Mike Masnick ✅Hey @Popehat, would you have had some useful legal advice for Alec Baldwin?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/opinion/alec-baldwin-rust-5th-amendment.html?smid=tw-share
Martijn VosIs this not something that should be fixed, though? Shouldn't there be more trust between the police and the people? Shouldn't you be able to talk to the police to help them solve a case, without getting screwed over a technicality?
Because as far as I understand, a lot of countries do not have this advice not to talk to the police. And not because they don't have something similar to the 5th, but because they don't have a police force looking to screw you over. This "never talk to the police" sounds to me like a terrible indictment of the US legal system.
Because as far as I understand, a lot of countries do not have this advice not to talk to the police. And not because they don't have something similar to the 5th, but because they don't have a police force looking to screw you over. This "never talk to the police" sounds to me like a terrible indictment of the US legal system.
Nicklas Johnson 🏳️🌈You're not wrong.
More generally, my impression is that, by and large, #police in the US see their job (wrongly) as one of keeping the public in-line, like this is a day care and they see themselves as the adults and us as the disruptive children who need discipline.
This attitude is also incompatible with our lofty platitudes about "freedom" and "liberty". Just try being weird in public, without even breaking any laws, and watch how quickly cops come to contain you.
LibertyForward1@LibertyForward1
The one and only time I've ever been hassled by cops, it was right here, six years ago, in my adopted hometown of San Mateo, for no reason other than my hair was dyed day-glo green.
They thought this was "suspicious." I never got an explanation of WHY unconventional hair color is "suspicious" or what it was they suspected I was going to DO because my hair was dyed green.
I've always felt if you aren't breaking a law or seeking help, cops should be invisible to you.
@spatula @LibertyForward1 Even seeking help is risky. I've heard several stories of people calling the cops for help and getting shot for it.
I've also heard stories of cops being generous, wonderful people going out of their way to help people, but I totally understand if the first type makes some people rather hesitant to ask cops for help. The US should try to weed out the first and hire more of the second type.
I've also heard stories of cops being generous, wonderful people going out of their way to help people, but I totally understand if the first type makes some people rather hesitant to ask cops for help. The US should try to weed out the first and hire more of the second type.
@mcv
Indeed, calling for help, especially in cases where someone is having a mental health crisis, has often led to summary execution by a cop, who then typically gets away with it.
We don't weed out bad cops; instead, the union protects them. In the rare cases that they get fired for bad behavior, they just go one town over and easily join a different police force.