On 2022-01-15, edell post.com <edell@post.com> wrote:

Thank Eric Garcetti and his asshole DA George Gascón.

Washington, DC (CNN)Photos and videos showing piles of empty boxes
littered alongside rail tracks in Los Angeles County, California
have gone viral as shipping companies say they've seen a dramatic
spike in railroad theft. Some of the boxes are packages from
companies like UPS, Amazon and FedEx.

Union Pacific, one of the country's largest railroad companies, says
it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County following the spike in
thefts, which it blames on lax prosecution of crimes. The containers
and trains are locked, but can be broken into.

Union Pacific said last month in a letter to the Los Angeles
District Attorney that it saw a 160% year-over-year increase in
theft in LA county. The company claims that a December 2020 special
directive issued by District Attorney George Gascón that changed how low-level offenses are prosecuted has contributed to the uptick.

Union Pacific said in its letter that in the last three months of
the year it made over 100 arrests of "active criminals vandalizing
our trains" in partnership with the LA police department and Los
Angeles Sherriff department. But Union Pacific, which has its own
police department with jurisdiction over the 32,000 miles of tracks
it owns, said that even as it has expanded its security resources
and partnered more closely with local law enforcement, the problem
isn't going away. After being arrested individuals are released from
custody within 24 hours, it said.

Crime is associated with increases in poverty, which has increased
during the pandemic. The county's directive was intended to combat
social ills that come from misdemeanor convictions, such as
difficulties with employment, housing, education, government
benefits and immigration.

"Studies show that prosecution of the offenses driving the bulk of misdemeanor cases have minimal, or even negative, long-term impacts
on public safety," Gascón said when the directive was issued.

"Our office is committed to working with law enforcement to ensure
collective safety across Los Angeles County's sprawling
infrastructure, whether it's at our ports or on railroad tracks,"
Alex Bastian, Special Advisor to District Attorney Gascón said when
reached for comment.

"Some cases presented to our office by Union Pacific have been
filed, such as burglary and grand theft, while others have been
declined due to insufficient evidence. We make charging decisions
based on the evidence. Our office takes Union Pacific's concerns
seriously and hopes to discuss this issue more in the coming weeks,"
he added.

"While we understand the well-intended social justice goals of the
policy, we need our justice system to support our partnership
efforts with local law enforcement, hold these criminals
accountable, and most important, help protect our employees and the
critical local and national rail network," Guerrero said.

The Association of American Railroads expressed concern about the
crime increase.

"In coordination with local law and where necessary federal law
enforcement partners, the industry is committed to pursuing all
avenues necessary to address this criminal behavior," spokesman Ted
Greener said in a statement.

[have sex with] social justice.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/14/economy/la-freight-railroad-
theft/index.html

It is astonishing to me that this is allowed to go on.

I read the article you quoted above in today's paper. This should have been quashed by UP and the local gendarmes as soon as it began to rear its ugly head.

I concur with you on the concept of "social justice", by the way.....

pH in Aptos

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