this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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Fuck Cars

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The officer was previously disciplined 4 times for other driving offenses, but killing someone - well - $35.50 oughta cover it.

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[–] malloc@lemmy.world 127 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If you want to get away with murder in the USA, use a car to kill your victim.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 53 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Bonus: make sure they're on a bicycle.

[–] Poggervania@kbin.social 42 points 1 year ago (2 children)

SLPT: Become a police officer if you want to murder people and get away with it

[–] thenerdjournals@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago

not shitty LPT, an unethical LPT.

[–] GreenMario@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

Paid vacation too!

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But they better not be cop themselves.

Then it's a hate crime.

[–] nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de 9 points 1 year ago

Cops still cover up cops killing cops, unless the killer is female or a minority.

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Or invite them over to your house and shoot them through the front door when they knock too loudly.

[–] DrCake@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Not just the US, the UK is the same unfortunately

[–] Quaternions@lemmy.world 73 points 1 year ago (2 children)

$35.50. Just remember this amount. This is the amount a human life is worth in this fucked up country of ours.

[–] Bizarroland@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago

That was only when people felt obligated to step in and force them to pay some sort of remuneration

[–] Mongostein@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Well, cops get a discount because they own us and all.

/s

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

After the crash, Hartup issued a statement saying that as he was completing a turn at an intersection, “I struck a pedestrian. I immediately stopped my vehicle, grabbed my radio, and started aid to the pedestrian, and called dispatch to send medics.”

It gets a little harder to hate the driver when you find out that they did everything after the crash right. Guy still deserves jail time for fucking up driving again so badly that he ended someone's life about it, but I'm not about to call for violence against him. Stopping and calling for help immediately is exactly what you should do if you hit a person.

$35.50 is an absolute insult to the victim, though. I hope it's hard to cope with taking a life knowing that you've only paid the equivalent of a tank of gas for it.

[–] snooggums@kbin.social 43 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I assume he is lying unless there is video evidence that he did any of those things immediately.

[–] meco03211@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

Are you implying the police might lie to save face? The audacity!

[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Seems like something the prosecution's lawyer would have an easy time proving by subpoenaing the officer's dash cam footage. If anything, when the victim's family takes the officer to court, they'll subpoena it then. If the camera supports the officer's testimony, you'll never see it, because it won't be used as evidence against him, and no one will bother posting a boring video that just supports a cop's claims

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 year ago

I filled my tank on a road trip this week. I prepaid $50 and didn't go over.

[–] obinice@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago

Well, at least they finally admitted the value of a human life, and it's £28.

Everything makes a lot of sense now when you consider that a person is worth what, a mere 14 bus tickets?

[–] benjiman@lemmy.world 29 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

For $35 it'd honestly be less insulting if they didn't fine him at all.

[–] sph@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Isn't the fine for the traffic violation? The compensation from a civil lawsuit will follow I presume.

This makes sense in my opinion. Violating traffic rules should result in the same fine regardless of whether you hit someone or not (like drunk driving isn't more OK just because you got lucky and didn't happen to hit anyone). But if you do hit someone, expect to compensate all costs and damages to that person or family on top of the fine (that goes to the state).

That said, I wish traffic violations would be fined much more harshly. Also if you didn't hit anyone during your reckless behaviour.

[–] Haywire@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

It does make sense. He should probably also have been charged with manslaughter or reckless endangerment.

[–] Bob_Robertson_IX@discuss.tchncs.de 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wonder what the fine is if you happen to run over a cop in Ft. Wayne?

What if that cop is dressed in all dark clothes at night?

What if that cop is working on the side of the road, or even in the middle of a lane?

What if that cop has his extremely bright, flashing, and distracting colored LED lights blinding all traffic?

It would still be $35.50, right?

[–] Adeptfuckup@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Yes of course it would! eats tidepod. Equal justice under lol fuck you I got mine.

[–] SuperSpruce@lemmy.ml 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But if you roll a stop sign, you have to pay a fine of $129.50...

[–] Exusia@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

What the fuck mine was $235

[–] transmatrix@lemmy.world 15 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can the family still file a civil wrongful death suit?

[–] FredericChopin_@feddit.uk 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You’d hope so. They do seem to a litigious country.

[–] Bizarroland@kbin.social 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Haha, us silly Americans, filing a lawsuit at the drop of a hat.

It seems like every time a cop runs over a bicyclist and the grand sum of their penalty is $35.50, enough money to almost afford pizza for a family of four, somebody has to file a lawsuit!

We're so silly, we are such a silly country.

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[–] Adeptfuckup@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Yep! I’ve noticed my life is worth considerably less than a parked vehicle. So this sadly doesn’t surprise me. They might paint more lines though!!! So that’s neat. Right? Count the bodies like sheep.

[–] Zealousideal_Fox900@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

MERICAAAAAAAAA! Try the brand new police only deal: 1 runover only $35! Limited time!

[–] Adeptfuckup@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Life is too short, so love the one you got. Because you might get ran over or you might get shot. Gilded this age is…

[–] cooljacob204@kbin.social 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think the fact he was a cop doesn't have much to do with it.

This country just really doesn't seem to care if someones shitty, aggressive, dangerous driving kills someone (unless they are under the influence then throw the book at them!).

[–] Bizarroland@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

In America if you're a civilian and you run over somebody by accident and kill them you can still be charged with negligent homicide and spend several years in prison for it.

Unfortunately those kinds of simple, logical rules for some reason don't seem to apply to the cops that kill far more people on average than any other group in America.

[–] cooljacob204@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

Sure you could but it doesn't seem to ever happen.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Its about time these guiltless pricks start receiving blunt and sharp objects to their eyes and faces when they go out in public.

[–] Kuvwert@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fuck the police. But also maybe you should talk to someone about that inner violence..

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe we should talk to someone about open corruption infecting every corner of local governments and enforcement agencies.

[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Okay but seriously consider the other suggestion as well. Don't just distract yourself like this every time these problems come up. It's important.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Distract myself? My guy, the world is burning, those with power are openly corrupt, we are literally just missing the seventh horn. I'm not running out in the streets ice picking people. I have people that rely on me. That doesn't mean I'm not filled with rage every time I see another rich cuck whose leaned the entire system in his favor get exactly what he wants at the expense of us all for the 450th time.

[–] jerkface@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You're just doing it again. You're looking for ways to justify and distract yourself from very unhealthy patterns of thought, even as they worm their way the very justifications and distractions you employ. Listen to what people are telling you.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I'm never going to be okay with our society setup how it is. So that people in power are allowed to leach from whoever with impunity. Simply because they can. Thats fucked up. I will never accept it. There is no healthy thought pattern that comes to acceptance with that reality. The wretched accept a bleak tomorrow.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Fatally striking"

The AP is usually pretty neutral, but that language is way, way too euphemistic here. The real work is murdering. The cop murdered this person.

[–] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

False.

Murder is defined in Indiana as either the intentional killing of another person without justification, or causing the death of someone while committing or attempting to commit a violent felony, regardless of intent to kill (the felony murder rule).

Definitions matter.

I'm not arguing the horrible nature of the event or careless disregard on the account of the perpetrator, but incorrect statements like this are how we've ended up in a situation where people throw around terms like "fascist" and "communist" for anything they don't like, and as a result, many people have no idea what those words actually mean.

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[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Manslaughter is the typical term, a subset of homicide. Murder is hyperbolic without established motive, say, being in an Agatha Christie cozy.

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