Crenshaw shut down on Sunday nights?
Syd
Last night (Sunday, June 30) Crenshaw Blvd was closed down, except for
buses, whose drivers had to execute tricky maneuvers. The area affected
was at least from Slauson to Stocker. According to one MTA bus driver,
this is being done to combat "cruising" as is done in Hollywood on Friday
and Saturday nights. Is this true? How long has this been going on?
It's the first time I've seen it happen. What a pain in the ass.
--
Dennis P. Hilgenberg
s...@cyberverse.com
Fred B. Young Jr.
Guess someone at the LAPD saw "Boyz n the Hood" :)
Fred B. Young Jr.
USC-University of Southern California
yo...@bcf.usc.edu
Raul Franco
On 2 Jul 1996, Syd wrote:
> Last night (Sunday, June 30) Crenshaw Blvd was closed down, except for
> buses, whose drivers had to execute tricky maneuvers. The area affected
> was at least from Slauson to Stocker. According to one MTA bus driver,
> this is being done to combat "cruising" as is done in Hollywood on Friday
> and Saturday nights. Is this true? How long has this been going on?
> It's the first time I've seen it happen. What a pain in the ass.
Same thing was done in the 1970's, early '80's on Whittier Blvd. in East
Los, and is currently being done in Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd.
Law Enforcement just can seem to stand the thought of young blacks and
latinos congregating and having a good time.
Raul...
c/s
.
. .
Robert S. Helfman
In article <4ra49d$2...@rodelo.cyberverse.com> s...@rodelo.cyberverse.com (Syd) writes:
>Last night (Sunday, June 30) Crenshaw Blvd was closed down, except for
>buses, whose drivers had to execute tricky maneuvers. The area affected
>was at least from Slauson to Stocker. According to one MTA bus driver,
>this is being done to combat "cruising" as is done in Hollywood on Friday
>and Saturday nights. Is this true? How long has this been going on?
>It's the first time I've seen it happen. What a pain in the ass.
It's been going on in earnest for nearly a year now, although it was
done on an ad-hoc basis for years before that.
It is, as you say, a pain in the ass. I live just off of Stocker
above the Baldwin Hills mall, and it makes Sunday nights a real
logistics hassle.
The City Council voted to do this close-down, and the time specified
was 9:00 pm Sunday night until midnight. Of course, the idiots from
Southwest Traffic Div. decided that they would need time before 9
to "be ready". So they began closing down at 8:30, then 8, and the
last time I encountered them (last Sunday) these fools had closed the
'Shaw down at 7 pm.
The area closed is from Jefferson to Florence -- approximately, 31st
Street to 77st, or 46 blocks of Crenshaw Blvd.
Traffic on cross-streets can cross with no problem, but
the net effect of all this is to shunt ALL of Crenshaw's traffic,
not just the cruisers, onto side streets. Because only Farmdale (which
fronts Dorsey High School) and West Blvd are the only streets
between La Brea and Crenshaw which cross the old
Santa Fe tracks running down Exposition, all Crenshaw
traffic must drive west to one of these tiny residential streets,
or east to 7th Avenue or Arlington. The effect is horrendous. Of course, I've
figured out my own routes -- and I'm damned if I'll make them
public here, 'cause they'll end up in another one of those idiotic L.A.
'Alternate Route' books for the navigationally challenged.
I have complained to Mark Ridley-Thomas (and received not so much as
a phone call or form letter back -- the only time his office has
failed to respond to any communication. What does this tell us?).
I have called the Watch Commander at Southwest Div.
more times than I can remember. I have
read the riot act to the lead sgt (Pettway). My last call
to the sgt in SW Traffic elicited the interesting
fact that the overtime money for this activity is
about to run out and they are thinking of giving it up. I told them
that no one lives on Crenshaw in the affected area (it's
almost 100% commercial property), so why would the
LAPD possibly want to send cruising traffic onto residential
streets instead of leaving it on Crenshaw where no one really cares? He
told me he had to agree with my point.
It is a classic case of good intentions with unexpected consequences.
You should try living in the area and working your Sunday life into
street closures which seem to be predicated on a random number generator.
To tell you the truth, closing down West Angeles Church of Christ in God
would have a far more beneficial effect on Sunday traffic on Crenshaw
than closing the 'Shaw to cruising. The church has multiple services
all day Sunday, from early morning to very late afternoon. Weirdly,
they located all their parking across Crenshaw Blvd.
from the church. This not only keeps the crosswalks across Crenshaw
at 30th St and Jefferson Blvd full of pretentious "Sunday-best"
members strolling ever so slowly across the boulevard -- they talked
Nate Holden into getting them ANOTHER crosswalk in the middle of the
block. And they STILL jaywalk. All my friends who have ever ridden in
a car with me up Crenshaw on a Sunday have heard me muttering about
that "goddamned church". It will only get worse, of course. West Angeles
has bought a huge property for a new church at Crenshaw and Exposition
(with $12 million of Magic Johnson's money for starters!). But they're
not giving up the present location. It will be devoted to Sunday school.
So the congestion will no longer be restricted to two blocks. It will now
involve a 1/2 mile or so of Crenshaw. Sheesh....it's enough to make
a guy into an atheist. Madelyn Murray O'Hair, where are you when we
need you??
Fringe Ryder
Raul Franco (rfr...@charon.usc.edu) wrote:
: On 2 Jul 1996, Syd wrote:
: > Last night (Sunday, June 30) Crenshaw Blvd was closed down, except for
: > buses, whose drivers had to execute tricky maneuvers. The area affected
: > was at least from Slauson to Stocker. According to one MTA bus driver,
: > this is being done to combat "cruising" as is done in Hollywood on Friday
: > and Saturday nights. Is this true? How long has this been going on?
: > It's the first time I've seen it happen. What a pain in the ass.
: Same thing was done in the 1970's, early '80's on Whittier Blvd. in East
: Los, and is currently being done in Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd.
: Law Enforcement just can seem to stand the thought of young blacks and
: latinos congregating and having a good time.
: Raul...
Gee, I don't think law enforcement would have any problem with it if...
a) they didn't insist on shooting each-other, and
b) they didn't cause traffic jams.
Whites cruise too. There just aren't as many whites in L.A. And they
don't shoot each-other as often.
Raul Franco
On Wed, 3 Jul 1996, Fringe Ryder wrote:
>
> Gee, I don't think law enforcement would have any problem with it if...
>
> a) they didn't insist on shooting each-other, and
When was the last time you saw or heard of people shooting at a popular
cruisin' area? (I guess it was the last time you saw boys in the hood,
right?
> b) they didn't cause traffic jams.
What about all the freakin' traffic jams during rush hour? You can't even
more on the freeways- why don't they close those down?
> Whites cruise too. There just aren't as many whites in L.A. And they
> don't shoot each-other as often.
Where do whites cruise around here? I heard they used to cruise in all
white areas such as in San Berdo a while back, but around here, now? If
they are cruisin' (as oppose to hot-rodding), it's with the blacks and
latinos- those that want to act like blacks and latinos and thus will not
shy from a confrontation, like blacks and latinos.
The official excuse is that the merchants were complaining, but who's
suffering at 11pm, most if not all stores are closed. The only places
that aren't closed are the food and liguor places, and they thrive on the
cruisin.' Just can't stand the youth enjoying themselves.
kEN Colburn
Raul Franco (rfr...@charon.usc.edu) wrote:
: Law Enforcement just can seem to stand the thought of young blacks and
: latinos congregating and having a good time.
Oh pleeze! Van Nuys blvd was closed down to cruising years ago , which is
mostly WHITE. Why is everything racist? Its just the slow cars and they
don't like KIDS having fun.
--
.sigalert: There is a .sig ahead blocking the #1 and 2 lanes.
Gimme a bike, a laptop, a gun and a Leatherman's tool and i can
go anywhere and do anything. ezwr...@netcom.com
http://www.mainelink.net/~writer/poster/Poster.html
Steve H.
In <Pine.SUN.3.92.960703...@charon.usc.edu> Raul
Franco <rfr...@charon.usc.edu> writes:
>
>Where do whites cruise around here? I heard they used to cruise in
>all white areas such as in San Berdo a while back, but around here,
>now?
Obviously, you haven't been in San Berdoo (San Bernardino) in a
LOOOOOOOOONNNNNNG time. It is definitely NOT an all-white area.
In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw a white person in San
Bernardino. It is largely Hispanic, and there is also a large Black
community there too.
Charles P. Hobbs
Raul Franco <rfr...@charon.usc.edu> wrote:
>On Wed, 3 Jul 1996, Fringe Ryder wrote:
>
>>
>> Gee, I don't think law enforcement would have any problem with it if...
>>
>> a) they didn't insist on shooting each-other, and
>
>When was the last time you saw or heard of people shooting at a popular
>cruisin' area? (I guess it was the last time you saw boys in the hood,
>right?
>
>> b) they didn't cause traffic jams.
>
>What about all the freakin' traffic jams during rush hour? You can't even
>more on the freeways- why don't they close those down?
>
Oh, probably cause the poor shmucks on those rush hour freeways are
doing unimportant stuff, like going to work, supporting their
families, and paying taxes.
They're not engaging in "important cultural expression" by driving
around burning gas all night. (Where are the earth freaks when you
need them!)
Charles P. Hobbs
ezwr...@netcom.com (kEN Colburn) wrote:
>Raul Franco (rfr...@charon.usc.edu) wrote:
>
>: Law Enforcement just can seem to stand the thought of young blacks and
>: latinos congregating and having a good time.
>
>
>Oh pleeze! Van Nuys blvd was closed down to cruising years ago , which is
>mostly WHITE.
You mean it *was* . . .
>Why is everything racist? Its just the slow cars and they
>don't like KIDS having fun.
Why should *anyone* be allowed to block traffic, in the name of
"fun" or anything else? The "kids" should go find something else to
do.
Nosnag Selrahc
If they block traffic,
police should write them tickets,
their parents will pay fines,
the problem will be controlled.
Is this hard to figure?
--
http://www.hooked.net/~cganson =^-.-^=
124th: Use an old idea "
Fringe Ryder
: >
: > Gee, I don't think law enforcement would have any problem with it if...
: >
: > a) they didn't insist on shooting each-other, and
: When was the last time you saw or heard of people shooting at a popular
: cruisin' area? (I guess it was the last time you saw boys in the hood,
: right?
Never saw Boyz in the Hood. I have seen shootings between cruisers in
Hollywood. Saw three such incidents last summer alone. Just because the
L.A. Times doesn't report it doesn't mean it didn't happen - nothing
seems to be news in L.A. anymore.
: > b) they didn't cause traffic jams.
: What about all the freakin' traffic jams during rush hour? You can't even
: more on the freeways- why don't they close those down?
No crime (freeway shootings mostly occurred at non-rush hours, remember),
and the people have a socially accepted purpose for being there - going
to work/stores.
: > Whites cruise too. There just aren't as many whites in L.A. And they
: > don't shoot each-other as often.
: Where do whites cruise around here? I heard they used to cruise in all
: white areas such as in San Berdo a while back, but around here, now? If
: they are cruisin' (as oppose to hot-rodding), it's with the blacks and
: latinos- those that want to act like blacks and latinos and thus will not
: shy from a confrontation, like blacks and latinos.
Ya know, I don't know if L.A. even has whites anymore. I left in
October. But whites did cruise a long time ago - I think they were
doing it before the blacks and latinos. In places with more whites, you
can find whites cruising. Like I said, it's not a racist thing.
: The official excuse is that the merchants were complaining, but who's
: suffering at 11pm, most if not all stores are closed. The only places
: that aren't closed are the food and liguor places, and they thrive on the
: cruisin.' Just can't stand the youth enjoying themselves.
Movie theatres, play houses,. tourism, emergency vehicle access,
concerts, computer programmers coming home from work <tired grin>...
Although I'd bet the merchants were complaining more about the crime than
about the traffic. They probably felt intimidated. Teens showing off
for each-other can frighten other people, and seem to enjoy it.
Regards
Charles P. Hobbs
Nosnag Selrahc <cga...@hooked.net> wrote:
>Charles P. Hobbs wrote:
>> >Why is everything racist? Its just the slow cars and they
>> >don't like KIDS having fun.
>>
>> Why should *anyone* be allowed to block traffic, in the name of
>> "fun" or anything else? The "kids" should go find something else to
>> do.
>
>If they block traffic,
>police should write them tickets,
>their parents will pay fines,
>the problem will be controlled.
>Is this hard to figure?
Yeah, and then you'll hear it. "Oh, the evil racist police are
oppressing
these poor kids that just wanna have fun!"
P.S. This is *not* limited to minorities. Remember those big college
parties (Spring Break in Palm Springs, Halloween in Santa Barbara,
"Mustang Days" at Cal Poly SLO, etc?) Over the years, those parties
got *way* out of hand, with drinking, drugs, sexual assaults, etc.,
so the cities and universities involved started cracking down.
These are mostly white students, and again, you hear the whining about
"police/authority/government/etc" opressing them. Yeah! Kids should
be allowed to get drunk, get high on who-knows-what, and run around
pulling clothes off of girls, etc.
Raul Franco
On 4 Jul 1996, Charles P. Hobbs wrote:
> >Why is everything racist? Its just the slow cars and they
> >don't like KIDS having fun.
>
> Why should *anyone* be allowed to block traffic, in the name of
> "fun" or anything else? The "kids" should go find something else to
> do.
>
You're right, no one should be allowed to block traffic- reminds me of
something I wanted to bring up a while back: unequal enforcement of
traffic laws.
One Friday, I'm driving down Soto in East L.A. and there seems to be about
4 motorcycle cops on each corner, just waiting for someone to mess up.
They all look like rabid dogs waiting for a piece of meat to be thrown to
them. They're stopping people left and right- no seat belts, no front
license plates, left turn while left turns are forbidden, jay-walking.
This goes on *all* over East LA and South Central (maybe other poor
neighborhoods). Now this gets me angry, especially when the pigs seem to
be having fun, but the people people are breaking "the law." Fine.
What really get me _really_ pissed is that the next Friday I'm driving in
West LA- Olympic, La Cienega, Fairfax, etc. On every freakin' corner
there seems to be some dumb driver stuck in the middle of the intersection
when the light turns red (for him/her), sometimes two or three at a time.
And there is no freakin' cop anywhere to be seen- no effen cop anywhere, I
guess they're all bustin' jaywakers in East Los. And I see numerous other
offenses all over West LA, but no rabid dogs on motorcycles.
Getting back to the original point, you're right no one has the right to
block traffic. Cruisers _don't_ block traffic (especially not with 5 cops
on each corner ready to write citations), what they do is create congestion,
and that's what happens every week day in the freeways, Downtown L.A., and
many other parts of the city.
Raul.... c/s
.
. .
Raul Franco
On 4 Jul 1996, Charles P. Hobbs wrote:
> Raul Franco <rfr...@charon.usc.edu> wrote:
> >
> >What about all the freakin' traffic jams during rush hour? You can't even
> >more on the freeways- why don't they close those down?
> >
>
> Oh, probably cause the poor shmucks on those rush hour freeways are
> doing unimportant stuff, like going to work, supporting their
> families, and paying taxes.
Yeah, the poor shmucks are working, supporting their families, and paying
taxes, and many of those same poor shmucks want to relax by cruisin' once
in a while. Same thing with all those college and high school students,
they're caught in traffic too, they work their asses off in school and
many at other jobs too, so they want to relax.
> They're not engaging in "important cultural expression" by driving
> around burning gas all night. (Where are the earth freaks when you
> need them!)
Is working a "cultural expression?" Of course it is, anything you do is
part of your culture. Cruisin' is a way to meet people and relax, just
like when you go see a dumb dizney movie with your family, except instead
of paying $20 buck to get in and park, and another $10 for snacks, these
kids just drop ten bucks on gas and another five for a burger at Tommy's.
And as far as the "earth freaks" are concerned, cruisin' only takes place
maybe once a week, while your boring commute to works is done every day.
And I'm sure that they'll agree that after all the food wrappers, gas,
etc. is counted, cruisin' is not only more earth frendly than a day at the
movies, but a more social activity as well.
Raul Franco
On Fri, 5 Jul 1996, Nosnag Selrahc wrote:
>
> If they block traffic,
> police should write them tickets,
> their parents will pay fines,
> the problem will be controlled.
> Is this hard to figure?
Read my previous message on this, maybe it'll clear you're thinking.
Raul.. c/s
.
. .
Nosnag Selrahc
Raul Franco wrote:
>
> On Fri, 5 Jul 1996, Nosnag Selrahc wrote:
>
> >
> > If they block traffic,
> > police should write them tickets,
> > their parents will pay fines,
> > the problem will be controlled.
> > Is this hard to figure?
>
> Read my previous message on this, maybe it'll clear you're thinking.
>
> Raul.. c/s
Sorry, I did and it didn't.
I agree with you about unequal protection of the law.
That is standard operating procedure. Not good.
But maybe you should re-read my words above?
If followed, that would cover the situation
in a fair manner, regardless of income level.