all 12 comments

[–]Orangutan 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I hope this is what inspires this website through and through because this man was a true hero and Reddit has fallen far from the vision this man held. Thank you /u/magnora7 and dear derr. Peace.

[–]Tom_Bombadil 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Aaron Swartz was suicided.

[–]sodasplash 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I don’t think he really needed to be suicided. Not to be crass but the guy never really faced any major obstacles in his life before.

He was an idealist and was able to say and accomplish whatever he wanted in life. Betrayed by MIT, faced with his own failure, and facing 35 years in prison (a lifetime to any 20 something or to anyone really), there was no way he was not completely despondent. But at a minimum, yes, he was very much pushed to this — by a lot of people.

But this is exactly why the state runs up the years and the press always publishes big numbers. “Facing” 35 years isn’t really even that much. The prosecutorial side of the criminal justice system is built on intimidation. People regularly “face” massive years when first charged and reported. Rarely do any but the most heinous of crimes see a sentence even close to their initial charges, especially at the federal level.

If he’d had a good lawyer and pled, or had this gone to trial, the tide could have been turned. For him to have seen five years would have been extreme.

Look up the case of Poker Princess Molly Bloom for one great example of someone who fought the Feds and essentially won. She was “facing” much more than Aaron, I’m fairly certain and got 6 months and most of her other demands met.

[–]magnora7[S] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

The DOJ explicitly stated they were "going to make an example out of him".

He was under immense pressure. Even if he wasn't killed directly (which I think he was) they were putting such immense pressure on him that even if he did commit suicide you could still blame it on the DOJ making his life hell as much as they could.

[–]Tom_Bombadil 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Didn't he hang himself from a door knob?

[–]sodasplash 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

There's no way to "prove" that he was killed directly. The best case to make is to show that their behavior killed him.

Go for the fruit that hangs low.

[–][deleted] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I kinda think he regretted not taking the first deal that the Feds offered. I think they offered 6mo or 1 year, he said no, then the deal was gone and it turned into 35 years.

[–]Snow 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Maybe "suicided".

[–]funk 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Great documentary, watched it myself quite a few times. I'm really sad about what happened to Aaron and i wonder myself what truly happened or drove him to do what he did on the night of his death.

[–]sodasplash 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Has anyone also watched the other doc “Anonymous — Aaron Swartz” that they might share a comparison of the two for us?

https://youtu.be/gpvcc9C8SbM

[–]sodasplash 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Apparently they’re the same thing. There’s just a bunch on YouTube labeled under the Anonymous title.

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Ah, good to know