Notices by David Nathanson (d_j_nathanson@mastodon.social)

@ct_bergstrom As a defense lawyer, I would demand access to the source code (and lots of related discovery) for any LLM used to generate a police report. They will not like that at all. They won’t give it up, of course. But that then puts their case in serious danger of being dismissed. There are tons of other issues, e.g., who is the witness? The cop or the LLM or the LLM engineers?

The real problem is finding out that they used an LLM in the first place. Terrifying.

Staghorn Sumac #bloomscrolling

@mekkaokereke Apologies if I'm hijacking. Related point. Lots of white kids assume that they have other options and so they don't get thrown to the football meat grinder.

I don't know first hand how Black kids perceive it.

In the 80's I was a back-bencher on a high-level HS football team. (D1 and NFL graduates.)

Our trainer pushed steroids. He ended up in prison.

My friends who actually played and got pressure to use responded, "F you, I've got a good life ahead of me. I'm not using."

Unable to understand my client on the phone because he has very few teeth. Spent a good 1/3 of the call having him repeat himself. This is not a joke and it's certainly not funny. It feels awful.

In prison, dental care is essentially just pulling teeth.

Upon release, no one will hire you because you've got two strikes against you: a record and you look and sound strange.

That likely means no housing.

That means a desperate person.

What do you think happens next?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/why-poor-dental-care-in-prison-harms-incarcerated-people-long-after-release

It’s #STFUfriday!

When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:

- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.

- Am I free to leave?

- I am not answering any questions.

- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."

- I want to speak to a lawyer.

Be polite. Be clear. Then STFU.

In a surprise to no one, the "beer summit" Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley who racially profiled Henry Louis Gates also - ahem - allegedly created a hostile, misogynist work environment.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/12/metro/cambridge-spent-years-14-million-hiding-harassment-claims-against-high-profile-police-officer/

Weirdos: Falling birth rates! Declining population is bad!

Sane people: Even if that were true, we can just allow more immigrants into the country. Population increases.

Weirdos: Heh, no, not THAT kind of population increase.

It’s #STFUfriday!

When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:

- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.

- Am I free to leave?

- I am not answering any questions.

- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."

- I want to speak to a lawyer.

It's hard to say no to someone in authority. Practice makes perfect. "No, I don't want to answer questions. I want a lawyer." STFU.

From @ampressman "It’s a common misconception that EVs are more likely to catch fire, maybe because EV fires are more difficult to put out and frequently make the news. And car fires are dangerous and frightening, no matter what kind of vehicle is involved.

... study after study has found that EVs have a much lower incidence of catching fire than gas vehicles.

… In the US, EVs caught fire at a rate of 25 per 100,000 sold compared with 1,529 per 100,000 gas cars sold."

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/07/16/business/care-fire-electric-vehicles/

It’s #STFUfriday!

When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:

- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.

- Am I free to leave?

- I am not answering any questions.

- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."

- I want to speak to a lawyer.

Bringing a lawyer along but then trying to talk your way out of serious allegations isn't any better. STFU.

Yesterday's decision from Massachusetts' highest court is one example. 🧵

It’s #STFUfriday!

When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:

- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.

- Am I free to leave?

- I am not answering any questions.

- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."

- I want to speak to a lawyer.

Remember, US police are allowed to lie. They are trained to claim they have witnesses, DNA, surveillance, etc.

But you lying to them is often illegal. Don't risk it. Just STFU. Ask for a lawyer.

@brian_gettler [shivers]

I want legislation establishing a right to be free from AI.

A lot of what follows about the AEDPA is found in consistently great reporting by Radley Balko @radleybalko

https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-maddening-irrelevance-of-charlie

Not surprisingly, John Oliver also did a great job of explaining how bad the AEDPA is. https://youtu.be/kpYYdCzTpps?si=kfFghd8DHelUBrv9

But here, I’m focusing specifically on how AEDPA affects the Miranda protections.
A good law review that inspired this thread is here: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4702&context=wlr

/2

It’s #STFUfriday!

When cops ask you questions, ask for a lawyer and then STFU:

- I am not discussing how I’m doing or where I’m going.

- Am I free to leave?

- I am not answering any questions.

- If they ask to search anything: "I do not consent to a search."

- I want to speak to a lawyer.

One of the biggest obstacles to claiming those protections? Bill Clinton, Janet Reno, and Timothy McVeigh.

In short the AEDPA. #RepealAEDPA 🧵

Asking for a lawyer is a super-power. It provides perhaps the strongest protection in US law. If a person in police custody responds to questioning by asking for a lawyer, the police must stop questioning the person about ANY crime.

Because the protections are so broad and powerful, SCOTUS has refused to apply them unless you make a “clear and unambiguous” request for a lawyer. That’s the rub. /3

People under stress and feeling intimidated rarely speak with perfect clarity. They’re afraid of saying things that will make the interrogator angry. So they equivocate, saying things like “Could I call my lawyer,” “I think I might want an attorney.” State court judges (who are often former prosecutors) could rule that these are ambiguous requests for a lawyer even if it’s clear from context that you were asking for a lawyer.

It's “lawyer dawg” level of stupid.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/10/suspect-asks-for-a-lawyer-dawg-judge-says-he-asked-for-a-lawyer-dog.html
/4

@powersoffour @cyberlyra Yes, the Night Sisters storylines are among the best things in Star Wars

Private equity-backed prison profiteer Securus is apparently about to go bankrupt.

What happens if they do? Do my imprisoned clients suddenly lose the ability to call me? That seems ... constitutionally problematic.

One more reason why government outsourcing is a terrible idea generally and morally abhorrent when it comes to prisons.

https://theappeal.org/securus-bankruptcy-prison-telecom-industry/

@chargrille Folk can read the letters of US government officials from the time. It’s not debatable. It was a full on racist panic in most quarters.