't want it any longer. Mail is something that is very explicitly for you only. Does that make sense?