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California Cops Fieldcraft

Uncle Scotty Stories: Tactical Eating

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Born again Cynic! California Paint me surprised by this

The best explaination of “Reparations” yet

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California

CALIFORNIA DREAMING By Aristophanes

“Best way to live in California is to be from somewhere else.”
— Cormac McCarthy, No Country for Old Men

The beacon of hope that used to be California is now a fading memory. Once the state symbolized the American Dream and prosperity, with classic cars cruising along Muscle Beach and Hollywood glamour drawing talent and beauty from everywhere: today it is a shadow of its former self, drowning in struggle and decline. As a native Californian, it breaks my heart to see my home state in such disrepair. In Texas I feel like a refugee from a country destroyed by some unimaginable disaster. The pain that I feel when I think about California’s current condition runs deep.

I grew up in the 90s in a small farming town in California’s central valley, with an economy built on peach orchards and a state university. Like many rural inland areas, our town was heavily white and conservative and struggled to cope with high taxes designed to support a large welfare class within the big cities. Those taxes enabled service industry workers to survive on low wages that couldn’t keep up with the high cost of living, but also fostered dependency.

In recent years, more people have been leaving California than arriving, a new trend for the Golden State, California has even lost a seat in the House of Representatives due to population decline, while Texas gained one. For my part, one reason I left the state almost a decade ago was because of the sense Californians were resigned to their fate. There was no fight left in the California Republican Party. Conservatives lacked either the influence or the will to wrest back control from the parasitic political consultant class who had captured the party and ran such unappealing candidates as Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman. The party that had launched the political careers of popular candidates like Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Pete Wilson suddenly ran out of charismatic candidates. Attempts at governing through popular democracy were also stymied, with Prop 187 and Prop 8 both passing by strong margins only to be struck down later by federal judges. The last GOP majority in the state assembly was in 1994. I was just a kid back then, with no idea the golden age had come and gone.

Despite California’s decline, glimpses of its former glory can still be found. Streets, schools, and buildings in the Bay Area and Sacramento bear the names of war heroes like Dan Daly, and statues of some of the greatest Americans we’ve ever produced are tucked away in parks and streets of small-town California. Take what was once McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, now a business park. The Barracks have transformed into the Lions Gate Hotel, with the former Officer’s club serving as a bar, its walls adorned with pictures of the base’s history. The Squadron buildings are now cheap, asbestos-filled office space, occupied by homelessness NGOs that seem unable to do more than help the mentally ill and addicted subsist until they perish.

But just a few miles away, slumbering California can still be found. Away from the main urban arteries, American flags hang from homes, and carefully preserved classic cars are a common sight.

When I go back to California to visit the family I still have there, I’m moved by the memories of the best parts of my childhood. I’m lucky enough to remember the idyllic “old California.” Violent crimes were so rare that they were the talk of the town when they did happen. I remember 4th of July block parties, where we could still legally use our own fireworks. We would watch the massive fireworks show put on by the university and then produce one of our own. The whole street would assemble in front of a neighbor’s house, and everyone would take turns lighting off fountains and mortars for hours. Halloween enjoyed almost universal participation, and no one was afraid that it would be unsafe for kids to take to the streets in search of candy on their own. I walked to my elementary school, starting in first grade, with no fear of getting snatched up.

But in 2001, the old world came to an end for me, a little sooner than it did for most. My parents had been fighting and considering a trial separation for a few years, and my dad had fallen into a deep depression. He was prescribed the antidepressant Paxil, but 9/11 was the final nail in the coffin for him. The spark of optimism he still had preserved flickered out, and a month later he took his own life. Paxil would later face class action lawsuits over its role in driving depressed men like my dad to rock bottom. The California Dream ended for me that day, and ignited the rage I feel.

***

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”
— Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi

No stretch of California evokes memories more vividly for me than the stretch of Highway 65 and Highway 70 from the northern edge of Sacramento to the mountain town of Paradise. In the summer the vast fields of haygrass resemble yarn spun from gold. Elkins Frosty, with its proud banner proclaiming the best (and only) burgers and shakes in town since 1976 recalls simpler times. Then, after the Oroville Dam, you reach the ill-fated town of Paradise.

Like many logging towns in the Northern California mountains, Paradise was devastated by the Sierra Club’s campaign to destroy the State’s logging industry in the name of conservation. With its primary industry gone, these towns sunk into economic decline. Most of the young people moved out, while drug use and petty crime increased. Eventually the economy consisted largely of retirees and the government, a situation now common to small towns across America following deindustrialization. Then, in 2018, the devastating “Camp Fire” wildfire burned Paradise to the ground, leaving only ashes and devastation in its wake.

My aunt and cousin, who had spent most of their lives in Paradise, lost their homes. Scores upon scores of homes were reduced to nothing more than concrete pads. But my great-grandmother survived. Her home was spared, and she returned as soon as she was allowed before recently passing away at the age of 92. It was her funeral that brought me back to Paradise and gave me a chance to see how the town was doing with its rebuilding efforts.

Despite the scars left by the Camp Fire, still visible on the trees that survived, Paradise has a feeling of new life to it. Slogans of solidarity and pride are scattered throughout the town: “Paradise: Rebuilding The Ridge,” “Paradise Strong,” and “Faith & Hope In Paradise.” Many of the buildings that were destroyed have been replaced with structures made of steel. There are new businesses everywhere, funded by fire insurance money and new investments. A charred metal Burger King sign without a building to go with it is all that remains of the many big corporate franchises that have yet to return. With the overgrowth swept away by the fire, enriching the soil, Paradise is an example of the cycle of destruction and rebirth that nature destines for all its creations.

***

“And home isn’t here and home isn’t there.”
— Deborah Landau, The Last Usable Hour

It is difficult to suppress the notion that the apathy towards the issues plaguing rural communities in California may be attributed to the disconnect between the political and financial power centers of the state and these areas. Over the past decade, the population of California saw a ten percent increase, with the majority of growth concentrated in urban areas. This influx has resulted in a class of urban parasites who have displaced native residents due to the growth of housing demand and have also imposed their own values and priorities upon these areas. The stereotype of the progressive middle-class “Californian” nobody wants to move into their red state was more than likely born in Pennsylvania or Ohio.

This new class has overrun the state, treating the residents as collateral damage in their search for upward mobility and acceptance within their adopted lifestyles. They have abandoned their roots, and in doing so, have turned a blind eye to the struggles of the folk that resembles their heartland kin. These problems, which closely mirror the struggles of their own families and hometowns, are now distant and insignificant to the political power that stems from the cities. As a result, there are no repercussions for neglecting to address them.

California today is at a crossroads. Will it be able to reclaim its former glory, or will it continue to decline? Time will tell. The once great state is now ravaged by poverty and corruption. The glamour of Hollywood and the prosperity of the gold rush and railroad seem like distant memories, preserved only in film. The pension obligations of its bureaucracy are in danger of going unfunded, while unions wield their power to prevent necessary changes. The Golden State is setting itself up for a catastrophic reckoning, but perhaps that is the only way it can be revived. Like an overgrown forest, California needs a firestorm to raze it, so that seeds of the future can be sown once again.

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California Cops Gear & Stuff

Uncle Scotty Stories: History of LAPD Gear

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Being a Stranger in a very Strange Land California

From HMS Defiant – YANKEES BEGINNING TO SMELL A RAT

One of the joys of living in California for over 30 years in both the south and the Bay Area was watching demographic change swirl through some of it and revise whole towns overnight as the newcomers swept away the old. Such a case in point was the City of Compton. Almost 100% white into the ’50s with all the usual tricks of a society that wanted to live by itself was completely replaced by blacks in the 60’s and they remained the majority of the population until into the 90s when they were all swept away by the incoming Mexicans and other hispanics with all the violence and turf wars and shootouts that presage big changes in little places.

New York and some of the other Atlantic states are slowly figuring out that what happened so dramatically in Florida could and will happen in their towns as the newcomers from south of the border kick the ever loving crap out of the old denizens and demons that run the drugs, gangs, pimps in places like New York City and either exterminate them or drive them out. Perhaps they’ll head to the suburbs and New Jersey. It’s hard to tell where they’ll end up.

What the current demons don’t really understand is that the Mexicans?

The guys that routinely take on the Mexican Army and own the Mexican police forces from the local level all the way up to the Minister of Justice and Minister of Defense…..those cartels you hear about from time to time if you look for news other than in the mainstream of media foulness, they are the utterly amoral killers and they’re more heavily armed than anybody in the United States and they’re coming here.

They also know that the richest pickings are in places like New York, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut and the other urban hellholes that spawned the gangs, the drugs and the crime that make urban living so darned pleasant for commuters in those places.

When the mayors of towns like NYC bleat about a mere 45,000 illegals dumped on his city by the mayors of Texas and Oklahoma towns and the Federales who answer to literally noone, he aint seen nothing yet. What a pity they shit on their police, defunded their police and voted for socialist progressive liberal BLM types to administer justice in their fair little cities.

In 20 years you will not be able to recognize them. Kind of like Compton.

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Born again Cynic! California Cops You have to be kidding, right!?!

WHAT???!! In San Francisco??? I’m shocked…

SF prosecutors decline to charge security guard in fatal Walgreens shooting, cite self-defense

Prosecutors decline to charge guard in fatal Walgreens shooting

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The security guard arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a person inside a San Francisco Walgreens last Thursday has been released from jail after prosecutors declined to pursue charges.

According to a statement released by the district attorney’s office Monday, they decided to not file murder charges, at this time, after a review of the evidence gathered by the San Francisco Police Department.

The statement said in part, “The evidence clearly shows that the suspect believed he was in mortal danger and acted in self-defense.”

Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony is accused of fatally shooting 24-year-old Banko Brown during what police are calling a shoplifting incident.

“We cannot bring forward charges when there is credible evidence of reasonable self-defense. Doing so would be unethical and create false hope for a successful prosecution,” the statement said.

On the same day Anthony was released from jail, loved ones of Brown held a rally in San Francisco to demand justice for his death.

“It’s insane that Walgreens has armed security, there’s nothing in that store worth a human life,” Jessica Nowlan, a representative from the Young Women’s Freedom Center said.

Julia Arroyo, co-Executive Director of the Young Women’s Freedom Center said the rally held Monday for Brown was also to demand housing, specifically for Black trans youth.

“Being a Black trans man, it was complicated for him. To be inside of women’s housing or men’s housing. He was constantly being targeted and so he often talked about, ‘where’s my place for a home?'” Arroyo said.

She says Brown was one of their community organizing interns and like many of the people connected with the center, he had been experiencing homelessness since he was just 12 years old.

“He was the next in line to receive his housing, and so they continued to tell him, you just got to call back every morning,” Arroyo said.

But despite sometimes helping others get resources before him through the Young Women’s Freedom Center, that call for permanent housing never came for Brown.

“I know that Banko called tirelessly to all of these places, waited in line for housing and was turned away so many times and I’ve just seen his urgency to get there and, this is the result,” she said. “This is the result and we should all be ashamed of ourselves in San Francisco.”

Police say this shooting was originally called in as a shoplifting incident, though a cousin who was with Brown Thursday evening tells ABC7 they were not shoplifting.

Darren Stallcup, a neighbor who shops here daily, believes shoplifting in San Francisco is part of a much larger problem.

“People who are struggling to make a life for themselves, to build a life for themselves, are having an even more difficult time nowadays,” Darren Stallcup, a San Francisco resident said. “What’s happening right now in San Francisco is an absolute humanitarian crisis, this is not an isolated incident.”

San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s office said they could not comment on the specifics of this case, but released a statement saying Breed announced a goal of ending trans homelessness last year and that the city has created a number of programs to support trans communities including the Our Trans Home SF Coalition, the Taimon Booton Navigation Center, guaranteed income programs and the Dream Keeper Initiative.

“San Francisco strives to be a national leader in supporting trans communities and helping people on the path to housing and stability in a country where too often the basic rights and safety of trans people are under attack,” the Mayor’s Office said.

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Born again Cynic! California Cops Soldiering The Green Machine

When the Pols REALLY f*ck things up so then you turn to the Army(National Guard) to “fix” it

Hope — and some skepticism — as fentanyl crackdown begins in SF’s Tenderloin

“I’m hopeful something good comes out of this and we can help reclaim this city,” one resident said.

CA National Guard, CHP begin crackdown on SF open-air drug market
EMBED <>MORE VIDEOS 

Monday marks the start of Gov. Newsom’s move to crack down on San Francisco’s open-air drug market with CHP officers and the state’s National Guard.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Monday marks the start of Governor Gavin Newsom’s major move to crack down on San Francisco’s open-air drug market. California Highway Patrol and the California National Guard are teaming up with the SFPD and District Attorney’s Office to help get drug dealers off the streets.

CHP officers will be targeting the Tenderloin and South of Market neighborhoods, while the California National Guard works behind the scenes analyzing intelligence.

“As we hopefully wind down the drug market, we also have to make sure that we are winding up support for the people who are going to have a harder time finding drugs,” said Supervisor Dorsey.

RELATED: ‘Injecting Hope’ | Watch documentary on innovative program tackling drug overdose, fentanyl epidemic

“If you are going to be eliminating the supply like this, especially with people that do have substance use disorder and if their primary substance is fentanyl. We really need to make sure that we’re able to help these folks and very quickly,” said Gary McCoy of HealthRight 360, one of the nonprofits working with the city in hopes of establishing safe consumption sites.

Safe consumption sites, also known as safe injection, or overdose prevention sites, are places people can go to use their drugs under supervision in case of an overdose – and be connected to services like treatment and housing. The sites are illegal under federal law, but the Mayor’s Office and Board of Supervisors are trying to find workarounds, similar to sites like those in New York City, operated by a nonprofit.

“There are some conversations happening that fingers crossed we’ll make some progress on some of the overdose prevention sites that we’re talking about,” said Supervisor Dorsey.

Driving around the tenderloin on Monday afternoon, it looked pretty much like it does on any other day. There were a few SFPD officers on foot patrol. And we spotted two CHP cars passing through.

But despite no visible difference in the neighborhood, some San Franciscans are hopeful Monday will mark a turning point in San Francisco.

VIDEO: National Guard explains their role in fighting San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis

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California National Guard explains how they will carry out their roles in fighting San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis.

“I am cautiously optimistic. Let’s put it that way,” Tom Wolf, a recovering fentanyl addict who used to live on the streets of the Tenderloin, told ABC7 News.

Wolf said word has already spread around the community.

“From what I’m hearing from people on the street, is that they’re hunkering down. The people using drugs are hunkering down in anticipation of this increase in law enforcement to kind of ride out the storm,” Wolf said.

“The key is that, when we do this enforcement, it’s going to have to be a sustained approach,” he added. “We can’t just have the CHP come in here for three weeks and then go home. If they’re going to be here, they’re going to have to be here for six months at least.”

CHP said they have 75 uniformed officers in San Francisco, but they won’t say how many officers are being deployed at any given time for this effort.

Supervisor Dean Preston — who represents the Tenderloin and has been critical of Newsom’s plan — said he’s heard it’s going to be about six officers. He is among those skeptical the plan will make much change.

VIDEO: Mixed reaction to Gov. Newsom’s plans to combat San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis

This is a split image of fentanyl and a syringe on the street.
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There are still questions over what Newsom’s plan to enlist the CA National Guard and CHP to combat San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis will look like.

“It’s kind of a big nothing burger in some ways,” Preston said. “I mean, the governor announced military deployment with the National Guard and CHP and all that. In reality, now we find out that the plan appears to be taking six CHP officers who are already stationed here in San Francisco and having them drive around the Tenderloin and SOMA.”

“So, I wish the governor would focus less on these publicity stunts and more on working on us to actually improve the community,” he added.

Wolf, meantime, is just thankful that there’s focus on combating the crisis.

“We definitely need to do something, so adding more law enforcement is a first step in that direction,” he said.

Jury is still out, he said, if that increased police presence will be enough to deter drug dealers.

“I think they’ll believe it if they see it,” Wolf said. “Until then, I think they’re going to keep doing what they’re doing. There’s too much money to be made out here.”

“That’s why I’m saying I’m cautiously optimistic,” he added. “I’m hopeful something good comes out of this and we can help reclaim this city.”

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California Cops Some Red Hot Gospel there! Stand & Deliver

Catalytic-Converter Theft Suspect Stabbed to Death in Los Angeles County Driveway

LAPD says that two officers were checking on the welfare of a man when he drew a knife and stabbed one of the officers. They shot him and killed him. This happened on the 1400 Block of Curson Ave. near Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles jut after 4 am this …
Annie Wells/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

A suspected catalytic converter thief was stabbed to death in a driveway early Friday morning in Los Angeles County, California, CBS News reported.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies responded to a house in South El Monte on the 1100 block of Thienes Avenue at 2:37 a.m. and found a man dead at the scene, sheriff’s Lieutenant Michael Gomez said.

“Deputies made contact with the resident of the house, who said he had been sleeping when he heard people outside tampering with his car. He went outside to investigate, where he was confronted by three to four people. An altercation ensued and one man was fatally stabbed,” according to the report.

Investigators said two or three other suspects fled the scene and were last seen driving eastbound on Thienes Avenue. Gomez said tools left at the scene indicate the suspects were attempting to steal catalytic converters.

The deceased suspect, between 35 and 45 years old, was found lying partially underneath a car in the driveway. The weapon used is believed to be a kitchen knife, according to investigators.

Investigators detained and interviewed the resident. Two other people were allegedly inside the house at the time of the incident, officials said.

————————————————————————————— Two things about this comes to my feeble mind. In that Richard Ramirez the serial killer was caught messing with somebodies car. (Don’t ever mess with a car in LA as you WILL inherit the wind of some serious violence)

The other thing is that if the Cops won’t or cannot do their job. Then the neighborhood even here in wimpy LA will!

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California Darwin would of approved of this! Grumpy's hall of Shame

Welcome to my home town of Los Angeles (The City of “Angeles”)

For those who have never been here. There is a Fast Food Chain called in & Out Burgers. Which has a cult following of which I don’t belong to by the way. Although they do make a decent burger but so so fries. But I digress! So enjoy just another example of why I do so want to get the F**K out of this place.

Grumpy

PS This is near the 6 Flag Magic Mountain Amusement Park where the Plebes go as its a bit cheaper than Disney Land. Go figure!

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California

Driving in Los Angeles 1950s in color (Its amazing on how little it really has’nt changed much)

Of course the The people of LA is another story. Grumpy