[HELP] i got a story and i need publish

[allenpan]

[HELP] i got a story and i need publish

it is about a student who got mistreated....

whats a good website that will care?

here is the story:November, 17 2008
About 3:00 pm
I looked inside the recycle bin in Campus Tech and picked up an empty cartridge from the box with one hand while holding my winter coat on the other hand. With my big backpack on my back, on my way out the Campus Tech a student stop me at the door and told me to drop it without identify himself. Numerous tries, I asked them why and to show me a policy of why not, but they were never able to provide me one, the only thing they ever did was constantly repeating “it is ours”.

While I was still trying to reason with him, I was punched in the faced and assaulted, as I was falling and trying to grasp what just happened, my glasses fell off, and my brand new 1 month old glasses tumbled on the ground. Fearing my body is going to fall on top of it, I went and grabbed it with my hand and protected them; as result I was in a fetal position with my stomach arched inward. This exposed my bare neck and allowed the attacker to put me in a strangling/choking; I was very shocked and surprised to find myself struggling to breath.

A customer near by joined him to pushed me, attacked me and hold me down so I was powerless and unable to defend myself. At the same time I also experienced tremendous kicking to my stomach by either same customer or another one.

While gasping the air of life and protecting my glasses, I experienced the constant pain coming from all directions (stomach, neck, and head, so on). Since my laptop and design/degree project was in my backpack I could not risk getting crushed to bits, therefore my instincts instructed me avoid damage to any of my belonging for as long as possible by defending it.

Due to the lack of air and tremendous pain overriding my nerves system time ceased to exit. Security showed up afterwards and I was handcuffed and relocated to their office, with blood covering my face and signs of physical assault damage. I told my story to security and raised some points about the neutrality of recycle bin and definition of “saving the environment”.

Security did not want to deal with this, instead police were called. Without even listening or let me finish my story they cut me off and went talked to the other guy (the guy who assaulted me at the door of the Campus Tech), few minutes later they returned and handcuffed me once again and informed me that I am under arrested for “assault”, according to the police he told me that I was arrested for “assaulting the person with my [brand new Glasses]”. The police refuse to listen to my explaining or anything.
Upon the arrival in the police station I was striped down to my shirts and pants, they removed my “lethal weapon (glasses)” which I need to see or else I am practically blind and I was put in a cold cell for the next few hours. The outside temperature in Thunder Bay, Ontario in this time is about -10C to -20C while in the cell was not much better.

The damage from the choking was hindering me from breathing, and I have to stand up to reduce pain to clear the airway and keep myself warm, but every 30min a police person came back in and consistently told me to sit down or else they will removing everything I have! I only have a shirt and pants and even without shoes, it is extremely cold and I was having hard time breathing and now this? I could not risk it so I had to comply. As the pain grew and I was lacking air, I have to sneakily stand up from time to time, to prevent myself from passing out.

After a few hours in the cell, my brain is not really in its greatest condition and with constant headache and dizziness. The police told me do I want to go home? Sign this. So I unwillingly sign a paper unable to comprehending or see neither what was on the paper nor what was going on.

I was released with a charge of assault and I reported directly to the emergency department of the near by hospital.

*aren’t we doing recycling for the sack of caring for the environment? Not for someone else’s pocket money; which I was informed by other student that there is some monetary value to those recycle toner as they sell it back to a third party. The school taught us to take care of the environment by reusing salvageable parts or construct projects from recycle garbage, why? For the sake of environment!

If I told u that your cell phone is worth nothing and I will recycle it for you for the sake of environment, there are extremely high chance that you will give it to me with blessing, but If I told you that I will recycle it for you and sell it for 50$, chances are you will not want to give it to me but rather recycle it yourself or demand part of the “profit”.

Majority of the students were under the impression that we are doing it for the environment because we care, not to someone else’s pocket money; or isn’t what I am doing are for the same goal? For the environment? I love to fix stuff and mostly small electronics; I fix people’s computers and electronic devices without charging them a penny, why? Because I love what I am doing and I would rather see all of my work go to better other people’s life than money as I would feel guilty by charging them, a great artist will be more than happy to share and give his work to someone else who can also enjoy it.

*recycle bin, isn’t it a neutral ground? Where you drop it off and you allow to pick it back out, since it is open garbage it belongs to no one and everyone, and there should not be not a problem for someone to pick it back out. If it does has money to it, the money should either go back to the student or at least for the environment and what I am doing [recycling and repairing with recycle materials] are ultimately the same “for the good of environment”.

I am an engineering student, my whole life I have been collecting and gathering old parts and broken parts to fix others or even each other, and I give them away afterward to anyone who needs it. I am doing it for the bottom of my heart not for cold hard cash. If you have passion for something and love what you are doing, you will never ever ask to be paid for, as I see it, I am not doing any work, I am just doing what I always love to do…

Who am I? I am an Asian electrical engineering student at Lakehead University, an ex-student senate and a dedicated environmentalist, student and engineer: goes in that order

*Update:
School is very bias about this, I was summoned to discipline committee, right the way they accuse me of stealing and whatever the other party did was righteous without even getting their fact and story straight. Constantly reminding me that I deserve that happened, on top of that, they are 100% on the campus tech’s side.

As what I can tell they do want to help me to get my charge drop, instead constantly reminding me that get a lawyer and when I question about why I was been charged for assault, they turn around and with a extreme discriminations and arrogances and told me: you only got charged for assault for now, does not mean Campus Tech can not also charge with “thief”, so consider yourself lucky!
What does that mean? When I ask about the understanding of “recycle bin” and what the messenger are telling to the students, they reply, since is in the garages; is theirs.

This is what the committee told me: they want to increase school’s reputation by spending more money on the equipments and labs, but when I ask about the students opinions, they reply, better equipment = better reputation. So I told them, I was a student senate and from most of students comments all I can tell you is: is the student loves the school, they will appreciate it more, as result more student comes in and less damage done to the equipments so on… they reply, it is none of my business and whatever they are doing is correct.

Lakehead University quit Mclean Magazine’s because due to the low rating that is given to the university and this is such sore loser act, is like when you loss a sport, immediately call the other team cheated so we quit. University of Windsor on the other hard did the complete opposite way, immediately they sent out a survey to all the students and inquire what need to be done and improve, within 2 years, 85%+ of improvements are completed from the student survey, and look at the rating now, it has improve quite a bit.

Lakehead University has a small town mentality and see all students as walking wallet, instead of focus their primary “customer service”, they focus on how to get the last penny off the students.

[martini161]

so basically, you "Stole" an emtpy printer cartridge and got your ass kicked for it?

[allenpan]

well, not exactly, there is more to it, if someone is able to finish reading it

[DMB2000uk]

The treatment you received while in custody does sound pretty bad, but if you think that you were doing no wrong by taking something that wasn't yours from the campus store, then you are fooling yourself.

ghostman's reply to this same post over at the anandtech forums sums this story up from what it looks like from an outside perspective. So if you haven't read it, then you should.
(Near the end of this page)

His advice of speaking to a lawyer is the same advice I will give. At this point, there isn't much else you can do.

Dan

[martini161]

i do agree with you , this is bs. if i go a trash pick a chair or something that was in the trash, is it stealing?

[allenpan]

to me, if i am stealing than all i did is return what is rightfuly belong to the students, they say is for envirnment, but in reality, it went to someone's pocket, and as other student and prof concern i did nothing wrong...

that is why i want to get this publish or media exposure, b/c it is no longer about stealing back and forth, is about my rights, my treatment and lies which blind fold the rest of student body

[Alathald]

While you may have been doing it for the right reasons, a recycling bin is not public property. Sure, it can be argued that the trash bin is public property once it hits the curb but because the stuff in the recycle bin still has monetary value, it is still an asset and one that belongs to the company (even though they acquired it freely, because it was a transfer of property they are the rightful owners). I'd suggest getting a lawyer for this one (seeing as they did beat the crap out of you by the sound of it, you may actually have the right to sue for that). Still, best of luck to you.

Transfer of property
The most usual way of acquiring an interest in property is as the result of a consensual transaction with the previous owner, for example, a sale or a gift.

[FZ1]

Doesn't sound like something you should have gotten your ass kicked over, even if you were in the wrong. If I catch someone stealing my car, that doesn't mean I can assault them. Criminals sue people all the time for injuring them during the course of a crime and win.

[Apoptosis]

Back in college when I was working for my Criminal Justice minor we were told that once you take trash outside or to the curb that it was fair game. Even if the trash can is located at the end of your driveway someone can legally take the trash if they wanted. Since I have graduated many laws have passed to protect people from identity theft, so I'm not 100% certain on that anymore. That and you were in a recycle bin, which is worth money otherwise people wouldn't do it. Was taking that wrong? I don't think so, but obviously someone that worked there did and you should have just put it back and said sorry from my perspective. People in my area take aluminum cans from the recycling bins on the day it's picked up all the time and I've never seen them get in trouble over it.

As for them roughing you up over an ink tank... That is over the top, but do you have pictures of the assault? If you do then I suggest going to the local police and stop talking to the school officials altogether. You need to contact a lawyer and file a police report sooner rather than later.

Contacting the school at most will get an apology and a ton of wasted time. Hope this helps.

[allenpan]

problem is in this town, police is on school side, and school basicly told me that to **** myself and consider myself lucky

[Apoptosis]

problem is in this town, police is on school side, and school basicly told me that to **** myself and consider myself lucky

I have to ask a couple questions and if you aren't comfortable answering them then by all means don't...

how old are you?
what race are you?

[vicaphit]

Schools don't care if you are guilty, if you are in trouble with the police the school will reprimand you whether or not you are found guilty by a court.

[martini161]

problem is in this town, police is on school side, and school basicly told me that to **** myself and consider myself lucky

I have to ask a couple questions and if you aren't comfortable answering them then by all means don't...

how old are you?
what race are you?

he said he was asain in the post and considering he also said he was doing a degree project i would put him at around 23 or 24

[allenpan]

problem is in this town, police is on school side, and school basicly told me that to **** myself and consider myself lucky

I have to ask a couple questions and if you aren't comfortable answering them then by all means don't...

how old are you?
what race are you?

24, asian, but this is a very white town i am in

[Apoptosis]

i can't see why they did what they did at all... i guess just talk to a lawyer

[Sporg]

The whole trash thing is interesting. I know in Lawrence (KS) they have an ordinance against people rummaging through trash. I'm not sure how it is written but basically the city or whoever the city contracts are the only ones (other than the property owners) who are allowed to handle the trash. Now with that said, when the students leave at the end of the school year it is a very popular thing for some of the locals (and other students) to dumpster dive. The idea behind it (at least how I understand it) is that it's a matter of public safety. You don't know what someone is throwing away and you could injure yourself or others depending on what is in the trash (I'm thinking needles or glass). The city usually doesn't enforce the law though.

Concerning your situation...

1) Be sure to take pictures of yourself showing any physical damage that you may have received. Also, did your glasses get broken? If so, how much to replace/repair them? Get that documented.

2) Were/are any signs posted that stated you are not allowed to take something from the recycle bin? Another thing you should get some pics of.

3) Are there any published school policies regarding recycle bins? I'm assuming you have a student handbook somewhere. If it is online print it into PDF format for reference. This will also help if they change or alter the policy.

For any pictures and documents that you take you can use the postal system to your advantage. Make two sets of pics and documents and mail them to yourself. Doing this will give you timestamped envelopes that are sealed. So one set should only be opened by your lawyer (if you go that route). And the other set you can have handy for court.

Being physically assaulted over something like that is BS. If you were in the wrong, then the tech (other student) should have reported you to campus security and they should have handled the matter. When they said to you "it is ours" I am assuming that the recycling probably funds something to run the tech center. I don't know, the thing is kinda goofy.

Good luck

[allenpan]

1) Be sure to take pictures of yourself showing any physical damage that you may have received. Also, did your glasses get broken? If so, how much to replace/repair them? Get that documented.

- i try so hard to protect my glasses. so it wasx not damage

2) Were/are any signs posted that stated you are not allowed to take something from the recycle bin? Another thing you should get some pics of.

- there is no sign or anything about it.

3) Are there any published school policies regarding recycle bins? I'm assuming you have a student handbook somewhere. If it is online print it into PDF format for reference. This will also help if they change or alter the policy.

- i did keep asking for the regulation and policy about this, but there is none, there is nothing regarding recycle bin or anything at all
- i did took picture of my physical damage, and that is about it

on the box of recycle bin syas for envirnment, but it turn out it went to someone's pocket, which is wrong and misleading, it should go back to students or at least like the box said to the more envirnment programs..but instead, it goes to sel profiting

[vicaphit]

Dumpster diving laws vary state to state and city to city. I actually read some of the posts on the [H] forum last night about dumpster diving and some people have gotten in trouble, while other people do it in front of cops and they don't care.

The cities against dumpster diving basically state that if it is in the trash can it still belongs to the owner of the trash can UNTIL the garbage man actually puts it in the truck, then it is property of the state. This may carry over to recycling, and it would be school property until they are actually sent to the recycling center. I know what kind of cartridge recycling box you are talking about, and I am almost positive that the school gets cash for each cartridge that they recycle, so that would be theft. I don't know what kind of laws are present in Canada though.

Now, the assault is completely rediculous. Were there any students present who can be witnesses to the assault?

[unfaithfulsfan]

No matter what the laws/campus regulations there are against going through trash, there is no excuse for the physical abuse. Were these people campus police? If not, and you are getting no cooperation from the campus authorities, like everyone else has said, document your injuries (hopefully you did) and take your evidence to a personal injury lawyer. That's what lawyer's do. They get paid to protect your civil rights in cases like this.

It doesn't matter what race or age you are, you should not have gotten beaten up for attempting to recycle a printer cartridge. That is absurd.

That's giving you the benefit of the doubt. After reading the other side I'm also left with more questions than answers as to your story and the events both at the beginning and afterward. I'm not familiar with Canada's jails/prisons, etc., but I gather they are similar to those in the US. I seriously doubt you were stripped nearly naked and forced to stand in a freezing cold holding cell unable to sit with potentially life-threatening throat injuries for petty theft or "assault." I've never been in jail but I doubt, also, there are any outside holding cells still in existence in Canada just based on Civil Rights Laws that have been in place over a hundred years. If I was really treated in such a barbaric manner, I would be in the office of every lawyer in town till one took my case. I wouldn't be pecking away on my keyboard in forums.

Good luck with your case, whatever it is.

Jack

[Sporg]

I wouldn't be pecking away on my keyboard in forums.

Try to remember that each of us reacts differently in certain situations. I almost got into a physical altercation with a fellow employee once when I didn't react how someone thought I should. When I reacted the way I usually do (let out a quick laugh) I was instantly guilty of causing his misfortune. He wouldn't let it go and it ended with us screaming at each other and him running to the front office to accuse me of causing his misfortune. The point is that Allenpan is asking for advice. Whether or not this really happened I won't judge based on him typing away at a keyboard.

Allenpan - If this really did happen as you described you should definitely get an attorney, if nothing else then at least to know where you stand.