Last week a viral video in the streets of West Hollywood sparked concerns about how effective the community’s new “security ambassadors” are.
The video shows a brawl between two men in the street while the security ambassadors stand and watch idly. The confrontation starts with one man kicking a motorist’s car repeatedly. The driver exits the vehicle, where the two men continue the physical confrontation in the street. The security ambassadors stand and watch without intervening in the violent assault.
James Woods posted the video to his Twitter account with the caption, “Notoriously liberal West Hollywood had the brilliant idea of replacing police officers with unarmed ‘safety ambassadors.’ Let’s take a peek at how that’s worked out during an assault in progress…” Someone who witnessed the assault commented over the video, “This man kicking his vehicle and I turned my head and I saw the block by block officers were crossing. I was literally flabbergasted because they walked right past just like they were just like nothing.” Watch the video below.
Notoriously liberal West Hollywood had the brilliant idea of replacing police officers with unarmed “safety ambassadors.” Let’s take a peek at how that’s worked out during an assault in progress… pic.twitter.com/Qa48aZ8z4o
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) April 28, 2023
Twitter users piled into the comment section, calling out how ridiculous and ineffective these security ambassadors are. One user said, “I honestly wonder what these two think their job actually is, if not this? Would they leap into action at the first sign of a misgendering, or other social injustice?” Another user replied, “They “identify” as people who get paid to do nothing. A lot of that going around these days.” Another user weighed in, “In our government this has been going in for a long time, but at least in times gone but, the public servants PRETENDED to be doing something. Today they blatantly do nothing and challenge anyone to object.”
Ethan Reynolds, the individual who took the video, said, “I was like oh, this doesn’t look too good.” He continued, “If the Block by Block Ambassadors are not empowered to mitigate situations like this, which do seem to occur often in West Hollywood, truly it does give us a false sense of security and I think that’s extremely frustrating as a resident.”
Last year, the West Hollywood City Council voted to reduce the number of police officers present in the community. Instead they decided to increase the number of unarmed security ambassadors seen in the above video. City of West Hollywood City Manager David Wilson said, “The City’s Block by Block Security Ambassadors program will continue to provide bicycle and foot patrols throughout the City’s commercial districts.
Wilson continued, “The program is adding dedicated foot patrols in residential neighborhoods citywide and is staffing new kiosks in selected locations. Block by Block Security Ambassadors work in close alignment with Deputies from our Sheriff’s Station, as well as our City’s Code Enforcement and Homeless Initiative teams, among others. The collaboration positively impacts quality of life in West Hollywood.”
According to Block by Block:
Block by Block Security Ambassadors are highly focused on safety and hospitality in West Hollywood with specific emphasis on:
· Maintaining uniformed foot and bicycle patrols throughout the City’s business districts and residential neighborhoods;
· Providing in-person responses 24/7 to non-violent calls for service;
· Conducting safety escorts for residents, businesses, and visitors; and
· Offering helpful guidance to community members and visitors about City information, directions, parking, and more.
Note: Featured Image is a screenshot from embedded video.
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