Written by T. Logan Dayne
For Californians, train robberies no longer invoke the western movie imagery that has been long played for years in Hollywood; it now represents a real threat. In the months leading up to the holidays and now after, the Los Angeles rail tracks are littered with trash as far as the eye can see. An image that even Gov. Newsom admitted looked like a scene from “a Third World country. Train theft has become a common occurrence in LA, as robbers board trains and take many UPS, Amazon, and many other packages heading out to the country. Packages found include important COVID testing supplies. Many packages were found unopened, tossed out and thrown on the side of the tracks. Many experienced delays in their packages and many others simply didn’t arrive.
What is being done about this? Union Pacific released a statement saying, “While criminals are being caught and arrested, charges are reduced to a misdemeanor or petty offense and the person is back on the street in less than 24 hours after paying a nominal fine.” Newsom, who supported the legislation making this possible, took to the tracks to clean up the debris left behind by the criminals his policies support. Newsom has done his best to avoid and deflect criticism for his part in California’s policies on lax crime. In a statement, Newsom asked, “How do we make sure we don’t have to keep coming back? How do we secure this site? How do we do a better job in making sure that this doesn’t have to continue to happen?” then proceeded to give no answers.
Instead claiming that, “This is the supply chain.” Prosecutors have given answers to Newsom but they fall on deaf ears. Fresno County’s District Attorney gave a scathing criticism of Newsom recently saying that he was either “ignorant” or a “liar”, stating that the policies he helped push are not doing anything to stop the rising crime in California. Others, like state Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk, points out that, “Criminals know how to exploit California’s policy for their gain,” an argument that has become increasingly more clear. As of yet, Gov. Newsom has given little in terms of solutions.
Photo Cred: AP Photo/Ashley Landis
