Security Guard murdered in Oakland protecting TV crew

[lisaviolet]

I seriously do not understand how awful people can be. That poor family!

Just awful. Brings sadness and anger.

 

[JimMIA]

No they don't. Yes, if covering events where violence might be expected (like the protests the last couple of years), it wouldn't be unusual, but not ALL crews and not ALL the time.

Our local crews don't normally have security. Even during some of the Spring Break craziness when people were destroying cars, they just stayed back and filmed from a distance. They don't put themselves in harm's way.

 

[hopemax]

We had an incident here in Denver where a local news security person shot and killed a person when two opposing rally groups started getting into it. The hiring was arranged through Pinkerton which caused a lot of, "Wait, they still exist?" but it was ultimately revealed the person was unlicensed. So yeah, news stations have security for things like this.

As for what is going on in general, I have long believed that people take law & order for granted, when it requires the "buy-in" of the people. The example I use, is stop signs. You stop at one, even if no one else is around. Why? Because you are a good citizen. What would happen if no one believed in stop signs anymore? There is no police force large enough, or judicial system large enough or jail system large enough to prevent the chaos that would erupt once people stop believing. We'll be armoring our vehicles, trying to figure out when the best time to run errands is, and all sorts of things because the "system" would be ineffective. Society needs people to buy-in to doing things for the benefit for everyone, and we have a bunch of recent evidence of people being unwilling to that in a few ways already, so why are we so surprised when people start doing it in other ways.

 

[AustinTink]

The primary issue in the area (and why guards have been used) has been theft of expensive equipment. The reports of what happened here were that an armed group ordered everyone to the ground at gunpoint, Kevin Yashita (a retired police officer) tried to intervene, and he was shot before the equipment was stolen.

He was an officer in Oakland, Hayward, and San Jose, but apprently retired as a sergeant in Colma, which is a small town known more for cemeteries than people in its area under two square miles. They have a living population of around 1200, but their tax base (in addition to the cemeteries) is primarily the various strip malls in town. Sergeant Nishita would have likely been familiar with dealing property crime.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1464680368347308034

I know. I read all about it. I was just adding background information as to why the news crews need security, now more than ever.

 

[bcla]

All TV crews have some sort of protection, especially when covering events that revolve around violence or destruction. Besides, it's California and they dont care about anything so whoever shot the guard will probably get a slap on the wrist.

You have an odd notion of what California is and is not.

 

[bcla]

I know. I read all about it. I was just adding background information as to why the news crews need security, now more than ever.

While there are obviously the crazies, the primary reason why guards are hired these days is because of the equipment. If it was just about the crazies following around news crews, I'm not sure that they'd be hiring armed guards.

Strangely enough, I'm not quite sure exactly what anyone is going to do with expensive, specialized cameras and broadcasting equipment. I thought it would be difficult to fence because there aren't that many potential buyers who would need it. Especially since even amateurs can get high quality results with cheap equipment these days.

 

[JimMIA]

You have an odd notion of what California is and is not.

I don't think the rising levels of violent crime have anything to do with California.

I think there is just a perceptible de-civilization going on, especially in major urban centers around the country. Most urban centers have seen dramatic increases in shootings and other violent crimes, and simple verbal disputes now seem to devolve into brawls and shootings on a daily basis.

 

[tvguy]

No they don't. Yes, if covering events where violence might be expected (like the protests the last couple of years), it wouldn't be unusual, but not ALL crews and not ALL the time.

Well, our photographers last year got training on using their tripod as a defense weapon, so hopefully that is always with them.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I don't think the rising levels of violent crime have anything to do with California.

I think there is just a perceptible de-civilization going on, especially in major urban centers around the country. Most urban centers have seen dramatic increases in shootings and other violent crimes, and simple verbal disputes now seem to devolve into brawls and shootings on a daily basis.

Agree- nothing specific to California. But I think a misintpretation is that it's mostly urban violence. We've seen stories and situations that indicate it might be just as prevalent in sub-urban and even some remote areas. De-civilization seems like a very accurate term.

 

[JimMIA]

Well, our photographers last year got training on using their tripod as a defense weapon, so hopefully that is always with them.

Pro tip: Don't bring a tripod to a gunfight.

It's only a camera, and it's not even your camera. Let them take it.

 

[tvguy]

The primary issue in the area (and why guards have been used) has been theft of expensive equipment.

The sad thing is, these days most of the camera gear news crews use isn't all that expensive. The station I just retired from uses Sony HXR-NX-100s that retail for $1,500. Not sure how much of a discount we got since corporate bought 700 at once and divided them among the stations.
When I was shooting in 1979 I used an RCA TK-76 camera that retailed for $45,000 in 1979 dollars (and about $171,000 in today's dollars) and a Sony 3800 U-matic deck that sold for $7,000 in 1979 dollars ($26,000 in today's dollars)

 

[bcla]

We had an incident here in Denver where a local news security person shot and killed a person when two opposing rally groups started getting into it. The hiring was arranged through Pinkerton which caused a lot of, "Wait, they still exist?" but it was ultimately revealed the person was unlicensed. So yeah, news stations have security for things like this.

It's kind of weird around here who hires armed private security. Most think of course at banks, but I've seen them at general retail, movie theaters, and other places that would seem pretty normal.

There was some controversy over dueling groups of protesters around here last year, including one group that hired private armed guards to "protect" them against counter-protesters. What ended up happening was the armed guards were blocking the sidewalk and there were some interesting discussions although none of it seemed to be violent. At least until one guard pepper sprayed a counter-protester. The last I heard, the DA charged the guards with misdemeanor assault and illegally carrying pepper spray larger than 2.5 oz. I've looked it up. While nearly anyone can possess any kind of "tear gas weapon" with a capacity of 2.5 oz, only police can possess anything more than that unless it's something like "bear spray" that would be illegal to use against people (even though it's just pepper spray). But most would think that there would be some way to license private security for that, but there isn't.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

but it was a peaceful demonstration

These weren't connected to any of the demonstrations. HOW BOUT THOSE BUCKEYES??? Nice D....... 300 yards on the ground.......

If they killed Sergeant NIshita during the commission of an armed robbery, in most of the US that is a felony murder and a capital offense in states which have the death penalty. I don't know what it is called in California.

Felony Murder. The only difference is in California, you have to be a major participant in the felony.

Besides, it's California and they dont care about anything so whoever shot the guard will probably get a slap on the wrist.

California's overcrowded prison system would beg to differ with that assessment. Only three countries on this earth lock people up at a greater rate than does California. And one of them is the U.S. national average. The other two are El Salvador and Turkmenistan.

Well, our photographers last year got training on using their tripod as a defense weapon, so hopefully that is always with them.

It's not my camera, its channel 10's. I wouldn't even risk my life for my camera. I'm certainly not risking it for theirs.

 

[starry_solo]

The crime here, as you described it, was neither "gang on gang" nor "property crime."

When an armed group puts everybody on the ground at gunpoint to steal their equipment, that is called "armed robbery," and it's #3 on the list of violent felonies right behind murder and rape.

If they killed Sergeant NIshita during the commission of an armed robbery, in most of the US that is a felony murder and a capital offense in states which have the death penalty. I don't know what it is called in California.

It's called felony murder in CA too.

 

[tvguy]

Pro tip: Don't bring a tripod to a gunfight.

It's only a camera, and it's not even your camera. Let them take it.

Absolutely. And corporate policy very specifically says leave the gear behind. The problem during the civil unrest wasn't protesters wanting to steal gear, they wanted to assault news crews with the fists and whatever they could find like rocks.

 

[bcla]

The sad thing is, these days most of the camera gear news crews use isn't all that expensive. The station I just retired from uses Sony HXR-NX-100s that retail for $1,500. Not sure how much of a discount we got since corporate bought 700 at once and divided them among the stations.
When I was shooting in 1979 I used an RCA TK-76 camera that retailed for $45,000 in 1979 dollars (and about $171,000 in today's dollars) and a Sony 3800 U-matic deck that sold for $7,000 in 1979 dollars ($26,000 in today's dollars)

I was thinking that these days the cost of equipment for high quality results is so cheap that some people use it for webcams and YouTube or TikTok skits. I'm kind of annoyed at it, but my kid still watches some of the Dhar Mann skits (which I don't like) as well as imitators with even lower quality acting/scripts. However, the video quality is nearly as good these days as seen on actual TV shows.

Why anyone would really be looking to armed robbery to steal this stuff just kind of shocks me.

 

[bcla]

I don't think the rising levels of violent crime have anything to do with California.

I think there is just a perceptible de-civilization going on, especially in major urban centers around the country. Most urban centers have seen dramatic increases in shootings and other violent crimes, and simple verbal disputes now seem to devolve into brawls and shootings on a daily basis.

California is a convenient to trash though. But in this case it's not random violence but clearly targeted theft of broadcasting equipment. And it's remarkable because this sort of thing hasn't really happened before. I don't even think they hire security with an eye to a guard actually stopping a robbery but as a visual deterrent.

 

[tvguy]

I was thinking that these days the cost of equipment for high quality results is so cheap that some people use it for webcams and YouTube or TikTok skits. I'm kind of annoyed at it, but my kid still watches some of the Dhar Mann skits (which I don't like) as well as imitators with even lower quality acting/scripts. However, the video quality is nearly as good these days as seen on actual TV shows.

Why anyone would really be looking to armed robbery to steal this stuff just kind of shocks me.

Most smartphones today shoot the same quality video as "professional" camera gear. Another part of our safety training last year was for crews to do just that, shoot with their cell phones so they don't stand out with the camera on their shoulder and tripod..

 

[JimMIA]

Agree- nothing specific to California. But I think a misintpretation is that it's mostly urban violence. We've seen stories and situations that indicate it might be just as prevalent in sub-urban and even some remote areas. De-civilization seems like a very accurate term.

You may be right, but what I see is almost exclusively urban. And even in bucolic South Beach, whenever we have a shooting there the arrestee is almost always from NYC, Philly, Detroit, Atlanta -- never Lenexa, KS.

We get visitors literally from all over the world, but our criminals all seem to be from some US urban center, including our homegrown folks, of course.

We have Art Basel next week, which brings artists and art lovers from all over the world -- and South Beach will be truly quiet and beautiful...but look out for Spring Break!

 

[penn19]

All TV crews have some sort of protection, especially when covering events that revolve around violence or destruction. Besides, it's California and they dont care about anything so whoever shot the guard will probably get a slap on the wrist.

You’re likely to get attacked for that statement. But it’s not wrong.