L.A. residents are trying to stop ‘Fast & Furious’ from filming in their neighborhood. Here’s why
The “Fast & Furious” franchise made Angelino Heights a tourist destination ever since its first movie was released in 2001.
Now, residents are protesting the franchise’s return to filming in the Los Angeles neighborhood Friday because they believe it encourages illegal and dangerous street takeovers.
The franchise has brought widespread attention to Angelino Heights, which is known for being home to Bob’s Market, owned by the family of the film series’ Dominic Toretto, played by actor Vin Diesel. The character’s home is also in the area.
Residents say the franchise’s presence does far more than just attract tourists for pictures.
“It’s become a tourist destination for street racing,” said Damian Kevitt, executive director and founder of the nonprofit Streets Are for Everyone. “The issue is the screeching, the smell of rubber, and the danger to the cars and the pedestrians in the area when street racers regularly come and do burnouts in the community.”
There is a growing backlash in some neighborhoods, with residents demanding authorities do more to crack down on the illegal gatherings that can turn deadly in a flash.
FilmLA, the nonprofit that handles film permits for the city, recently sent a notice to residents informing them that “Fast X,” the 10th “Fast & Furious” installment, will be filming in the area from 9 a.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday. In response, residents worked with Streets Are for Everyone and Street Racing Kills, which promote and spread road safety information, to organize a protest against the filming.
The protest will be on Friday from 10 a.m. to noon near Bob’s Market, where the franchise will be filming. It will pick up again at 5 p.m., Kevitt said. Protesters will also hold an event for the media at 11 a.m.
Street racing deaths have increased in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic, with about 300 killed in traffic collisions in 2021, according to Los Angeles Police Department data. That is 21% higher than in 2020. About 1,500 people were severely injured, a 30% increase from 2020.
Street takeovers have also been on the rise.
Los Angeles police have reported 667 takeovers, issued more than 2,000 citations and impounded 439 vehicles since the start of the year. Nearly 600 people have been arrested in connection to takeovers, according to LAPD and California Highway Patrol data.
Through the protest, residents plan to highlight their priorities, which include holding the city accountable for the damage caused by street takeovers. They also want the state and the city to adopt and prioritize a zero-tolerance policy against street racing.
Detective Ryan Moreno told reporters that anyone caught attending or participating in a street takeover will have their vehicle impounded for up to 30 days.
Residents have also reached out to Councilman Gil Cedillo requesting that production be stopped, Kevitt said. Cedillo did not respond to requests for comment.
They are also asking NBCUniversal to abide by its “social impact” promise.
“We’re asking them to live up to their own social responsibility statements and stop doing things to glorify street racing and taking no responsibility,” Kevitt said. “If they want to make a profit off of it, then they need to invest money back into helping the communities that this is impacting.”
Lili Trujillo Puckett, the founder of Street Racing Kills, experienced the harmful effects of street racing firsthand when her 16-year-old daughter, Valentina, was killed in 2013. Valentina was getting a ride back home and was sleeping in the back seat when the driver decided to participate in a street race. She was the only one killed in the accident.
After Valentina’s death, Trujillo Puckett found that street racing was getting worse in Los Angeles. She recalls the pain after a mural painted in honor of Valentina was crashed into by a car less than two months after it was created.
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She founded Street Racing Kills to share valuable information about the dangers of street racing with youths.
“Instead of the problem getting smaller, I got bigger as an organization by myself with no funding,” Trujillo Puckett said. “The ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise has so much power to help us save lives. We want to make sure that they at least take ownership and help us nonprofits that are out there.”
Trujillo Puckett said she has reached out to NBCUniversal several times over the years asking for support in spreading messaging about driving safety. She has not received a response.
NBCUniversal did not respond to requests for comment.
“Do something to help us save lives. That’s all we want,” Trujillo Puckett said. “Add some kind of messaging in the movie and make it in honor of my daughter, Valentina, and all the others who have passed away to street racing and to these takeovers.”
The $588-million span connecting the Arts District to the Eastside becomes a totem for fissures over transit, policing, housing, equity and land use.
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