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Comment by Sophistifunk | Hacker News Reader

Firstly, I'm clearly not talking about camping. I'm talking about parks in the suburbs and cities. Secondly, "having a wine with my wife" is treated very differently from "having some beers with my fellow twenty-somethings," without needing to bring in the extra baggage that would be included if those twenty-somethings happen to be black.

I'm sure I can drink a wine in the park with my wife too, now that I'm old. Doesn't make it OK the way the police treat the young and/or brown.

And no, for what it's worth, it's not as bad in the US as it is here, because Americans (generally) respect the freedoms of others much more than Australians do. Which is why in my experience the subsequent dickheaddery isn't as prevalent or extreme there either.

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People in the US drink in the parks, the suburbs and the cities, especially in the evenings. The care and discretion one needs to take is proportional to how much free time the cops in the area have and circumstance / setting. You can drink openly at the beach. If in a small town park, you'd want to either have the alcohol in an unmarked bottle, a soda can, or a brown paper bag. In the cities the cops are typically concerned with real crime that they do not care and one can almost openly drink. In some areas one can legally openly drink, like in Las Vegas.

Access to alcohol is a separate thing altogether, and is freely available depending on county and state, but, in the areas where the majority of Americans live (ie, not Utah, or similar), it's very easy to get alcohol and it's not seen as a bad thing.

The issue is that the US is so large and disparate that everyone's experience will be slightly different, and, no offense, but your opinion of drinking culture in the US seems off base and I get the sense you don't know what you're talking about.

But that goes back to the original point. In cultures where drinking is accepted, you don't have to put your alcohol in a paper bag or hide in an unmarked container. You buy it and drink it however you want so long as you aren't bothering others.

In the US, you have to be sneaky about it and you're always one bored cop away from trouble.

> You can drink openly at the beach.

In CA at least, drinking at most beaches is not legal: https://beachlifeexpert.com/beaches/alcohol-guide-california...

not legal, but very socially acceptable

... if you are young and white. For people of color, the "selective enforcement" effect kicks in which makes these laws so immensely prone to abuse.

I don't know why you threw in 'young', that clearly isn't part of the equation. My retired mother and her retired friends all love to drink on the beach. It seems to be very popular with the elderly.

depends on the specific beach, in my area you’ll be stopped within 30 mins or so of cracking a beer. Maybe not some, but beer, regardless of container, is heavily patrolled for.

> because Americans (generally) respect the freedoms of others much more than Australians do.

Oh that’s rich. A certain political party’s primary goal seems to control and reduce freedoms.

Also what evidence do you have that “brown” people are targeted more than others?

> Also what evidence do you have that “brown” people are targeted more than others?

I tried to engage with you upthread assuming positive intent. This comment seems like deliberate baiting and I don’t think it’s the least bit authentic. I don’t think there’s any question that non-white people in America are selectively policed more than white people except by those arguing in bad faith.

No it’s the truth and you likely don’t want to hear it. Americans do not respect each other’s liberties. Prove me wrong.

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