Los Angeles Approves Restrictions on Cyber Cafes

[Nick Hyle]

If someone already posted this, I didn't see it (but my search-fu is weak....)



Los Angeles Approves Restrictions on Cyber Cafes

Wed Jul 7, 6:23 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Citing problems with truancy and youth violence, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance restricting the hours during which minors can visit Internet cafes and requiring the shops to install video cameras for security.

The ordinance targets "cyber cafes" and "PC baangs" that provide five or more computers with Internet access, including those set up specifically for multiplayer PC video games. The cafes would be required to get a police permit to operate.

Minors under age 18 would not be permitted in the cafes on school days between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., or after 10 p.m., and patrons would be required to provide identification on request.

The law would take effect in the next two months.

In Jan. 2003, City Councilman Dennis Zine called for an investigation into cafes offering Internet access -- and in many cases aimed at young video game players -- after an incident where a brawl broke out between rival groups who had been playing the game "Counter Strike."

City officials told the council Wednesday they had identified 30 "cyber cafes" in the city, more than half of them in the San Fernando Valley. the city's northern region.

A report found that 86 percent of people arrested at cyber cafes were juveniles, and 93 percent of the arrests were for truancy or curfew violations.

linkie

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=575&e=11&u=/nm/leisure_cybercafes_dc

[Jason McCullough]

I can see the cameras and truancy, but police permits?

[Jakub]

I can see the cameras and truancy, but police permits?
Police permits = money.

It's just another way of taxing.

[scharmers]

Police permits = money. It's just another way of taxing.

"Pay your protection money, Mr. Gupta, or..." (plays back Rodney King .AVI on nearest PC).

--scharmers

[noun]

Dissuade the little bastards from assembling, that's how to keep these damn kids in line.

[scharmers]

Dissuade the little bastards from assembling, that's how to keep these damn kids in line.

Or put real guns in their hands. "Hey, join the Army, dude! It's just like Counter-Strike...but FER REAL!"

--scharmers
--Tonight's the night that we got the truck

[VegasRobb]

There used to be a few 24 hour arcades in Vegas, but they put a stop to it awhile back after teens kept getting in trouble with the law afterhours. It's not surprising to see LA taking a similiar stance.

[shift6]

There used to be a few 24 hour arcades in Vegas, but they put a stop to it awhile back after teens kept getting in trouble with the law afterhours. It's not surprising to see LA taking a similiar stance.
Dude. Is the infamous Mary Kay's no more? :shock:

[simoniker]

Some good analysis from Ernest Miller, who helped the cybercafes talk to the LA authorities about the proposed restrictions:

http://www.corante.com/importance/archives/004861.html

[Idar Thorvaldsen]

The ordinance targets "cyber cafes" and "PC baangs" that provide five or more computers with Internet access, including those set up specifically for multiplayer PC video games. The cafes would be required to get a police permit to operate.
Isn't "PC baangs" originally a Korean expression or something? Is this common parlance in the US now?


A report found that 86 percent of people arrested at cyber cafes were juveniles, and 93 percent of the arrests were for truancy or curfew violations.
Erm, how does this work, exactly? How can you get arrested for truancy or curfew violations?

[VegasRobb]

There used to be a few 24 hour arcades in Vegas, but they put a stop to it awhile back after teens kept getting in trouble with the law afterhours. It's not surprising to see LA taking a similiar stance.
Dude. Is the infamous Mary Kay's no more? :shock:

Thanks to grandfather laws, Mary K's is still in business. :)

[Kitsune]

A report found that 86 percent of people arrested at cyber cafes were juveniles, and 93 percent of the arrests were for truancy or curfew violations.
Erm, how does this work, exactly? How can you get arrested for truancy or curfew violations?

I think its based on city-by-city rules, though I guess that's even further meted out by state rules. Because I remember getting busted and driven home to my parents house once or twice, for going over to this one city that had a curfew of ten o' clock when I lived in California. But I guess wouldn't the school punish for truancy?

In any case, when I first heard about this, I let out a silent groan, but it doesn't sound like an unreasonable piece of legislation.

-Kitsune

[Supertanker]

Police permits = money.
It's just another way of taxing.

Not in California. Police permits like that cannot have a fee that exceeds the actual cost of issuing the permit (basically whatever it costs to check the plans & do a site inspection to ensure compliance). Under the California Constitution, any permit fee in excess of actual costs would be deemed a tax & require a vote of the electorate before it could be imposed.

I find this all a little amusing because LA's about the tenth city I know that has done this. Heck, I wrote a set of these regulations about a year ago, in consultation with the owners & counsel for a cybercafe applicant. The biggest obstacle I ran into was convincing some commissioners that "gaming" didn't mean gambling when used by the cybercafe folks.

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

Not TRUANCY! Anything but that!

Sometimes I imagine governments are run by meek, shrimpy little fellows who would punch the "Nerve Staple" button every turn if they were to play Alpha Centauri. Gotta keep those non-voting fuckers in line, after all. They're just a liability if they can't keep ya in office!

[Backov]

Bang (Bong is the correct pronunciation, pretty close) - equals "room" in Korean. They have Video Bangs as well, which are little rooms with a bigscreen tv and comfortable seating. You pick a movie out front, some snacks, and go into a little room to watch it. Common date spot.

[Anti-Bunny]

My LAN center isn't open until 2pm on school days mainly for this reason.