Trains keep getting robbed in Los Angeles

[Helsinkian]

What an incredible thread. There's a place in LA where cargo trains go by slowly, so people just break open the containers and loot the packages. And apparently this happens all the time.

https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1481770722271760384

https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1481770817767698435

https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1481770829025185792

https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1481770959673520128

https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1481771854465359873

[Santander]

California is a lawless wasteland.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

[Mr. Reactionary]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

[Tintrlvr]

This does feel like a pretty easy problem to fix by stepping up the enforcement presence. Not like the LAPD doesn't have the manpower to do so. Is there possibly a jurisdiction issue here?

[Santander]

I believe the railroad has its own law enforcement agency responsible for preventing this kind of thing.

Yeah, but UP has so much trackage, and patrolling short stretches in urban areas is never what their police department was intended to do, nor do they have the manpower for it.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

Sounds like anystate where American capitalism/the Neoliberal ‘consensus has taken root; believing it’s a Blue or Red state issue is hilarious, the American worker gets shafted regardless of party in 21st century America.

[Cassandra]

I believe the railroad has its own law enforcement agency responsible for preventing this kind of thing.

Yeah, but UP has so much trackage, and patrolling short stretches in urban areas is never what their police department was intended to do, nor do they have the manpower for it.

That makes sense. I wonder if there are prosecution issues as well. Here they just announced that they won't be pursuing charges originating from "non-public safety" stops, which somehow includes things like driving an unregistered vehicle, driving a vehicle that has not passed its safety inspection, or driving with fake license plates.

There is a broader problem with antisocial behavior in this country, but whenever I read up on an area where crime is especially bad, there is a "progressive" prosecutor lurking behind every habitual criminal and drugged-out zombie who has been let loose to tyrannize law-abiding citizens.

Are you sure about that? I don't think the prosecutors around here are particularly progressive and we've got plenty of gun violence around Atlanta. Every god damn night I hear people shooting off. A lot of it I think is target practice, but every now and then I hear what sounds like a gun battle followed by sirens. And just the other day a baby was shot in the head over on hollowell Rd, I heard that on the radio. Don't see how we can really put that on progressives.

[Torie]

Depressing story. So many depressing stories. 

[certified hummus supporter 🇵🇸🤝🇺🇸🤝🇺🇦]

Glad to know that CJ was able to follow the train

[Hindsight was 2020]

Glad to know that CJ was able to follow the train

10/10 reference

[jojoju1998]

I believe the railroad has its own law enforcement agency responsible for preventing this kind of thing.

Hard to have much sympathy for people ordering off of Amazon though. They are just as responsible for this nightmare we are making of our world as the people who are robbing those trains. More so, even.

Whether you prefer a shop in person or online, there are plenty of options that do not implicate you in the economic suicide of this country and its working class.

I order off Amazon....

[The Free North]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Tragically ironic considering the ideological leans of most in office. CA is turning rapidly turning itself into South Africa with the added insult of a smile while they hold a gun to your face.

[jojoju1998]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Tragically ironic considering the ideological leans of most in office. CA is turning rapidly turning itself into South Africa with the added insult of a smile while they hold a gun to your face.

As a sign of how crazy it's getting, even Sacramento is getting expensive, crowded.

My parents's house, when they bought it years ago, was 250k, now it's 600k in value.

Really, if the only cheap areas, where a middle class person can buy a house is FREAKING FRESNO AND BAKERSFIELD. And no one likes those cities. ( Sorry but it's true. ).

[Ferguson97]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

As opposed to red states, which are just wastelands for everybody.

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

As opposed to red states, which are just wastelands for everybody.

And I really should point out that at least states like California, Oregon, New York (all places I've lived) have baseline social safety nets and access to healthcare through expanded medicaid programs, unlike Red states. The difference between being able to access healthcare in Oregon through OHP (Oregon Health Plan) Vs. what I've experienced and the meager resources in Texas is mind-boggling. That any Conservative could actually believe red states are better to live in for the poor or working class and take that from what I said is totally off base.

[jojoju1998]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

As opposed to red states, which are just wastelands for everybody.

And I really should point out that at least states like California, Oregon, New York (all places I've lived) have baseline social safety nets and access to healthcare through expanded medicaid programs, unlike Red states. The difference between being able to access healthcare in Oregon through OHP (Oregon Health Plan) Vs. what I've experienced and the meager resources in Texas is mind-boggling. That any Conservative could actually believe red states are better to live in for the poor or working class and take that from what I said is totally off base.

That being said, Medicaid in California, might be free, but the quality isn't great. Only the most scrupolous doctors accept medicaid here, and they participate in over the top billing, harmful medical interventions, and the patients can't do anything about it, because they don't speak english, and so they get used.

[Helsinkian]

NBCLA did a story about this in November. You can see a guy with boltcutters hopping onto a moving train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN0CXUEMwjg

[gerritcole]

California is a lawless wasteland.

For the poor and working class, yes. It's a luxury utopia for those with money and influence.

Sounds like a blue State alright.

As opposed to red states, which are just wastelands for everybody.

And I really should point out that at least states like California, Oregon, New York (all places I've lived) have baseline social safety nets and access to healthcare through expanded medicaid programs, unlike Red states. The difference between being able to access healthcare in Oregon through OHP (Oregon Health Plan) Vs. what I've experienced and the meager resources in Texas is mind-boggling. That any Conservative could actually believe red states are better to live in for the poor or working class and take that from what I said is totally off base.

That being said, Medicaid in California, might be free, but the quality isn't great. Only the most scrupolous doctors accept medicaid here, and they participate in over the top billing, harmful medical interventions, and the patients can't do anything about it, because they don't speak english, and so they get used.

Lie after lie, I’m sorry one doctor scarred you for life but you lie constantly

[kwabbit]

I believe the railroad has its own law enforcement agency responsible for preventing this kind of thing.

Yeah, but UP has so much trackage, and patrolling short stretches in urban areas is never what their police department was intended to do, nor do they have the manpower for it.

That makes sense. I wonder if there are prosecution issues as well. Here they just announced that they won't be pursuing charges originating from "non-public safety" stops, which somehow includes things like driving an unregistered vehicle, driving a vehicle that has not passed its safety inspection, or driving with fake license plates.

There is a broader problem with antisocial behavior in this country, but whenever I read up on an area where crime is especially bad, there is a "progressive" prosecutor lurking behind every habitual criminal and drugged-out zombie who has been let loose to tyrannize law-abiding citizens.

Are you sure about that? I don't think the prosecutors around here are particularly progressive and we've got plenty of gun violence around Atlanta. Every god damn night I hear people shooting off. A lot of it I think is target practice, but every now and then I hear what sounds like a gun battle followed by sirens. And just the other day a baby was shot in the head over on hollowell Rd, I heard that on the radio. Don't see how we can really put that on progressives.

Even progressive prosecutors still prosecute violent crime. It’s the non violent crimes that aren’t prosecuted and can lead to a lawless feeling. Every addict knows they can commit some petty theft completely without consequences and they’re happy to do that.

[Vaccinated Russian Bear]

California is a lawless wasteland.

Freedom State. Is there anyone who never dreamed about robbing a train dressed as a cowboy? U-S-A!

[DrScholl]

California contributes to the bulk of the federal budget, which happens to give food stamps to places like Kentucky. Say what you want about it, but without California this country would be bankrupt from red states taking more than they give.

California is a lawless wasteland.

Freedom State. Is there anyone who never dreamed about robbing a train dressed as a cowboy? U-S-A!

You come from a country where you murder people for opposing the President.

[Hermit For Peace]

That's really something. I don't have a high opinion of Los Angeles. I stay clear of that city and haven't been near it since the 1970s. Too big. And parts of it are lawless. Obviously.

[ProudModerate2]

NBCLA did a story about this in November. You can see a guy with boltcutters hopping onto a moving train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN0CXUEMwjg

That is insane. The RR companies should have a number of guards at this location day and night. They definitely have the money to have such security.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

California contributes to the bulk of the federal budget, which happens to give food stamps to places like Kentucky. Say what you want about it, but without California this country would be bankrupt from red states taking more than they give.

California is a lawless wasteland.

Freedom State. Is there anyone who never dreamed about robbing a train dressed as a cowboy? U-S-A!

You come from a country where you murder people for opposing the President.

Agitprop Bear is a perfect microcosm of what America is facing right now (as are these train robberies): people abusing our systems in ways that are hostile and destructive, but staying below the threshold where action will be taken.

Sometimes the abuse is purely self-serving (trolls doing it for the lolz, or criminals trying to profit) and sometimes it is actively hostile to American society (Russian propaganda and Republican donors who benefit from weakened US institutions), and sometimes the reason why their actions are ignored are different (limitations on resources to respond, those responsible finding it cheaper to allow the abuses that deal with them, regulatory or other capture of the enforcers, a public unwillingness to confront bad actors, or because effective confrontation has its own costs and damages), but structure is always the same. A small group of bad faith actors do damage to a community, and the community is unable to effectively respond.