In early 2025, Atlanta resident Samuel Tunick was on his way home following a trip abroad. After landing in the US, customs agents demanded access to his Pixel phone, which was running an alternative version of Android called GrapheneOS. Rather than hand over his data, Tunick used a clever feature of the software to delete everything. Now, he’s facing federal charges.
The first hearing in this case happened last week, according to The Guardian, during which government attorneys and agents claimed that Tunick was subjected to a standard secondary interrogation at an international airport. During that encounter, agents were “looking for anything that’s prohibited.” However, Tunick’s legal team alleges he was targeted for his activism.
Tunick was involved with a group called Defend the Atlanta Forest, which opposed the construction of an enormous law enforcement training facility in the area often known as Cop City. What Tunick didn’t know, according to his lawyers, was that he’d been placed on a watch list for his actions and that Customs and Border Protection had discussed over email plans to detain him upon his arrival back in the US for “suspected terrorism activities.”
I know it’s fun to speculate and be real doomer in here, but this hasn’t actually happened.
Like I said, it’ll be interesting to see how this case resolves based on recent rulings.
not sure the “let’s wait and see what new low this regime can reach” is a valid approach either
specially when the default stance from the American people has been to complain bitterly online but just accept in in the real world
Tunick is fighting this in court. It isn’t about waiting around for an unknown thing, I’m talking about waiting to see what happens with this particular case.
Let me guess, you want Americans to take up arms and storm the Whitehouse right now?
Yes, I understood but if they find him guilty his life is fucked and everybody is now in greater legal danger… there is zero reason to trust the courts would behave as you seem to expect. Turning a bad court decision around is very hard
I’d love to see a General strike but that will never happen… for now I’d settle for Murica to stop poking every other country in the ass but again, I doubt that would happen either
What’s the alternative? Not fighting it in court and allowing the charges to stand?
Protesting, showing solidarity with this attack on your rights, again calling for a general strike
More specifically to this case, raising funds for Tunick’s defense, raise the profile of this case as high as possible
Aren’t these things obvious?
None of those are mutually exclusive.
Isn’t the profile of this case being raised right now? We’re actively talking about it, right?
I know, but I disagreeing with your “let’s wait and see” stance because THAT is mutually exclusive with taking any action
Lemmy is an incredibly niche and small platform, I would not consider a conversation here as raising any profile
My “wait and see” stance is about this particular case and it is most certainly not mutually exclusive.
This post is linked to an article that is not on Lemmy lol