- After a million-dollar Metro bus was lit on fire and subsequently destroyed, people on social media were quick to criticize Dodger fans who took to the streets of Echo Park to celebrate the historic World Series victory.
- Most people on social media, however, did not question why dozens of LAPD officers watched people destroy the bus, instead of doing something to stop people from vandalizing it.
- There is little evidence that suggests that police stop or prevent crimes from happening. “Policing is primarily a reactive institution so that after harms have already occurred, policing intervenes through a control and punishment model,” says Alex Vitale, a sociology professor with 30 years of experience working on policing issues.
When a Metro 4 bus traveling through Echo Park passed through the intersection of Douglas Street and Sunset Boulevard, shortly after the Dodgers won the 2024 World Series, fans blocking the intersection didn’t just allow the bus pass through, they cheered it on as if the bright orange bus had helped the boys in blue secure their victory that night.
“Metro! Metro! Metro!” Fans shouted while a bus rider pounded on the vehicle’s front door window in celebration, as the bus driver carefully made their way through the packed intersection.
After getting through, the bus continued past El Compadre, the Short Stop, and Little Jewel before it approached another group of rowdy Dodger fans blocking the intersection of Echo Park and Sunset Boulevards.
After crawling through dense traffic for over an hour, while fans lit off fireworks and drivers did donuts, the bus eventually stopped in front of an eyewear shop, a few hundred feet away from the crowd.