>They did it to show that if you speak out against them, they'll arrest and inconvenience you. So the next person who gets a thought to speak out might decide not to bother.

some of my students have expressed that they wish they could get arrested for a meme and walk away with a couple hundred grand.

i, of course, have told them that they would be playing with fire. but they are still viewing it as a potentially life-changing payday. so, for some subset of people, they might be having to opposite of the desired chilling effect.

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ryandrake an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Yea, an arrest on your record, even if you're acquitted and/or get a settlement for police wrongdoing, can still mess you up. There are employers and landlords who will ask you / check whether you were ever arrested, regardless of the outcome of the arrest. Mere involvement with Law Enforcement puts a permanent black mark on your record and can interfere with basic things for the rest of your life.

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fc417fc802 an hour ago | parent | next [-]

How would being arrested for memeing be a black mark? It would be a hilarious talking point that I would be more than happy to chat with a landlord, employer, or literally anyone else about. Anyone who would hold that against you is pretty much a textbook example of a bad person (banal evil or some such).

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dgoldstein0 32 minutes ago | parent | next [-]

Some won't ask for details and just reject. Which of course sucks but they may view it as less risky than trying to evaluate the details and make a judgement call.

That said if you do go into circumstances - "I did it to get arrested and get a payout" could also be viewed as a red flag - says "may screw you/the company for money". Probably not the employee / tenant / etc you might want.

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borski 22 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You’d be more than happy to chat. They often won’t give you that chance.

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cebert 42 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I could see firms doing background checks not caring about those nuances or taking the time to consider why the individual was arrested.

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justech 38 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

[dead]

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buzzerbetrayed 22 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

I wouldn’t rent my house to someone who has been arrested for memeing. It’s an unnecessary risk with absolutely no upside for me. What happens when they decide to meme on their landlord?

	▲	john_strinlai 18 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		>What happens when they decide to meme on their landlord nothing? maybe a laugh? it’s a meme not a murder

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dylan604 an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Then make part of the settlement having the arrest expunged.

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vitally3643 28 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You must not have ever been poor because the idea of several thousand dollars right now completely obliterates any notion of "maybe less money later, possibly"

Particularly if you're young and poor.

Humans don't really work the way you're implying from your armchair.

	▲	borski 22 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I was poor (as in, well below FPL), the son of two immigrants, for many years. That’s precisely how I thought - getting involved with a “get money now” scheme was not worth the “no money ever again” it often came with. I watched friends do things like this and face consequences later. Not to discourage anyone from protesting, but not all poor people think alike.
	▲	rolandhvar 20 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		There's poor and stupid, and then there's poor and smart

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beepbooptheory an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

As someone who lives this reality (arrest but no conviction), it's in practice not really so bad. It's never come up with a landlord. The last time it came up was after being accepted to grad school and I had to fill out a form about it. You do just carry with you the knowledge that if you ever get pulled over the cop can pull it up about you and have reason to hassle you more.

	▲	zephen 44 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		"I'm going to hassle you because my brethren have hassled you before." Yup, sounds about right.

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NoMoreNicksLeft a minute ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>so, for some subset of people, they might be having to opposite of the desired chilling effect.

Those ones are the easiest though, are they not? Someone going into it with convictions (or even chickening out because they are aware of the consequences) have consolation and inner reserves. Some kid angry that he can't get a six figure salary at age 22 fresh out of college might regret it as soon as they're in the clink, but if that doesn't get them... the 6-10 years of lawyer-wrangling and stress certainly will. All for the payday to not even go half as far as they think... it'll pay down some bills, there won't be any sports cars.

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kimixa an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

And the ones who get the "payday" are just the ones we've heard of.

How many people didn't get media attention, don't have the ability (time/money) to sue, lost that case, and those where the intimidation and "punishment" was successful?

At some level the people doing this intimidation believe it'll be successful. Is that from experience?

	▲	borski 21 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Yes; it works. That’s why they do it.

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ponector an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

Students are young and often have nothing to lose, aside from missing opportunities.

	▲	borski 20 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Opportunity cost is a real cost.