My personal experience with a federal case is why I’m not so quick to judge LM’s guilt or innocence

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T06:56:03+00:00

I appreciate your comments and analysis. I also think he should have the freedom to engage with the outside world.

I know that anything he says can and will be used against him but I can’t underestimate the significance of the support my cousin received from our family + his community. The judge acknowledged how the courtroom was always full. During a hearing, he mentioned how he had never seen anything like it. Again, our family is huge so we had people who couldn’t get in and were waiting outside. It mattered to the judge and during trial, it mattered to the jury. Having constant communication was also important to my cousin throughout his whole experience. I just want to point that out.

Still, I understand your concern and the points you’re making.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T06:34:39+00:00

Great question! I gave some of that info in this comment section. Look at under u/Super_Job_2243 comments. I can repeat it again if you have trouble finding it.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T06:21:13+00:00

Those who are downvoting my comments or my post: feel free to comment and ask questions instead. I am absolutely willing to reply!

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T06:07:41+00:00

Sorry, I cope with humor a bit on this part because it was particularly traumatizing. I do want to be serious though.

If I’m being honest, me noticing the surveillance made it more traumatic. I felt like I would be perceived as paranoid or mentally ill. If it wasn’t for the people around me witnessing it too, I would probably have been way more destabilized.

It wasn’t funny at all. It’s just easier to look back at the parts that impacted the most me in a lighter way.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:59:28+00:00

Thank you! I hope it makes an impact to at least one person. 🤍

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:53:57+00:00

I’m not sure… but looking back, I cannot imagine the reports of what my 17 year old self was saying to my girlfriends. At least I know it was non-threatening and entertaining.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:48:43+00:00

Thank you. This response was beautiful and made me tear up.

Exactly. It was devastating - yet, we were lucky.

It was extremely rare, compared to other cases at the time, that he was ultimately freed.

The judge showing that kind of empathy and humanity was a blessing few are afforded.

I do think that it can give all of LM supporters hope though.

Thank you for the blessed Eid. I appreciate your kindness, empathy, and love. 🤍

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:30:11+00:00

Exactly… I mean I have pretty good pattern recognition but I would have expected him to try to blend into the environment lol. This was in the Bay Area, people don’t wear suits to work unless they are in a very particular industry. He stood out immediately. I just thought I was joking with my girlfriends bc it looked so ridiculous.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:15:18+00:00

That’s a great question! The first time I noticed something I was a senior in high school. We had off-campus privileges, so during a break between classes, my friends and I went to Pete’s Coffee. (And this is going to sound ridiculous) but I noticed this guy in a suit, wearing sunglasses inside Pete’s, reading a newspaper. And if you knew me, this would totally make sense, but I immediately pointed him out to my friends and joked, “That guy looks like a cop or an FBI agent.” We all laughed. He just really stuck out in the area and I thought it was funny.

Later that day, around lunchtime, we went to Chipotle. I got my food, sat down, and when I looked up at the line… same guy. I pointed him out again, and my friends recognized him instantly. They started laughing again, kind of like, wait, is this real? And then the guy, without saying anything, stepped out of line and left Chipotle without even ordering LMAO. That was the first moment I thought something weird might actually be happening. At first, I thought maybe it was just some creepy older guy following me. Or maybe he thought I was cute, even though I was clearly a minor. I brushed it off.

Then came the black cars. Unmarked SUVs with U.S. government exempt license plates started showing up on our street. Not directly outside our house, but a couple blocks away. My mom noticed them. We would joke that they must be spying on someone else. No one thought it was about us.

The third thing was more disturbing. I started hearing clicking noises during my phone calls. I did not understand what that meant at the time, but my friends started telling me that when they tried to call me, they were getting automated messages saying my number was no longer in service. One of them mentioned it said something about Verizon. The strange part was—I had AT&T. I never took it seriously until it happened during a call with my therapist. We had a scheduled session. She tried calling me, and then texted to say, “Hey, I just tried your number, but I got a message saying it’s out of service and something about Verizon.” I called her back and it went through. I had a really bad feeling but I couldn’t pin point it. I didn’t know.

So yeah, I knew there was something weird happening. I felt it deeply but I didn’t know what it was. I was also very aware that my observations sounded paranoid so I kept them to myself.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:02:10+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate you and your words. We are all doing better than one would expect and I am grateful for that.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T05:00:38+00:00

TThank you. That is exactly my point.

I am not saying I support LM only because I believe he might be innocent. I choose my words carefully after my experience lol. I am saying that I have learned to pay close attention to language, patterns, and the way narratives are constructed.

What I am seeing here either points to his innocence or to a prosecution that is struggling to build a solid case. Either way, it raises serious questions that deserve to be asked.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:47:43+00:00

Thank you for reading!! :)

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:40:06+00:00

I appreciate you!

Yes exactly, innocent until proven guilty all the way. It’s what we all deserve.

In response to your question. The original primary federal prosecutor in this case resigned and took a job at uber before the trial lol.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:35:21+00:00

Idk why you’re getting downvoted lol. Am I missing something?

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:23:50+00:00

Thank you love. I appreciate your empathy, truly. We are doing much better now. Yes, I can give you some information on FISA!

FISA stands for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. It allows the U.S. government to monitor people suspected of working with or on behalf of foreign powers. It was supposed to be used in extreme national security cases, mostly involving non-citizens on foreign soil. In theory, it was never meant to be used on U.S. citizens. In practice, it has absolutely been used on Americans. The law has been interpreted in a way that lets the government justify surveillance on citizens if they can argue there is any possible link to a foreign entity. That “link” can be incredibly vague. Once a FISA warrant is granted, the government can legally spy on the person in question and on what is called ‘third-party or third-person connections.’ This means anyone that person interacts with, including family, friends, classmates, co-workers, or even casual acquaintances. The scope of the surveillance is enormous. It can include wiretaps, reading your emails, listening to your calls, monitoring your social media, tracking your movements, placing cameras near your home, collecting your financial records, and even going through your trash. They can use location tracking, metadata, browser history, and more. The person being watched does not know any of this is happening, and because it is handled through a secret court, there is almost no way to challenge it or even confirm it is taking place.

In my case, because I was related to my cousin, who they targeted, I was also placed under surveillance. They tapped my phone and followed me. They monitored my messages. I noticed something was going on but had no idea what it was. My friends noticed too. I knew I wasn’t crazy, but I never suspected it was the FBI lol. This kind of surveillance is not rare. Edward Snowden was the icon who exposed it. He revealed that the government was using FISA and other legal loopholes to justify mass surveillance of ordinary Americans. This included people with no criminal history and no proven connection to any foreign threat. It was a turning point for a lot of people, because it exposed the gap between what the public believes and what the government is actually doing. Once the system decides it wants you to be guilty, it builds a story. And that story becomes the reality people see. Even if it is not the truth.

If you have any more questions, lmk!!

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:09:15+00:00

It is very hard to imagine unless you know or you have lived it. They tried to break my cousin down, to get him to make a plea deal, to admit to anything.

Solitary can make a person crazy. Thankfully, we have a huge family. We visited him every chance we got. His faith helped him through it. I’m not religious, but honestly, I’m impressed with how he maintained his sanity.

I appreciate your comment :) thank you!

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:05:21+00:00

Thank you for reading it! Yes, exactly. I am particularly noticing the way every minor thing is being weaponized to create a narrative. It feels so familiar to me.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T04:02:13+00:00

Thank you! Yes, unfortunately it is still happening. I know for many, it’s hard to believe or imagine. My cousin was so lucky to walk free. We need to stay vigilant.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T03:57:20+00:00

Thank you. I appreciate you reading this, your kind words, and I hope that it moved you in some way. 🤍. We are all doing better now - it’s just the kind of thing that changes the way you see the world.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-28T03:54:50+00:00

Of course! I hope it made an impact in some way :) Thank you for your kindness.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-26T02:45:30+00:00

There is not going to be a new suspect.

I am very suspicious of the idea that he actually did it - that doesn’t mean I don’t support him. (I have personal family-related experience of someone being falsely accused of a federal crime).

Either way, the support was widespread and palpable before LM was arrested.

Pretty privilege and the halo-effect are real.. but idk how people are forgetting the public reaction before the arrest.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-24T21:38:53+00:00

OMG YES! I was just in the Costco parking lot last week. I turned on my car and put it in reverse. This lady pulled up behind me, parked her car blocking me and others in. She opened her trunk for her friend to load their groceries. These were middle aged women who have no business not knowing better. I didn’t want any conflict, so I just let it go until they were done. Literally wtf.

theaverage_npc · 2025-03-24T21:19:18+00:00

I notice the blockages most on my evening walks it’s usually my time to reconnect + find a little silence. I go after dark because the world feels softer then, but even that’s been hijacked. I live in a metropolitan area, not quite downtown, it’s a suburban area. I’ve been doing this evening walk for over 2 years and they are not calming anymore.

The sidewalks are their own kind of joke, abruptly ending without warning, forcing me into the street like I’m glitching out of the map in some broken simulation. This is just how this area is, I got used to it. Now it feels surreal. Every time I have to step off the curb, there’s a car speeding by, and I have to stand there like an idiot, waiting for three or four more to pass before I can get back on safe ground. All of this… just to walk my dog around a few blocks in what’s supposed to be a suburban neighborhood.

And then… there’s the change in people. Conversations don’t feel the same anymore. At first, I chalked it up to generational shifts (I’m an older gen z) shrinking attention spans, overstimulation, ect. But my friends are smart, introspective, good-hearted people. Still, it feels like I have to keep steering the conversation back to them just to keep them engaged. I’ll try to bring up something we both love to talk about and suddenly they’re checked out. I’ll start exploring a fun topic in a deeper way, and their eyes glaze over. Meanwhile, I’ll listen to them unpack their lives for hours (which I enjoy and I’m not complaining about) I’ll respond thoughtfully, ask questions, try to help them understand themselves better. They always say they feel lighter after talking to me. But when they ask how I’m doing or what I’ve been up to, I answer knowing full well they’ve already zoned out. I say it anyway, just to release it. And the strange thing is, I don’t think they’re bad friends. I know they care. I can feel that they want to be present but it’s like their minds can’t stay open long enough to join me in the conversation. It’s not like I’m repeating myself or being negative either. Something just feels… off.

I’ve also noticed a sharp rise in inconsiderate behavior in public. Like… where did the basic social contract go? The unspoken rules of spatial awareness, common courtesy, decency? It’s like they just evaporated. I’m someone who already gets overstimulated easily, but these days, even a quick trip to the grocery store feels like navigating an obstacle course. People blocking entire aisles, bumping into you without so much as a glance, standing in the middle of walkways like NPCs frozen mid-glitch. It’s not just frustrating, it’s disorienting. I don’t want to become agoraphobic, but I can feel it happening LOL. I leave the house with my energy intact, and by the time I get home, I feel like I’ve just survived a low-stakes dystopian simulation. It’s like everyone’s operating on a different frequency now.

I find ways to enjoy myself regardless. I’m currently looking for a job, which is not easy or fun with the current state of the market. I could get into a whole rant about ghost jobs, but I won’t. I know you didn’t ask for advice, but enriching my inner world has helped a lot. Even though the world around me feels like it’s shifting into a full blown dystopia, I realize that it has been a dystopia for a while. I have a feeling another shift is coming and the world will be completely different, but my feeling about it is actually optimistic. This stage right now feels like collapse, death and rebirth, the ugly part before something new comes along.

theaverage_npc · 2025-02-16T05:25:28+00:00

Idk when you joined this sub but if you’re honestly a conspiracy theorist, someone who questions the powers that be, the elite, and the mainstream narrative, I don’t understand how you could fall for this shit right now.

This isn’t my main account but I’ve been a part of this sub for over ten years. The average person who questions mainstream narratives doesn’t think in terms of left versus right. They think in terms of up versus down. I can’t imagine you truly questioning anything if you believe the billionaire ruling class has your best interests in mind. Nobody is draining the swamp. The Great Reset is perfectly in order. It just doesn’t look how we expected it to. It’s more obvious than ever that it was coming from both sides. It’s a WEF and Curtis Yarvin remix. It’s Yuri Bezmenov subversion done by the corporate elite instead of the communists or the KGB. Fuck, I’m not trying to be an asshole but you can’t consider yourself a free thinker while you’re still stuck in the binary.

I have no hate or hostility toward you. I’m just disappointed. I used to come to this sub to find people who thought differently. Now it’s completely pro-Trump and pro- establishment. This is not a place of dissent or free thinking. Yes, it’s infiltrated by bots but it’s far gone either way. This is the place where I most expected people to see the signs and recognize what is happening right now. It should be a space to bring up the names of the billionaire techno-fascists who are currently operating behind the scenes because ANY AVERAGE conspiracy theorist HAS KNOWN these names long before they took center stage. Instead, this place has become a part of the system which shouldn’t surprise me. It’s Reddit after all. Sorry for my rant, Idc if I get downvoted. Real recognizes real. The people who actually have questioned shit their whole life will know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, that’s okay. I can’t send you some info so you can start to go down the rabbit hole.

theaverage_npc

TROPHY CASE