I’ve heard these incidents referred to as “chimp outs”. That term is disrespectful and may be hate speech. When a large mob behaves like a pack of aggressive animals, normal people hate the disruption and don’t respect the participants.
Dingbat community organizers and progressives sympathetic to chaos have several explanations meant to take all blame away from the participants and enablers.
- Loneliness: More often than not, it is a desperate need for connection.
- Covid: The pandemic created a mental-health crisis among teens.
- Emotional neediness: “A lot of times when you see kids out here, it’s a cry for help,”
- Poverty: One of the greatest stressors a family can face is being poor.
- Hunger: People commit retail theft “because they need groceries,”
- Capitalism: American cities were “built for spending money, they’re built for consumerism.”
Teen takeovers are not hard to understand.
Chaos is fun.
“Like a kid in a candy store!” means unrestrained access to whatever you want. In a post-apocalyptic scenario, the character races a car down main street or throws something expensive off of a high building.
Here’s a video of some guys rolling a 10,000 lb boulder down a hill.
It’s cathartic.
Functional adults are “in the game”. I may be vexed by my unreliable car, but I know if I roll into the lake, I won’t have any car. Now I have to walk home from the lake, and it will be a whole big thing when somebody finds the car. The sheriff will get it dragged out of the water, then come to me with a bunch of fees for towing and environmental recklessness. Chimping out is a hassle for people in the game who have something to lose.
Mobs are bullies.
An individual may be kind to the weak and powerless. In a mob, the morality drops to the lowest common denominator. The bully is disgusted by weakness, and feels justified in revealing how powerless the victim is.
A community that responds to frequent riots by pandering to the mob, gets more riots. That’s Econ 101.
For years, Cleveland has had a problem with young people riding dirt bikes and ATVs on city streets, disregarding all laws and traffic regulations. In this incident, they drove passed the headquarters for the Cleveland Police Department, pointing guns at the building. The mayor, Frank Jackson, responded by suggesting that the city build a $2 million dirt bike track.
Like many urban mayors, Frank Jackson wasn’t far from the street. His grandson was murdered over a dirt bike. His great-grandson was convicted of murder in retaliation for that incident.
If you give the bully your lunch money, he will be back tomorrow for more. At some point, a bully has to be challenged.
When a community is weak and lacks confidence, the mob will rule.
Teen takeovers are simple to stop, but it isn’t pretty. It is kind and compassionate to the residents of the community.
Indemnify reasonable residents
If a mob blocks the street and swarms a car, the driver is threatened. It’s reasonable to drive through the mob to escape. Some rioters may be hurt or killed, but if that isn’t the clear intent of the driver, then it’s reasonable self-defense. No charges filed.
In mismanaged cities, it’s easier for law enforcement to punish orderly residents, than it is to confront a mob. When a BLM mob smashed down their gate, Mark and Patricia took armed positions in their front lawn. Nobody was shot and no rioters were targetted. They were charged with brandishing. No rioters were charged for breaking his gate or trespassing.
The mob feels like the community deserves harsh treatment because it won’t stand up for itself, and the cops act as if the mob has a valid criticism.
Make the wildlings pay
Mob mentality drops to the lowest common denominator. Many of the participants consider themselves to be spectators, but their presence adds to the mob.
Round up everyone. That won’t be pretty, but it is necessary. Box them in, trap them, whatever it takes. Everyone has video. Hold them for 24 hours as a determination is made about whom to charge. If they used their car to block a street, impound the car. If they used their phones to pass along the riot location, confiscate the phone as a criminal tool. If they just showed up and shot video, send them home a day later.
The Cleveland ATV and dirt bike gangs are probably all on stolen vehicles and will flee between houses. Tough luck. The police may have to take drastic and dangerous action, like tasing a driver or deploying spike strips to blow tires. Arrest them, and charge them with something. Spend a week in jail. It doesn’t have to be harsh punishment, just a reliable consequence.
Let them have alternatives
Many of the people who show up at riots are functional people who are usually ‘in the game’, but enjoy the anonymity of a mob. The mob let’s them play with no rules. If the rules are enforced, they won’t show up.
People with nothing to do can be very creative. The community should leave some room for them to take risks and operate under the rule of cause-and-effect rather than the rule of law. That will look different based on the location. It may be going out into the desert, an abandoned building or desolate piece of land in the industrial part of town.
Some will die from motorcycle stunts, drug overdoses or gang fights. Let it happen if that’s what they want.
People who don’t want to die young and have no particular skill should have job opportunities and a path to a respectable life. With illegal immigrants being deported, there are plenty of jobs available. That will require an improvement in pay and working conditions, but that should happen anyway.
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