• catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    First line of the article says he is supposed to protect New Yorkers. That is not true. Police have successfully lobbied for decades and have absolutely no mandate to protect anyone but themselves. They loudly and clearly stated that their job specifically exists to enforce the status quo and to bulldoze through anyone in the way. They don’t want to help anyone. They don’t want to protect anyone. It’s in their job description and their training not to.

      • greenhorn@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Warren v. District of Columbia “is a District of Columbia Court of Appeals case that held that the police do not owe a specific duty to provide police services to specific citizens based on the public duty doctrine.” And Castle Rock v. Gonzales, is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled, 7–2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 for refusing to enforce a restraining order, even though the refusal led to the murders of a woman’s three children by her estranged husband.

      • catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        In most circumstances, police officers do not owe a personal duty to protect specific individuals from harm. The dominant principle comes from the U.S. Supreme Court decision in DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (1989)

        Also see: Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales (2005) Warren v. District of Columbia (1981) Linda R.S. v. Richard D. (1973)

        As you can see from reading through the cases mentioned above, the law doesn’t require police to protect you or even to enforce the law. Combine this with precedent set by police unions and qualified immunity.

  • betanumerus@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    Receiving 547 fines in the mail over 4 years means he’s treating speeding as a paid subscription. Strange that they don’t cancel his driving licence. In Canada, we have points, so this wouldn’t stand. I don’t think we could have even 5 tickets in 1 year without losing our licence.

    • MiwAuturu@pawb.social
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      1 day ago

      Even in Canada, tickets from traffic cameras don’t cost points. The vehicle owner is responsible for paying the fines, but without being able to prove that the owner was the one driving they can’t add demerits.

  • Rothe@piefed.social
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    1 day ago

    If I was American, I would be a lot more than mildly infuriated about the pedocratic police state that is the US. But I am not American, so mildy infuriated fits perfectly for me I guess.

    • Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works
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      1 day ago

      As an (US)American, I wake up every morning screaming into the Void.

      Then the Void requests a subscription fee.

      I’m not legally allowed to sleep until I’ve paid the Void, one way or another.

  • CmdrShepard49@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    Perfect example of policing in America. Their primary mission as a force is to protect themselves at all costs just like any other gang or criminal organization.

  • AA5B@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Tell me again how traffic cameras make us safer and we can totally trust them to be applied objectively for public safety and no other purpose?

    • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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      2 days ago

      They aren’t for safety…they are totally for revenue.

      With regards to school zones, specifically, if they cared about safety, they would be putting in mechanisms to slow traffic naturally. Raised crosswalks. Rotaries. Narrower lanes. Crossing guards.

      They don’t put any of those in.

      A couple towns over from me, they just put a brand new highschool right on the intersection of two major state highways, about 1/4 mile from the interstate. If they cared about the kids, they’ve put the school in a less busy area to begin with.

      But instead, they demo’d an old pedestrian bridge that was keeping kids off the road for crossing, and set up a speed cam and issuing tickets in the spring before the school even opened.

      And of course the school zone creates a bottleneck for people exiting the highway in rush hour, with ripple effects well down the freeway.

      Fucking assholes.

      But at least Theil gets paid. Most of the money doesn’t even go back to the city. What a ducking ripoff.

    • imetators@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 day ago

      Maybe in US…

      From where I am, they are 100% slowing everyone down. In fact, so much that I am getting annoyed by that. Thing is, people will go 60 in 50 zone, then see a camera sign, slow down to fucking 40, roll pass it and then pedal to the metal back to 60.

      Easy optional solution how to make people actually slow down on the camera: make fine indexed. If they earn a ton, they get a huge ass fine. Say 5% of a monthly income. Stacks to 50% if they are a serial rule breaker. That way not many will speedup.

      Kinda works already somewhere.

    • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I’m surprised no one has challenged you on this. (I agree with your point, but people do tend to defend cameras zealously)

      • wabasso@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        Wait, I’m a zealous camera defender, what am I missing?

        The one they put up temporarily by my kid’s school noticeably calmed traffic near it (myself included—I’m not perfect).

        • TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          I thought of different ways to word a response and then I saw another user put it perfectly already:

          If the goal is to reduce speeding, road design plays more of a factor more than cameras.

          A fine means that it’s a revenue grab.

          I would just also add that anecdotally they don’t seem to slow many people down in my city. I have gotten at least 5 speed camera tickets since I moved here, and every time I was going the speed of traffic and was unaware a camera even exists there. This city also has a huge problem with horrific driver behavior that goes unaddressed. I’ve seen some of the craziest shit ever here but I’ve yet to see anyone pulled over for a reason that didn’t appear to be related to a “worse” crime, as in they’re searching the person’s car and it looks like they’re about to go to jail. So I have to believe that the primary concern is making money, and if they work overall (providing the data people always tout) it’s a coincidence/accident. Most of that money goes to corporations too so even if you wanted to argue it doesn’t matter if money is the main driving force, you have that additional layer of the whole thing being corrupted from the start by capitalism.

    • driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br
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      2 days ago

      Just because they are corrupt cops above the law dosen’t mean that speed cameras dosen’t work. Hidden cameras that are only there to “catch” speeders are pretty stupid, but cameras with warning about their proximity work very well to slow down drivers before conflict points

      • HasturInYellow@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Not every mechanism of society needs to be built around fear of punishment. In fact, i would say that none should be in and ideal society. There are numerous ways to not instill fear in people every second of every day. It even would make a healthier society if people didn’t live in perpetual fear of the state.

  • cmeu@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Don’t normalize automated driving enforcement, ALPRs and police surveillance tech. I get the spirit of this story that the watchers should be held accountable, but when the electric eye is on us we’re all criminals. The surveillance state needs to die

    • Zos_Kia@jlai.lu
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      2 days ago

      I’m picturing some John wick character who legitimately finds himself in tons of car chases and ticking time bomb scenarios

    • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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      2 days ago

      Without reading, I’ll read it after this, but I’m zero percent surprised. Only people I’ve seen buy ram trucks are ones who do not care about others and want to be seen as big and tuff.

      Hell the vast majority of truck drivers too, sorry not sorry folks but you do not need a truck to drive to your office daily, or to drive the family around, you got it as a status symbol. RAM drivers are just the worst of them all.

      • fratermus@piefed.social
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        Only people I’ve seen buy ram trucks are ones who do not care about others and want to be seen as big and tuff.

        The brodozer phenomenon is real and lamentable.

        At the moment I am getting a reprieve from it. I moved to a small agricultural town* where the pickups are actually work trucks. Hay bales, animal feed bags, and farm dogs in the bed. It makes this grinch’s heart grow a little larger.


        *actually just a Census Designated Place

      • prodaccess@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        There are many people in my highly liberal and progressive PNW town that drive trucks. The majority seem to be decent people based on my interactions on the road with them as a pedestrian and cyclist.

        I do agree most people don’t need trucks, and it’s more of a performative masculinity thing, or maybe that’s just what they’ve been conditioned to like.

        • defuse959@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 days ago

          Hello fellow PNW person. I am likely one of those people. I try to represent the good side of this example whenever possible.

          Also have a tiny ev that is my daily driver, especially in the city where parking a full size pickup is just not worth it. That said, on the days when my partner needs the car for longer trips and I have to take my truck around for chores, I’m constantly on alert to not be a dick.

          I think this is honestly how a lot of folks are around here. It’s a little different when you head out east but near civilization, I am generally given hope.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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          2 days ago

          We as an American people have been conditioned for decades that we need larger and bigger vehicles when we absolutely don’t. This is because smaller cars have stricter regulations thanks to the “light truck” loophole in the CAFE standards. It’s literally less regulated, and thus highly profitable to get people to buy trucks instead of cars. The masculine thing, the “It’s safer because it’s bigger”, the “I need space for my family” - it’s all generated by marketing teams for car companies to convince each of us that we need a bigger (and less regulated) car.

          When really… we don’t. We don’t at all, and it choosing a truck whether it’s intentional or not, is a selfish move. It’s large, it’s unnecessary, wasteful, it’s proven extremely deadly to pedestrians, bicyclists, and children. Choosing a vehicle like that is inherently accepting that you are risking other people’s lives, and that’s why I’m so against them.

          Ignorance is excusable, but once informed then it’s no longer ignorance.

        • teslekova@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          Why didn’t you buy one with a lower height but the same load capacity? Safer and makes loading stuff easier.

          Us Australians look at weird American raised utes and scratch our heads in puzzlement. You’ve got a higher driver position, granted, but it’s also a higher centre of gravity, it’s harder to park in garages and underground car parks, it’s harder to see pedestrians, it’s harder to load stuff into the tray, etc.

          You clearly aren’t just driving it to look pretty, like many people that we both probably get annoyed by. What’s the story?

          • mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca
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            2 days ago

            I think it’s pricing

            I got a friend who bought a RAM last year. he was previously hauling construction equipment in his partner’s crossover and his own sedan. a pickup was an appropriate buy

            HOWEVER he got a RAM (thankfully no LED headlights, though they are mounted way too high still), and tbh I’m not really sure what his alternatives were. “small” pickups like the Maverick are too small, and expensive

            also he’s like 6’4" 250+lb so he physically needs a bigger cabin lol

            • RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world
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              2 days ago

              They also have more size configuration options, per model. RAM is one of the only brands that offer single cabs and 8 foot beds, for example.

          • RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Honestly, it just seemed like the best option. Admittedly, it’s also fun to drive, but yes parking can be a pain. But where I live accommodates it pretty well.

        • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
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          2 days ago

          If you do it about once a week or more, then you do need it. If you need it any less than once a week, congrats it’s a status symbol. How do I know? Because the numbers don’t lie, and if you only actually haul monthly - or even every 2 weeks, it’s actually phenomenally cheaper to rent a truck from either a rental shop or something Home Depot. Trucks are crazy expensive, their fuel already was astronomical before, and now it’s even worse. It’s much much cheaper to have a modest sedan/van than it is to own a truck.

          Speaking of vans, it’s actually more spacious and more carrying capacity to own a decent van than it is to own a truck. Go ahead, test out my knowledge. Vans have more carrying capacity, better fuel mileage, they’re closer to the ground so they’re easier to load, and they’re even covered so you don’t need a topper or tool box that takes up even more space.

          So in short, if you haul less than once a week, you should have rented and saved a few dozen thousand dollars. If you haul more frequently than weekly, you probably should have bought a van.

  • CannedYeet@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    We could not determine whether Giovansanti has ever harmed someone by speeding. But the circumstantial evidence is not reassuring: The right side of his truck is visibly damaged, and he refused to answer a straightforward question about his collision history.

    If it was his car being damaged while parked it would be the left side, so probably not that.

    • sudo@lemmy.today
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      2 days ago

      Have you never parked on a one-way? Or literally anywhere other than the right shoulder of a road? That said, it’s literally unbelievable this person still has a license (until you learn they are a fascist pig)

  • ductTapedWindow@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    An average full size truck sits at 6’. This short king is the height of a 12 year old

    Edit: 6’ not 6"