The Times podcast: Fast cars, furious residents

LA Times
·1 min read
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EAST COMPTON, CA - AUGUST 14: An early morning street takeover at Compton Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue in East Compton on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022 takes on a festive atmosphere with a crowd numbering in the hundreds watching. Takeovers are a growing trend and residents say that law enforcement are not doing enough to stop them. There have been some residents who say that the events are dangerous and keep them up at night. Some spectators said they feel like they're not bothering anyone and they only happen at night when the streets are empty. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
An early morning street takeover at Compton Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue in east Compton takes on a festive atmosphere with a crowd numbering in the hundreds watching. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Street takeovers. Street races. Burnouts. They’re the latest manifestations of car culture in the region — cousins to the drag races, lowrider cruises, V-dub love-ins and other gear-head gatherings that've gone on here for decades. But what you’re seeing right now — a lot of people say the scene feels different. And some people say the film franchise "Fast & Furious" is to blame.

In a region where car culture is king and stunts are all over social media, residents, politicians and law enforcement have had enough. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times reporter Nathan Solis

More reading:

Inside L.A.’s deadly street takeover scene: ‘A scene of lawlessness’

19 cars seized, 27 arrested in illegal street takeover in Pomona

LA Times Today: Dangerous street takeovers take a deadly toll on L.A.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.