“Why People Are Throwing Away Scooters Across the Country” -- Inside Edition, 2018, 1:41 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8TAdWtXBjI

Isn’t it beautiful to see people resist the corporate invasion of public space? Bird Scooter and many other electric scooter rental companies have often side-stepped city councils and communities in their quest to make profit. They leave the scooters piled up on city sidewalks and riders ignore local ordinances regarding safety and acceptable use. This short video shows us some of the ways locals have been confronting the problem—destroying and vandalizing the invasive machines. We could connect what we see here to discussions on public space, vigilante justice, and social problems. Do you agree with these citizen activists? What official channels for redress could they have gone through? If bureaucratic procedures fail, are such actions justified here?

From the video’s description: Backlash over the electric scooter craze is growing. Social media videos show people so fed up with the modes of transportation that they are throwing scooters from rooftops. In another video posted to Instagram, one scooter was set on fire. Others are tossed into the trash or ocean. The backlash is happening across the country, but particularly in southern California, where Bird scooters are left on sidewalks for anyone to rent through a cell phone app.