As if there aren’t enough reasons to completely shut down street takeovers, one in Oakland, California over the weekend ended with a mass shooting. Why cities have allowed this nonsense to go unchecked for years is a mystery because takeovers or sideshows have been a magnet for all kinds of other crimes, including violence.
Portland just seized several street takeover participants’ cars.
Five people were struck by gunfire early on the morning of August 4, all of them ending up in the hospital. Things could have been much worse considering business surveillance footage shared by NBC shows the crowd at the gathering was large.
Shootings are fairly common at street takeovers. We know some people think these events are just kids having innocent fun, but they’re really not. Maybe some teens go believing that’s what they’re going to witness, but they could end up in the back of an ambulance, and not just from being shot.
Pedestrians are takeovers are hit by cars all the time. There are zero safety measures and people trying to film the rides doing donuts, drifts, etc. often get way too close for that perfect shot. With their brains not fully developed, teens seem to think social media clout is worth risking their lives.
If the kids who go to these events, as well as the severely immature adults who attend as well, won’t keep their behavior in check, it behooves cities, counties, and states to do just that. While in some areas there have been serious crackdowns on takeovers, it seems overall California and some other states tolerate the dangerous, lawless behavior.
What’s interesting is NBC’s coverage of the shooting includes business owners and neighbors where it went down complaining about the lack of accountability for street takeover participants.
Local station KPIX spoke with the owner of a bike shop after his building was hit by a takeover car and damaged to the point it was condemned. He was understandably upset about authorities not enforcing the law, leaving law-abiding citizens like him exposed to physical and financial harm.
It’s beyond time for local governments to realize they don’t exist to advocate for those who want to break the law to have fun. After all, that’s what the tolerance of street takeovers is really all about.
Image via NBC Bay Area/YouTube
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