from ZeroHedge:
With police forces overwhelmed by the enormous scope of devastation in Los Angeles County, residents are starting to take matters into their own hands, defying mandatory evacuation orders to instead guard their homes and their neighbor’s property with firearms.
As we reported yesterday, losses from the wildfires in Los Angeles county are poised to reach $250 billion or more. Property isn’t only being destroyed — it’s also being stolen by brazen looters. The neighbor of one LA county resident gave a disturbing description of what was going on on their street: “There were like a hundred people that came up on scooters and were trying to get into any and all houses on this street.”
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In response, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna has imposed a curfew, saying, “We’re not screwing around with this; we don’t want people taking advantage of our residents that have already been victimized.” Of course, strong words are little defense against looters determined to prey on vulnerable innocents. Much as the bad guys ignore strong words, so too are plenty of good guys and gals who are opting to defy evacuation orders so they can secure their own property.
“I have no patience for any of [the police],” wealth-management firm president Ross Gerber told the Wall Street Journal. “After you survive this, you don’t care what they say.” Toting a firearm, Gerber has been sneaking into and out of the mandatory evacuation zone to check on his house. He says he’s also joined neighbors in walking the streets and questioning those they don’t recognize.
“I get that [police will] say this is ‘the rule,’ but it’s our land and our neighborhood and as much as I respect the authorities, we’re much more competent than them,” said Gerber, who said a neighborhood WhatsApp channel has proven to be an organizational resource that’s “better than any government.”
Others are staying put in their homes, ready to use gunpower to thwart looters. “I do have firearms and I’ve been calling my friends to make sure I know how to legally exist with them,” Altadena resident EveAnna Manley told KTLA 5. She has a slogan displayed on her Starlink satellite internet receiver: “If You Are Lootin’ We Are Shootin’.”
