A recently implemented program revealed that residents of at least one California city are not the most law-abiding citizens.
In addition to indulging at times in rioting, drug use, theft, robbery, public defecation, and murder, it tracks that many residents of cities like Oakland also have little, if any, regard for the speed limit.
The Oaklandside reported May 26 that 35 new traffic cameras in 18 locations initially issued warnings between Jan. 15 and March 14. After that, the city began to issue tickets to second-time offenders.
During the 40 days from March 15 to April 25, 82,000 citations and 69,000 warnings were doled out.
That’s an average of 60 citations and 50 warnings per camera per day. Combining the totals, 151,000 instances of lawbreaking occurred in a month.
The U.S. Census Bureau reports 443,000 residents in Oakland. Even allowing for some repeat offenders, that’s a significant chunk of the population disregarding the law.
Which do you think is more serious – a population breaking the law, or the use of cameras enforcing the law?
The outlet reported that the cameras were placed in high-injury areas known for collisions.
Much is unknown about the numbers — the Oakland Department of Transportation did not provide revenue generated from the tickets, the number of repeat offenders, or the highest speed reached at all locations.
The five locations with the highest rate of speeding did have available data, with speeds often being close to 15 miles over the limit.
For instance, at the Hegenberger Road location, southbound and northbound traffic was around 55 miles per hour, with the limit at 40.
To be sure, speeding is a minor offense.
Oakland would be a state of anarchy if this report were about theft, assault, or murder, but the numbers tell us something about a people who consistently disregard the law.
A society that does so on any scale falls into disrepute. Californians haven’t just been fleeing to red states because of incompetent leadership, but because they’re tired of the lawlessness allowed to flourish by that leadership.
On a more concerning note, consider a development from January.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a news release Feb. 5 about California releasing 4,561 illegal aliens in the previous two weeks, despite their heinous crimes.
The release said the aliens’ crimes included “31 homicides, 661 assaults, 574 burglaries, 184 robberies, 1,489 dangerous drugs offenses, 379 weapons offenses, and 234 sexual predatory offenses.”
There are numerous stories like this.
In November 2022, a report by Fox News said thousands of pedophiles convicted of crimes against children had been released after serving less than one year.
If California doesn’t treat awful people like this harshly, why would regular residents feel like they need to comply with laws that deter minor offenses?
The standard is set low for how one should act in a place becoming increasingly less civil.
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