The Tornado cash situation is one of many situations that highlight how the "establishment" views the crypto community. At best, they think we're just all part of a global Ponzi scheme and at worst, well, we're basically Alexey Pertsev.
You see, right now, Alexey Pertsev is facing the potential of jail time in the Netherlands for "masterminding" an open source code that bad actors used to launder money.
Now I'm not saying I condone money laundering but if I create a software for a good purpose and someone else uses it for something devious, how's it my fault? That would be like arresting the cavemen that invented sharp objects because people commit crimes with knives.
The story continues that even the wife of Alexey Pertsev, has been denied access to her husband. Speaking to Cointelegraph, she said;
“He’s kept in prison as if he were a dangerous criminal". She continued that "It is very unexpected for me that a person can be arrested for writing open source code."
This unfortunate event is just one of many instances where the crypto community is a victim of this level of disreputable treatment. It is a subtle attack on the open source community, and I bet a lot of devs will be worried.
The "Man" doesn't like you
In some way, the crypto industry is a middle finger to the establishment and for that reason, they don't like you. Crypto offers anonymity, privacy features and a host of tools that the legacy market can't track, making hodlers somewhat impervious to their trifling.
The establishment will, in turn, always seek out ways to "punish" crypto holders and traders. They know now that they can't completely ban the movement, so they might as well antagonist it.
You see it all the time, sometimes more blatantly than others. It will be in the way crypto is taxed, the way law enforcement treats you and many other obvious rules put in place.
Even in the most "crypto-friendly" climes, there is still some level of stigmatisation. It is the reason why crypto holders tend to be more private and secretive in their dealings.
In summary
The events surrounding the Tornado cash saga are a rather fascinating one. It highlights how even developing an open-source code could land you in hot water.
Concurrently, growing a community and projects aimed at creating value could also get you into trouble. You really have to keep your head on the swivel out there because they're after you.
If countries in Europe where I have often thought crypto was accepted can treat a dev like this, then there's really no hope for us in this part of the world. In any case, we will keep our head down, continue stacking and keep hoping for the best in the midst of the chaos.