“talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,”
deuteronomy 6:5
government officials often lack common sense. they are also easily corrupted. the proof of this is california’s e-scooter pandemic.
e-scooter rentals, based upon my personal observation, is an exercise of bad government and bad business practices. they have collaborated to ruin communities where they operate. scooter rental companies have total disrespect for the residents. e-scooters are frequently abandoned by renters. they are left on private property and left blocking sideways, driveways and alleys. it is as if children were walking around a neighborhood discarding their trash anywhere they saw fit. these abandoned e-scooters cheapen the neighborhoods and are visually disgusting.
e-scooter rental companies also have contempt towards their users’ health. in my area, rentals do not come with a safety helmet.
their disregard and disrespect is felt everyday by residents, at times, i will move e-scooters off of sidewalks to assist the handicapped. in one instance, a handicapped woman was in complete and utter despair over e-scooters blocking the sidewalk and preventing her movement. i assisted in moving not one but three of these e-scooters in order to assist.
with this type of bad behavior from both policy makers and businesses, it was only a matter of time when the inevitable happened. in venice, california, a 91 year old man, in my opinion, was murdered by an e-scooter. the old man’s offense: walking on a pedestrian sidewalk. this occured on 5/29/21.
the facts of this story only get worse.
per the los angeles police department, “a male was riding a motorized scooter northbound lincoln boulevard on the east sidewalk and collided with a pedestrian. upon impact, the pedestrian fell onto the sidewalk hitting his head, subsequently the male rider along with his female passenger were ejected off the motorized scooter and collided onto the sidewalk,” the e-scooter driver, a 29 year old, was arrested for driving under the influence. smmirror
so, we have a trifecta of improper usage: (1) driving on the sidewalk, (2) driving with a passenger, and (3) allegedly operating the vehicle intoxicated. as much as the driver should take a victory lap for his alleged outrageous behavior, the e-scooter rental company and policy makers should take it was well. congratulations for taking an innocent man’s life.
e-scooter rental users are often unprincipled. they have contempt for the rules of the road and they have contempt for residents when they improperly discard the vehicles.
operating motor vehicles in california is a privilege. e-scooter operation requires a drivers’ license.
this incident is yet another example that principles and values carry on when one is in control of a motor vehicle. one’s concern for fellow humans does not disappear upon the turning of the ignition switch. to the contrary, there needs to be heighten principles and values employed. ever a mere e-scooter has the potential to be a deadly weapon.
my heart goes out to the family and friends of the 91 year old man who passed. the incident was completely avoidable and should have never happened.
the main question is whether the district attorney in this matter will upgrade the criminal charges to vehicular manslaughter.
be well!!
if you would like to read more blog posts, click here.
The Ten Commandments Project 