I have the same issue with the idea that this is a setup as I do with a lot of other popular conspiracy theories, I just don't see any possible motive that makes sense. This entire situation has been a total PR nightmare for everyone who could possibly have been involved in the alleged conspiracy. That Luigi intended/expected to be caught seems to me the simplest and most likely explanation for the set of facts we have available. If I were to speculate further, I'd guess Luigi didn't expect to get as far as he did and was weighing his options while on the run, and basically just decided to turn himself in and chose a public place for his own safety.

[–] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 18 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Really? You really don't see a motive to make a swift arrest of the man who just fired the shot that might set off the class war? After we just watched every billionaire sweat for the first time in their entire lives?

NCPD/FBI is being pressured extremely heavily to produce results, and the people doing the pressuring aren't likely to care if the results are correct just as long as the results are visible - not to mention which, the agencies involved are kind of known for doing stuff like this before. The poors must be reminded that they will be swiftly hunted down and imprisoned or executed if they attempt to follow in the perpetrator's footsteps. This message must be presented quickly and made visible to every citizen, make a big show of it so everyone knows what happens when you mess with them. (Like a 40-strong perp walk and accusations of terrorism in addition to murder, for instance. Hmm.)

Therefore, if they really actually can't find the guy, continual pressure for results is going to become pressure to arrest a patsy instead so we can start the show already. The show must go on. And starting the show requires the star character.

I have no proof of any of this and it could reasonably be called a conspiracy theory, I guess. I expect no one will ever see anything approaching proof of this, for the usual reasons and methods that police misconduct is covered up with. But my common sense tells me that every detail of the arrest report practically screams "obvious plant" all over it, and the motive to do so is quite clear.

[–] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 14 points 6 days ago

To me, the details of the arrest report scream parallel construction. A full setup and Luigi being a patsy suggests that every detail was chosen by whoever perpetrated the conspiracy, and there are a lot of details that strike me as very bizarre choices for them to make. I find it difficult to believe that the NYPD are simultaneously competent enough to find a believable patsy and execute an elaborate setup within a few days, but incompetent enough to accidentally turn the patsy into a relatable folk hero.

[–] beliquititious@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 6 days ago

Luigi makes zero sense as a patsy. He has privilege, charisma, and intelligence. You don't setup an ivy league educated cousin of a state house representative with money for good legal representation. Not even porky is that stupid (I hope).