Physical assault by McDonald's for wearing Digital Eye Glass

[Pendleton]

Does exactly what it says in the title.

Basically, a man whom is renowned for helping with the creation of wearable optical computers that allow the hard of seeing a better ability to interact with the world, was assaulted in a Parisian McDonald's by, supposed, employees.

I can only ponder what this may mean for Google Glass and related tech when it becomes more common place.

[Zixinus]

What I ponder, is what possible, even if embarrassingly stupid ,reasons were there for the assault? Wearing funny glasses?

[Pendleton]

It's possible there are people who really don't like the trend of increasing gadgetry on the average person. Possible. In this case? It's almost like it was a gang that saw a threat to their franchise from this man, whatever that may be. Someone else was assaulted for simply taking a picture of a menu, so that seems to be a real issue over there.

[PREDATOR490]

People largely dont like being recorded thus will lash out at anything looking like it is recording them. The only reason this is even remotely noteworthy is it targeted a device for disabled people. The police will laugh at any attempt to hold the perps accountable... the Police have their own issues and war against recording devices.

That said, the angry attempt to rip if off his skull has me thinking there is more to the story. If they had just told him to leave because McDonalds has a no camera policy then noone would care.
Instead they tried to rip it off, then tore up someone's documentation ?

Good luck nailing them for anything but they certainly qualify for being douchbags that deserve to be sacked.

[TheFeniX]

People largely dont like being recorded thus will lash out at anything looking like it is recording them. The only reason this is even remotely noteworthy is it targeted a device for disabled people. The police will laugh at any attempt to hold the perps accountable... the Police have their own issues and war against recording devices.

What shithole do you live in where assault, battery, and destruction of private property are laughed off?

I can't find anything on the glasses (at least not on how the connections are made) and the only other bit of info I remember about a device like this was some guy having wires actually hooked up to his brain for assisted vision. Could they have killed him by trying to rip the glasses off (he said they were permanently attached)? If so, I don't really see the difference between that and if they misidentified the external components of a pace-maker: should be criminal negligence. Either way, in a sane country: we arrest people who go around assaulting people while trying to steal and destroy their belongings.

That said, the angry attempt to rip if off his skull has me thinking there is more to the story. If they had just told him to leave because McDonalds has a no camera policy then noone would care. Instead they tried to rip it off, then tore up someone's documentation ?

Crazy thought: maybe that's why it's news worthy. Of course, it's also just likely Paris cops are fucking worthless.

[Mr Bean]

That said, the angry attempt to rip if off his skull has me thinking there is more to the story. If they had just told him to leave because McDonalds has a no camera policy then noone would care. Instead they tried to rip it off, then tore up someone's documentation ?

Crazy thought: maybe that's why it's news worthy. Of course, it's also just likely Paris cops are fucking worthless.

Here's another idea in the United States unless your job is security putting your hands on a customer except in direct defense of your life or save their life is an instant firing offense pretty much anywhere. From Drug store cashier all the way up to managing director of something if you grab a customer for any reason in any job you will be fired instantly along with being arrested.

However my question is, is it just me or would the last person I try and assault the guy wearing a eye mounted video camera.
Something tells me this is going to hit a news station and we will be hearing about it on MSNBC, CNN or FOX within the next forty eight hours.

[PREDATOR490]

People largely dont like being recorded thus will lash out at anything looking like it is recording them. The only reason this is even remotely noteworthy is it targeted a device for disabled people. The police will laugh at any attempt to hold the perps accountable... the Police have their own issues and war against recording devices.

What shithole do you live in where assault, battery, and destruction of private property are laughed off?

The link to the other incident makes it unlikely they care to investigate these things because they fully expect the victim to be unable to really do anything about it. Additionally, he is going to have to prove he was actually assaulted and had items damaged which I imagine is going to be a pain in the ass because he dosent have the resources to pursue the matter.

Although it would be rather ironic if this store had CCTV... that way if they try to pull the 'right to privacy' routine you can point to the REAL spy cams and have them pull any recorded footage of the incident.

I hope he can nail the fuckers to the wall rightly enough but I am far too jaded to believe McDonalds would do anything less than politely laugh at the little peon trying to hold them accountable.

[TheFeniX]

The link to the other incident makes it unlikely they care to investigate these things because they fully expect the victim to be unable to really do anything about it. Additionally, he is going to have to prove he was actually assaulted and had items damaged which I imagine is going to be a pain in the ass because he dosent have the resources to pursue the matter.

Wow, really? See, here in America, you call the cops when assaulted, and they do this thing called "investigating." It involves interviewing possible victims, attackers, and witnesses. Then they collect evidence and decide whether or not to prosecute. It doesn't require "resources" on part of the victim (thank Christ). Now, any civil fight with McDonald's is another story, but would be much easier (or even harder) if police had done their job and found/not found wrong-doing.

Paris law enforcement did shit if the articles are to be believed which means they didn't even look at the cases and if Paris cops list "Assault, Battery, and destruction of private property" as low priority, it's a shithole and should be called as such.

[Enigma]

If I was one of the McD's execs, I'd do whatever I can to save face. I'd get the restaurant shutdown, fire the asshats and reopen with an entirely new staff. I'd also do whatever I could to provide some sort of restitution to the victim and do an ad blitz of the city to let them know that McDonald's is a safe place for the whole family.

That is of course, if the article is legit.

[madd0ct0r]

Something tells me this is going to hit a news station and we will be hearing about it on MSNBC, CNN or FOX within the next forty eight hours.

now on reddit, huff post, nydaily, pcmag and rising.

EDIT: One thing i can't find in any of the stories is to whether he needs the glasses (i know they're permanent). Is he sight impaired without them?

[Mr Bean]

EDIT: One thing i can't find in any of the stories is to whether he needs the glasses (i know they're permanent). Is he sight impaired without them?

Professor Mann's long term project is wearable computers and he's being wearing some form of visual recording or computing device for thirty years now. I don't know if he's near or short sighted but he's spent the last thirty years working on wearable computers and testing them on himself and volunteers. So while he may not need it medical... it's his life's work.

[madd0ct0r]

I know that, and I know when they were removed by the TSA before they'd let him fly home in a previous incident he was significantly disorientated for weeks* so i guess you could argue he's now dependent on them, but I was wondering if it ran deeper then that...

Foxnews has picked up the story now.


*much to the glee of some colleagues who could now study what happens when a cyborg is unplugged.

[Julhelm]

Wow, really? See, here in America, you call the cops when assaulted, and they do this thing called "investigating." It involves interviewing possible victims, attackers, and witnesses. Then they collect evidence and decide whether or not to prosecute. It doesn't require "resources" on part of the victim (thank Christ). Now, any civil fight with McDonald's is another story, but would be much easier (or even harder) if police had done their job and found/not found wrong-doing.

Paris law enforcement did shit if the articles are to be believed which means they didn't even look at the cases and if Paris cops list "Assault, Battery, and destruction of private property" as low priority, it's a shithole and should be called as such.

That is America, where police are sworn to serve and protect. This is Europe, where police are sworn to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens over broken taillights and having passengers on bicycles.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Wow, really? See, here in America, you call the cops when assaulted, and they do this thing called "investigating." It involves interviewing possible victims, attackers, and witnesses. Then they collect evidence and decide whether or not to prosecute. It doesn't require "resources" on part of the victim (thank Christ). Now, any civil fight with McDonald's is another story, but would be much easier (or even harder) if police had done their job and found/not found wrong-doing.

Paris law enforcement did shit if the articles are to be believed which means they didn't even look at the cases and if Paris cops list "Assault, Battery, and destruction of private property" as low priority, it's a shithole and should be called as such.

That is America, where police are sworn to serve and protect. This is Europe, where police are sworn to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens over broken taillights and having passengers on bicycles.

That's traffic cops for you. I'd find this more believable had he not blocked out the faces of the suspects, for whatever reason.

[someone_else]

If I was one of the McD's execs, I'd do whatever I can to save face. I'd get the restaurant shutdown, fire the asshats and reopen with an entirely new staff.

Only if the PR hit is worth anything. Which i highly doubt is the case.
Besides, McD here hire new people every 3-6 months or so anyway (they manage to pay people less by doing short contracts due to laws allowing this shit), don't know what they do in the rest of Europe.

That is America, where police are sworn to serve and protect. This is Europe, where police are sworn to harass and intimidate law-abiding citizens over broken taillights and having passengers on bicycles.

And keep quiet any protesters regardless of their rights when someone that needs it comes in visit. Like say the Pope.

I'd find this more believable had he not blocked out the faces of the suspects, for whatever reason.

Since he isn't law enforcement, doing so would put him at risk of getting sued if someone goes and gives the douchebags the good beating they so clearly ask for.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I'd find this more believable had he not blocked out the faces of the suspects, for whatever reason.

Since he isn't law enforcement, doing so would put him at risk of getting sued if someone goes and gives the douchebags the good beating they so clearly ask for.

Good point, though this would certainly raise the publicity of the original incident a notch- which is the last thing a company like McDonalds would want.

[Thanas]

I find it very hard to believe the police would do nothing. Is there any confirmation from a neutral source?

[Col. Crackpot]

It is my understanding that in France you cannot publish a picture of somone's face without consent, so maybe that is why the faces are blocked?

[TheFeniX]

I find it very hard to believe the police would do nothing. Is there any confirmation from a neutral source?

All we have is the word (and pictures) of the supposed victims with comments like this one from here:

The police report couldn’t be filed for mostly bureaucratic reasons and McDonald’s has only sent us a form response. I’ve furnished it with it a detailed account, which includes photos of my injuries. What now?

Maybe now that the story(ies?) has been pickup up by new outlets, Paris PD will respond with something. Maybe provide a police report. But if they haven't even filed one, well that's pretty shitty. The County went ahead and filed a report when my truck was backed into doing over $1,000 in damage even though I had waited 4 days (making it too late to report the crime) in order to help me out with my insurance claim.

Ah here we go. From the comments section of the article I posted, "Penny" gives more information:

The first thing we did was call17 - the equivalent to our 911 #. We were told they didn't speak English and couldn't help us. We went back to our hotel and asked them to call the police and we were told that's not the way it worked in France. We were instructed to go to the police department close to McDonalds and file a report.

When we reached the police station the officer standing outside spoke a few words in English and stated that he couldn’t take a report. He said that only his commander could take the report and he was going to be off duty in a few minutes so he didn't have time. We said we wanted to file an assault report and needed the police to go with us so we could identify my attackers. He said he couldn’t do that as we were in the wrong district.

We also tried to file a report with the American Embassy. We reached a Gilda House who took a report but said we really needed to get hold of Mc Donald’s . Since it was aholiday she was the only one on duty to take reports. Placing the call immediately my husband reached a recording stating that they were closed due to a religious holiday.

Are Paris cops really this worthless? When I ended up at the front end of a 4 car wreck (I don't tailgate) a State Trooper based out of another county was able to file the accident report. Oh and he was off-duty when he decided to help us out and handle it. This "district" comment sounds like bullshit, but Paris law enforcement could be setup this bad. Then again, Paris is a huge tourist destination and unreported crimes don't end up in the statistics.

[Thanas]

The district thing might actually be true, but the rest sounds like absolute BS. If (and that is a very big if) it is true, then heads should roll in the US embassy, the paris police and Mcdonalds.

[DPDarkPrimus]

McDonald's French Facebook page has a post about this:

We share the concern regarding [the customer's] account of his July 1 visit to a McDonald’s in Paris. McDonald’s France was made aware of [his] complaints on July 16, and immediately launched a thorough investigation. The McDonald’s France team has contacted [the customer] and is awaiting further information from him.

In addition, several staff members involved have been interviewed individually, and all independently and consistently expressed that their interaction with [the customer] was polite and did not involve a physical altercation. Our crew members and restaurant security staff have informed us that they did not damage any of [his] personal possessions.

While we continue to learn more about the situation, we are hearing from customers who have questions about what happened. We urge everyone not to speculate or jump to conclusions before all the facts are known. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment and stellar service to McDonald’s customers around the world.

via Consumerist

Gee, none of the employees there say there was an altercation? Because if you've got folks who work there who assault customers, they certainly won't threaten coworkers with violence if they get ratted out.

[TheFeniX]

Gee, none of the employees there say there was an altercation? Because if you've got folks who work there who assault customers, they certainly won't threaten coworkers with violence if they get ratted out.

The other issue is that there's no incentive to admit to the assault (provided they are guilty). If they admit to it, they get fired. If they deny, there's no repercussions unless McD's investigation finds something. And then.... they get fired.

But if the police had done their job (or arguably the American Consulate pressured them to do so), then there's good incentive not to lie as obstructing an investigation is a crime just about everywhere. More than that, it's a lot harder (in my experience and that of some cops I've talked to) to reliably lie to someone in uniform. Besides, LEOs are generally trained to ferret out information, whereas an internal McD's team not only has an incentive not to find wrong-doing, they also may not even know how.

[Enigma]

Gee, none of the employees there say there was an altercation? Because if you've got folks who work there who assault customers, they certainly won't threaten coworkers with violence if they get ratted out.

The other issue is that there's no incentive to admit to the assault (provided they are guilty). If they admit to it, they get fired. If they deny, there's no repercussions unless McD's investigation finds something. And then.... they get fired.

But if the police had done their job (or arguably the American Consulate pressured them to do so), then there's good incentive not to lie as obstructing an investigation is a crime just about everywhere. More than that, it's a lot harder (in my experience and that of some cops I've talked to) to reliably lie to someone in uniform. Besides, LEOs are generally trained to ferret out information, whereas an internal McD's team not only has an incentive not to find wrong-doing, they also may not even know how.

The American Consulate would do squat since the victim is a Canadian Professor from the University of Toronto. The Canadian Embassy (or High Commission?) won't do squat either.

[CaptainChewbacca]

I'm pretty sure the man's glasses took a picture of the restaraunt manager with his hands ON THE MAN'S FACE, it would be hard to argue polite interaction in the face of that.

[Lord Relvenous]

I'm pretty sure the man's glasses took a picture of the restaraunt manager with his hands ON THE MAN'S FACE, it would be hard to argue polite interaction in the face of that.

That picture alone would get me or anyone I know fired. McDonald's is being fucking classy on this one.