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Los Angeles To Impose Restrictions On Gaming Cybercafes
Thanks to the L.A. Daily News for its story discussing new safety-related restrictions for cybercafes in Los Angeles, including "restricted hours for children, video surveillance and interior waiting areas." Apparently: "Council members voted 11-0 to place rules on roughly 30 cybercafes in Los Angeles that draw a primarily teenage clientele to play video games on high-speed computers linked to the Internet", following "a melee outside the NetStreet Cafe in Northridge [that] left two people injured in December 2002 [and was linked to Counter-Strike in some stories]." Councilman Greg Smith commented: "Cybercafes are not inherently bad or troublesome, it's the attractive nuisance that they provide to children... It's just the nature of the beast that they draw people late at night and provide a place to go that may attract problems." Update: 07/08 23:56 GMT by S : A commenter points to a detailed analysis of the requirements from someone involved in the negotiations, who concludes: "This is actually a victory for the nascent and struggling [cybercafe] industry."
Seriously people, come on. Is this the new thing that is corrupting our youth? I know that the article did not actually say that, but it was infering to it. This must be the line of thought of these people forming the laws-"The cafe is a place where young people congregate and there seems to be some crime there...well i guess we better start regualting that place." Why not look at the causes at the problems, not the effects. Why is there crime there? Did it have anything to do with the cafe? Will this law really change anything?
heh, these aren't your typical bloods and crypts. They are basically an extension of the gangs in places like Vietnam and Korea. And they hate eachother as bad, if not worse, than the participants of the gang wars of the late 80's early 90's. They also tend to only fight amongst other asians, and a lot of the crime goes unreported.
more info here
It's also difficult for police to deal with these gangs because of hte large cultural and language barriers. I think this is just an attempt to keep them out of eachothers hair, though to me it's kinda like a leaky boat in one of those cartoons, plug up one hole and another one will spring open.
He's just expressing himself.
Ask yourself, once you realized this would it still bother you enough to shoot someone?
These people are just that -- barely people. If they can't take a little yelling without murdering then they couldn't stand 10 minutes in a bar yet alone a lame-o cybercafé. Yet, I don't see police detailing bars.
I'm not an Aussie and somewhat dated, but..
Australian Institute of Criminology
..These findings suggest the interesting possibility of minimising the levels
of aggression and violent incidents within public drinking contexts by
encouraging practical changes to the drinking environment. These would
include improving the design and appearance of bar rooms, as well as staff
training, behaviour and attitudes to customers.
[PDF]
Studies of Public Drinking
The relationship between alcohol use, tax revenue, and the cost of the public health system, have led to the increased interest of many governments in general drinking surveys. These outline the amounts and type of alcohol consumed by different socio-demographic groups, and sometimes detail locations (Single & Storm 1985). But it is the slower growing number of observational studies of drinking, bar rooms and pubs which can provide greater detail on the effects of situational variables on drinking...
Emphasis mine. If people won't go to cc's because cops then we should look at a different solution otherwise they'll just become extinct.
Don't bars have 100x the problem with late night crowds and fights?
-m