Ironbelly

The movie Fast and Furious shows fairly true images of the "street racing" that has developed in LA and it is ONLY in LA (to my knowledge) where the police are enforcing a NEW ordinance against street racing and spectating.

I am super critical of "big brother" the "guvmnt" and most things that might infringe on 'Free Citizens".

Because I have seen "with my own eyes" this gang related, Buzz Bee, rice on steroids, in your face street racing, I tend to think the LA PD is peeing in the wind. But agree they gotta do something.

If you live in rural Texas and a couple of guys line up thier SuperDuty "PSD on Steroid" trucks and smoke the tires, the cops are NOT going to haul off the spectators to jail... Likely the cops will make sure there are no open containers, the kids are sober, and send them on their way.

 

First off I agree Street Racing is dangerous(duh!)

But I have a problem with people saying that all street racers should be arrested etc. Back in the '60's drag racing started on the street and from there drag strips were born more and more strips were built and as such street racing took a downturn (I'm sure the fuel crunch of the '70's had something to do with it to)

Now a... lot of the tracks that opened in the '60's-'70's are closed down due to noise bylaws, residential expansion, lack of use, bad management etc.

I would like to see more tracks but just try and build one! Everyone says they want a track as long as its not in their neighborhood! Good forbid some kids might make some noise on a friday night with there demon Satan cars!

also another problem I see is the auto makers pushing these fast cars and not putting any money into helping build tracks etc. Sure they sponsor drag cars and such but thats not going to help. This is a problem in a... lot of motorsports not just street racing. Look at Jeep they build the Rubicon edition but have they ponied up any money to keep that trail open and clean??? NOPE!

I will stop ranting now. I get mad when ever I here people shoot down anything with out knowing much about it.

 

dont compare todays street racing with the drag racing from the 60's. the people doing it today have no concern with other peoples saftey. they **** and moan about not having a place to go, but when they do have one they abuse it to the point that it gets shut down.
yesterday i attended a funeral of my friends 13 year old daughter. she was killed in a accident due to 2 punks in hondas. if you want to call him im sure he'll be real sympithetic to you. and yea the hondas got away unharmed. for now anyways.
yes we did alot of racing when we were growing up, but we didnt run 120 mph plus for miles and miles. it upset me when i heard that the police charged a onlooker who now faces possibilty of jail time. its bs but maybe they need to do something more. the only thing im really worried about now is john finding out who were driving the hondas... it aint gonna be pretty if he does

 

Oh please! I know I was just as bad as these street now adays when I was 16-17(yes I know it was stupid!) I wasn't a true '60's drag racer it was early 70's for me. I had a fairly well built nova that ran 120MPH effortlessly!

I had friends die from street racing, drinking and driving and doing stupid things just like today. The one main problem I see today is that there is more cars and people on the roads than before.

Oh how soon some people forget!

 

You also add that in the 60's there was less population,less cars on the road, more Respect shown to each other.

Back in the 60's we for a few years asked the police to let us use the old airport landing strip on the weekends.
They finally made it possible.
A few years later it turned into Calgary International Raceway.

Today a few miles further east we have a World Class facility known as "Race City",

It features a Drag Strip,Cross country & Roundy Round track.

I'll take yester-year's over today's street racer anyday.

 

I agree with Mil1ion.

 

It's a movie. What does a movie have to do with real life? Are you one of those people who blame Ozzie Osbourne for suicides? Do you blame video games for people going on shooting rampages? That line of thinking is completely ridiculous and takes the responsibility out of the hands of those who are truly responsible: the people who commit such acts.

Sorry, but blaming a movie for the acts of others is irresponsible in itself.

The problem with a city giving people a place to race is liablility. If a city did this, they would actually be sponsoring the event and could therefore be held liable for any deaths or injuries. This is the same problem that cities had with skateparks for years. Kids complained they had nowhere to go. Residents complained about the kids skating everywhere. The cops complained because they had to spend resources on ticketing or chasing away the kids. Finally, some cities sucked it in and set up skateparks.

Maybe cities will do the same for street racers some day but the costs involved in setting a drag strip would be much more than a skatepark. THIS is the only solution I see:This has happened all over the country and it's a great idea. The city has no liability whatsoever as that lies with the track itself. The city simply "promotes" it as a safe alternative to an illegal activity.

Bottom line, if you are going to take part in this type of activity, then expect to get caught and pay heavily for it. Like the saying goes "If you can't do the time then don't do the crime". I do think that a $1200.00 fine and 10 days in jail for a spectator is ridiculous. I honestly don't see how that could hold up in court but I don't know the laws in California.

 

Where I come from, that movie is gold. Kids are basing their lives on Fast and The Furious. They take it very seriously, its almost like a cult now. I was merely reflecting on how America's youth reacts to this crap. I have known of a few kids that have died from doing stuff they saw in movies. No, I am not directly blaming the movie company, but I am blaming the way it is promoted as being "cool."

 

OK, I buy that. I understand what you're saying but, to me, it's up to the parents to teach their kids right from wrong, not a movie. If a parent does their job properly, their child will know that that movie is not the way to go.

 

I'll agree with that. Parents need to do more.

 

Ok, I have had it!!

The time has come to outlaw all cars. Too many poor helpless people are getting seriously hurt and or killed because of cars. It is obvious that there is a critical design flaw that is inherant with all cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, buses and even lawnmowers.
Our government needs to step in and outlaw all forms of transportaion except walking. When was the last time you heard about a walk by shooting or the perils of street walking? Oh waith street walking is already illegal in most states....
Anyways walking should confined to designated areas only. I am going to consult an attorney tomorrow concering filing a class action lawsuit against all automotive manufacturers. They are the ones responsible for all this death racing goin on round here. If they didnt build em we couldnt race em. I am also goin to name the Governments of the nations where these autos are built because for years they have allowed this to be done.I am also considering naming the oil companies as well due to the fact that without their crucial involvement in the automotive industry, such death machines would not be able to function.
Call your local officials today and tell the to support my cause.....


west

 

Well, that wouldn't be much different than the NAACP suing gun manufacturers because black people kill each other with their guns.

Of course, that suit was shot down in court the week before last.

 

Man this thread is FUN

You guys are a trip

I saw with my eyes $19,000 cars with 400+HP(big bucks!) and $5000 stereos and $10,000 paint jobs.

So what you say

I saw more than thirty (30) of these on a back lot in south east LA with about another hundred non descript cars and motorcycles at 2:30 AM.

I do not believe these to be rich kids.

I saw them to be the gang thugs and thieves that they are.

As to the "legality" of arresting "spectators"... that is what is most preplexing about our society today. It doesn't take a Law Student to see that an ordanance like that would never stand up in court. Hell I know 2nd graders that could beat it by insisting they were on an errand and just happened to be on that block when all of a sudden a race broke out..

"What the Hell man! Can't I walk down the sidewalk with out being harrassed and illegally arrested".

Make you wonder how many time LA county wants to be sued over stupid bull sh it

Then again, tax payers generally get and deserve the government they ELECT

 

Fredvon4:
Yes indeeeed , voters GIT and DESERVE what they vote for!!