i.e. where hundreds of people organize to block off a street, drift with cars, burn tires and pillage shops [like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AbruptChaos/comments/ws5u1b/mob_of_people_steal_from_a_convenience_store/). I’ve never seen or heard of sth like this in Central Europe, but in LA this seems to be [business as usual](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-22/street-takeovers-sideshow-deadly-toll-los-angeles). How about the rest of America? You ever heard of sth like this?
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It happens in major cities (though not nearly as much as you may think) and can be a problem in those few cities, but it isn’t common in majority of America.
>[like this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AbruptChaos/comments/ws5u1b/mob_of_people_steal_from_a_convenience_store/)
This is a different question. A mob of people looting a store isn’t common either and barely happens, but in a country of 330+ million people, such things are bound to happen and make the news.
It’s not like this hasn’t happened throughout Europe either. Not always looting but riots and breaking into stores, especially after major sports events, does happen in European countries.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUjMr8Wt45w](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUjMr8Wt45w)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFFa9M4T80](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFFa9M4T80)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0cew5t_d6c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0cew5t_d6c)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm1J4W6nhxs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm1J4W6nhxs)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tskXWfy6eK0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tskXWfy6eK0)
I’d never seen or heard of it outside of movies.
I’ve also never lived in LA.
Extraordinarily rare. Like to the point that it would be national news and they’d deploy the national guard.
Theft like in that first video occurs as part of large riots, not as part of a some street racing and drifting.
Shutting down streets, parking lots, or industrial lots for the purpose street of racing is absolutely a thing. Generally speaking its done in out of the way commercial areas that aren’t open for business at night.
There are huge fines and even jail time for attending or participating in these events, but its one of those things where in major metropolitan areas there are bigger fish to fry for law enforcement. (Picture the early scene in the original Fast and Furious movie, they didn’t start racing until they heard on the scanner that police were busy…that sort of thing really happens). Heck. Sometimes the cops just let it slide. Better people are in an industrial park than public roadways.
They aren’t what I would call common, but if you are in ‘the scene’ you know where to find them.
Edit: Street takeovers that are unrelated to motorsports of questionable legality I wouldn’t know about.
Almost never, at least in modern day America .
As with other events that are so newsworthy they get shown in Central Europe…they’re exceptionally rare. Daily normal stuff doesn’t get shown on the news, because it isn’t newsworthy.
I can’t believe this question actually needs to be asked. Europeans love them some riots. Just ask the Paris police.
The pillaging shops part seems to be unrelated, or is at least very uncommon when it comes to these street takeovers. The “burning tires” part doesn’t mean that they’re literally setting tires on fire, but rather that the circling of the cars that they’re doing is harsh on their cars’ tires.
It’s not super uncommon, but it’s also not as “evil” as it seems that others think it is. It’s very annoying because it’s loud and almost always done late at night. It’s also very dangerous because one wrong move or failure and the cars can kill the passenger and even spectators very easily, but people aren’t there specifically to harm others.
Completely unheard of in my area.
Google Compton and you’ll see this is the least of it’s problems. It has a long history of violence and gang wars.
It’s one of the most dangerous cities in America, so you can’t really compare what happens there to the rest of America.
To answer your question, no it’s not common. I’ve lived all around the US and never seen or heard of something like this happening around me.
Most of the time it’s planned. Pretty rare otherwise but does happen, particularly if there’s been a lot of pedestrian or cyclist deaths.
Also, look up the Seneca Nation closing down the i90 through their territory in NY over a dispute with the state government.
In NYC we’ve had situations where large groups of dirtbike and ATV riders will defacto take over the road as they’re driving past. Usully only lasts for a few moments at any given time then everything is back to normal. The chances of an average American unintentionally stubmling upon something like a Bay Area sideshow is probably pretty close to 0%.
>but in LA this seems to be business as usual
I’m guessing you’re not a native English speaker but the article you linked does not convey a sense of “business as usual”. The headline refrences lawlessness and the article outlines a local mayor’s concerns. The article talks about these events happening after midnight and “nearly 200 people”, in a metro area with a population approaching 12.5 million, attending. I would not consider this business as usual.
I have heard of it, but never seen it IRL.
It’s not a major problem.
Know the old warehouse rave scene in Europe, where they would break into and take over warehouses at night to rave?
Probably as popular as that.
They are called sideshows here in Northern CA. They don’t usually break into shops but they do block off the highways and main intersections to do burnouts and donuts. There was one not too far away from my house where they took over a parking lot of a shopping center and you could smell the burnt rubber and see the smoke from my house.
They don’t happen often, less than once a month, and they mostly come out at night. Mostly.
It probably happens, but I’ve never seen it. Not my crowd , not my scene
So not like you describe here. But I have never lived in a city that big. In 3 places I lived, rural US, they find an empty straight road (one place was old airstrip) and race cars. Usually teens and maybe early 20s. But they also have tracks where people race trucks or cars (like mustangs). There is usually betting and also more of a younger crowd but more 20s.
It’s not common. That’s why it was newsworthy
Very, very rare. Granted it depends on what city you’re talking about, because it does happen more frequently in some places than others that are politically extreme, but you will almost never really see it anywhere else.
In Boston there’s been a big problem with ATV’s doing whatever they want because the police aren’t allowed to give chase, open fire, or really do anything about them, but that seems to be a somewhat unique situation.
Its rare, at least involving looting and vandalism. Sideshows are relatively common with streets being blocked off and cars doing donuts and stuff.
I’ve never heard of anything like this.
> but in LA this seems to be business as usual
No, its not.
The only time I’m aware of it occurring was when “protestors”[ seized control of a few blocks in the Capitol Hill section](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_Occupied_Protest) of Seattle back in 2022.
I do feel like it was a serious issue that not nearly enough was done over but it’s also extremely rare.
It happens here in Chicago on many weekends, and seems to be a growing problem of late… the police recently announced they’d be deploying task forces to try and crack down on them.
There are sideshows practically every night somewhere in the Bay Area. People get hurt all the time at them. If the cops can find the cars, they have started impounding them.
There’s a big difference between car enthusiasts setting something up on a street, a protest or demonstration that blocks a street, and a riot that involves burning tires and pillaging shops. The latter of the three is extremely rare in the US although it does happen. (It happens in Europe too.) The first two things are more common.