Apparently there are places in our urban centers which, due (as our Mayor Villaraigosa seems to be contending) to lack of funds, local law enforcement has all but conceded to violent gangs.

At the borders of same, shall we not erect large placards, reading "Warning - entering unpoliced territory in which there is no regard for the rule of law"? An out-of-town six-year-old here recently may have been spared severe critical trauma (and possible death - update pending) at the hands of these monstrosities for humans by such a thing. Sad and angering.
-- globaltourniquet, Mar 05 2008

How to defeat crime through better policing http://www.time.com...599,1705342,00.html
No signs necessary. [DrCurry, Mar 06 2008]

due to lack of funds we can only buy one sign. "be aware of your surroundings"
-- Antegrity, Mar 06 2008


I never saw that sign.
-- elhigh, Mar 06 2008


I'm not sure how it works in US but here in UK we pay the police to cover the entire authority area.
-- angel, Mar 06 2008


Reasonably certain this is Baked in the form of graffiti.

But frankly, no signs are going to protect you from lawlessness. Time to dump the Mayor, pretty obviously. If New York can get violent crime to all time lows, then so can Los Angeles.
-- DrCurry, Mar 06 2008


//dump the Mayor//
Here's your sign.
-- Amos Kito, Mar 06 2008


//If New York can get violent crime to all time lows, then so can Los Angeles.//

Particularly as the police chief is the same guy.
-- angel, Mar 06 2008


I'd assumed these would be blank signs, so the gangs could put whatever they wanted.
-- ldischler, Mar 06 2008


Ahh the ghetto. Where do they come from? Conveneint to belive the people there are monsters. Maybe we should put up a wall or somthing. If a six year old wanders into the ghetto and gets hurt it calls to action; if a six year old who lives in the ghetto take a bullet its a shame, but what can you do? Damn monsters.
-- WcW, Mar 06 2008


There are several solutions to the "violent gang" problem in the United States. All are too controversial to be implemented (or discussed here). Signs would be a simple way to mitigate the problem until the political climate is appropriate to fix it. Pastry! [+]
-- ed, Mar 06 2008


//Conveneint to belive the people there are monsters//

[WcW] has spoken correctly.

Although, if a lost minivan on your street is a target for your bullets, this is a heinous thing, and you are a heinous person. Is it "convenient" to call this behavior monstrous? Well, I will concede that this isn't a misunderstood beast with a good heart, whose only recourse after years of suffering great abuse and torment is to occasionally come down from his mountain lair and eat the town children. So monster may be too soft of a term.

I am the staunchest of liberals. I am left of Ralph Nader. I believe very strongly in the eradication of victimless crime. I believe strongly in prevention and intervention as a real solution. I am 100% opposed to three strikes laws. I stand behind our great system of innocent until proven guilty. I am loudly and passionately completely against capital punishment in all cases. I believe we are too quick to incarcerate as a knee-jerk solution to real deep social problems.

Now, the cops have landed two suspects. Would they have if a resident kid had been killed? One may argue, with [WcW], that they probably would not have been so diligent. Is it pitiful that it takes an attack on an "outsider" to get the cops to do something? Indeed it is.

That all being said, I have a six-year-old boy. So, while I admit that if I find myself some day driving around in Kansas City or some place unfamiliar to me and I get lost, a sign would be nice, and I would support such a plan, this idea was probably intended as more of an ironic ad absurdum argument for emphasizing the sad situation that [WcW] points out.

So, bun the idea for that. Becuase even if implemented, in addition to the protection and service rendered to the washed visitors, the dialog that [WcW] wants will emerge.
-- globaltourniquet, Mar 06 2008


//a six year old wanders into the ghetto//

Strangely enough, there's been a drop in the number of young kids being hurt by gangs. Although, that might be more of a Tom White factor.
-- Shadow Phoenix, Mar 07 2008


No surprise - they're just running out of them.
-- DrCurry, Mar 07 2008



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