Rising social disorder in a post-Covid, defund-the-police America has forced cities and states to address new kinds of criminal outbreaks—from mass retail theft to squatting. Authorities have increasingly formed special police and prosecution units and toughened penalties in places as varied as New York City, Tampa, and Las Vegas to deal with these eruptions. Now added to the growing ranks of policing challenges is the latest lawless craze: street takeovers. In recent months, authorities in Texas, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Ohio, to name just a few places, have had to reorganize their increasingly undermanned police resources to confront these social media-fueled mass street demonstrations, which threaten other drivers and pedestrians and occasionally metamorphose into violent looting mobs. Localities are also rushing through new legislation aimed at discouraging mass vehicle gatherings. It’s the latest struggle to seize back streets that communities yielded to the lawless in the past few years.
While drag racing and biker rallies on local streets are nothing new, something larger and more dangerous formed during the tail end of Covid. The trend began when hot rodders took advantage of streets largely empty because of lockdowns to burn rubber, race against one another, or perform dangerous maneuvers like “doughnuts.” Sometimes, a group of drivers would assemble and ride in unison slowly down a street, effectively taking it over. Videos of these exhibitions on social media garnered huge audiences, and soon people were using Twitter and Instagram to advertise what became known as street takeovers. The events grew in number and intensity even as roads got busier once Covid restrictions faded.
These mass demonstrations emerged as police departments were being weakened by budget cuts and recruiting problems in the aftermath of the George Floyd riots of mid-2020. As a result, police were often overwhelmed and forced merely to observe these giant gatherings. In the Connecticut town of Milford, a single cop in a police car watched as a four-mile line of cars, motorcycles, and all-terrain vehicles passed by. Some of the cyclists popped wheelies in front of the cop, while others crossed the median and drove on the wrong side of the road to taunt him. In nearby Tolland, residents were outraged when state police stood by and allowed participants in a street takeover to attack a couple in a car who tried to maneuver around the congestion—stomping on the vehicle and smashing it until they totaled the car. Across the country, in Compton, California, a street takeover turned violent when participants ransacked a gas station convenience store, stripping the shelves of thousands of dollars of merchandise while the store clerk hid in the bathroom. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said that it couldn’t intervene because the force was “currently limited with their staffed personnel” and were “outnumbered.” Gradually, the violence at these events has worsened. A 15-year-old boy was shot and killed at a street takeover in South Los Angeles in July.
The initial lack of police response has allowed a culture of rebelliousness to take hold among participants, who get cheered on by social media for defying cops. “The more that participants boldly contravene the law—and avoid getting arrested—the more likes they get” on social media, a Portland, Oregon, police lieutenant said about the rise of incidents in his city. The escalation has led to threats and attacks on cops themselves. After a weekend of such occupations in Indianapolis last month in which police made several arrests and cop cars were vandalized, a social media account that helped organize the events posted threats against the police: “The action we saw this weekend against IMPD officers and Indiana state troopers is ACCEPTABLE,” the account said. “Officers came at their own risk so now they will tolerate our behavior. We will continue attacking IMPD vehicles if IMPD keep bothering us.” Earlier this month, a social media account orchestrating street takeovers in three Ohio cities—Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus—taunted police and egged on participants. “We will not run from a cop,” it said. “If you can’t stand your ground, this isn’t your week.”
Amid rising complaints and fears among residents, governments have begun to push back. Last year Texas governor Greg Abbott established a task force to address street takeovers in his state, focusing especially on Austin, where budget cuts and recruiting problems have left the city police shorthanded and have extended response times to 911 calls to up to 27 minutes. Travis County sheriffs and Texas Highway Patrol officers are now supplementing the local force. State counterintelligence units and aerial observation teams are also part of the new effort. “Despite the foolish attempts by some local officials to defund and demoralize our brave law enforcement officers, Texas is and remains a law-and-order state,” Abbott said. “We must send a clear message that these reckless, coordinated criminal events will not be tolerated.” Similar task forces are now operational in Cleveland, New York City, Miami, and Portland, and states like Maryland and New Jersey have followed the Texas model.
New laws give these special police units tools to combat street takeovers and aim to discourage participants with fines and potential jail time. Florida recently passed legislation doubling the fines for first-time offenders caught drag racing or stunt driving on city streets. Participants in coordinated street takeovers are subject to third-degree felony charges. California legislation signed into law last month by Governor Gavin Newsom allows police to seize the cars of those participating in street takeovers. Alabama and Nevada have enacted similar “impoundment laws.” New laws in Washington and Connecticut, meantime, target with fines those who organize and facilitate street takeovers and drag racing. Other laws are in the works, including in Cleveland, where the city council is rushing out legislation to combat the growing problem. The FBI, meantime, has established a national tip line where people can report these mass gatherings.
Hot cars, motorcycles, and young people have long been a combustible mix. Marlon Brandon’s 1953 movie The Wild One was based in part on a 1947 gathering of motorcycle clubs in California that turned violent. Critics in the U.S. and in Britain, where the movie was banned for 14 years, worried that it would unintentionally glamorize these kinds of gatherings and promote more of them. Today, you don’t need a Hollywood production and international movie star to do that. Social media alone will suffice. Every generation, it seems, has its rebels without a cause. That’s another reason not to adopt foolhardy ideas like defunding the police.
Photo: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images