By Steven Symes 
People living in an Oakland neighborhood were so sick of regular street takeovers in a particular intersection they took it upon themselves to install barriers. But the city government recently removed the makeshift barriers and residents are fighting mad since they feel nothing will be done to prevent more takeovers.
Watch a suspect hit a moving train while fleeing from police.
We can hardly blame them. Remember this is the same city government which just installed stop signs because thieves were stealing the wiring from stop lights, creating traffic flow issues. It’s like watching a parent accommodate the poor behavior of their bratty adult child.
As covered by KTVU, the people in that particular neighborhood used tires filled with dirt and planter boxes to occupy the center of an intersection which has proven popular with the takeover crowd.
But the city recently scooped up and tossed the barriers, leaving the intersection once more bare and ready for street takeovers. It’s almost like the city wants to stop citizens from preventing takeover events without doing anything itself to prevent them.
One man on camera told KTVU residents have been asking the city to do something to stop the illegal takeover events for months. He claims the government did nothing about the problem. However, it seems little time was wasted in removing the citizen-installed barriers, hauling them away the same day leaders were made aware of their existence.
What would be refreshing is if the city of Oakland had a swift and decisive response to street takeovers, putting the smackdown on that crowd instead of punishing otherwise law abiding citizens who are tired of their neighborhood hosting illegal, dangerous gatherings.
There are, of course, solutions to the street takeover problem. We’ve seen other states pass sweeping, tough laws targeting the gatherings. Municipal governments have responded swiftly to any illegal events, not allowing them to gain steam and thus popularity. But it seems for now California and Oakland aren’t motivated to do such things.
Image via KTVU Fox 2 San Francisco/YouTube
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