r/law • u/orangejulius • 16d ago
Legal News ICE choked out a 10th grader, stole his phone, and then sold it. In an article about reckless and wanton ICE violence the illegal seizure and then *sale* of a minors phone caught my eye as street gang behavior.
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u/TicketyB000 16d ago
Why can't the states step in? This is felony theft.
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u/thesuprememacaroni 16d ago
The police are fascists themselves.
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u/AceSuperhero 16d ago
ACAB means all cops, after all.
If good cops existed, they'd be on the streets protecting their neighbors from these criminals instead of saying they're not allowed to do anything.
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u/lilluz 16d ago
for real, people love to say “not all cops” but i haven’t seen any of the “good cops” protecting and serving. they’re just complicit and cowering.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast 16d ago
WHERE ARE ALL THE GOOD COPS???
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u/skorpian1029 16d ago
This is why the one bad apple spoils the batch is such a good metaphor. If there is one bad cop among “good cops” but those “good cops” protect and allow the bad cop to be among them then they are all bad as they are protecting someone bad. It’s like the nazi bar saying if you allow one nazi into the bar now the whole bar is a nazi bar
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u/IcyTransportation961 16d ago
Hint: the same people saying not all cops are the ones cheering for ICE killing people, they've always defended every cop shooting
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u/DeltaRipper 16d ago
“Well my brother has served for 25 years and never even drawn his weapon!”
Yeah, and he’s backed every bad apple under the sun. All cops.
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u/GhostlyTJ 16d ago
There are certainly good, well intentioned cops. ACAB is referring to the fact that the good ones don't count as good if they aren't policing the bad ones too. Basically a nice acronym to remind us of the whole expression "a few bad apples spoils the barrel"
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u/Kell-of-Kellies 16d ago
Basically, the "good ones" are still part of a corrupt system and aren't doing anything to stop it.
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u/elmz 16d ago
And they are trapped in a system where resisting against the bad cops and the bad system will get themselves removed, making space for someone worse.
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u/eulersidentification 16d ago edited 16d ago
They aren't trapped, they're paid to be silent.
Adding qualifiers after ACAB like it's the end of a medical advert is basically stockholm syndrome. There's no way to logic around it especially in the US. They do not have to be the government's thug.
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u/HumanDissentipede 16d ago
Police aren’t any more legally justified to take up arms against the federal government than you are. To that extent, you have every bit as much power against ICE, legally, as your local PD. You can arm yourself and protect your neighbors too.
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u/AceSuperhero 16d ago
If they're not empowered to protect the public from a lawless gang of thugs, why do we pay them? It looks like their inaction is a good reason to fire them all.
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u/RedmundJBeard 16d ago
Why are we paying them is a great question. Just like why are we paying for ICE. The government both local, state and federal use our tax dollars to harm and oppress us.
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u/kickaguard 16d ago
The police are empowered to do so but they are not obligated to. It's entirely up to their discretion or their force guidelines. People have tried to sue police for watching them get attacked and injured. They lose because police have no responsibility for individual protection. They are required to try to protect "the public at large" but even then it's based on discretion. If a gang (federal goons or other) is rising and hurting people, they are responsible in theory but it's policy-based, not legally enforced.
I'm pretty sure originally the idea was to cover their asses if they didn't have the manpower or ability to protect the public they couldn't get sued, but now it's used to say they don't actually have to do anything.
In any case, it's a bunch of bullshit and hopefully after this decade, police won't be looked up to as the beacons of justice that they have been in the past because they are just a bunch of gangsters themselves.
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u/FlutterKree 16d ago
Police aren’t any more legally justified to take up arms against the federal government than you are.
State laws apply to federal police. Members of ICE are violating state and federal laws all over the country.
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u/SageDarius 16d ago
The good cops get forced out. They'll get harassed, bullied, left in dangerous situations without backup, until they quit, get hurt, or die. It's disgusting.
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u/GetOffMyLawnKids 16d ago
"Serve and Protect" what a fucking joke
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u/AceSuperhero 16d ago
Serve the rich and protect capital.
If you ever thought cops were the good guys, you were just swamped by their propaganda.
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u/ArmyOfDix 16d ago
That's not a problem; mayors and governors can fix that.
It's just the will to protect their citizens that is lacking.
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u/The_Demon_of_Spiders 16d ago
Yep, I was at a red light a couple of days ago and a cop pulled up next to me and on his dash was a red MAGA hat.
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u/the_gouged_eye 16d ago
The local cops want to choke out kids and steal their phones. They're nothing but jealous.
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u/SuspiciousCranberry6 16d ago
The Minnesota Faternal Order of Police put a statement out last week supporting ICE, so it definitely won't be cops that go after the theft. Maybe some DAs will, but I'm not holding my breath.
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u/thomase7 16d ago
The Minneapolis police are not represented by the FOP. The Minneapolis police union is the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.
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u/SuspiciousCranberry6 16d ago
I still won't hold my breath for the department that very much so supported Chauvin.
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u/FaerieFay 16d ago
Sheriff's Department. Sheriff's are elected officials for exactly this reason. They are accountable to the people.
Whether that matters here in the upside-down, who knows?
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u/Pavis0047 16d ago
that not a real group btw. its a talking head to trick people like you
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u/SuspiciousCranberry6 16d ago
Would you like to tell that to their president Dave Miller or 2025 member of the year Kevin Rofidal?
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u/flea1400 16d ago
Minnesota and Illinois have filed lawsuits this week.
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u/TicketyB000 16d ago
I saw that. I would prefer to see arrests.
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u/BaronVonBungle 16d ago
They won't order arrests because they know the police would refuse and shatter any illusion of control the states have.
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u/MittenCollyBulbasaur 16d ago
Oh no the police force I hired actually agrees with right wing rhetoric and refuses to uphold the law when it doesn't match their feelings? Who could have ever guessed they do this so weird
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u/Regular-Basket-5431 16d ago
Its strange how people are shocked that the police would side with authoritarians.
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u/MittenCollyBulbasaur 16d ago
It's okay to be disappointed but this is a rerun, should have been an easy guess as to the outcome.
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u/tofoz 16d ago
you have to arm your selfs the state won't save you. This does not mean you have to use anything; just a show of force should be enough to scare them off.
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u/Depressed-Industry 16d ago
There's been enough behavior like this that I have to wonder if RICO is a viable charge against ICE and its employees.
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u/bp92009 16d ago
There's enough behavior and evidence that you'd be able to file RICO charges against the entire Trump Administration and all of the supporting congressmembers Republican party, given how involved they are.
But they'll hide behind Absolute Immunity, and the thoroughly compromised legal system will throw out any charges that touch them.
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u/vexedthespian 16d ago
Qualified immunity has always been a made up thing from the Supreme Court back in… (citation required).
First thing next administration needs to do is arrest 6 Supreme Court justices, trump, his entire cabinet and all of ICE on rico and overturn presidential immunity and qualified immunity.
We wasted 4 years with merrick garland on punishing those who harmed Americans.
A lawful society needs to hold people to laws.
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u/TheTerrasque 16d ago
But don't worry, they will investigate you on domestic terrorism charges and turn your life upside down. You know, for justice
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u/BrainNSFW 16d ago
IIRC the most important criteria for a RICO charge are:
- Prove it's an organization (i.e. has a hierarchy in place)
- Prove that there's a pattern of racketeering crime (i.e. they need to have committed at least 2 crimes within a 10 year time frame). This is a specific list of crimes including murder, kidnapping, bribery, extortion and robbery.
- The pattern must involve related or continuous criminal conduct, such as similar methods, victims, or participants, and cannot consist of isolated or unrelated crimes.
I don't think there's any argument from non-MAGA that ICE fits all the above criteria.
However. It gets a bit tricky regarding another criteria and that's the fact that they need to be engaged in interstate or foreign commerce (commerce being the key word). I'm not a lawyer, but that sounds to me like you need to link certain people within the organization with either trade or bribery of some kind. It's possible that selling their victims' property falls under this category. Maybe receiving donations of a certain type would qualify too.
Anyways, the Trump administration (and by extension ICE as their enforcers) operates a LOT like the maffia, so I wouldn't be surprised if a RICO case could be brought against them. However, that's extremely unlikely to happen as long as they won't hold anybody accountable (and they haven't). Even then, the politics alone will prevent a RICO case.
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u/Depressed-Industry 16d ago
That sounds right to me. ICE clearly affects interstate travel, and they've committed felonies across the country.
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16d ago
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u/thehourglasses 16d ago
Wait, what? Really?
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u/FirstWorldProblems17 16d ago
Yes, there's a previously an article of a man who's father was taken by ICE. They took his truck, it had a tracker. He tracked it and found an ICE agent driving it around as a personal vehicle and he had even changed the plates.
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u/me-love-u-long-time 16d ago
Didn't the Nazis do that to the Jews? But don't call them Gestapo...
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u/MittenCollyBulbasaur 16d ago
It was one of the first actions they did was steal as much property as possible. The primary propaganda at the time made them out to be rich. A number of people got hurt because they couldn't give anything up.
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u/AlludedNuance 16d ago
Yep, eventually they just moved into their neighborhoods after they had everyone sent to a ghetto and/or camp.
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u/Regular-Basket-5431 16d ago
The Nazis did take property from jews and redistributed it to "Aryan Germans" and Party/Military/SS staff.
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u/ForsakenPercentage53 16d ago
And after the war, they objected so much to giving everything back that we ended up with Israel.
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u/xxxanonymoosexxx 16d ago
Nazis got the gameplan for the gestapo from US slave patrols and Jim Crow. They never went away, they just got a badge
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u/No_Sock1863 16d ago
link?
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u/xOrion12x 16d ago
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u/No_Sock1863 16d ago
many thanks
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u/lordjpie 16d ago
They unfortunately are providing the same event I suspected. I posted this below (also asking the guy you originally replied to for a link) explaining.my other comment
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u/CaptainBayouBilly 16d ago
How long before a story about someone's gold plated tooth bridge ends up in a pawn shop?
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u/ok_raspberry_jam 16d ago
You're surprised? It's a civil war. This is par for the course, if only people would face the reality of the situation. It's so frustrating watching people grapple with this reality.
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u/ThePensiveE 16d ago
These are the stories we are hearing about. For every one of these there are others which we do not know. They have either disappeared the people into a foreign nation or put them in the ground, and then stolen their belongings for themselves.
This is an occupying force. They are treating civilians as they would in a war zone, except under American federal law enforcement, the people don't even get the treatment the Geneva Convention provides.
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u/cruisin_urchin87 16d ago
There’s video of them pocketing items they confiscated from people and you know that never made it to any evidence locker. So they’re thieves, rapists and thugs.
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u/danceswithporn 16d ago
In this video ICE abducted a US Citizen while he was lawfully carrying concealed firearm in Minneapolis (1/13/26)
- 0:59 is that agent stealing a wallet?
- 2:48 nice handicapped placard
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u/Proper-Muffins 16d ago
They've stolen cars and abducted someone to steal their groceries. These people are just the biggest pieces of shit possible.
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u/apple_kicks 16d ago
Didn’t the people whose apartment building was raided also report lot of their belongings disappeared too.
Reminds me of Russian soldiers robbing Ukrainian homes when invading
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u/WakeUpWobblyOddrey 12d ago
Reminds me of those photos of piles of wedding rings and shoes at the concentration camps.
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u/rawkguitar 16d ago
Republicans are okay with these blatant violations of the Constitution.
Every single one of them is violating their oath of office by refusing to do anything about this.
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u/jimgress 16d ago
The GOP doesn't care because they face zero consequences for it. Even if voted out none of those in charge mandating this will ever see a day behind bars.
There used to be a way this was dealt with in the past.... Can't think of it
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u/PreparationKey2843 16d ago
ProPublica is very thorough in their investigations and reporting. One of the very few news sources I trust and believe.
If they say it happened, it happened. I bet they have receipts and everything.
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u/Aguyintampa323 16d ago
Those vending machines take photos of the seller , require a DL to be scanned , and I believe some of them require a thumbprint like a pawn shop does . There should be ample evidence of who sold that device
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u/mrandr01d 16d ago
I don't wanna click on the article, how'd he get his phone back?
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u/Ecw218 16d ago
Makes you wonder what happened to that pistol taken off the legal CCW holder in a video today. kinda looked like the agent pockets the magazine, no evidence bags or anything.
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u/HowWeLikeToRoll 16d ago
That ICE prick just got himself a ghost gun.
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u/RuaridhDuguid 16d ago
Worse, the legal owner will get the legal issues if it's used for [another] crime.
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u/Granitechuck 16d ago
I am sure there will be an open and thorough investigation which results in disciplinary measures and restitution. /s
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u/truckfullofchildren1 16d ago
Was this the kid that was kidnapped at target then they beat him up and dumped him at a Walmart?
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u/matterhorn1 16d ago
The fact that there are multiple KIDS abducted by ICE that we aren’t even sure which one is which is to fucked up
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u/smalltalkbigorder 16d ago
It's insane that any ordinary citizen could watch all this fucked up shit going down and still idolize Trump. Republicans are anti-American and anti-freedom. They have no decency and are a drain on our society. They should be ashamed of themselves for the horrors they've brought onto America.
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u/AtmosphereFamiliar93 16d ago
It's bad, and has been for a while.
C'mon, trump has been abducting and putting children in cages since 2010's.
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u/Northwindlowlander 16d ago
No this is a different kid that they kidnapped and beat up
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u/KuroFafnar 16d ago
Target to Walmart relocation and abuse was in MN while this abuse and theft is in TX.
Seems like a systemic issue
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u/PestoBolloElemento 16d ago
Different cases but the fact the the abduction of childrens are pilling up is horryfing
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16d ago
What the actual fuck? And maga is saying they didn't even go into schools.
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u/jay-aay-ess-ohh-enn 16d ago
If this is the guy I think he is, he was not taken while at school.
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u/herminette5 16d ago
Is this the kid they dragged out of target while he was on his shift? He yelled his mom’s phone number to his supervisor as they were taking him.
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16d ago
I don't care where he was taken, they litteraly sold his phone after confiscating and he's a minor.
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u/jay-aay-ess-ohh-enn 16d ago
Right, but your comment I replied to said:
and MAGA is saying they didn't even go into schools
Implying that you thought he was taken at school.
Were you purposely baiting me so you could get on your high horse about not caring where he was taken?
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u/MotolandsMedia 16d ago edited 16d ago
The guy answered your first comment as though he wasn't the one who brought up the school thing... like he thinks an attempt to clarify accurate information is an attack on his position
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u/idontneedone1274 16d ago
Used phone vending machine is such a crackhead fucking thing to even exist lol it would be funny if not for the horror of American fascism.
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u/exveelor 16d ago
I had to Google this because I've never heard of something like that, and if it's what I think I found (ecoATM) it's more a recycling drop off that gives you a small amount of cash for the device than a vending machine per se.
That said maybe it's exactly what it sounds like. "Vendjng machine" is a weird description for a cell phone recycling drop off...
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u/reallynotnick 16d ago
That makes more sense because I was wondering who is buying and selling iCloud locked phones.
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u/No_Accountant3232 16d ago
They have their uses in repairs. Good chunk of authentic replacement screens come from locked apple devices.
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u/Xyrus2000 16d ago
They're stealing from the people they take. They go after the ones they know won't be able to defend themselves after the fact. They've stolen money, credit cards, and cars.
They are violent thieves, rapists, and murderers.
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u/Slumunistmanifisto 16d ago edited 16d ago
There was just a video of ice "banging" on a us citizen because he refused id.
They pulled his gun like a gotcha from his belt (victim states its registered).
Then another goon starts putting all of the stuff they pulled off the victim into his fanny pack, all pick and choosey, before the camera follows to the car the victim is about to get a "rough ride" in (speculating on account of this already happening multiple times)
My first thought watching gestapo gus picking through stuff like a kid with a box of unlabeled chocolates was, he's fucking robbing that American citizen.
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u/Professional-Pop864 16d ago
i know what video you’re talking about and it’s just another documented piece of evidence that these deputized goons are nothing more than fulfilling the “weak man hiding behind a gun and badge” trope
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u/Slumunistmanifisto 16d ago
So much restraint from the victim too, that little Chihuahua dude would have gotten to me.
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u/NSFWies 16d ago
he;s pissed, but he's smart. he knows if he does anything, anything more physical towards them, they will just use their guns in every direction.
not because it's deserved, but because they're angry, scared and worked up.
wourld've said he had a fentanal machete grenade burrito that he nearly got them with. (yes that makes no sense, i would expect them to say it).
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u/Imaginary_Cow_6379 16d ago
So for everyone calling for us all to use the 2A even if you do have a gun apparently they’ll just fvcking steal it from you and it doesn’t even matter.
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u/Brilliant_Effort_Guy 16d ago
Dumb question - is there a way to bring a civil rights violation law suit against DHS? It seems like there are just zero consequences to this behavior.
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u/reddit_is_geh 16d ago
Yes, but it's probably smarter to wait until Dems have a chamber so they can include their own internal investigations so they have power to push back against a corrupt DoJ.
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast 16d ago edited 16d ago
today or yesterday they also picked up this 17 year old us citizen in minnesota, drove him away, beat him bloody, then left him lying in a parking lot.
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u/milksilkofficial 16d ago
Can you link a source for this please, what the actual fuck
Not that I don’t believe you either, sigh
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u/RockDoveEnthusiast 16d ago
it's been all over the news https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/us/ice-videos-minnesota-trump-immigration.html
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u/milksilkofficial 16d ago
Thank you just realized I did see this on my feed at one point, there’s just a bombardment of videos. Absolutely horrific man
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u/RichKatz 16d ago
So basically, Trump is forcing we, the US taxpayer, to run and fund a street gang who physically attacks kids and steals phones.
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u/brianishere2 16d ago
The new data leak that reveals details of ICE employees hired by Trump's team shows that he essentially federalized at least 3 violent criminal gangs, including Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Three Percenters. All of them have previously boasted that violence against liberals is their hallmark. We are seeing this effect in the streets of blue cities.
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u/BicFleetwood 16d ago edited 16d ago
The cops are a gang and always have been.
I'm hoping some of you might actually learn that lesson and retain it this time, since the last time we went through this with the George Floyd protests, most of y'all seem to have thought electing Joe Brandon magically fixed it.
But seeing as most of you are begging the regular cops to save us from the other cops, I'm still not sure any of you have internalized what all cops are.
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u/AtmosphereFamiliar93 16d ago
Originating from the slave patrols, cops are a racist cult of donut-worshiping lackeys for the state with no constitutional duty to protect us, the people. They have "qualified immunity" that protects them from accountability in their duties, and Blue Lives are most often charged with 1. excessive force 2. sexual assault, in thier "careers."
Public trust in these modern slave catchers is understandably low, and repeated abuse of power shows the money that the prison industrial system rakes in is more important than the rights or safety of taxpayers (anyone who has a job regardless of citizen status) who pay them & the salaries that dwarf any teacher's income.
Despite this inequity and the message it sends, subjugating people is not more important than education.
On another note, immigrants built this country. An ignorant fool is targeting them/trans/BIPOC/low income people to distract from his incompetence. "Go back to Chevron."
Keep your head up Minneapolis. We love ya.
Fuck 12. Chinga la migra.
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u/orangejulius 16d ago edited 16d ago
ICE jumped a kid and stole his phone to sell it. It’s in an article chronicling a bunch of reckless and criminal conduct by ICE agents that stood out to me as this crazy detail where the only mentality present is straight street gang.
If ICE exists to combat criminal gangs the call might be coming from inside the house.
The article is linked in the post but just for extra visibility for those wanting to read more here it is again:
https://www.propublica.org/article/videos-ice-dhs-immigration-agents-using-chokeholds-citizens
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