Twitch Streamer in Custody After Giveaway Clogs Downtown NYC with Crowd of Thousands (cnn.com) 117
An anonymous reader shared this report from CNN:
The New York Police Department took social media influencer Kai Cenat into custody Friday and is considering charges such as "inciting a riot" after thousands-strong crowds gathered in Union Square for a giveaway, leaving multiple people arrested and several police officers injured.
Cenat, who has over 4 million followers on YouTube, over 5 million on Instagram, and 6.5 million on Twitch, said during a Wednesday Twitch stream that he would be hosting a "huge giveaway" Friday at 4 p.m. in Union Square Park. In the stream, he said they would be giving away computers, Play Station 5s, microphones, keyboards, webcams, gaming chairs, headphones and giftcards from a truck in Union Square. "I feel like New York really deserves it," he said.
Thousands of people began gathering at the park around 3 p.m., NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey said at a Friday news conference. "Soon the park and the surrounding streets were overrun with people, obstructing vehicular and pedestrian traffic," he said. The crowds spurred the NYPD to activate a "Level 4" response, its highest level of disaster response... "You had people walking around with shovels, axes, and other tools from the construction site," he said. "Individuals were also lighting fireworks, throwing them towards the police, they were throwing them towards each other...."
Several police officers were injured in the frenzy and "quite a few" people were arrested as police worked to clear the crowd, Maddery said... Cenat could be arrested and face charges for inciting a riot, the chief said. He said NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban and the city's legal team were discussing possible charges.
Police complained to CNN that the Twitch streamer "had not alerted the police to the gathering or obtained a permit, and it was declared an unlawful assembly."
Cenat streamed live on Twitch on Friday for some portion of the event, posting video from the crowd. In one video seemingly posted from inside a truck, he described the chaotic gathering, saying, "It's everybody for themselves. It's a war out there."
Cenat, who has over 4 million followers on YouTube, over 5 million on Instagram, and 6.5 million on Twitch, said during a Wednesday Twitch stream that he would be hosting a "huge giveaway" Friday at 4 p.m. in Union Square Park. In the stream, he said they would be giving away computers, Play Station 5s, microphones, keyboards, webcams, gaming chairs, headphones and giftcards from a truck in Union Square. "I feel like New York really deserves it," he said.
Thousands of people began gathering at the park around 3 p.m., NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey said at a Friday news conference. "Soon the park and the surrounding streets were overrun with people, obstructing vehicular and pedestrian traffic," he said. The crowds spurred the NYPD to activate a "Level 4" response, its highest level of disaster response... "You had people walking around with shovels, axes, and other tools from the construction site," he said. "Individuals were also lighting fireworks, throwing them towards the police, they were throwing them towards each other...."
Several police officers were injured in the frenzy and "quite a few" people were arrested as police worked to clear the crowd, Maddery said... Cenat could be arrested and face charges for inciting a riot, the chief said. He said NYPD Police Commissioner Edward Caban and the city's legal team were discussing possible charges.
Police complained to CNN that the Twitch streamer "had not alerted the police to the gathering or obtained a permit, and it was declared an unlawful assembly."
Cenat streamed live on Twitch on Friday for some portion of the event, posting video from the crowd. In one video seemingly posted from inside a truck, he described the chaotic gathering, saying, "It's everybody for themselves. It's a war out there."
Sounds like a slow New Year's Eve in Berlin ... (Score:1)
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It would even have been slow for a New Years Even in NY - but those gatherings bother to get permits and have proper security to keep things under control.
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Re: Sounds like a slow New Year's Eve in Berlin .. (Score:2)
All of Manhattan is a stockyard. A fucking hotel room just barely big enough to hold a bed cost 350/night in 2013.
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Re: Sounds like a slow New Year's Eve in Berlin . (Score:2)
I hear the Ukrainian Army is taking volunteers. I grew up there as a kid. Kiev's lovely this time of year. Off you go!
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Most people don't seem to remember that one of the main reasons US had its cities sprawl the way they do today is the threat of Soviet Union. This is because of the certain study into potential pattern of escalation of nuclear warfare in 1950s, which de facto locked in and accelerated the beginnings of car-based sprawl as it gained a high priority national security mandate.
Theorized stage by stage nuclear escalation in that study suggested that when escalation enters the tactical strike stage on dual use in
Re: Sounds like a slow New Year's Eve in Berlin . (Score:2)
What's good for horseshoes and nuclear warheads is also good for covid. Having my own washer and dryer in my own house on my own plot or land sure beat having to negotiate use of a shared laundry room in a building full of hypochondriacs (justified, since they skewed old) where I moved out of just 18 months before covid hit.
There's all kinds or good things that come from not being packed nose-to-tail in an Old World style rat's nest that the committed cityphiles will just not acknowledge.
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Not at all. Overwhelming majority of those of us living in European apartment blocks have our own domestic appliances. Heck, here in Finland baths have been built with specific standardized piping hook ups for things like washing machines since the 1970s at least, likely longer. As in that thing isn't even required to be maintained by the tenant, but by the building company.
Just as there's significant ignorance among the city dwellers about realities of more rural modes of life, there's equal significant ig
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The problem is that there are basically no other real cities in the US ... everything else is a morass of car-based sprawl that has rubbish for public transport compared to countries that give a damn about their cities. I'd sooner move to Eastern Europe (even with the Russian threat) than live in the rest of the US.
You're forgetting Chicago!
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I dunno man (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh, wait. This is a black dude.
Downmod in 3,2,1
Re:I dunno man (Score:5, Insightful)
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Haha. Oh, you believe that? If you incite a riot, it doesn't matter about your intentions ahead of time. You can't say "I didn't expect there'd be chaos" and be forgiven.
Also that statement is NOT the only evidence in the indictment. There's a very long list over a long period of time starting at least from the day after losing the election. But Trump is playing th PR game (trying to convince everyone BUT the judge and jury of his puppy eyed innocence) and so he's not going to refute all the evidence,
Re: I dunno man (Score:1)
The idea of a specific charge of 'inciting a riot' seems more of a convenience for the legal profession than something rooted in reason.
Adults are considered to have a degree of free will and autonomy. We are responsible for our actions unless considered to be in some state of mind where rationality was no longer possible.
The idea that one person can be responsible for the actions of millions of others is inconsistent with this.
But 'someone should be punished' and it's way more convenient to punish one pers
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Maybe, maybe not. But the law says otherwise.
One person is not responsible for the action of millions. Those millions have also broken the law and the person who incites the riot is not the only one who can be charged. Trump is not Jesus Christ taking on the sins of all, and neither is this Twitch guy.
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Haha. Oh, you believe that? If you incite a riot, ..."
Telling people to go to the capital steps and to "peacefully and patriotically protest" is precisely not inciting a riot.
it doesn't matter about your intentions ahead of time.
The law takes quite the opposite perspective. You statements and actions at the time are the determining factor.
Also that statement is NOT the only evidence in the indictment.
But it is the one that defines his intent at the time, and contradicts many theories. Which is why that moment was carefully snipped from the various videos of the Jan 6 committee. It conflicted the political narrative.
There's a very long list over a long period of time starting at least from the day after losing the election.
Showing a delusional belief that the election was stolen. Th
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The Former Guy delayed and delayed sending those tweets until the worst of the riot was over, and there is testimony from staff, and even his family, that they were trying to get him to calm down the crowd, and reports are that instead he was just watching the news and enjoying it.
Re: I dunno man (Score:3)
When you guys do these "But what about..." replies, please understand that you have no disagreement with the grandparent. You AGREE with them.
But you are just tying to pivot the subject matter elsewhere because you don't like discussing your agreement because you don't want to support it.
Now, on your subject, if they did those things and they were wrong, no one disagrees with you that they should be held to the same standard as everyone else! Innocent until proven guilty thou.
Who you should be directing yo
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When someone's entire point is to try and claim a unique moral high ground and portray their target's conduct as uniquely evil and unacceptable it's absolutely relevant to point out that they not only tolerated but encouraged and participated in the very thing they condemn.
It's not pivoting the subject matter elsewhere, it's preventing someone from using cries of "burn the witch" to hide their own conduct. The grandparent has absolutely no problem with violent armed insurrection, their preferred candidates
Re:I dunno man (Score:4, Insightful)
Hillary is told she has classified docs, and gives them back. Trump campaigned on the "lock her up" chant, and claimed his administration would never be so lax with security. Fast foward... Trump was told he had National Archive docs, unclassified, does not give them back, after a few months some things are returned and tada, there are classified docs. He claims these were all he gave back. And then he tried to hide the rest! Inside source tipped off the feds that there was obstruction and this was what caused the raid.
The crime here is not having classified docs. The crime is in refusing to return them, trying to hide the docs, lying about the docs, and general obstruction of justice. The same thing that got Nixon in trouble, but more public.
But no... His disciples refuse to believe that their Lord and Savior has done anything wrong. So they naively and ignorantly and stupidly say "what about Hillary?", "what about everyone else who's ever _mistakenly_ had classified docs?" They're just sitting there with fingers in their ears singing la la la la.
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Hillary is told she has classified docs, and gives them back. Trump campaigned on the "lock her up" chant, and claimed his administration would never be so lax with security. Fast foward... Trump was told he had National Archive docs, unclassified, does not give them back, after a few months some things are returned and tada, there are classified docs. He claims these were all he gave back. And then he tried to hide the rest! Inside source tipped off the feds that there was obstruction and this was what caused the raid.
The crime here is not having classified docs. The crime is in refusing to return them, trying to hide the docs, lying about the docs, and general obstruction of justice. The same thing that got Nixon in trouble, but more public.
But no... His disciples refuse to believe that their Lord and Savior has done anything wrong. So they naively and ignorantly and stupidly say "what about Hillary?", "what about everyone else who's ever _mistakenly_ had classified docs?" They're just sitting there with fingers in their ears singing la la la la.
What's worse is that Trump cannot (refuses to) reveal who could have had access to those documents. Clinton at least kept hers secure, albeit in a place they should not have been. Trump kept his documents in a disused bathroom anyone could have had access to... Chances are some rather unsavoury types did have access (and someone was paid for it). The information we know Trump kept now has to be considered compromised and we don't know everything he may have kept.
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OH C'MON! That was an awesome post! I even impressed myself there. lol.
Re:I dunno man (Score:5, Informative)
Whatever. He's not being charged with incitement anyway.
One count of conspiracy to defraud the United States
One count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
One count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding
One count of conspiracy against rights
Trump has been charged with the four crimes listed above in the investigation. Two relate to the disruption of Congress’ certification of the electoral vote on Jan. 6. One alleges a scheme to defraud the United States through a sustained effort to impede the collection, counting and certification of votes in the 2020 election. And the fourth charge accuses Trump of a conspiracy to deprive citizens of a right secured under federal law — specifically, the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted.
Re:I dunno man (Score:5, Informative)
alternate electors is perfectly normal
No. The fake electors were just people who took it upon themselves to pretend they were the electors from those states. That had absolutely no legal standing, and their claims to be representing the states were completely fraudulent - that's why many of them have been charged with crimes.
Trump knew this, but pressured Pence to recognize them anyway. Knowingly, and completely illegally.
You should read the indictment some time.
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Re: I dunno man (Score:2)
Let's not lighten the crime. It's a circumvention of the will of the people within that state. It's about as close to "unAmerican" and against the values of self-governance as one can get.
These people should face judgement and be barred from participating in any governance process for the rest of their lives. They shouldn't be allowed to hide behind any other person or entity. They should be held fully accountable as if they did this completely on their own volition.
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Trump knew this, but pressured Pence to recognize them anyway. Knowingly, and completely illegally.
Pressuring someone to recognize a fake elector: what law does that violate?
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Trump knew this, but pressured Pence to recognize them anyway. Knowingly, and completely illegally.
Pressuring someone to recognize a fake elector: what law does that violate?
Hmm, I'm guessing one of:
One count of conspiracy to defraud the United States
One count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
One count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding
One count of conspiracy against rights
And I'll go to the bank with a fake cheque made out from "you" and pressure the bank teller to recognize it.
Good thing I won't be guilty of any crime!
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Fraud. Free speech is not a legal defense for fraud.
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It might be reasonable to jail politicians for lying, but unfortunately that's not how the law is currently written.
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If Pence had agreed to certify the fake electors, it would have been fraudulent, and a crime. That's not what most politicians do, even when they are lying.
Trump was participating in a conspiracy that was attempting to commit fraud.
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Citation needed. It looks like that prior to the 2020 election, there have only been ONLY TWO objections to state elector slates since the Electoral Count Act was passed in 1877 [wikipedia.org].
For the 2020 count, the insurrectionist caucus tried to raise objections to six state's slates. Two objections were debated and defeated.
All of the objections were based on unsubstantiated bullshit, of course.
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Citation needed.
"In the past few decades, there have been Democratic objections to counting a state’s electors in the House of Representatives every time a Republican was elected president"
https://www.politifact.com/fac... [politifact.com]
It looks like that prior to the 2020 election, there have only been ONLY TWO objections
In 2005 alone there were 30.
In 2017 Biden gaveled a bunch down over a technicality, they didn't have the support of a Senator.
In any case, we see that it is perfectly legal to vote against electors for purely political reasons. Sleazy, but legal.
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From a purely Machiavellian perspective it pays for the Democrats to do it anyway, primarily to show to their own who the boss is in case any of them tries to go around the Party.
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From a purely Machiavellian perspective it pays for the Democrats to do it anyway, primarily to show to their own who the boss is in case any of them tries to go around the Party.
As in the Hillary and Biden nominations?
The real problem is once you set new rules, the other side will play that way too.
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If its just theater, why is every witness who testified under oath confirming these crimes a dyed-in the-wool republican including his own vice president mike pence? ALL OF THEM, His chief of staff mark meadows, Secretary of state Raffensburger? How is the whole indictment supported by republicans own testimony if it's just theater?
Mike Pence:
“The American people deserve to know that President Trump and his advisors asked me essentially to overturn the election. And to keep faith with the oath that
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If its just theater, why is every witness who testified under oath confirming these crimes a dyed-in the-wool republican including his own vice president mike pence? ALL OF THEM ...
I watched the entire Jan 6 Congressional testimony. None of them are confirming crimes as you claim. They are claiming various ill-informed dumb things that are not crimes. See my list above. Those are the things they are confirming, not crimes. Even with Pence, he asked Pence to send paperwork back to the States, he believed the paperwork based on false data, however misguided that is not criminal. Pence did not think the paperwork was based on false data and processed it. There was no crime, just stupidit
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You really can't be taken seriously.
Apparently you'll spout any excuse to let this slide.
One Presidential candidate spinning his opinion of events.
He was the Vice President of the United States in case you forgot, who was charged with tallying those electoral votes himself. It's like one of his only official jobs. He's literally at the center of these events, there is no one more qualified to have that opinion. Especially you.
Your obtuseness is beyond ridiculous. You're contending he's lying about the whole thing. That's him and a lot of other people lying under o
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You really can't be taken seriously. Apparently you'll spout any excuse to let this slide.
You are having a reading comprehension problem. Check your emotions, pay more attention, and try to follow.
The problem is rendering judgement immediately based on a video. Videos are often used immediately after an incident by those who want to manage perception for a political ends. They are a tool of manipulation. You need to give the police time to bring forward other more complete videos and/or investigate. We have seen initial videos claiming abuse debunked again and again.
If after a real investi
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That's a lot of excuses and gibberish.
If after a real investigation takes place
Hello! The investigation is over, it was very real and thorough, that's why he's been charged with these crimes. Perhaps they do it the other way around in your country. In America we investigate, then determine if a crime was committed, then file charges if the investigation warrants it.
Yes big words, not used incorrectly, you're just obfuscating. Learn how the justice system works in America before blabbering about it.
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That's a lot of excuses and gibberish.
If after a real investigation takes place
Hello! The investigation is over, ..
Apparently you missed: "You are having a reading comprehension problem. Check your emotions, pay more attention, and try to follow."
Clue: "after a real investigation takes place" is referring to the timeframe where Trump is asking Pence to help delay the counting.
... that's why he's been charged with these crimes.
The current charges are political. Trump is too close to Biden in the polls. As Biden has stated, he will do anything that is legal to prevent Trump from running again. That is what you see with these current charges. The shortcomings of the ch
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Alternate electors, yes. That's not what these were. A slate of electors is set up for each party or candidate before the election. The election itself ways which set of electors get to meet and send a letter to congress. These bozos did that after KNOWING that they lost the election, it was after the true electors were certified, and they signed a document pretending to be an official doc. So it's clearly fraud and attempted forgery at the least. Add onto that that there is evidence that this alternat
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Alternate electors, yes. That's not what these were. A slate of electors is set up for each party or candidate before the election. The election itself ways which set of electors get to meet and send a letter to congress.
There have also been post election slates of electors when there is a legal case pending regarding an election. Both slates were submitted to be available within the required time window. so that when a judge ruled on the electoral dispute the correct slate could be used.
That's the sort of thing Trump was hoping to use. Get alternate slates of replacement electors, as misconduct discovered and courts ruled, the alternates would be named the official. Only problem was his belief in misconduct was delusion
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Seems like inciting a riot right in the halls of congress and encouraging your followers to hang the vice president barely even registers nowadays.
You mean a protest at a public building, that was "occupied" less than a day (small potatoes indeed, by leftist standards), where the only people killed were protesters? And where the only person shot was a protester shot by police? And where the poster child - the, er, terrifying man wearing viking horns (?), was escorted by police to where he did his thing?
None of which Trump told anybody to do.
But, you know that ... somewhere deep in your brain, you do actually know all that.
Just like you know that a
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IDGAF what color. Stupid is stupid. Negligent is negligent.
'Influencer' says it all. Have you ever seen an 'influencer' that cares about anyone but themselves?
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Agree.
Re:Unlawful assembly (Score:5, Insightful)
The government has no damn right to tell people whether, when, or how they can meet. Unless they're actually meeting to break and steal things this is tyranny.
Note that they didn't arrest people for meeting. Having the right to assembly does not mean you have the right to incite a riot that injures people.
What next, the 2nd amendment gives you a right to just shoot people because why else would anyone have guns?
Re: Unlawful assembly (Score:2)
Do the police just shoot ppl?
Re: Unlawful assembly (Score:1)
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Actually one charge was assembly without a permit. So youre wrong. There was criminal charged about mere assembly. I dont condone this caged animal behavior. I think they need to be shipped to Singapore for caning. But lets not coverup thst charging someone for assembling without permit is a bullshit cherge.
The US also has a right to bear arms, there's a lot of places where you're still get in loads of trouble if you bear one without a permit.
Just like it's reasonable for the State, under even the most extremely permissive form of the 2nd amendment, to require permits for firearms. It's also reasonable for the State to require permits for assemblies of a certain size, the chaos that this random assembly caused is proof why.
The State just isn't allowed to deny assemblies in general.
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Actually one charge was assembly without a permit.
No. The charge is "Unlawful assembly". And that state law specifically applies to "four or more other persons for the purpose of engaging or preparing to engage with them in tumultuous and violent conduct likely to cause public alarm, or when, being present at an assembly which either has or develops such purpose, he remains there with intent to advance that purpose."
You don't get charged with unlawful assembly simply because you go to a protest. And guess what, the Supreme Court has already ruled that this
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The government has no damn right to tell people whether, when, or how they can meet. Unless they're actually meeting to break and steal things this is tyranny.
Well some in the crowd were picking up shovels, picks and axes at a nearby construction site. So the police getting serious seems warranted.
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But it looks like the NYPD quickly went from 'getting serious' to overreacting:
https://twitter.com/DJ33_TV/st... [twitter.com]
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But it looks like the NYPD quickly went from 'getting serious' to overreacting:
Its what cops do, they err on the side that keeps them in control. They are intensively trained to be paranoid. Non-compliances is taught to be a precursor to danger. That's why you comply and lawyer up and let your lawyer sue their ass for their mistakes. You don't try to explain your position in the field. Wrong place, wrong time.
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Did you watch the video?
The kid who the NYPD pushed through the car window didn't do anything that could remotely be called resisting.
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The kid who the NYPD pushed through the car window didn't do anything that could remotely be called resisting.
Being present can be resisting after leaving the locale was ordered. They tell you to leave, you stay, you could win a prize.
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So no, you didn't watch the video.
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So no, you didn't watch the video.
Videos often do not tell the whole story. Sometimes convenient selective editing occurs. Sometimes just late on the scene missing important details. We often find ourselves suckered by videos released early after an incident, before the whole story is released. Better to pay more attention to reports a day or two after an incident.
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I appreciate that Slashdot ethos requires us to continually double down on our original points, but there's absolutely no context in which the violence exhibited by NYPD in that video could have been justified.
A senior officer (white shirt) literally smashed a car window with a kid's face. We shouldn't allow our police to get away with violence like that, but the NYPD is an almost ungovernable entity, so they probably will [hrw.org].
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I appreciate that Slashdot ethos requires us to continually double down on our original points, but there's absolutely no context in which the violence exhibited by NYPD in that video could have been justified.
Deja vu all over again. We've seen and believed worse, until other longer videos or videos from different angles appeared. Or it was latter found the suspect was reaching for a weapon, the suspect event admitting so later on. However horrible something looks, the video may, intentionally or unintentionally be incomplete.
A senior officer (white shirt) literally smashed a car window with a kid's face. We shouldn't allow our police to get away with violence like that, but the NYPD is an almost ungovernable entity,
We've literally seen video of police shooting people, that erroneously make claims such as yours. Give it a few days, then we will have a better idea of what reality is. I agree that illegal
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wow.
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This is just plain delusional. Police do everything they can to trigger an escalation (unless it's conservative protesters). Kettling then gassing people is not "erring on the side that keeps them in control", it's "how do we turn this into a riot so we can crack some skulls".
Sorry, the delusions are yours. The use of gas is one of the methods of maintaining control. Moving a crowd, funneling a crowd. And again, you will pretty much find the gas used after a warning to disperse., to leave, etc.
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Two, I'll quote the First Amendment for you:
...or the right of the people peaceably to assemble...
From what I've read, this assembly was hardly peaceful.
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Re: What if? (Score:2)
Some people... (Score:2)
Had they done minimal research into what happened when others tried this really bad idea before, they could have saved themselves and others a lot of trouble. Instead they just natively assumed nothing bad would happen.
I'll bet... (Score:3)
Re:I'll bet... (Score:5, Interesting)
Free speech (Score:1)
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Don't forget ... (Score:1)
... to charge him with any random health problems that any of the police officers had the next day.
That's how it works ... right?
not a crime (Score:3)
I fail to see how they can get an inciting charge to stick. He obviously is an idiot and had no idea that 50k people would show up. He probably figured a few hundred. He did not tell them to riot.
But here's the thing: what this guy did is not that much different than what Trump did. So, because they are charging Trump, they are going to have charge this guy as well, giving new meaning to "incite", which now is supposed to mean "do something where some people who showed up later rioted."
What they should do, however, is sue him for the costs of what he caused through his negligence and stupidity.
10 years in prison most likely (Score:2)
Legal age of 21 for social media (Score:2)
Problem solved.
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I fucking HATE the modern media because they will never say anything bad about Joe Xiden. It's ORANGE MAN BAD 24x7.
FTFY