CLEVELAND, Ohio – Seven sideshows took place in Greater Cleveland last weekend, and we’re not talking about the circus. These were events where people (generally older teens and younger adults) took over public roads for stunt driving and car tricks. Spectators gather. Phones film TikTok videos. Tires draw circles on the pavement.

It’s completely illegal and dangerous. But it’s nothing new.

In the 1930s, souped-up Fords raced across dry lake beds in California. This became the sanctioned sport of drag racing. In the 1950s, souped-up cars roamed public streets as the thrill of breaking the law became part of the subculture. In the 1970s, revelers gathered to drink and dance in the headlights of cool cars at highway rest stops and in open fields.

Oh, come on. You know they did. Or should I say: we did.

The street takeovers we see today started in California in the 80s, but it’s likely the Fast & Furious franchise fueled them.

Law enforcement has been trying to suppress the screech of donut-making tires for decades.

California has tried very hard. In 2021, the California Highway Patrol responded to more than 7,300 sideshows with more than 120,000 participants across the state. And they’ve thrown money at the problem. About $7.5 million through grants and state budgets, to be exact, but it’s still going strong.

Even though Ohio’s 2024-2025 budget includes nearly $41 million to fund 27 traffic safety projects across the state, none of them focus on reducing sideshows or even street racing, which I can hear through my windows at night .

HB 56 will come into effect on October 24, 2024. It adds street racing and stunt driving to the illegal list and increases penalties for such things. The bill also says: “Those who knowingly participate in such street takeovers outside of a vehicle by standing in the roadway will now also face the same penalties as those who are in vehicles during such disruption.”

You have been warned. Don’t stop to take photos if you come across a sideshow.

In some states, police use drones to monitor and speed response to sideshows, but not here.

The city of Cleveland purchased a set with two drones and a program in 2022 for $255,000. The drones are stored in dusty places due to the administrative burden of a non-established policy. Clearly, the use of drones by law enforcement agencies is tricky due to privacy laws and search warrant requirements. You would think that city leadership would know how to write policy before making a purchase, but no.

The police work with agencies across the country to develop good regulations. Whatever policy is created must first be approved by the Community Policing Commission and then by the federal Ministry of Justice. That will take a while.

Frankly, I’m not sure law enforcement efforts, even large-scale cooperative efforts, can really stop what’s happening.

The organizers and participants are not stupid. They use private social media (and, I suspect, coded language) to communicate dates, times and locations. Each scheduled meeting has contingency plans, so if the first location has police present or is protected by traffic control measures such as stop sticks (tire deflators), the group moves on to the Plan B location, and so on.

The exhibitions take place at night and in special locations. License plates have been removed, so remote license plate readers are useless. Most of those involved wear dark clothing and face coverings. Security camera images are blurry and chaotic. Most mitigation tools cannot be used because the general public travels the same streets, highways and intersections at the same hours.

I imagine the young people involved have a way of knowing when the police are approaching and can scatter like leaves in the wind. With 100 to 200 people and a hundred cars, the safety barriers constructed along the escape routes can only stop a fraction.

If any of the participants or organizers of those seven sideshows who noticed or heard the screams of our city council members and the squirming of our police chief on a Saturday evening during the subsequent press conferences and rallies over the past week, I bet they felt warm and fuzzy all over . .

Yes, street takeovers are dangerous. Spinning cars drive over spectators. People who drive wrong-way or cling to moving vehicles get injured. The biggest danger, however, is that everyone has a gun. There are guns in the cars and guns in the homes and businesses near the sideshows.

I heard city council members say that if the police don’t take care of it, city residents will. Hell no! Blood would be shed on both sides, and the sideshows would continue. Don’t even think about it, folks. Despite the noise, at least these aren’t gang wars raging outside our bedroom windows.

Law enforcement must work to reduce harm to participants, spectators, and responding officials. Confiscating cars at events will have a deterrent effect. Reviewing data and identifying hotspots to monitor may prevent some gatherings from happening. Once a battle begins, officers can be stationed at a safe distance but not spring into action, allowing them to be close enough for emergencies but out of harm’s way.

You know – as the sideshows become more socially accepted, those involved will lose the excitement and become bored. For now, breaking the law in the middle of the night with your friends is a highlight like no other and being the star of a TikTok car stunt channel is profitable.

In the meantime, I hope everyone can calm down. Stop feeding the adrenaline machine and keep the weapons and frustration private. Winter will be here soon enough and before you know it we’ll all be eating donuts.

Leslie Kouba, a lifelong resident of Northeast Ohio and mother of four adults, loves writing, laughing and living in Cleveland with her wife, three cats and a fat-tailed gecko named Zennis. You can reach her at [email protected].