People Start Policing Their Own Streets

In Oakland, according to a report, people are giving up on the police. They are trying to prevent crime themselves. In East Oakland’s Arcadia Park, residents have even taken to hanging wanted signs.

A local television station spoke to one woman, who wished to be identified only as L.E., patrolling her neighborhood in her car. She had recently chased down some robbers after hearing a call for help.

Arcadia Park may do what other Oakland neighborhoods have started to do: hire private guards. As one resident put it, “We don’t have a choice. Either die or we hire some security ourselves, because we can’t depend on the police department.”

UPDATE: In the comments, a resident of southern Oregon writes:

In my rural area in Southern Oregon, some of the citizens have formed a civilian “first responders” group headed by a laid-off Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant.

My area was supposedly cut off from all Sheriff patrols due to budget cuts. I say “supposedly” because I have NEVER SEEN a Sheriff patrol on our street in the 10+ years I have lived here, even when the County’s coffers were flush with real estate dollars.

If the new civilian “first responders” system results in ONE person patrolling our street EVER, it will be an infinite improvement over the system I have been paying taxes for over the last 10+ years.

All the government systems are badly broken and you wonder how long it can go on? We all kept paying taxes when the services were anywhere from pathetic to outright hostile (schools, DMV, police, etc.)

Will we keep paying taxes when we get NOTHING from the government and have to do it ourselves or pay someone else?

kirk

the only solution to local and state policing is PRIVATE security organizations. security will be real, innocent people will not be hurt for fear of being sued and private security companies can be controlled with legalities that judges, lawyers and cops use today for cover to protect egregious actions by judges, lawyers and cops.

forget the local cops, sheriff depts and state police organizations offered by govt at various levels. they are a hindrance, not a help. they should all be fired and replaced.
FreemanDjango

In my rural area in Southern Oregon, some of the citizens have formed a civilian “first responders” group headed by a laid-off Sheriff’s Office detective sergeant.

My area was supposedly cut off from all Sheriff patrols due to budget cuts. I say “supposedly” because I have NEVER SEEN a Sheriff patrol on our street in the 10+ years I have lived here, even when the County’s coffers were flush with real estate dollars.

If the new civilian “first responders” system results in ONE person patrolling our street EVER, it will be an infinite improvement over the system I have been paying taxes for over the last 10+ years.

All the government systems are badly broken and you wonder how long it can go on? We all kept paying taxes when the services were anywhere from pathetic to outright hostile (schools, DMV, police, etc.)

Will we keep paying taxes when we get NOTHING from the government and have to do it ourselves or pay someone else?
Anonymous

Wow! What a terrific comment! Amen
Porphy’s Attorney

I’m all for this, but remember, people; – this is what stand-up citizen Jorge Zimmerman was doing in his robbery-ridden community, and as a result this black-hispanic epitome of civic engagement and vollenteerism got pilloried as Evil Whitey of the Year (George Zimmerman), held up as an example of everything that is wrong with the world, and will almost certainly be railroaded and sent to prison for defending himself and his community.
So, as you organize yourselves, bravely, for this, or cheer on others in Oakland or elsewhere who are rolling up their sleeves and performing this kind of service, just remember what they’ll do to you if you’re at all successful: no good deed goes unpunished in today’s anarcho-tyranny (which is nothing at all like anarcho-capitalism. I’m using Sam Francis’ term).
They’ll make as many examples as a warning to others as they feel they need to.