Southern California Sounds example essay topic

Mike Davis' Beyond Blade Runner: Urban Control The Ecology of Fear paints but a scary picture for what Southern California represents. What many may depict a "bad neighborhood" to be cannot compare to what Southern California has to offer. California, when mentioned gives me a picture of a sunny vacation and beautiful rich houses. Disillusioned am I. Apparently there are parts of California I wouldn't be caught dead walking around in. For example, Broadway and Spring streets in Downtown Los Angeles were rioted last year. Windows were smashed and security became overwhelmingly tight.

Bullet proof steel doors were pulled down over street level-entrances, "escalators halted and electronic locks sealed off pedestrian passageways". For this level of security to take place, business owners had to predict a situation like this could occur. I would never think that way. Granted it helped their safety, but to assume the worst of the worst seems far fetched. With that in mind, this neighborhood obviously posted of threat to this degree. You can only picture what everyday would be like on the streets of Broadway.

What shocked me the most was the role the LAPD plays. Not only are they involved with society, but no major projects in Downtown LA can be done without the participation of the LAPD. Another shock was what the city planned to do in order to prevent crime. Many public and private areas are to be videotaped.

This not only stops there but these videos will be linked with home security systems, personal panic buttons, car alarms, cell phones and more. The extent to which authorities are going to maintain safety sounds ridiculous, yet necessary. I found through this reading that the LAPD will go to any extent to do away with crime. So far as to turn their backs on illegal activity stopping crime. People's constitutional rights are completely violated, practically thrown out the window. Authorities are able to enter someone's home without the proper search and seizure procedure.

They don't have any warrants, but are able to do as they please. The thought that these cops have that kind of power is scary. It is without a doubt that these cops abuse their power to their fullest ability. The idea here is that by ANY means necessary, crime will be stopped.

The authorities are not only trying to stop crime, but are pushing those criminals into a secluded neighborhood, known as the "nickel" and hoping to keep them there. Hopefully the future of California will be restored. The goal is to ensure safety amongst society; that is the rich part of society. It sounds like society is made up of two extremes; the rich and the poor. Those that fall in between are practically overlooked. Davis's ays that they are looking to protect fancy cars or "the rich man's toys".

The city's arrogance can only be to blame for their lack of safety. If you look at New York and its' worst neighborhoods, you will never see the amount of surveillance being suggested earlier to prevent crime. In fact, the complete opposite is occurring. There are drug-preventive groups willing help those involved. In California, they just want to "exterminate" the scum. The idea of force against force sounds like someone's worst nightmare, or a war zone even.

The children are an important factor in rebuilding society. It is horrible that students are taught to duck in classrooms incase a drive-by may occur. The "playground" is no longer a place for children to experience a happy childhood. Children are being killed. Classrooms are pouring with students and the teachers don't care.

To be in this environment, children, the most impressionable of society, are learning nothing new outside the streets that they live on. Marxism's idea of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat is played out in California. You have a social structure that is segregated and the authorities with all of the power. Society itself is therefore forced to turn to the government for help, because like many say, the animals will kill the animals. Independence and right to freedom is ignored. Granted, force must be used to prevent such extraordinary crimes, but the approaches authorities have taken are non-preventive.

In fact, if they can take human rights and put society in an environment where "riot-proof" doors have to be installed, they are showing that they are no better than the one's that they are after. Southern California sounds like that of a nightmare. I am glad to be informed that authorities are trying their hardest to prevent such a lifestyle from continuing, however, I must disagree with their methods they deem reasonable.