The Dude
abides
If you're talking about the person in the median with the blue shirt, I believe that's a female. And I'm having a hard time picturing her looking good in any attire. Style is pretty subjective though. And I'm no expert.
I can only speculate. I suspect the potential negative effects of enforcement would outweigh the benefits to public safety. The way I see it, you've got three areas of concern:
1. The initial enforcement operation would probably be the easiest aspect. You could swarm the area and detain the riders. You could probably impound the bikes as well. Of course, this would require a significant commitment of resources. They would likely have to be diverted from more serious threats to public safety in this particular community.
2. Ongoing enforcement is probably the biggest headache. If you crack down on this activity, it seems most likely that you'll only drive it underground. Instead of doing it once a week during daylight hours in a common location with police monitoring, you'll see it everywhere. They'll be out in small groups or riding solo. They'll come out in the middle of the night even w/o lights. They'll be likely to flee police in a one-on-one match up. Depending on the chase policy, that could make ongoing enforcement almost impossible.
3. Blowback from the community could vary. At the very least, it would create even more tension between residents and the police. That sort of thing makes it more difficult to solve real crime. Worse case scenario would be someone getting hurt or killed in a chase. Then you're going beyond tension to political pressure and civil liability.
2. Ongoing enforcement is probably the biggest headache. If you crack down on this activity, it seems most likely that you'll only drive it underground. Instead of doing it once a week during daylight hours in a common location with police monitoring, you'll see it everywhere. They'll be out in small groups or riding solo. They'll come out in the middle of the night even w/o lights. They'll be likely to flee police in a one-on-one match up. Depending on the chase policy, that could make ongoing enforcement almost impossible.
3. Blowback from the community could vary. At the very least, it would create even more tension between residents and the police. That sort of thing makes it more difficult to solve real crime. Worse case scenario would be someone getting hurt or killed in a chase. Then you're going beyond tension to political pressure and civil liability.
Probably not. I've never been in a riot, but I wouldn't want one in my neighborhood. From a police standpoint, it's about as bad as things can get. To get worse you'd need zombies or WMDs involved. Or maybe a donut shortage
No, we pay for all that because the people who make it are politically connected. That and we live in a society motivated by fear. If there was nothing to fear, why would we need government to protect us? If there were no perceived problems, how would politicians get elected? Those are much larger issues.
Although that seems like a bad thing, you should count your blessings. If cops have time to worry about the little stuff, it's because there are no more pressing issues. And in the big picture, that's a good thing. Just think of it like a tax to keep the riff-raff out.
