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Purdue Adds New Meaning To "Student ID"
purdue_thor writes: "After the devastating loss to Notre Dame in the Women's College Basketball Championship, numbers of Purdue students took to the streets and rioted. In their wake, there was an estimated $100,000 of damage done and a cloud of tear gas that covered several blocks. In an effort to bring those responsible to justice, the Purdue Police Department have posted images of the rioters on a website and offered up to $5,000 reward money. Check out the news release here."
But don't worry: "Those pictured on the Internet were among those who defied police orders to leave areas in which the destruction and vandalism were taking place." And the Dean of Students says: "We anticipate the images also will be of interest to parents and employers."
This is partly noteworthy because it seems to be becoming a standard operating procedure on campus these days. Anonymous, electronic ratting out, with a reward attached. Is that what students want to pay for? This is the downside (or is it an upside?) to having cameras everywhere; couple that with facial recognition and then try not to be nervous.
Ok, this whole monitoring is very bad. But the point here is the damage - I, too, think these vandals should be punished for the whole damaged they caused over such a stupid thing - I mean, if it was for some noble cause, I'd be upset, but people who just cause major problems for no reason at all must pay for their crimes. The cameras were there just like cops could be there - it's technology in service of the law.
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It sucks when someone innocent gets hurt in a riot. Whose fault is it? The rioters, plain and simple. What should happen to the rioters? They should be arrested, plain and simple.
You are correct to state that my friend's picture should not be posted-- but you ignored another key point of my post. I have looked at ALL of the pictures on their website, and every single person whose photo was posted was engaged in illegal activity in AT LEAST one of the photos of that person. (some people made multiple appearances, but seemed to be consistently numbered.) Additionally, not all people in the pictures were numbered and listed as wanted, and finally, many of the pictures were cropped to eliminate innocent bystanders.
If the cops read the riot act, it was against the law to BE there. So I ask my original question again-- if these people committed a crime (and they have all been photographed doing so) how is this different than a wanted poster?
But hey, this is /. - where my opinion counts too!
Actually, I looked at all the pictures, and in only a very few of them (mostly all on the very last set) show actual "property" destruction:
Photos 28, 29 and 30 seem to show people dragging branches somewhere. With the occurrance of fire in several images, we can suspect that they are dragging them to a fire (but hey, who knows - maybe they have some crafting they need to do?)...
At least photo 53 wasn't as stupid (next time, wear a ski mask!)...
Photo 58 shows a man wielding a large piece of what appears to be wood - maybe going to throw it on a fire - or bash Mr. 61 about the shoulders, one of the two (wipe that smirk off yer face, nugget!)...
Photo 62 - Praise Stallman!!!
Photo 70 - Use the Force, Luke!!
Photo 77 - "Dude, where'd my doob go...? F*ckin' riot..."
Photo 86 - Now showing a better image of the Cydonian Face...
photos 95 and 96 show someone with another large piece of wood - probably not a picket sign. On the same page we have 99 and 101 doing more branch dragging (they must love crafting there at Purdue!)...
Photo 109 - Wow! I found a doob!
Now, it definitely looks like in Photo 150 there is a set of individuals up to no good with that mailbox - but why don't they note that the other guy (in black pants and grey vest) was involved as well? And why does that man look like he may actually be security or something?
The final page is about the only one that shows real good clear pictures of anybody causing destruction - and if you notice, most of the stuff they seem to be burning came from a DUMPSTER. They must value their trash very highly at Purdue, alright...
So, in closing - while there seem to have been some people causing havoc, and that one shouldn't blatently set fire to anything in public, I doubt $100,000 worth of damage occurred (unless they count the mailbox and the signpost - but only the mailbox seemed damaged). If those were damaged, then the individuals should have to pay retribution (include Mr. Blackpants, whoever he is). As for the others, they just seem to be bystanders, who didn't stop what was happening (and rant all you want about them not stopping it, but I would be they either wouldn't be heard, or they would be assaulted for their views, or something equally bad).
Oh, BTW, photo 49 offends me - WTF is that guy grabbing himself for? It ain't going anywhere, pal (actually, it takes more than that to offend me, but I have to admit the guy looks patently stupid making that gesture - I mean, if that guy can get a higher education, than anybody should).
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Bzzzt. The Riot Act has been no more than a figure of speech in this country for a very, very long time indeed. If increasingly hazy memory serves it was repealed by the Public Order Act of 1936.
The Riot Act was, if read aloud to a riotous assembly, the authority of a justice of the peace to order a detachment of militia to fire into the crowd or, of cavalry, to charge with drawn sabres. I can think of two examples of its being used within thirty miles and two hundred years of where I sit (the Peterloo massacre and the Preston Chartist martyrs, both in the middle years of the 19th Century) and memories of the likes of that are among the reasons why we ibject so strongly to armed police in this country.
None of this touches the central point, though, which is that what's been done here is no different to posting mugshots of suspects on a post-office wall. There's witness, photographic and video evidence of them rioting and damaging property: the offenders are going to have to kiss prosecutorial ringpiece on any plea-bargain...
-- AndrewD
A Maze of Twisty Little Laws, All Different.