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Is This The Worst Souvenir From Los Angeles?
Seriously? Why would you buy this? (Photo by Emma Gallegos/LAist)
You can find plenty of tacky souvenirs in Los Angeles from plastic Oscar statues to overpriced star maps, but this T-shirt we spotted at the Farmers Market over the weekend has got to be one of the worst. For $6.99 (or $24.99 for a family pack!), you can have an orange T-shirt that says "Los Angeles County Jail."
Sure, most T-shirts sold at tourist shops are pretty stupid and aren't known for their nuanced take on the local culture. And it's one thing to make a joke about how you had some sort of Hangover-esque adventure in Vegas. But this shirt? We gotta say it's just TOO SOON.
There have long been rumors, reports and lawsuits claiming that inmates were beaten up by deputies—sometimes for no reason—and the guys on top were OK with this. In fact just this week a jury decided that Sheriff Lee Baca was liable in the case of a man who was tased, beaten with flashlights, fists and kicked for no apparent reason (Baca said he'd appeal the case).
Not that tourists are paying attention to any of that.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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