4 ms·

This is surreal. I’m a US expat living/working in the UK. Mostly disconnected from US media. Those of you living in LA… is it really this bad?

by ampgt 5y ago

errcorrectcode 5y ago
I grew up in California but left in 2019 because of desertification (increasing wildfires and droughts) and the tone-deaf, utopian absurdity not directed at traditional liberalism, problem-solving, healing social problems, or long-term sustainability. Recently, on CBSN LA, they made the usual ("If it bleeds, it leads") big deal when a pretty young white chick working in a store alone was violently murdered by some criminal jackass with a lengthy record. Fodder for the middle class and upper classes to demand "law and order" at any cost, while of course the upper classes enjoy preferential protection and treatment. Even if all cops were suddenly idealistic, professional "Boy Scouts" independent of political concerns, they aren't and can't be everywhere at once. But, in California, honest citizens aren't legally allowed to defend themselves or their families. And, most cops have given-up and many DAs aren't prosecuting crimes. Sounds like a recipe for a swing to totalitarianism if you ask me, not building a social safety net, a mental healthcare system, and universal healthcare (which Medicare is not). The most important question is: Are you familiar with Skid Row or what Venice looks like? How about SF, San Jose, or Sacramento? In 2018, I saw a homeless dude proudly relieving himself in the middle of Sac's main library front lawn in front of rush hour traffic. Also, it's not limited to California. Austin had a visible homelessness issue until outdoor living/poverty was criminalized, but now it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind with a quick "fix". The two hotels (e.g., literal concentration camps rather than death camps) the city owns for the homeless quickly filled up and the remaining people had to scurry to hide anywhere else less visible. LA also criminalized poverty for a while through an ordinance that was struck-down in federal court. Overall, in the US, there's a sense that there is a risk of civil war around 2024-2025 due to a number of colliding factors. Matters that are forbidden from being discussed here because respectful debates and dialogue are often impossible, and also a certain kind of ideological/academic fascism and reality warping and isolation that exists in two camps. Don't dare speak heresy against either camp or be instantly "cancelled" if belonging, or attacked if outside, for daring to challenge tribal dogma. Most people are divided-and-conquered, and there's a certain group who feels they're losing their entitled power. Another issue is the widening bifurcation between the real impoverishment of the majority and the recent doubling of the wealth at the top.
mrintellectual 5y ago
A friend of mine told me that those who did this are actually repeat offenders who kept getting released from jail due to a no-bail policy. Shows you the current state of the criminal justice system in LA.
- barbazoo 5y ago
  Can someone explain why this is supposed to be due to a "no-bail" policy? Many other places don't have a bail system and people aren't looting stores or robbing trains.
  - throwawaysea 5y ago
    It’s not just no bail. It’s no consequence. Criminals don’t get charged or sentenced or fined by city prosecutors. If they do, the consequences amount to a weak slap on the wrist at best. One of the big practical reasons is that George Soros and the nonprofits he funds have financially backed many extremist leftist/progressive district attorneys who practice “restorative justice” (https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-prosecutor-campaign-20180523-story.html https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-prosecutor-ca...), which is a totally simplistic approach where the lack of consequences is thought to lead to less crime and recidivism. The outcomes of such policies are very predictable and it is why LA, SF, Seattle, etc have experienced a massive amount of crime, blight, and deterioration in the last 5-10 years. The whole situation is very upsetting because previously safe and beautiful cities have been turned into dangerous slums. And during COVID, the fact that large quantities of PPE and test kits and so on have been stolen from these trains and just discarded on the tracks (not valuable / sellable) is incredibly harmful to the public on a whole other level.
    - Urist-Green 5y ago
      I don't think that article supports your argument. Looking at the elections highlighted there it seems more like donations don't matter. Sacramento - Noah Phillips - Lost San Diego - Geneviéve Jones-Wright - Lost Alameda - Pamela Price - Lost Contra Costa - Diana Becton - Won Three of the four candidates highlighted by the article for getting support from Soro's PAC lost. The one who won was the incumbent in that race.

This is surreal. I’m a US expat living/working in the UK. Mostly disconnected from US media. Those of you living in LA… is it really this bad?

by ampgt 5y ago

This is surreal. I’m a US expat living/working in the UK. Mostly disconnected from US media. Those of you living in LA… is it really this bad?

errcorrectcode 5y ago

I grew up in California but left in 2019 because of desertification (increasing wildfires and droughts) and the tone-deaf, utopian absurdity not directed at traditional liberalism, problem-solving, healing social problems, or long-term sustainability. Recently, on CBSN LA, they made the usual ("If it bleeds, it leads") big deal when a pretty young white chick working in a store alone was violently murdered by some criminal jackass with a lengthy record. Fodder for the middle class and upper classes to demand "law and order" at any cost, while of course the upper classes enjoy preferential protection and treatment. Even if all cops were suddenly idealistic, professional "Boy Scouts" independent of political concerns, they aren't and can't be everywhere at once. But, in California, honest citizens aren't legally allowed to defend themselves or their families. And, most cops have given-up and many DAs aren't prosecuting crimes. Sounds like a recipe for a swing to totalitarianism if you ask me, not building a social safety net, a mental healthcare system, and universal healthcare (which Medicare is not). The most important question is: Are you familiar with Skid Row or what Venice looks like? How about SF, San Jose, or Sacramento? In 2018, I saw a homeless dude proudly relieving himself in the middle of Sac's main library front lawn in front of rush hour traffic. Also, it's not limited to California. Austin had a visible homelessness issue until outdoor living/poverty was criminalized, but now it's out-of-sight, out-of-mind with a quick "fix". The two hotels (e.g., literal concentration camps rather than death camps) the city owns for the homeless quickly filled up and the remaining people had to scurry to hide anywhere else less visible. LA also criminalized poverty for a while through an ordinance that was struck-down in federal court. Overall, in the US, there's a sense that there is a risk of civil war around 2024-2025 due to a number of colliding factors. Matters that are forbidden from being discussed here because respectful debates and dialogue are often impossible, and also a certain kind of ideological/academic fascism and reality warping and isolation that exists in two camps. Don't dare speak heresy against either camp or be instantly "cancelled" if belonging, or attacked if outside, for daring to challenge tribal dogma. Most people are divided-and-conquered, and there's a certain group who feels they're losing their entitled power. Another issue is the widening bifurcation between the real impoverishment of the majority and the recent doubling of the wealth at the top.

mrintellectual 5y ago

A friend of mine told me that those who did this are actually repeat offenders who kept getting released from jail due to a no-bail policy. Shows you the current state of the criminal justice system in LA.

barbazoo 5y ago
Can someone explain why this is supposed to be due to a "no-bail" policy? Many other places don't have a bail system and people aren't looting stores or robbing trains.
- throwawaysea 5y ago
  It’s not just no bail. It’s no consequence. Criminals don’t get charged or sentenced or fined by city prosecutors. If they do, the consequences amount to a weak slap on the wrist at best. One of the big practical reasons is that George Soros and the nonprofits he funds have financially backed many extremist leftist/progressive district attorneys who practice “restorative justice” (https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-prosecutor-campaign-20180523-story.html https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-prosecutor-ca...), which is a totally simplistic approach where the lack of consequences is thought to lead to less crime and recidivism. The outcomes of such policies are very predictable and it is why LA, SF, Seattle, etc have experienced a massive amount of crime, blight, and deterioration in the last 5-10 years. The whole situation is very upsetting because previously safe and beautiful cities have been turned into dangerous slums. And during COVID, the fact that large quantities of PPE and test kits and so on have been stolen from these trains and just discarded on the tracks (not valuable / sellable) is incredibly harmful to the public on a whole other level.
  - Urist-Green 5y ago
    I don't think that article supports your argument. Looking at the elections highlighted there it seems more like donations don't matter. Sacramento - Noah Phillips - Lost San Diego - Geneviéve Jones-Wright - Lost Alameda - Pamela Price - Lost Contra Costa - Diana Becton - Won Three of the four candidates highlighted by the article for getting support from Soro's PAC lost. The one who won was the incumbent in that race.