But will it even work?
Earlier in the month, the city of Compton in California decided to try out installing Botts’ Dots in certain intersections where street takeovers have become common. The idea is that the raised dots will make performing burnouts and donuts more difficult and so kids will go elsewhere to have lawless fun. We’re not entirely sure this will actually solve the problem but applaud cities for at least trying to combat street takeovers.
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Sadly, the lax attitude toward street takeovers has allowed them to flourish in cities all over the country in the last few years. Maybe some officials saw the illegal gatherings as just harmless fun, but as we’ve covered before these pop-up events can be extremely dangerous.
Spectators have been hit by the cars “stunting” in the closed-down intersections. Worse, street takeovers are magnets for other illegal activity, leading to shootings, assaults, etc. Bystanders who have happened across them have been attacked and so have police officers who show up to stop the fun.
During an interview with a local news station, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif says the installation of the Botts’ Dots was done earlier in the month at a few intersections as part of a pilot program. While the city is waiting to see the long-term effect, the mayor says she’s been receiving fewer phone calls from citizens reporting street takeover events in the city.
Sadly, we think this might be like installing speed humps in neighborhoods to discourage speeding. These sorts of measures work great for respectful, law-abiding people but for those who like to break the law they’re more like a challenge than a deterrence. If the Botts’ Dots become more common, we imagine these kids will either find a way to adapt to them or figure out how to hold their events in other spaces since they seem pretty determined to live lawlessly.
Source, images: KTLA 5
