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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/12/30 ... n_founder/

One of the great computing pioneers, the developer of the Debian linux distribution from 1993, collided with members of the the San Francisco Police Department just after Christmas and subsequently refused to tolerate what happened. How he can still have been only 42 I've no idea.



That is total unguarded fury and he has all my sympathy.

The only long-term answer is to reach a position where any police officer on duty without a working always-on video and sound recorder should be prosecuted, jailed and dismissed, and that applies just as much to the UK as to the US.

I don't get that at all from the reports. All I get is someone who drank themselves silly, went off the rails, then died from it. Assuming the police had anything to do with it has no basis.

Moral to the story: Don't drink if you can't hold your liquor. And being "rich and white" doesn't mean you still can't act the fool.

Saint_;1491147 wrote: Assuming the police had anything to do with it has no basis.At first sight it would appear you haven't noticed Mr Murdock was arrested.

Perhaps a few more reports as the tale unfolds will be helpful.

spot;1491151 wrote: At first sight it would appear you haven't noticed Mr Murdock was arrested.


In case you haven't noticed, he was obviously a danger to himself and others. The police arrested him for his own behavior. That's what we pay them for. I'm tired of everyone second guessing them when they are trying to do their job. If the police were just hassling him and abusing their authority, why were they called at all? Was the neighbor hallucinating as well? Murdock got what he was asking for whether he is a personal hero of yours or not.

Like I said, if you don't want to be arrested, don't break the law. And specifically, don't blame them when you cause a ruckus. For a "rich, white guy" he isn't taking any responsibility for his own actions. I didn't see a single phrase where he said something like, "I probably shouldn't have been drinking so much and I'm sorry for scaring the neighbors by pounding on their door all messed up."

At first glance it would seem more a mental health issue than anything else.

Echoes of Alan Turin?

Bruv;1491159 wrote: At first glance it would seem more a mental health issue than anything else.


Suicide generally falls in that category, yes, and I've no doubt this is a suicide. What has yet to be explained is the trigger which led to it. All three arrests were in his own apartment block, unless I failed to follow the posts. The only claim that drink or drugs were involved have come from the police, the "he banged himself against the bars" came from the police, the "he was a public disturbance" came from the police. When do you recall the police announcing any truth at all after a death they've triggered. What you've seen so far has been in the same league as "he jumped the ticket barrier" and "none of the CCTV was operating either on the platform or the compartment", it translates to "prove it ain't so".

spot;1491170 wrote: Suicide generally falls in that category, yes, and I've no doubt this is a suicide. What has yet to be explained is the trigger which led to it. All three arrests were in his own apartment block, unless I failed to follow the posts. The only claim that drink or drugs were involved have come from the police, the "he banged himself against the bars" came from the police, the "he was a public disturbance" came from the police. When do you recall the police announcing any truth at all after a death they've triggered. What you've seen so far has been in the same league as "he jumped the ticket barrier" and "none of the CCTV was operating either on the platform or the compartment", it translates to "prove it ain't so".


Did you forget that the neighbors are the ones who called for the police? It's not a conspiracy, he was really out of control.

Saint_;1491171 wrote: Did you forget that the neighbors are the ones who called for the police?


If it turns out to be true then it will obviously be relevant, but it certainly won't be an excuse for the abuse he was undoubtedly subjected to by unaccountable police officers. The only first-person statement I've seen so far is Mr Murdock's.

What we will both have to wait for is a suitably robust and properly independent investigation, as with every death following police contact.

The transcript of the tweets seem far from rational to my untrained mind.

A first time series of bad experiences with the police shouldn't cause a suicide, especially in one wanting revenge.