Normally a flash mob is associated with a fun event, but now groups are "bash mobbing" or robbing unsuspecting people. What do you think can be done to stop this recent trend? Then, how has the Zimmerman trial impacted neighborhood watch groups? Next, have you ever been the victim of an online scam? What are the red flags? Then, it's Filmweek with our critics, we'll talk about what you should see this weekend. Next, we talk with documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu about if its possible to persevere the environment while you live in it. Last, we're talking about the impact of film icon Orson Welles.
Long Beach police warn of another 'bash mob' crime spree
Police in Long Beach are warning residents about a possible crime spree this afternoon. It would be the latest in a string of so-called 'bash mobs' that recently struck Hollywood and San Bernardino. In each case, police arrested groups of teenagers accused of running through the streets and attacking and robbing local residents and tourists.
This would be the second crime wave in Long Beach this month. On July 9 more than 100 people descended on the streets of downtown in an organized, sudden crime rampage, police said.
What are these types of 'bash mobs'? How are police departments responding to these crime sprees? What can residents do to keep themselves safe?
Guest:
Sergeant Aaron Eaton, Long Beach Police
Neighborhood watch in the post-Zimmerman era
There are an estimated 20,000 neighborhood watch groups and many more informal programs established in the country. Since the George Zimmerman trial, where the Florida neighborhood watch coordinator has been found not guilty for reasons of self-defense in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, neighborhood watch programs have been in the spotlight. AirTalk invites a couple local neighborhood watch program coordinators to come on the show to talk about how their programs work, and whether the Zimmerman verdict has changed the way they strive to protect their neighborhoods.
Guests:
Michelle Boykins, senior director of communications at the national crime prevention council
Johnnie Raines, public safety chair for the West area neighborhood council which covers the Crenshaw area
Peter Nichols, founder of the Melrose Action Neighborhood Watch
Taking Craigslist scams to an insulting level
It’s one thing to get fooled into buying fake concert tickets from Craigslist scammers. But we heard about getting suckered on a new level this month. An 18-year-old woman from Palm Springs found a pretty good deal on a used 2009 Honda Civic. She contacted the Burbank couple selling the vehicle. She test drove it and looked at the documentation, then paid $10,000 cash to drive it home.
The next day she woke up and the car was gone. Worse still, the title was discovered to be a fake. The Burbank couple had stolen it back. When police were notified, they found the same vehicle listed on Craigslist, started a sting operation and were able to arrest the couple. Thankfully, the young victim will get her money back, but that’s not usually the case. Whether it’s stolen camera equipment, rental property leased by imposters or faux Disneyland passes, most of us don’t realize we’ve been deceived until it’s too late.
When have you been fooled? Or how have you avoided it? What are your buyer-beware tips?
Guests:
Sergeant Darin Ryburn, Media officer, Burbank Police Department
Katherine Hutt, National Spokesperson, Better Business Bureau
More information on scams from the Better Business Bureau: Better Business Bureau Scam Alert
Filmweek: R.I.P.D., The Conjuring, Turbo and more
Guest host Frank Stoltze and KPCC critics Henry Sheehan, Andy Klein and Charles Solomon review this week’s releases, including R.I.P.D., The Conjuring, Turbo and more. TGI-Filmweek!
R.I.P.D.
The Conjuring
Turbo
Guests:
Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and the L.A. Times Community Papers chain
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and criticsagogo.com
Charles Solomon, film critic and animation historian for KPCC, author for amazon.com
'The Guide' doc: Can you can preserve the environment you live in?
Set in Mozambique, filmmaker Jessica Yu’s main character, Tonga Torcida, lives on Mount Gorongosa and wants nothing more than to become a tour guide at the Gorongosa National Park, where 90 percent of the animal population has been wiped out by warfare.
His fortuitous meeting with a humanitarian spurs Torcida’s education about the environment. He learns about the ecosystem’s dependence on everything in it — big and small. But he also learns about the human role in the environmental destruction occurring in the park and the difficulties of getting people to change.
Guest:
Jessica Yu, director of “The Guide”
Lunch conversation with film icon Orson Welles
If you could have lunch with any movie icon, if you could ask them technical questions about filmmaking, gossip about the great stars, and even just chat about current events, would you choose Orson Welles? A new book gets you as close as possible to doing just that. Director Henry Jaglom lunched with Welles every week from 1978 to 1985, and tape recorded their conversations for the two last years of Welles' life. Film writer Peter Biskind edited the transcripts, and the product is an extremely personal portrait of Welles, who had gone from being Hollywood's greatest director to a pariah relegated to hosting celebrity roasts and voicing Paul Masson TV ads.
KPCC's John Rabe spoke with Biskind and Jaglom about the book called My Lunches with Orson.
Guests:
Henry Jaglom, filmmaker
Peter Biskind, filmmaker
John Rabe, host of KPCC’s “Off-Ramp”