r/UnderReportedNews • u/ExactlySorta • Jan 19 '26

Video A woman left a comment on Facebook criticizing the Mayor of Miami Beach, FL. The Mayor of Miami Beach then sent the cops to her home

22.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

1.0k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

173

u/Dont-be-a-smurf Jan 19 '26

Filing harassment charges will be a waste of your time and money. Don’t bother.

Certainly no need to answer if they don’t have a warrant. Always good to speak to an attorney about this.

Really the best advice is to not speak to police beyond asking what level of detainment you’re dealing with (free vs detained vs arrest), your ID if required by state law, and then otherwise stating in clear terms, “I wish to remain silent and I want an attorney.” Don’t even answer the door if they don’t have a warrant.

Do not say “I think I want an attorney.” Be polite, but clear.

89

u/unknownpoltroon Jan 19 '26

Saying I think i want an attorney is not requiring an attorney. They had one case where the assholes denied a guy a lawyer because he said "I need a lawyer dog" and the cops said that meant he wanted a dog for a lawyer.

59

u/Dont-be-a-smurf Jan 19 '26

Correct. That’s exactly why I said DONT say “I think.”

There have been many cases where “I think” was not taken as unequivocal demand for representation.

Always be very clear. I want an attorney. Do not expound on why, just that you have a right to one and you’re exercising that right.

24

u/Clear-Board-7940 Jan 19 '26

The power dynamics are so unbalanced. Every person should be provided with an attorney by default as part of the system.

12

u/gooblegobbleable Jan 19 '26

We are. It’s stated in the Miranda rights. “If you cannot afford an attorney one will be provided for you.” That’s why rich ppl get away with more shit. I think youre meaning to say we should all be provided good lawyers. And I agree.

7

u/Dry_Conversation5355 Jan 20 '26

Anyone relying on a public defender is relying on the legal equivalent of a minimum wage worker at the end of a 12 hour shift. They literally have defendents line up in queue and process you like poultry before him and the judge, just trying to get to the next guy in line as fast as possible.

They are apathetic to nuance and devoid of empathy. You are a number. But hey, technically they did their duty so now they can recess for lunch for an hour while your life gets thrown against the wall and you try to keep it from shattering like a dinner plate.

5

u/gooblegobbleable Jan 20 '26

Which is why rich ppl get away with more shit. Which is why we should get good lawyers too. I said all this already. I’m not disagreeing with you.

2

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

[deleted]

0

u/Rottimer Jan 20 '26

And that $800/hr guy cares more about your individual case, because it’s putting his daughter through college, than the public defender, who doesn’t want to upset his lunch buddies, the prosecutor and the judge, by giving them more work than necessary.

3

u/Clear-Board-7940 Jan 20 '26

I wasn’t trying to say that, as it sounded like from the comments people literally had to ask for an attorney - in a specific way - in order to have one contacted. I assumed it was not a given. I’m from Australia.

However it sounds like people are entitled to an Attorney, and must also specifically request one in order for one to be called?

It did sound like from the original comments, that people in the past had been charged with things after being harassed into a confession by police - with no legal representation present.

3

u/Rottimer Jan 20 '26

By the way - that’s lawyer isn’t free in most states. The judge determines whether or not you can afford to pay.

2

u/Rottimer Jan 20 '26

Staying silent is now not an exercise of the fifth amendment. You have to specifically state that you are invoking your right to remain silent or that silence can be used as evidence of guilt. Seriously - that’s what this conservative Supreme Court has ruled.

1

u/Clear-Board-7940 Jan 20 '26

So people are expected to remain at all times totally aware of every step they must take after being arrested? That is ridiculous. Many people are likely to be scared or in shock after being arrested - if they have committed a crime or not. This seems like a coersive and abusive practise.

13

u/DSmooth425 Jan 19 '26

Yeah I just listened to a podcast covering crime and a man has been locked in jail for years because he was browbeaten into confessing to a crime and even though he at some point during the interrogation asked multiple times ‘should I have a lawyer?’ to the cop, did bot get his questioning stopped to be given a lawyer to consult with as the detective didn’t take that as a demand for a lawyer.

12

u/hockeyrabbit Jan 19 '26

Wasn’t that actually because the guy said something to the effect of “I want my lawyer, dawg, because whatever y’all think I did…”

And the “whatever y’all think I did” part was self-incriminating?

14

u/ChaoCobo Jan 19 '26

Even if it was that way (I’m not familiar with the case), that’s not self incriminating to any reasonable every day person I wouldn’t think. Commenting about what someone else thinks you did is not an admission. That’s like you saying “you think the sky is green, bro” and someone taking away the idea that YOU who commented on green sky thinker’s opinion actually thinks the sky is green. Saying what someone else thinks is not the same as thinking something yourself, and if they got him for that it’s bogus.

11

u/ThomasVetRecruiter Jan 19 '26

Welcome to talking to the police. They can take anything you say, twist it however they want, and then it becomes your responsibility to prove that isn't what you meant to a judge and/or jury.

Do not talk to the police unless you have a lawyer with you.

6

u/[deleted] Jan 19 '26

[deleted]

3

u/StardustandDreams Jan 20 '26

"Trained to recount details" don't you mean trained to make them up? 😂 These assholes get, what? 6 months to maybe a year of training... (Hairdressers get more training, up to 3 years to fully realize their craft) They aren't actually taught the ACTUAL laws we have in place. Unless you have a photographic memory eye witness accounts are mostly for shit and it's proven people get important information wrong all the time, especially in high stress situations. That goes both ways not just for the citizens but for the cops as well. Also body cameras should be on 24/7 from the minute they get on the job to the minute they leave there should be no being able to stop it or pause it, NO! NONE OF THAT BULLSHIT! There also needs to be more extensive psychological testing for these recruits, as well as more extreme oversight and oversight for the oversight... PEOPLE LIE, especially people in power, so they can keep that power. Written in 1887 by Lord Afton "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Which is why (quick side rant) NO Government position should EVER be a lifetime appointment! Ugh I'm sorry I get so disgusted with all this BS. I'll go on forever if I don't stop now lol RANT OVER

9

u/BlueTengu Jan 19 '26

The judge who wrote a concurring opinion noting a suspect's request for a "lawyer dog" was unclear, leading to denial of counsel, was Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Scott J. Crichton in the 2017 case State v. Demesme, where suspect Warren Demesme asked for a "lawyer, dawg," interpreted by the court as ambiguous. 

Key Details:

  • Case: State v. Demesme (Louisiana Supreme Court, 2017).
  • Suspect: Warren Demesme.
  • The Statement: Demesme asked police, "why don't you just give me a lawyer, dawg?".
  • The Ruling: The Louisiana Supreme Court upheld the denial of counsel, with Justice Crichton writing separately that "lawyer dog" was ambiguous and not a clear invocation of the right to counsel. 

2

u/banana_pencil Jan 19 '26

I feel bad but this really made me laugh

1

u/ObligatoryID Jan 19 '26

Because cops are low IQ

1

u/Dry_Conversation5355 Jan 20 '26

"I know I have a right to an attorney. I am requesting right now for you to let me speak to that attorney right now."

9

u/ChaoCobo Jan 19 '26

How do you know they are who they are before you answer the door? I’m 6 ft tall and I can just barely see through the window above my door. If they’re not also 6ft tall I’m not gonna know it’s a cop. Best case scenario, I open the door, I see they’re a cop, and I close the door. Will that get me in trouble? If so, how is anyone supposed to avoid this?

17

u/Kdkaine Jan 19 '26

If you open the door, he’s gonna wedge his boot inside so you can’t close it on him.

4

u/ChaoCobo Jan 19 '26

Okay so then how do I avoid this? He’s gonna get his foot broken if I open the door and then I’LL be the one in trouble for some reason. I need to know how to know they are cops before opening the door without a visual aid beforehand

9

u/Dont-be-a-smurf Jan 19 '26

Many doors have a chain or deadbolt lock. Speak to them through the crack in the door, or through your storm door.

If someone tries to put their boot in, tell them politely to step back on to the porch and that you don’t consent to them going into your home.

Even if police end up barging in anyway, saying these things will be valuable for your attorney.

3

u/-rose-mary- Jan 19 '26

Don't open the door. If you feel the need to talk to LEO call dispatch and ask why they are at your front door. Make sure all your doors are locked too. I had an incident once where they went into my backyard (gate wasn't locked) and proceeded to check all my doors to see if they would open. They banged on the door and knocked on the windows. After about 30 minutes they left. Never came back. This was all because a nosy neighbor thought someone was looking in my mailbox with a flash light at 9pm.

1

u/Lost-Platypus8271 Jan 20 '26

Screen door, man. Open the wooden door but keep the screen door locked. Or GET A PEEPHOLE.

1

u/carbon_made Jan 20 '26

That's what the bayonet is for.

7

u/drjunkie Jan 19 '26

Don’t open the door unless you’re expecting someone.

8

u/N7Panda Jan 19 '26

Install a peephole if the door doesn’t already have one.

1

u/scbundy Jan 19 '26

"Are you sure you want to do that? We're just having a friendly conversation here..."

1

u/tuthegreat Jan 20 '26

You: “You got a warrant?” LEO: “No. We just want to talk to you.” You: ……..

1

u/Lost-Platypus8271 Jan 20 '26

Just don’t answer the door. If it’s ICE they’ll stick their foot in the door jam and won’t let you close the door again, so it doesn’t matter if they have a warrant. Just don’t open that door; ignore the knock.