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Alternatively: this is San Francisco where on a good day the locals don’t need much excuse to set fire to a car (although I usually associate it with the Giants

by SllX 3y ago

Alternatively: this is San Francisco where on a good day the locals don’t need much excuse to set fire to a car (although I usually associate it with the Giants winning a World Series) and this poor dumb stupid driverless Waymo drove into a celebratory and by the looks of it somewhat drunken crowd on the Streets of Chinatown during the Chinese New Year where in following its prime directive to do no harm, it got itself stuck up the creek without a paddle so to speak. Waymo probably should have accounted for that ahead of time and told their cars not to go near Chinatown this evening. Welcome to the Year of the Dragon.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
Is SF really that bad for cars being set on fire via random celebrations/riots? Paris’s suburbs I get, but SF?
- verticalscaler 3y ago
  I can't tell you how many smashed cars I've seen with rolled down windows and notes begging people not to trash them and that there are no valuables inside.
  - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
    That’s different: it’s just drug addicts looking for drug money and the citizens being too nice to get their police to crack down on that. But lighting a car on fire for anger and kicks is something else.
    - verticalscaler 3y ago
      I'm not sure if "nice" is a logical word to use in this context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory Be assured it isn't "just" drug addicts but increasingly profit minded criminals and misguided teenagers, 'etc. They smash the windows anyhow and occasionally set things on fire for kicks. And there are more and more organized and semi-organized groups.
      - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
        I can see some kids getting in on the action, but unhoused neighbor bashing in a car window in plain view is common where I’m at (Seattle). The only time I’ve seen it done otherwise was with Kia Boyz in a Fred myer parking lot, but I think they were just doing random things without much real thought (let’s steal some cars, and then go use them to try to snatch purses and bash windows at a busy Fred Myer on a Sunday afternoon).
- SllX 3y ago
  Here you go. 2014: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Here-we-go-again-Giants-fan-celebration-has-its-5857337.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Here-we-go-again-Gian... 2012: https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/10/29/san-francisco-giants-fans-burn-bus-smash-windows-after-team-wins-the-world-series/ https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/10/29/san-francisco-giants-... 2010: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/world-series-damage-report/1856781/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/world-series-damage-r... As for doing so on Chinese New Year? I honestly think this Waymo got stuck in the crowd at the wrong place at the wrong time. Waymo has a good track record and still does in my books, but this car shouldn’t have been near Chinatown on Chinese New Year. It’s just stupid that it was, and unfortunate for the car. Those streets really are narrow and yeah, it gets crowded, so I’m inclined to think this was more a crime of opportunity. A mob gathered, some of them drunk and/or edgy, one thing led to another, etc. Also it’s possible I overplayed how much of this was an SF phenomenon. It’s the City I know best but I found reports of other sports fans doing the same across America and Canada when I was Googling those links for you.
  - nwiswell 3y ago
    > Also it’s possible I overplayed how much of this was an SF phenomenon. Yep. This is a phenomenon everywhere. I don't have hard data to support this, but I'm under the impression that soccer fans in Europe are even crazier.
    - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
      Ya, or hockey fans in Canada after they lose an important game. But Paris is special, since this generally happens every summer and May Day from kids just being angry. Unheard of in Asia, however a skyscraper was accidentally burned out on the last day of CNY in 2009.
- throwup238 3y ago
  Yes. From just the past month: https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/02/4-cars-set-on-fire-in-san-franciscos-bernal-heights-rattling-residents/ https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/02/4-cars-set-on-fire-in-san-... Usually it’s limited to sports championships and other special events though.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

by SllX 3y ago

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

Is SF really that bad for cars being set on fire via random celebrations/riots? Paris’s suburbs I get, but SF?

verticalscaler 3y ago
I can't tell you how many smashed cars I've seen with rolled down windows and notes begging people not to trash them and that there are no valuables inside.
- seanmcdirmid 3y ago
  That’s different: it’s just drug addicts looking for drug money and the citizens being too nice to get their police to crack down on that. But lighting a car on fire for anger and kicks is something else.
  - verticalscaler 3y ago
    I'm not sure if "nice" is a logical word to use in this context. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_windows_theory Be assured it isn't "just" drug addicts but increasingly profit minded criminals and misguided teenagers, 'etc. They smash the windows anyhow and occasionally set things on fire for kicks. And there are more and more organized and semi-organized groups.
    - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
      I can see some kids getting in on the action, but unhoused neighbor bashing in a car window in plain view is common where I’m at (Seattle). The only time I’ve seen it done otherwise was with Kia Boyz in a Fred myer parking lot, but I think they were just doing random things without much real thought (let’s steal some cars, and then go use them to try to snatch purses and bash windows at a busy Fred Myer on a Sunday afternoon).
SllX 3y ago
Here you go. 2014: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Here-we-go-again-Giants-fan-celebration-has-its-5857337.php https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Here-we-go-again-Gian... 2012: https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/10/29/san-francisco-giants-fans-burn-bus-smash-windows-after-team-wins-the-world-series/ https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/10/29/san-francisco-giants-... 2010: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/world-series-damage-report/1856781/ https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/sports/world-series-damage-r... As for doing so on Chinese New Year? I honestly think this Waymo got stuck in the crowd at the wrong place at the wrong time. Waymo has a good track record and still does in my books, but this car shouldn’t have been near Chinatown on Chinese New Year. It’s just stupid that it was, and unfortunate for the car. Those streets really are narrow and yeah, it gets crowded, so I’m inclined to think this was more a crime of opportunity. A mob gathered, some of them drunk and/or edgy, one thing led to another, etc. Also it’s possible I overplayed how much of this was an SF phenomenon. It’s the City I know best but I found reports of other sports fans doing the same across America and Canada when I was Googling those links for you.
- nwiswell 3y ago
  > Also it’s possible I overplayed how much of this was an SF phenomenon. Yep. This is a phenomenon everywhere. I don't have hard data to support this, but I'm under the impression that soccer fans in Europe are even crazier.
  - seanmcdirmid 3y ago
    Ya, or hockey fans in Canada after they lose an important game. But Paris is special, since this generally happens every summer and May Day from kids just being angry. Unheard of in Asia, however a skyscraper was accidentally burned out on the last day of CNY in 2009.
throwup238 3y ago
Yes. From just the past month: https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/02/4-cars-set-on-fire-in-san-franciscos-bernal-heights-rattling-residents/ https://sfstandard.com/2024/01/02/4-cars-set-on-fire-in-san-... Usually it’s limited to sports championships and other special events though.
deleted 3y ago
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