Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
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Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#2Heh who knew, that's all the motivation they needed, cheap rent.
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#3Heh who knew, that's all the motivation they needed, cheap rent.
Low level drug dealing is less profitable than a minimum wage job. Desperation is a powerful motivation.
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#4I remember seeing dealers selling crack in plain sight on 9th and mission every day. Cops would drive by and the dealers wouldn’t even try to hide. It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there. But what would I know.
On a side note, those dealers had pretty long hours, they’d be there from before 7am some times (and people buying too). It was also sad to see that most of their customers seemed to be residents of the nearby affordable housing buildings.
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#5I remember seeing dealers selling crack in plain sight on 9th and mission every day. Cops would drive by and the dealers wouldn’t even try to hide. It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there. But what would I know. On a side note, those dealers had pretty long hours, they’d be there from before 7am some times (and people buying too). It was also sad to see that most of their customers see…
There was a great book called Gang Leader for a Day, about a UChicago sociologist that spends time inside a Southside drug crew. His research showed that the average low-level street dealer made less than minimum wage. Almost all the profit accrued to the guys high up in the supply chain or gang hierarchy.
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#6Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#7Heh who knew, that's all the motivation they needed, cheap rent.
In the Bay Area, that's some pretty powerful motivation.
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#8I remember seeing dealers selling crack in plain sight on 9th and mission every day. Cops would drive by and the dealers wouldn’t even try to hide. It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there. But what would I know. On a side note, those dealers had pretty long hours, they’d be there from before 7am some times (and people buying too). It was also sad to see that most of their customers see…
> It was also sad to see that most of their customers seemed to be residents of the nearby affordable housing buildings.
I'm no expert on the subject, but it seems that the way we manage affordable housing in the US contributes to the problem. Vienna and Singapore can teach us a lot about how to do this better: https://www.shareable.net/public-housing-works-lessons-from-...
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#9I remember seeing dealers selling crack in plain sight on 9th and mission every day. Cops would drive by and the dealers wouldn’t even try to hide. It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there. But what would I know. On a side note, those dealers had pretty long hours, they’d be there from before 7am some times (and people buying too). It was also sad to see that most of their customers see…
Sounds like Hamsterdam from the Wire haha
Re: Bay Area drug kingpins lured low-level dealers, promising cheap rent (2020)
#10I remember seeing dealers selling crack in plain sight on 9th and mission every day. Cops would drive by and the dealers wouldn’t even try to hide. It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there. But what would I know. On a side note, those dealers had pretty long hours, they’d be there from before 7am some times (and people buying too). It was also sad to see that most of their customers see…
> It really seemed like there was some sort of arrangement going on there.
There's no arrangement needed, the entire state of CA has effectively decriminalized drug possession. Getting busted for dealing with just a small stash sufficient to support a few hours of selling amounts to a slap on the wrist.
So unless the dealer is A Problem, there's not really any interest in wasting time on it. You're not putting them behind bars by catching them, you're just generating busy work for yourself as a cop, and wasting resources in general.
The same scene can be observed in any CA urban center. There is still some enforcement in the lesser populated/rural parts where police are bored and looking for reasons to mess with the lives of poor addicts though.