{"id":1491005,"date":"2024-09-20T02:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-20T06:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1491005"},"modified":"2024-09-20T02:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T06:15:00","slug":"los-angeles-struggles-to-curb-brazen-and-violent-street-takeovers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/los-angeles-struggles-to-curb-brazen-and-violent-street-takeovers\/1491005\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Struggles To Curb Brazen And Violent Street Takeovers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Struggles To Curb Brazen And Violent Street Takeovers<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Beige Luciano-Adams via The Epoch Times<\/a> (emphasis ours),<\/em><\/p>\n

Two infernos, a vandalized storefront, a Metro bus slamming into three cars, drones spitting fireworks at drifting, souped-up muscle cars<\/strong>. Relatively, it was a tame Labor Day Weekend in Los Angeles County, where illegal street takeovers continue to terrorize neighborhoods that have been co-opted as tourist attractions for drivers and spectators seeking internet clout.<\/p>\n

Dodgers fans celebrate after a win in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2020. Brandon Bell\/Getty Images<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Contemporary \u201ctakeovers\u201d\u2014in which drivers commandeer intersections and perform dangerous stunts for a scrum of onlookers\u2014are a kind of successor to classic California car cultures including drag racing, cruising, lowriding, and sideshows.<\/p>\n

But propelled by the manic, mimetic spectacle of social media, they have become a uniquely dangerous part of the landscape.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle thefts, shootings, flash mob robberies, and pedestrian fatalities associated with illegal racing and takeovers have all increased from pre-pandemic levels, according to officials<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement agencies say they are cracking down with a zero tolerance approach, and a multi-agency task force dedicated to addressing the issue, investing in educational programming and diversion, enhancing technology, and deploying street modifications has been used at problem intersections.<\/p>\n

Despite all this, the problem appears increasingly unhinged.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is this increase in violent behavior\u2014looting, cars on fire. Recently, we had two kids shot and one murdered at a takeover, at a spin,<\/strong>\u201d Craig Valenzuela, commander of the Los Angeles Police Department\u2019s (LAPD) Traffic Group, told the L.A. County Board of Supervisors at a July 30 meeting.<\/p>\n

He was referring to a July 22 incident in which two 15-year-olds involved in a takeover were shot after an alleged robbery, including one fatally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s really what concerns us\u2014it\u2019s the level of violence and us trying to get in there to end those and keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the meeting, other agencies and county staff presented a\u00a0final report<\/a> on illegal racing and takeovers in unincorporated county areas, nearly a year in the making.<\/strong><\/p>\n

They painted a rather bleak picture, acknowledging the scope and scale of the problem, and the fact that existing enforcement, as well as outreach efforts by authorities\u2014seeking to influence the behavior of an anti-authority youth subculture\u2014are not working.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has risen to that level where we really need to dedicate all of our resources and address this epidemic that\u2019s wreaking havoc on our communities,\u201d L.A. Assistant Sheriff Myron Johnson told the board.<\/p>\n

Supervisors ultimately voted to direct staff and the Los Angeles Sheriff\u2019s Department (LASD) to report back on funding and an action plan in 60 days.<\/p>\n

To advocates who have been lobbying for years to stave off the inevitable casualties of illegal racing and takeovers, it seems a long time coming.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, I think it caught everyone by surprise<\/strong>,\u201d said Lili Trujillo Puckett, founder of\u00a0Street Racing Kills<\/a>, referring to a surge of takeovers during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Puckett founded her organization after her 16-year-old daughter, Valentina, was killed in a street racing crash in 2014. She now runs diversion programs for youth offenders, as well as legislative and education campaigns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were no laws in place. I started asking for bills a long time ago, but nobody saw it was a problem,\u201d she told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

Lili Trujillo Puckett, founder of Street Racing Kills, speaks alongside local residents and supporters of the group during a protest on the increase in street racing takeovers in the Angelino Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles on Aug. 26, 2022. Patrick T. Fallon\/AFP via Getty Images<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Donald Galaz, founder of Project Street Legal, an organization focused on providing legal venues for street racing, says the problem has outgrown law enforcement\u2019s ability to corral it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just way out of control,\u201d he said. \u201cNo task force is ever going to stop it\u2014there are too many individuals, these kids out there, they just continue to move from place to place.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

Galaz is a longtime member of the Brotherhood of International Street Racers, a group that developed legal avenues for racing, which he credits with getting him off the streets and out of gangs in his youth. And while there is a \u201clevel of disrespect\u201d and chaos in today\u2019s takeovers that wasn\u2019t part of the covert sideshows and drag racing of previous decades, then largely confined to industrial areas and parking lots, he says officials could still put a major dent in the problem by giving kids a safer alternative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been advocating for this for over 12 years\u2014let\u2019s do something. I\u2019ve been through many city council members and mayors that promise to help<\/strong>,\u201d he said. Galaz said he ran phone banks for a mayoral campaign, but the effort ended in a long line of \u201cunkept promises\u201d to address the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, people are dying. The public is at risk. Businesses are getting destroyed. Streets are getting destroyed,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then you see on the news all the time that people are getting killed, and still elected officials have done nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uneven Impact<\/h2>\n

The destruction tends to be concentrated in certain areas, and often perpetrated by people who live elsewhere, say locals.<\/p>\n

The city of Compton has long been an epicenter of Southern California car culture, home to motorcycle and racing clubs, and a Sunday lowrider cruise that continues to this day.<\/p>\n

But in recent years, it\u2019s also become a hotbed for out-of-towners in search of street cred and Instagram likes, a launching pad for drivers to make their name.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want internet clout, you have to go to Compton,\u201d Galaz said. \u201cThat\u2019s no secret.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

During a July 28 takeover in the city, California Highway Patrol (CHP) arrested 63 spectators, issued 66 citations, and impounded 28 vehicles,\u00a0according<\/a> to the agency.<\/p>\n

Recent LASD\u00a0data<\/a> show the vast majority of takeovers in the first quarter of this year\u2014219 out of 289\u2014happened in the county\u2019s Second Supervisorial District, which includes South L.A. and parts of the Harbor Region. Most of those were in the cities of Compton and Carson, which had 90 and 109 incidents, respectively. This is an increase over the previous quarter, when there were 173 takeovers in the District, out of a total 234 incidents, with 74 and 58 in Compton and Carson.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Fourth and First Districts, which cover the southeastern and eastern parts of the county, had 55 and 15 incidents in the first months of 2024. There were no takeovers reported in District Three, which includes West L.A. cities, or District Five, which covers the northern part of the county.<\/p>\n

Vehicles drive over tire skid marks from other drivers doing burnouts and donuts on Bellevue Ave. as area residents protest an increase in street racing takeovers and the latest<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe increase in illegal street takeovers is deeply troubling,\u201d Compton Mayor Emma Sharif told The Epoch Times. \u201cIt goes against the values of our city\u2014it really does. This issue has had a severe impact on our community, affecting both the safety and the well being of residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Compton and Carson do not have their own police forces but\u00a0contract<\/a> with the L.A. Sheriff\u2019s Department, which coordinates with other agencies like the CHP on traffic enforcement. Carson city officials did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

Looking at LAPD data for the city of Los Angeles, it appears that street racing and takeovers\u00a0peaked<\/a> in 2020, with 912 incidents. There were 319 in 2019, and the numbers have fluctuated since, dropping to 482 last year.<\/p>\n

That shows redistribution, not eradication, observers say.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJust because it has peaked in the city of Los Angeles doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s gone down across the county,\u201d Damian Kevitt, executive director of the nonprofit Streets Are for Everyone, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n

As the LAPD\u2019s street racing task force has gotten more aggressive, he said, the crackdown has pushed the problem to outlying communities like Compton and unincorporated areas.<\/p>\n

The CHP, which enforces vehicle code in Los Angeles County, responded to 100 street takeovers, issued 2,000 citations, arrested 500 people for reckless driving, driving under the influence, spectating, and weapons offenses, and impounded more than 400 vehicles in unincorporated areas of L.A. County last year, according to the agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cStreet racers will show up, do their takeovers, spend 45 minutes\u2014they know how long it will take for the task force to do their thing, then they\u2019re off to the next location,<\/strong>\u201d said Kevitt.<\/p>\n

LASD and LAPD data show takeovers increased in the first months of 2024 in both the county and the city, but the county saw an overall 15 percent dip in the second quarter over the first, from 289 to 245 incidents, LASD officials told the board at the July meeting.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s still more than the fourth quarter of last year, and Compton is trending upward.<\/p>\n

\u2018More Brazen, More Violent\u2019<\/h2>\n

In its June 12\u00a0report<\/a> responding to a directive from the city council, the LAPD pointed to the diminishing ability of law enforcement officers and first responders to intervene at takeovers, which often include hundreds of spectators and countless vehicles.<\/p>\n

Spectators use laser pointers to blind officers and helicopters, launch fireworks at police, intentionally ram and swarm cars, and resist arrest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they feel like they\u2019re untouchable,\u201d Galaz said. \u201cAnd because it\u2019s one police unit with two officers that shows up, they\u2019re outnumbered right off the bat. So now you\u2019ve got these kids that are out there blocking the cars, throwing rocks and bottles and shooting fireworks and doing that type of stuff to the police. … They just don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Demonstrators jump on a damaged police vehicle during a protest in Los Angeles on May 30, 2020. Ariana Drehsler\/AFP via Getty Images<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Street racing has always been anti-authoritarian, but Galaz notes racers used to be more concerned with demonstrating their skills than taunting law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe last thing we wanted to do was get the attention of law enforcement while we\u2019re out trying to get something done, you know? But it seems like they\u2019re taunting them,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t understand the logic behind wanting to do these things and just the amount of disrespect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Law enforcement and first responders are already stretched thin by budget deficits, understaffing, and an all-consuming homelessness crisis. For all the above reasons, agencies are looking to outsource some policing to technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going in the center of the takeover anymore. It\u2019s just too dangerous for us<\/strong>,\u201d CHP South L.A. Commander Joe Zivi\u00a0told<\/a> the board in July. \u201cThere is no doubt these takeovers are more brazen, more violent<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CHP already monitors hotspots with helicopters and airplanes equipped with infrared technology and recording that can be used for prosecution, and soon it will have high-powered cameras to read license plates in real time, which they hope to bring to judges to get 30-day seizures, and then impound the vehicles at a later date, Zivi said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, LASD hopes to expand a pilot program that uses drones to help with racing and takeover enforcement, while some cities are initiating their own programs.<\/p>\n

In March, Carson\u00a0debuted<\/a> a new drone policy to \u201cenhance city services,\u201d and in April, it\u00a0announced<\/a> the installation of a multi-million-dollar, \u201cstate-of-the-art\u201d surveillance system across the city to help \u201creduce suspicious activity\u201d and increase stolen vehicle recovery as part of LASD\u2019s License Plate Recognition Camera Project.<\/p>\n

But some question the logic of investing in high-tech cameras to photograph license plates when many of the cars involved are stolen\u2014and the drivers may be long gone by the time police show up.<\/p>\n

Culture Clash<\/h2>\n

For older generations in racing and cruising scenes, contemporary takeovers and their attendant chaos are casting a long shadow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the car culture has been, and still is under attack from different angles<\/strong>,\u201d Galaz said. \u201cPeople will say law enforcement is just taking the fun out of things. But then the takeovers are giving a black eye to the whole culture<\/strong>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Developed by Mexican Americans in the post-WWII era, lowriding is a beloved and recognizable part of the Southern California cultural mosaic, memorialized in art exhibitions, books, films\u2014and now\u00a0imitated<\/a> by adolescents with disposable income in places such as\u00a0Saudi Arabia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill legalizing lowriding and cruising\u2014or driving \u201clow and slow\u201d to show off modified classic cars, overriding previous restrictions.<\/p>\n

At the July 30 board meeting, public speakers from racing and lowrider clubs came out to remind the government that cruising is legal and should not be painted with the same brush as illegal takeovers.<\/p>\n

Read more here…<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 09\/19\/2024 – 22:15<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/los-angeles-struggles-curb-brazen-and-violent-street-takeovers<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles Struggles To Curb Brazen And Violent Street Takeovers Authored by Beige Luciano-Adams via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Two infernos, a vandalized storefront,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1491006,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1491005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1491005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1491005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1491006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1491005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1491005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1491005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}