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Train burglaries in LA

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Re: Train burglaries in LA

#311
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Arguably SF’s lack of police response enables continued drug abuse and homelessness. See: https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2021/rescuing-jessica-s... This person has no interest in treatment. They want to do drugs and take advantage of what’s provided to keep doing that. You can’t fix that with hotels. You either need to require treatment or imprison (paired with arresting dealers). On the more progressive end, m…

Your thinking here is still focused on symptoms rather than causes. Most people don't develop debilitating drug addictions without underlying problems. Even most people with drug addictions don't get to a point where they can't hold down a job or have a need to carry out crime to fund it, but of those who do it's worth considering why when e.g. a typical heroin addict can hold down a job and could have funded their a…

> Your thinking here is still focused on symptoms rather than causes.

We need to clean up the mess and prevent more being added at the same time.

It is not like we can only do either preventive or reactive.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#312
post #102

My observation from the comment sections to this post-apocalyptic video is the following: People focusing on how to prevent the theft of these cars, funding police, armed guards on trans, better security. I think this is an interesting perspective, it's very "American", it's like it has been accepted by these commenters that rampant thievery is a perfectly natural part of life and so, must be worked around rather tha…

Those who did this are not victims. They're culprits. That must be very clear.

Remember the imagery from recent (any) riots? E.g. the mob plundering a Walmart? Those people are not starving. They are just greedy, uncontrolled and aggressive. They did not steal food. Just expensive electronic entertainment devices.

Human behaviour is very predictable. There will always be a large number of people taking whatever they can get. That's how it is. The failed communism is the proof.

The only thing preventing those people from doing their crime onto society are sanctions.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#313
post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am well aware of the colloquial term "Defund the police" which is often met by "No, not literally defund it". But the reality is that there is a strong support to reduce resources and move towards soft-policing. Have you been to the Bay Area? Apartment complexes and condominiums are hardened like castles while their kids play in the safe courtyards and the outside is rotting to the point of unsafe for male padestri…

> Have you been to the Bay Area? Apartment complexes and condominiums are hardened like castles while their kids play in the safe courtyards and the outside is rotting to the point of unsafe for male padestrians, let alone women and kids. I don't think this is a fair description of the vast majority of the SF Bay Area. Perhaps it describes well some bits of Hayward and Oakland. Large amounts of the SF Bay Area have c…

It's a fairly accurate description of the apartment towers in downtown SF.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#314
Crime requires: means, motive, opportunity

The motive for crime is always present, and is mostly held in check by keeping the cost of means and opportunity high.

In this case the opportunity cost is very low. The trains are just sitting there unprotected.

And the means - will just grab a crow bar.

EDIT:

This regulation is well intentioned:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/28101

The good intention is to allow interstate policing of the railsystem. The bad effect is to prevent local law enforcement 'interference'.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#315
post #102

My observation from the comment sections to this post-apocalyptic video is the following: People focusing on how to prevent the theft of these cars, funding police, armed guards on trans, better security. I think this is an interesting perspective, it's very "American", it's like it has been accepted by these commenters that rampant thievery is a perfectly natural part of life and so, must be worked around rather tha…

Those who did this are not victims. They're culprits. That must be very clear. Remember the imagery from recent (any) riots? E.g. the mob plundering a Walmart? Those people are not starving. They are just greedy, uncontrolled and aggressive. They did not steal food. Just expensive electronic entertainment devices. Human behaviour is very predictable. There will always be a large number of people taking whatever they…

They are not victims of the theft, but they can be the product of something (like all of us).

If a society instills the values of "every man for himself" and that patience, hard work and helping a fellow human is for chumps, the result is also predictable when mixed with the right conditions/environment.

Trying to solve a problem by focusing on sanctions (usually called "War On ____") has been proven to fail catastrophically.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#316
post #102

My observation from the comment sections to this post-apocalyptic video is the following: People focusing on how to prevent the theft of these cars, funding police, armed guards on trans, better security. I think this is an interesting perspective, it's very "American", it's like it has been accepted by these commenters that rampant thievery is a perfectly natural part of life and so, must be worked around rather tha…

Fixing this is a two part issue. One, we cannot get rid of physical security, as everyone should have the right to protect themselves and their property. Two, the way to prevent crime from happening is to make people feel in the heart and soul that crime is morally wrong and destructive for the community around them. This is not instinctual human behavior. For those who learn this and live this, great. For those who…

[deleted]

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using cheap (~150 Euros) chinese Android phones for years now. I have not experienced memory running out (my current one has some 256 GB, I think), and privacy selling is a problem caused by apps, not by the hardware - you'd be surprised the amount of info your average iOS app sells. This Android vs. iOS thing is not about technical capabilities, it's about elitism - and elitism always breeds jealousy, and…

The poor most probably aren't using 150 euro phones, and he probably meant RAM more so than storage.

Well, that's the lower end for smartphones these days, and the one I am using has 4GiB of RAM, the same amount the iPhone 13 has. Again, this is not about technical specifications, it's about faux elitism and the problems that come with it.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#318
post #36

I would expect this kind of pictures from a third world country... How come no one is incentivized to fix this - protect the trains, prevent this loss of property? Who pays for the stolen goods? I presume it would be the retailers, is it just a drop in the ocean for them? In some more dystopian movies there were trains crossing vast areas of postapocalyptic hellscape protected by soldiers with machine guns and flamet…

Quoted post unavailable.

I think it's to clean out the major cities so they can be snapped up for cheap later on by the people funding those DAs. Look at how Trump made all his money. He bought cheap New York real estate in the 70s during a similar crime wave before it got cleaned back up.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#319
post #102

My observation from the comment sections to this post-apocalyptic video is the following: People focusing on how to prevent the theft of these cars, funding police, armed guards on trans, better security. I think this is an interesting perspective, it's very "American", it's like it has been accepted by these commenters that rampant thievery is a perfectly natural part of life and so, must be worked around rather tha…

We (Americans) don’t solve big problems, just like we don’t deliver justice for big crimes. The rot is deep.

Re: Train burglaries in LA

#320
post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's so hard to have this discussion with people that live in California but a lot of the scenes in SF and LA are literally out of developing, corrupt countries. I think people just don't want to admit how bad it has gotten because then they have to face their fears and take some action to change their future. Homelessness, crime, theft, lack of security, mentally ill people in droves on the street, "do not go areas"…

SF city government provides housing for about half of the city's homeless people. The homeless and mentally ill people in SF come from all over USA. You see them SF, but I don't think SF shares much of the blame for their suffering. American voters are to blame, mostly Americans who voted for Republicans who reduced government spending on social services.

Yes, I still know people who blame the Republicans who ran the state in the 70s for the homeless problem. That was 50 years ago, but it still makes a good narrative.
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