It’s no secret San Francisco struggles with illegal street takeovers. After all, the purported birthplace of street takeovers or sideshows is the Bay Area. But a new report out of the city features footage of a police officer encircled by dirt bikers doing donuts and wheelies during an unsanctioned event.
That footage, taken at the bottom of the famous block of Lombard Street featuring eight hairpin turns, has caught the attention of many. It started with a group on dirt bikes, scooters, motorcycles, and ATVs racing down the twisting road.
When they reached the bottom, some decided to harass a police officer who was directing traffic. In footage taken by one man, we see at least two dirt bikes go around and around the cop, doing donuts and wheelies, obviously in a taunting way.
Shared by local news station ABC7, the footage has shocked some and caused residents, even visitors of San Francisco to share their encounters with the same crowd. This sort of thing is common in the city, with takeovers happening not only on streets but also footpaths and in popular tourist areas.
Why San Francsico and certain other cities tolerate this kind of lawlessness is beyond us. But they fail to do what’s necessary to put an end to takeovers. Other cities have either ended their takeover problem rapidly through certain steps or stopped the trend from starting in their boundaries altogether.
On that note, we found it interesting ABC7 featured in its report a statement made by the San Francisco Police Officers Association criticizing the city for being too lax on crime. It specifically pointed out that the department is understaffed and so can’t deal with this and other crimes effectively.
The takeover problem in San Francisco might get even worse until the city does what’s necessary to stamp it out. Until then, residents and tourists will continue dealing with not only inconveniences but also physical dangers.
Image via ABC7 News Bay Area/YouTube
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