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Comment by nimbius | Hacker News Reader

This shit right here. This is why I don't stop for the inventory control alarms at department store doorways if they go off. I know I've paid, and little sirens are just a nuisance at this point.

This is why I've never stopped for receipt checks, because it's my receipt, and I've paid. The security theatre is just bad comedy.

Just because the machine says I've done a no no, doesn't mean I can't come back and win a lawsuit later. It doesn't abdicate cops from their jobs. I have a winning complexion, so I'll never enjoy a false positive, but if I do, I'll make sure it bankrupts whatever startup incubator garbage decided to shill a replacement for real law enforcement.

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Is this an attitude that is safe for people of all races, though?

Also, can everyone afford to pursue lawsuits?

> Is this an attitude that is safe for people of all races, though?

Yes, it is. Security cannot stop you for bypassing alarms and receipt checks. They have to have definitive proof that you stole something before they can lay a hand on you. Even in membership stores like Costco, the most they can do is cancel your membership. If they do touch you, there are plenty of lawyers who will take your case and only collect payment if you win.

Theory & Law != What Actually Happens

> If they do touch you, there are plenty of lawyers who will take your case and only collect payment if you win.

This falls squarely into the genre of "yes, you are technically right, but you may have spent a week in jail and thousands to tens of thousands of dollars of time and money to prove it, for which you will not be fully compensated."

My point is that anyone can walk by and nothing will likely happen, but if it does, there is some recourse, and the unlikely event is just as unlikely regardless of race.

That’s just false. Brown people get shot in malls for much less.

> Brown people get shot in malls for much les

Not by security or police, so my point still stands.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_John_Crawford_II...

It's not exclusive to brown people, nor does it happen more to brown people.

https://www.pnas.org/content/116/34/16793/tab-figures-data

That doesn't separate out the non-justified killings that we're talking about here. Also, there's no indication that race is the primary cause of the killings.

How could you? Nobody separates out the non justified killings. That’s half the problem. Your world seems much safer and more just than mine.

I am pretty sure in most places they can't touch you even if you do steal something.

So out of curiosity, you just roll out of Costco with a cart full of food and gear while the receipt checker tries to stop you?

I believe in a regular store you can just roll by the security without letting them check your stuff. They can make a citizens arrest or call the cops if they think you stole something, but at great risk of a lawsuit if they are wrong. However, Costco is a private club. You agree to their terms and conditions as a member of that club, and you must abide by the receipt check or they can ask you to leave. That was my understanding of the situation a decade ago, things may have changed.

At most Costco can cancel his membership. In other stores, if they find regular abusers, they can get restraining orders. Fry's electronics used to do that against a few customers.

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