In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019) • Hacker News Board

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#121

Post by kubanczyk » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:06 AM UTC

paulpauper wrote: post #9

When pundits --on either side of the pollical spectrum--talk about how bad America is or how things are on the verge of collapse societally, show them stats such as this. By almost every metric, as bad as things may seem, they were objectively worse decades ago. Yeah, it feels like people are angrier than ever, especially online, but Twitter is not real life. A combination of increased tech surveillance, longer priso…

There is just too much, too detailed information for an average person to process. The democracy of the 1800s, or rather the assumption that a voter can even begin to understand the impact of their vote (or apply any basic filter to whom they are about to mimic), does not scale well into 2000s. Subtler feedback loops would be more efficient.

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#122

Post by freeflight » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:08 AM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #75

> 1992, the worst year of all, there was an almost unimaginable 2,641 heists, one every 45 minutes of each banking day. Point Break came out in 1991. I wonder if that inspired some people. For those that don't know, the plot is that a bunch of LA surfers knock off banks so they can spend the rest of their time surfing, and get away with it for a long time.

It's interesting how the Werther-effect has been a topic for speculation, and even governmental action, for literally centuries, yet we don't seem to be any closer to acknowledging it, if it's actually a thing, or coming to any solid conclusions as what to do about if it actually is a thing.

It's also kind of weird how in the English-language sphere it's apparently only known/relevant for "copycat suicide" [0], when the implications for such a dynamic being true would be far more wide-reaching.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_suicide

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#123

Post by oblio » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:13 AM UTC

dionidium wrote: post #96

jeffbee wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just bank robbery. Every crime category is now much lower than it was in 1990, in every jurisdiction of the USA. Even if you take a city that people think is ridiculously dangerous, like Camden, New Jersey, the homicide rate was triple 25 years ago.

Unfortunately, this talking point (one I’ve put to good use over the last 20 years) is on shakier ground recently. Crime rates have have been rising for several years now in many U.S. cities and in some cases they’ve eclipsed the 90s highs. https://www.officer.com/command-hq/technology/computers-soft...

Have you read your own article?

Numbers are spiking for 2020.

I wonder why? A global pandemic, mass unemployment, lockdowns, political tensions.

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#124

Post by bzb6 » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:14 AM UTC

Reading this reminded me of the Clint Eastwood monologue in Dirty Harry. Do you feel lucky, punk?

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#125

Post by Axsuul » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:16 AM UTC

Melting_Harps wrote: post #6

Yeah, many of us that grew up in SoCal recall the heist that led to the so called 'assault weapon' ban, it was completely legal to have a long barrel rifle with 30 round magazines in CA prior to that--they could be open-carried if not loaded back then if I recall correctly, too. This was around the time of the LA riots in the 90s, too... which in my mind all happened at the same time as I recall being a kid sat in fr…

What California in the 90s feeling are you referring to?

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#126

Post by oblio » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:17 AM UTC

dionidium wrote: post #93

npunt wrote: post #65

Whenever the high crime rates in the 70s-90s is brought up I like to remind folks this was likely an aberration with a specific environmental cause (lead), rather than representative of human nature. This [1] is an eye-opening roundup of ~25 major studies that support the lead-crime hypothesis, including comparisons across countries & cultures. The evidence is pretty overwhelming and certainly changed my perspective…

Unfortunately, homicide rates in some U.S. cities are nearing (and in some cases eclipsing) their early 90s highs. As I often do, I’ll use St. Louis as an example here, because it’s the city I happen to be most familiar with, but this is happening all over. I completely bought the story you’re telling and never thought we’d ever see homicide rates matching the gang-war carnage of early 90s St. Louis, but we’re blowin…

> Unfortunately, homicide rates in some U.S. cities are nearing (and in some cases eclipsing) their early 90s highs.

In 2020. Year of infamy.

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#127

Post by mschuster91 » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:17 AM UTC

watwut wrote: post #109

b112 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While the lead theory may indeed be true, one other thing has changed in almost all areas of the world. Birth rates. And with declining birth rates, comes a decline in the number of youth, meaning "more of the population" is of an older age. Men are typically at their most aggressive when young adults, and those which have started families, have a different perspective on life. Note: not saying the above is the cause…

Young people are less violent, less likely to get pregnant as teens, drink less and take less illegal drugs then they use to - all per capita.

> less likely to get pregnant as teens

That's caused by providing at least somewhat decent sexual education in schools, although the US is still lacking in mandating sex ed or mandating medically accurate sex ed (=banning "abstinence only").

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#128

Post by Axsuul » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:20 AM UTC

blackrock wrote: post #14

nerbert wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then came the police state and the party was over.

It sounds like the 80s were more fun. We had Miami Vice, MacGyver, The A-Team, Knight Rider, and Battlestar Galactica back then. And homes were still affordable places to live in.

Sounds like rosy retrospection to me.

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#129

Post by mschuster91 » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:21 AM UTC

paulpauper wrote: post #10

The 80s were a crime paradise.--drug gangs, mafia, wall st white collar crime, informercial scams, televangelist and cult scams --you name it, it all thrived in the 80s.

> televangelist and cult scams

Well... I agree that at least Scientology has died down a little (even though Shelly Miscavige is still missing), but televangelists are as strong as ever, and not just that Kenneth Copeland guy.

Re: In 1980s Los Angeles, a bank was robbed every hour (2019)

#130

Post by octoberfranklin » Wed, Dec 23, 2020, 9:27 AM UTC

jeffbee wrote: post #35

octoberfranklin wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Every crime category is now much lower than it was in 1990, in every jurisdiction of the USA. Money laundering? idontthinkso.

"U.S. enforcement actions against institutions and individuals caught violating anti-money laundering rules dropped to a record low again in 2019"

"Why do you put quote marks around your unsourced assertions?"