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A Remarkable, And Disheartening, Series of Tweets from Los Angeles


Hornius Emeritus

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https://twitter.com/johns

chreiber/status/1481771854465359873?s=20

 

 

 

 




 




I'm not sure how to embed just one tweet at a time (and me with 81,000 followers on Twitter .. go figure).  The upshot is that this area was just cleaned up within the last 30 days. 

I think Soutern Pacific could solve this by rigging one car to explode upon being opened or, as one responder suggested, packing a car with attack dogs.

Edited by Hornius Emeritus
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2 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

Really? You saw this and your reaction is "so what?"  because it's a write-off?

"Write off" is a reference to Seinfeld. But it is also a sad truth that it's not worth it to these delivery companies to protect some merchandise. I get it, it's a sad commentary on America, but what are the economics driving it.

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I might guess that this is fundamentally a crime of opportunity.

As pointed out in one of the tweets, rail containers usually contain bulk stuff like toilet paper of little interest to most small-time thieves.

Amazon and online businesses have increased the number of containers with assortments of consumer goods in them and some crook figured that out and the word spread.

I also wonder if supply chain problems have moved more of this stuff onto rail from trucks.

And, as noted, this is not initially LAPD's, or whatever the local cops are, initial jurisdiction.

 

Edited by TwiceHorn
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And it was under Joe Biden, that America endured its first...and only...train robbery. 

I kid, I kid.  Fuck robbers, fuck Biden.  Fuck 'em all.  

I got nothing except to say that really is a bizarre set of photographs with all that shit on the tracks under the skyline.  I don't even................

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Encounter many of them in your "travels"?
They certainly have that historical reputation.  I wonder how effective they were at preventing stuff like this?

I will leave out how they treat travelers, since travelers are breaking the law by trespassing. However, they are very well known to use excessive force.

However, they come across like constables. Basically dickheads who couldn’t make it as real cops. A couple of times I have been harassed by them while doing photography and not being on UP property.

So fuck them.

And no, they would hardly be effective in preventing something like this as they would likely be outnumbered. And they are cowards.
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7 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


I will leave out how they treat travelers, since travelers are breaking the law by trespassing. However, they are very well known to use excessive force.

However, they come across like constables. Basically dickheads who couldn’t make it as real cops. A couple of times I have been harassed by them while doing photography and not being on UP property.

So fuck them.

And no, they would hardly be effective in preventing something like this as they would likely be outnumbered. And they are cowards.

Don't doubt your evaluation.

However, to some degree, I suspect their presence alone would deter a lot of this.

Assuming what otisdog said is true, they may not have the numbers to even wander around the tracks or a given consist.

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11 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Kobe Bryant Yes GIF
 

The City Council cut the LAPD by $150 million in July, after massive protests following Floyd's death

 

24 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

And, as noted, this is not initially LAPD's, or whatever the local cops are, initial jurisdiction.

big brother pop GIF by Big Brother After Dark

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Don't doubt your evaluation.
However, to some degree, I suspect their presence alone would deter a lot of this.
Assuming what otisdog said is true, they may not have the numbers to even wander around the tracks or a given consist.

I do not believe their police force is very large to begin with. I can not say for certain, but I doubt the Englewood and Settegast yards in Houston have more than 10 bulls and a few homeland security at the customs area. But that is just a guess. I don’t think they would be able to patrol adequately unless they staffed up. Maybe LA has more, but I don’t know. Well, I guess I do know as this likely wouldn’t have happened.

The times I have been harassed, it was always one bull (not a pair like a lot of police departments use).

Also, the location this happened in LA is kind of crazy, being so urban. However, I know of many lay ups around Houston and a few other cities where trains may sit for 2 to 48 hours, completely unattended. This kind of thing wouldn’t be hard to do. I can’t count how many hours I have spent along freights documenting graffiti writers and never disturbed by anyone.
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29 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Kobe Bryant Yes GIF
 

The City Council cut the LAPD by $150 million in July, after massive protests following Floyd's death

Wrong again, smart guy:

Quote

Its operating budget was cut by $150 million last summer with much fanfare, to $1.71 billion, then more quietly increased this year by about 3% — to $1.76 billion, a huge chunk of the city’s overall spending.

 

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2 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Hmmmm….

cut by 150 million then increased by 50 million.  So…**scratches head**..carry the one…divide by pompous leftist shitbag… yup still a hundred million cut.

 

You don't read so good.

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1 minute ago, Incredulity said:

Hmmmm….

cut by 150 million then increased by 50 million.  So…**scratches head**..carry the one…divide by pompous leftist shitbag… yup still a hundred million cut.

 

A police force with a budget of 1.76 billion dollars is defunded? Odd.

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Is the size of the police force irrelevant, being that is Southern Pacific's jurisdiction and the LAPD have no responsibilities here?

That is a valid question and I don’t think I have the answer. However, one day I was walking the tracks to take some photos of graffiti. Some HPD cops showed up (3, one of which was a K-9 unit) and flagged me down. They braced me about meeting a graffiti writer down the line. I said I wasn’t (I really wasn’t). Showed them my bag was full of camera gear and not paint. They left. I then texted a few writers and found out one I knew had fled. He got away. I am sure they would have detained him for trespassing and turned him over to UP. But I don’t know if they would have actually arrested him. Another writer I know was attacked by a HPD K-9 and arrested. Allegedly he wasn’t or near a train bridge. So maybe they would work in conjunction with UP.
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1 hour ago, henrygandorf said:

is this a political topic?  i mean, i know it will be, but is it now?

 

1 hour ago, Incredulity said:

I don’t know where this lawlessness comes from- Nancy Pelosi

You see, the Dems are the party of crime who want to destroy the Constitution. Any crime is political because Nancy paved the way for it. 

Simple logic for simple, irony-deaf minds.

The robberies are terrible. I don't know who is responsible for the security of those trains, but it is a grim picture.

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Way back when I was stationed at Pier 36 in Seattle we used to go over to the rail yard, find a train with custom vans and party in them. They always had 5 gallons of gas so we could run the heat or a/c.

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13 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

So these types of photos are much more important than people want to believe.   They are directly related to how an increase in crime in this country always leads to conservative election wins, and how the Dems constantly shoot themselves in the dick on law, order, and crime. 

All this shit taps into our deep subconscious.  First, safety is at the very bottom of the hierarchy of needs, right above food and water.  And the thing about safety is that we are not willing to accept a perceived loss of security in exchange for someone else to feel more secure.  In international relations this is called the security dilemma-- a state that makes other states feel less secure in the process of making itself more secure is headed down a path of confrontation and war.  Messaging lesson for Dems:  Ensure that every talking point on police reforms, criminal justice reform, community safety, etc. emphasizes how they will lead to improved safety for ALL constituents and potential constituents.  Otherwise the Rs will beat you by promising more safety for their chosen constituents.

Second-- and this is fucking primate, chimpanzee brain shit-- we are hardwired to HATE disadvantageous unfairness. Capuchin monkeys would rather that no monkey get any treat at all than accept one treat for themselves while another monkey gets three. Kids are the same way. (Important note-- monkeys, kids, and a lot of adults are usually fine if they are the ones getting more treats). And when people see images of shit getting stolen and people getting away with it, that monkey instinct kicks in.  Someone is getting away with something, to my detriment, while I am following the rules. And the argument (more or less explicitly stated by some Dems and community activists) that we should tolerate a certain level of visceral, easily visible disadvantageous unfairness because of broader structural inequities that are behind the crime-- is just a non-starter on the monkey brain level.  It can be accepted only as long as that unfairness can be disassociated from you personally.  And that's hard to do with a train full of stolen Amazon shipments. 

Sad but true.  Try not to get sucked in to the pearl-clutching.

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14 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Sad but true.  Try not to get sucked in to the pearl-clutching.


Pearl clutching?  I want the RAMM that I ordered almost weeks ago that shipped the next day and has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Also, there are few things I hate worse than litter.

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