The above picture was taken by the LA Times at a community meeting in the aftermath of a shooting where police shot a Guatemalan immigrant who had threatened passersby and officers with a knife, and refused repeated commands to drop the weapon. (Source)
Has that guy forgot about the 1992 riots? If you got rid of police all together in a city like Los Angeles, it would be an absolute war zone almost immediately.
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5 responses to “A Ballsy Sign For A California Resident”
Or maybe he remembers the 1992 riots better than most.
California has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the nation, severely limiting the second amendment rights of its residents. Still – some of the most iconic images to come out of the several days of rioting were the photos and videos of armed Korean merchants defending their stores and homes because the Police could not. Largely, the police were not able to control the mobs and stop the rioting. It was only after the arrival of thousands of soldiers and marines several days into the mayhem that the rioting and looting stopped and order was restored.
I don’t think we should get rid of the Police, either, though :) I just appreciate his point, even if he takes it a bit far calling for firing all the cops. I think “ballsy” is a good description of the sign and the sentiment.
Paladin, I was going to write a response to the original post, but you have made it unnecessary. So instead I’ll just say a big +1 on that
You make a great point about the riots and people protecting their things Paladin. I do believe though that if the military didn’t step in, that whole place would got even more out of hand and resulted in countless more deaths. I am all for citizens protecting themselves, but I think that needs to be complemented by an organized group such as a police force or the military. When it comes to good v.s. evil in real life I think since the criminals have far less to lose the fight would end up being pretty unfair if we got rid of the police all together anywhere.
Demilitarizing LA would work, but like defuzing a bomb you’d have to do it in the right order.
1. Privatize public schools.
2. Let that percolate for a few years.
3. Legalize all drugs, legalize all human migration
4. Let the black market shrivel, watch the economy boom.
5. End welfare
6. Allow time for people to remember the value of employment, or move to France
7. Reinstate the 2nd Amendment
8. Allow time for the now actually educated, non-criminalized, non-victimist, employed citizens to arm themselves against the few remaining deviants.
9. Remove police; privatize fire response.
Presto! a polite, armed society.
I like your style.