And some enthusiasts are losing their damn minds…
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony recently held a press conference to warn people who like to participate in street takeover events that he’s coming for them. While we’ve maintained our position that street takeovers, also called sideshows, aren’t for real enthusiasts, some enthusiast sites have decided this movement in Florida is some sort of personal affront.
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Frustratingly, those enthusiasts sites we’re not going to name have done the same thing so many local news outlets have done, lumping street takeovers with street racing. While we’re not a fan of either one, there’s a difference between the two. While street racers might shut down a strip of road to try keeping innocent bystanders from wandering into the middle of their races, they don’t shut down an intersection and perform tricks for social media cred.
It's important to separate the two problems, but for reasons we just don’t understand at all some enthusiasts want to play victim and pretend the Broward Sheriff’s Office is after them personally. Are they taking their vehicles to takeovers and performing smokey donuts for throngs of jeering 20-somethings? We have to wonder.
The sheriff did mention they’re going after street racers as well, which we’re fine with, but some of these enthusiasts’ sites think that means it’s open season on anyone with car modifications. Last time we checked it was California that was really pushing that kind of an agenda with its laws about exhaust noise and such, but we guess the concern is Florida is going in the same direction.
Sheriff Tony rightly points out this kind of activity on public roads puts the public, including small children, at risk. We know some enthusiasts think anything should go on roads everyone uses, but we disagree. Sure, there should be more tracks with public access, but at the same time enthusiasts need to stop coddling the anti-law, anarchist element which keeps trying to hijack the hobby.
Check out the press conference for yourself.
