California Sucks #3: Stay for a while, become a victim.

"Nick Has an Exocet" (nickallain)
02/27/2016 at 19:13 • Filed to: None

A male, approximately 40 years of age with an unknown city of residence, was driving a silver Jeep SUV on Interstate 80 W/B near Richmond Parkway. An unknown suspect vehicle drove alongside and fired several rounds into the Jeep. The driver of the Jeep allowed the vehicle to drift across the roadway and down a steep embankment to the right of the freeway. The Jeep overturned several times, and the driver was ejected from the vehicle.

Interstate 80 in Richmond was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! earlier this morning after what I can only assume is gang violence caused bullets to fly, Jeeps to flip, and what I can only assume was a CHP scene like something out of Fargo.

But the thing is, crime involving vehicles is pretty much the norm in many parts of California. Take a walk through San Francisco or Oakland and you find the sidewalks are often covered in broken glass. Many convertible tops are also slashed.

The one day that I had to park outside of my apartment building’s lot in Oakland (the power was out due to a windstorm therefore the electric gate was out), someone smashed my passenger side window. What did they steal? A pair of $5 gloves. Then to add insult to injury, I moved my car into the locked garage. An hour later I found my car’s trunk open, the doors ajar, glovebox open, and storage latch broken as one of my fellow neighbors couldn’t help but rifle through my already broken-into car.

According to NeighborhoodScout, your chances of being a victim of property crime in California each year are 1 in 41. That’s not so bad. In my city (Richmond)? 1 in 24.

But how about San Francisco? Your chances of being a victim of property crime in California each year are 1 in 19.

Actually, we should talk about that. But if you ask any San Francisco resident, their response is usually “Crime is an East Bay Problem...” - meaning that “hey, everything is relative and it could be worse. I could live in Oakland.”

Oakland you ask? 1 in 17.

A sideshow in Oakland last year. This is when cars shut down traffic (sometimes on the highway) to do burnouts, hang out windows, fire guns in the air, and ruin tires. It looks like fun, but is a fantasic way of ending up in jail. Just observing one in person is illegal.

In my opinion, this is the one of the biggest problems when it comes to California. When it comes to breaking the law, everyone seems to think they’re just bending it - “because compared to X, this isn’t so bad”. It’s how you end up with people reversing two city blocks (if you’re in reverse, it’s not driving the wrong way), people going the wrong way down a one way street (it’s just a short street, it’s not like it’s that long one over there), and cyclists who break nearly every law possible (why are you writing me a ticket for riding on the crosswalk when that guy over there just murdered someone?).

Like this? How about reading parts 1 and 2?

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DISCUSSION (11)

Matt Nichelson > Nick Has an Exocet
02/27/2016 at 19:22

And we all thought Florida was bad....

Berang > Nick Has an Exocet
02/27/2016 at 19:23

Rules aren’t made for me, fuck everybody else mindset, seems to be a growing problem in most states.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Berang
02/27/2016 at 19:35

Yep. Just this past Friday, I was stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway. A late model Nissan Sentra decides to cross the grassy median, which is snow covered by the way, so he/she can avoid the delay. I watch in amusement/horror as the Sentra goes down one side, then struggles to climb back up the other side. I was hoping it would get stuck, but it ever so slowly crawls back up. It then tries to merge with on coming traffic, which is do 60+ by the way, with only the edge of the freeway to get up to speed. This asshole pulls into traffic like it’s Sunday drive, forcing oncoming cars to brake hard to avoid T-boning it.

Then, just to make sure I lose all hope in humanity, a early 00's Honda Accord decides to “fuck this shit”, and proceeds to head up an exit ramp THE WRONG FUCKING WAY!! This, to avoid a traffic jam that took about 15 - 20 minutes to clear. Way to go, N.W. Ohio drivers, way to go.

190octane > Nick Has an Exocet
02/27/2016 at 19:48

Property crime in Fullerton (my city)? 1 in 41

Property crime in California? 1 in 41

Property crime in the US? 1 in 38

So basically your complaint about California is the property crime, yet the property crime rate in California is better than the national average; and your neighborhood is bringing the state down?

As for you red staters, please feel free to post your property crime statistics to show how your state is better than ours. (Hint: they're probably higher)

smobgirl > Nick Has an Exocet
02/27/2016 at 19:50

I had to do a property inspection of subsidized apartments in Oakland once. The rental company was out of economy and compact cars, so they offered me a complimentary upgrade. Now, 99.99999% of the time, this means all they have left are minivans that no one wants. Not this time. It’s a Mustang, and it’s bright red. I park on the street behind the property (it’s gated, and I don’t have a code) and sit in the car a minute gathering papers and securing my belongings. While I’m sitting there I overhear an argument between a man standing next to my car threatening to kill a property resident on her balcony because she owes him $5 for a sandwich.

That was far from the worst property I’ve been to, but I’ve never felt so conspicuous or vulnerable since. Thankfully nothing happened to the car and no one mugged me for my $100 digital camera.

Chasaboo > Nick Has an Exocet
02/27/2016 at 19:57

America sucks. The sooner we all come to that realization, maybe we can get down to making some significant changes to the morans who call themselves citizens, or worse yet, patriots.

Nick Has an Exocet > Chasaboo
02/27/2016 at 20:44

I don’t actually think America sucks. There are large swaths of it that are completely devoid of the scourge we call "people".

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Chasaboo
02/27/2016 at 20:46

America is fine, Americans suck. We're a nation of soft, coddled jerks who can't stand to hear a truth if it clashes with our previously held world views.

His Stigness > Nick Has an Exocet
02/28/2016 at 22:40

Nice job dismissing my comments because I don’t agree with you.

Seriously what do these posts accomplish? How does this make Oppositelock better, or even enjoyable? It doesn’t. This is a needless post posted by a hateful person.

You have the power to change your life, it’s not California’s fault you hate it here. You’re allowed to move out of this state, no one is forcing you stay here.

And if California were so terrible, why does everyone want to move here?

Nick Has an Exocet > His Stigness
02/28/2016 at 23:20

I dismissed your posts because they violated Oppo’s rules. Namely, the one about not being a dick. It’s one thing to disagree - it’s another thing entirely to disagree and be a dick about it.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tag/rules-of-t…

His Stigness > Nick Has an Exocet
02/29/2016 at 01:58

Ah but making a series of posts about how shitty you perceive California to be is alright, especially considering there’s a shit load people in this state, and quite a lot of members of Oppo.

Look, I get it. There are many things I don’t like, but I don’t make a series of posts about them. Why? Because that’s disrespectul and it’s a dick move.

You violated Oppo’s rules before I did. Don’t be surprised when people get mad when they talk about your home.