Defaced Scooters Found in Ocean Beach

Earlier this week, local station Fox5 found “Dozens of electric scooters and bikes were found damaged or defaced with inappropriate words  in Ocean Beach Monday,”, adding the damaged scooters caused “a bit of an eyesore.” Of course, this reporter ignored the eyesores caused by dozens of scooters everywhere else.

Some of the scooters and bikes were spray-painted; for instance, one said, “Bird sucks”; others had spray-paint on their handles and sides. Others were damaged and weren’t able to be used.  At least one scooter  had a flat tire.

Fox5 also reported:

As of Monday evening, San Diego police had not received any official reports of vandalism regarding scooters or bikes in Ocean Beach.

Of course, these are not the first reports of damaged or junked scooters or bikes. Less than a year ago, the LA Times reported:

… some residents are taking matters into their own hands and waging a guerrilla war against the [scooters and dockless bikes]. These vandals are destroying or desecrating the vehicles in disturbingly imaginative ways, and celebrating their illegal deeds on social media — in full view of authorities and the public.

One Venice Beach maintenance guy stated: “They throw them everywhere: in the ocean, in the sand, in the trash can.” All the time he comes across scooter parts on the boardwalk and adjoining alleys.

The Times also reported:

… the scooter destruction has elicited little sympathy or outrage — to say nothing of criminal investigations. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Pacific Division has received just one report of scooter vandalism that resulted in an arrest, but the case was rejected by the prosecutor. The Santa Monica Police Department said it hasn’t received any such reports.

Lt. Michael Soliman, who supervises the LAPD Pacific Division’s Venice Beach detail, said he’s aware of some vandalism — his team has seen scooters left in a pile 10 feet high. But because people aren’t reporting such incidents, it’s not something officers are responding to, he said.

“If we have to prioritize the allocation of our time and resources, first and foremost we’re going to prioritize the preservation of life,” Soliman said. “Protection of property comes second.”

Coincidentally or not, Bird has its headquarters In Venice. And there City Council members voted to cap the number of scooters on city streets while officials craft longer-term regulations, unlike here in San Diego, there’s not limits on the actual numbers of scooters being unleashed on our streets, sidewalks and roadways.

The Times continued:

While most tech entrepreneurs expect some criticism and calls for regulation when they introduce new and potentially disruptive products, they don’t necessarily anticipate the outright destruction of their property. They also don’t expect to see such carnage celebrated and encouraged on social media.

Yet mayhem directed at dockless scooters is the order of the day on Instagram’s “Bird Graveyard,” whose contributors relish publishing photos and videos of scooters that have been set aflame, tossed into canals, smeared with feces and snapped into pieces. The account has more than 24,000 followers.

Fox5