[Koyaanisqatsi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Oneaboveall', 'I')t's getting worse:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Tonight, around 11 p.m., a group of at least 60-70 African American youth marched down one of the side streets (W. Thrush) to the 4 lane main drag (Sheridan). They were yelling threats to white residents. Things such as we need to kill alll the white people around here. They were physically intimidating anyone calling for help from the police. They were surrounding cars. Cars on the main drag had to slam on their brakes to either avoid the youth blocking not only all four lanes, but a large section of the side street as well. fights were breaking out among them. They were rushing residents who looked out their doors, going on to porches, yelling threats to people calling the police for help.

[Pops]

Here's one comment from Koy's link:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '.').. the economy is a factor. 2-3 years ago, laid-off Caterpillar Middle managers couldn’t find a full-time living-wage job, and ended up getting the entry level jobs that teens usually are hired for. Unless these managers have been recalled, those jobs are still unavailable to teens.

[pedalling_faster]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Koyaanisqatsi', 'E')dit to add: Just asking.... I agree, it sure has the feel of the onset of collapse. Zombie hordes.

[AdTheNad]

Surely no one can actually be surprised by this? The unemployment rate of young people is just going up and up, and the pay rate for many who do get a job is minimum wage or a part time job with no benefits. We are transitioning to a world with less disposable income, and yet many rich people haven't even been affected. That harbours resentment amongst the have nots at the inherent unfairness in the system.

To make money legally you need to turn inputs into outputs. Big business is so efficient at producing goods cheaply that these people can not hope to compete. I think you can rule out the vast majority of people therefore making it as self employed, which leaves a bleak choice. Give them a job, give them money, or they will steal your stuff. This actually appears quite bootstrappy to me, it's not like there are many Native Americans left they can go kill and steal from.

I personally believe everyone would be better off if these people had a house and a nominal unemployment benefit. It might even be cheaper than paying for a police force and prisons, and the hassle of worrying about being beaten to death while walking in the street. I just wish if they are going to behave like this they would take it to the banking district.

[Sixstrings]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AdTheNad', 'S')urely no one can actually be surprised by this? The unemployment rate of young people is just going up and up, and the pay rate for many who do get a job is minimum wage or a part time job with no benefits.

[AdTheNad]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Sixstrings', 'I')f an Englishman came to Florida and poked around, he'd probably be shocked at the pockets of third world poverty here.

So yes, Ad, these are the fruits of hopeless third world poverty -- you get bands of juveniles roaming the streets robbing, attacking.

[basil_hayden]

Flash mobbing is not done to steal money for food, it's done for the thrill; it's the electronic version of "wilding" a couple decades ago. Less cops on the street = larger groups of goons on the street. Prison culture continues to permeate the mainstream culture.

It seems to me that if groups are using smartphones to set up flash mobs, the cops ought to use the same smartphone technology to find these goons through location services. Can't be that hard, some geek is probably already on it.

[GoIllini]

Guys, calm down. This is nowhere near as bad as the race riots of the late '60s, which ultimately prompted The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".

By all accounts, things are a lot more subdued in the western world than they were in 1968 when France was on the precipice of a socialist revolution and white people in the US were running as fast as they could out of the city as peaceful demonstrations were replaced with riots, arson, and ultimately the destruction of many city centers. We need to get some informants for the flash mobs and respond accordingly with paddy wagons and cutting off social services to criminals and letting nature take its' course.

It could get as bad as the late '60s this time. But it's not there yet, and regardless, life moves on.

[ritter]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('basil_hayden', '
')It seems to me that if groups are using smartphones to set up flash mobs, the cops ought to use the same smartphone technology to find these goons through location services. Can't be that hard, some geek is probably already on it.

[Pops]

Here is a comparison of the UK and US budget pie:

First the UK




Then the US




I think it's pretty obvious why we don't have universal health or any of the other niceties other countries have - aside from this of course:

[Fishman]

Amazing! This is almost exactly what Ferfal Aguirre describes in his description of the financial collapse in Argentina. And the responses here are pretty much exactly what he describes also. Crime skyrockets. Most people become greatly concerned about the crime rate. The left pretty much thinks these criminals, are well, not criminals.
Sorry, can't house, feed, cloth, stipend, these nonworking folks we're out of money. Argentina collapsed, Greece is collapsing, see any trends?

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GoIllini', 'G')uys, calm down. This is nowhere near as bad as the race riots of the late '60s, which ultimately prompted The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".

[GoIllini]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', '
')I worked for a jewelry store chain for a number of years and it's a standard tactic to send in enough people to get everyone occupied so one can snag a few baubles. That's the reason many stand alone stores have electric locks on the doors and they only allow in a couple of people at a time.

[PrestonSturges]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Oneaboveall', 'I') don't really have an answer honestly.

I wondering at what point do people start fighting back against these mobs. I think they're totally justified in defending themselves. I also wonder how ugly will things get when that happens. Someone already ran off a Mob in MIssouri with a Mosin Nagant (http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-metro-m ... 2112.story). While I say "good for him", my fear is that this will escalate.

[Novus]

Flash mob robberies are just an example of media sensationalism.

Crime in general had gone down since the 70s and 80s and the largest study ever done on it pinned the decline on crime directly on Roe V Wade. It is no coincidence that crime wave peaked just as last of the pre Roe V Wade generation was hitting its late teens. The best way to deter crime is make sure the criminals are never born. Off topic, graphic text deleted per the COC.

[AdTheNad]

Off topic text deleted.
If you had some kind of "civilised country dividend", payable to all citizens over the age of say 18, then having children would mean the income would have to stretch further, giving an incentive not to have them.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'A')gain I think it's the mentality of the mob that makes an otherwise fairly straight person feel they aren't really accountable, like the old "Murphy's Law" poster I once had stated:
If more than one person is at fault, no one is to blame.

[ColossalContrarian]

There was a time at PO.com when all of the threads ultimately came down to cannibalism. Now we have the repub vs. dem, liberal vs. conservative, blue vs. red, right vs. left. I can’t wait for the flash mobs to overrun a political debate and then start eating the candidates regardless of their political affiliation. These flash mobs might come in handy someday!

[AgentR11]

On flash mobs, it has made me rethink my position on zombies a little bit. I've not seen them travel out into rural or even exurban zones; but I hadn't expected to see mob sizes like these going after low end violence and robbery with the economy still lively enough to support food stamps....

What happens when these mobs aren't motivated by boredom and recreation; but by hunger?

[Fishman]

Back to Flash mob robberies. Ferfal's blog has good ideas on how to deal with them if caughtup. Most interesting was never go to ground, if you go down you get kicked. Unfortunately Ferfal didn't have recommendations for the shop owners.