Skip to main content
Donate

LAPD Tracking Down Flash Mobs in L.A.

By Arika Sato
September 30, 2011
Support Provided By
A flash mob on Hollywood Boulevard occurred after a tweet from a DJ
A flash mob on Hollywood Boulevard occurred after a tweet from a DJ

Flash Mobs are occurring almost weekly in Los Angeles and LAPD is trying to track down the events before they happen.

Websites such as Meet Up have been used to organize the events in Southern California for people who want to attend and participate in these "flash mobs," or mass gathering of people. Through your Facebook account, you can log in and show which events you are attending and share with your friends. This Saturday, there is an upcoming flash mob of 5,000 people to raise funds for Mental Health programs.

On July 28th, a flash mob on Hollywood Blvd. for DJ Kaskade got too big and LAPD had to shut it down. "We're looking for criminal behavior. We're looking for public-safety problems," said LAPD Commander Andrew Smith to ABC7.

In May, a bikini flash mob shocked shoppers at The Grove in Los Angeles organized by the store PacSun to advertise for their new swimsuit line, but the event did not get shut down.

"Flash mobs are unique because the police department must ensure the safety of the public without infringement of civil liberties," said LAPD Officer Chobanian.

LAPD Internet Unit officers are searching on Facebook and Twitter to look out for organized flash mobs that may lead to something illegal.

annenberg-school-of-journalism

Arika Sato is a graduate student at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, which has partnered with KCET-TV to produce this blog about policy in Los Angeles.

The photo used on this post is by Flickr user h.ngo. It was used under a Creative Commons License.

Support Provided By
Read More
An oil pump painted white with red accents stands mid-pump on a dirt road under a blue, cloudy sky with a green, grassy slope in the background.

California’s First Carbon Capture Project: Vital Climate Tool or License to Pollute?

California’s first attempt to capture and sequester carbon involves California Resources Corp. collecting emissions at its Elk Hills Oil and Gas Field, and then inject the gases more than a mile deep into a depleted oil reservoir. The goal is to keep carbon underground and out of the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change. But some argue polluting industries need to cease altogether.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
Gray industrial towers and stacks rise up from behind the pitched roofs of warehouse buildings against a gray-blue sky, with a row of yellow-gold barrels with black lids lined up in the foreground to the right of a portable toilet.

California Isn't on Track To Meet Its Climate Change Mandates. It's Not Even Close.

According to the annual California Green Innovation Index released by Next 10 last week, California is off track from meeting its climate goals for the year 2030, as well as reaching carbon neutrality by 2045.
By Alejandro Lazo, CalMatters
A row of cows stands in individual cages along a line of light-colored enclosures, placed along a dirt path under a blue sky dotted with white puffy clouds.

A Battle Is Underway Over California’s Lucrative Dairy Biogas Market

California is considering changes to a program that has incentivized dairy biogas, to transform methane emissions into a source of natural gas. Neighbors are pushing for an end to the subsidies because of its impact on air quality and possible water pollution.
By Emma Foehringer Merchant, Inside Climate News