Stockton's congressman Josh Harder backs bill to create FBI-led sideshow task force

Sideshows have turned deadly.

These informal car meets where large crowds of people gather to watch drivers do donuts, burnouts and other stunts have become a common sight and sound in California.

They are hotbeds for criminal activity, police claim. This year, at least three people were shot to death at Stockton sideshows.

In April, 22-year-old Moses Richardson was fatally shot while watching a sideshow near California and Oak streets.

In May, a 22-year-old man was fatally shot during a sideshow at the intersection of Eighth and B streets.

In July, 18-year-old Angel Ramos was shot and killed after a sideshow near Main Street and Rendon Avenue.

“Sideshows have become hot spots for violent crime in Stockton," said Congressman Josh Harder (D-Tracy). "It’s really scary, especially for families with young kids."

Shooting deaths linked to sideshows are what prompted Harder to back a new bipartisan bill aimed at curbing sideshows and street racing.

It's called the "They're Fast, We're Furious Act of 2023," or House of Representatives Bill (H.R.) 6224. The bill, introduced to the House on Nov. 3, would create an FBI-led task force to address the impacts of street racing and develop best practices to combat the problem.

It would include members from the criminal division of the Department of Justice and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The task force would study the prevalence and impacts of street racing, develop best practices for local and state agencies to deal with street racing, and coordinate the response of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to street racing.

“People are coming from all over, performing dangerous stunts right outside of people’s homes, bringing gang activity, and trafficking illegal weapons into our community, and we have to put a stop to it," Harder said.

The congressman said local law enforcement agencies are often stretched thin. He hopes that with FBI help, they will have the resources they need to keep people safe.

In San Joaquin County, a multi-agency sideshow task force was launched in 2017 to prevent sideshows in the county's streets. It is comprised of the CHP, San Joaquin County sheriff's deputies, Stockton, Tracy and Manteca police departments.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton's congressman backs bill to create FBI-led sideshow task force