{"id":11049,"date":"2023-10-29T09:59:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:59:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.der-digitalisierungsberater.de\/california-the-digital-documentation-of-a-downfall\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T11:31:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T09:31:25","slug":"california-the-digital-documentation-of-a-downfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.der-digitalisierungsberater.de\/en\/california-the-digital-documentation-of-a-downfall\/","title":{"rendered":"California \u2013 the digital documentation of a downfall"},"content":{"rendered":"

Or: what we can see but do not want to see\u2014when will it be our turn?<\/strong><\/p>\n

California, once the destination for everyone who had made it to the USA.<\/p>\n

I, too, spent a lot of time there when I accepted my first job as one of the first employees in Germany for QAD from Carpinteria, California.<\/p>\n

My beachfront apartment, my convertible, and a free domestic flight during my four-week on-site training.
\nFor me, it was a dream come true, because my first flight took me straight to San Francisco.<\/p>\n

At the time, I had just turned 25 and had managed to beat many competitors for my job as an ERP Presales Consultant.
\nMy key advantage: As a child, I lived in the USA for 3 1\/2 years between the ages of 10 and 13, and therefore spoke perfect English. (Even if with a “southern drawl”<\/strong><\/em> due to my time in Jackson, Mississippi) <\/p>\n

As a book author, freelance journalist, and critical digitalization consultant, I keep coming across interesting digital information (see the post on geoengineering<\/a> with a world map, supported by the Green Heinrich B\u00f6ll Foundation.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Somehow, I kept coming across reports from California\u2014especially San Francisco\u2014and thought that this information, now available digitally, was worth a blog post. Because in this format it is not widely known, and it can be quite shocking. <\/p>\n

In the end, the question arises “When will it be our turn?”<\/strong><\/em> and whether, in line with the motto “follow the money”<\/strong><\/em>, there is even an objective behind it.<\/p>\n

Let us see whether this blog post opens some eyes here and you start asking questions and looking for answers.
\nIt will be, as hopefully always, very exciting! Let the nightmare begin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Car break-ins. Move along, there is nothing to see here. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Statistics on car break-ins in the city<\/strong><\/p>\n

At first glance, the numbers will knock you off your feet. Just let them sink in. Do some more detailed research and then decide whether San Francisco is worth a trip. <\/p>\n

Clearly: if you go, do not leave anything\u2014absolutely anything\u2014in the car, and take out rental car insurance with ZERO excess, including break-in coverage. With these numbers, one could even argue that one person should always stay in the car while the other goes “shopping”. <\/p>\n

Crime map \u2013 What? So it is not dangerous after all! Who is lying? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Anyone who relies on just one digital source or media outlet is abandoned. Not by the media, but by “the good spirits”.<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n

Because this crime map raises questions: Is something not being reported here? Is information being suppressed? Or is nothing actually happening and we are all safe?
\nThe latter is hardly the case if you look at the official map of car break-ins from the previous link.
\nSomething is wrong here. But why? Laziness or calculation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As always:<\/strong> Do your own further research and form your own opinion. Then you might have an epiphany. Or a ready-made excuse based on cognitive dissonance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Crime Map \u2013 Everything “safe”, or is nobody saying anything here?
\n<\/strong>(Change zoom mode for viewing)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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LIVE and in full color \u2013 the day-by-day CRIME map from San Francisco<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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The digital world opens up many new sources of information. Worldwide. Sometimes at a level of detail you would rather not see yourself.
\nBut it “pays”<\/strong><\/em> to take a closer look once again and let the unvarnished information “sink in”<\/strong><\/em>. <\/p>\n

What does not yet exist in this form in Germany has been around in the USA for much longer: digital maps and statistics of all kinds of criminal acts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us take the example of car break-ins. Anyone planning a vacation in California should be aware that things can be a bit like the “Wild West”<\/strong><\/em> here. As Germans, we tended to be wrapped in cotton wool and always felt “safe”. Unfortunately, that is changing in our country as well. <\/p>\n

So it is worth taking a look at the dream destination San Francisco and reviewing interesting “travel information”<\/strong><\/em> in advance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Shoplifting as a “national sport” in California.
\nUSD 112 billion in losses in 2022! (Nationwide) <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Speaking of “shopping”<\/b><\/p>\n

California is great! Why? Because these days you no longer need cash or a credit card to go “shopping”<\/strong><\/em> there.
\nJust do it like so many local residents. Simply bring a bag, fill it up (please check the current “shoplifting $ limit”<\/strong><\/em> beforehand), and off you go. <\/p>\n

At present, you can take goods worth up to USD 950.00<\/strong><\/em> “with you”<\/strong><\/em> without having to fear repercussions.<\/p>\n

This has been practiced so openly for years. And because the prisons are more than overcrowded, nobody is sent there anymore for such a “trifle”<\/strong><\/em>.
\nEven the security guard at the exit is not allowed to stop you. Otherwise, they could be held liable. Yes, welcome to America\u2014especially California. <\/p>\n

The days of “shoot first and ask questions later”<\/strong><\/em> are long gone. Burglars and thieves no longer live dangerously\u2014those who are robbed and stolen from do. <\/p>\n

“Shop until you drop”<\/strong><\/em> therefore probably no longer refers to eventually being shot as a thief, but, as originally intended, to shopping until you simply cannot carry any more. And all of it completely free of charge. Paradise conditions!<\/strong><\/p>\n

So if you want to pick up some nice “souvenirs”<\/strong><\/em>, you can simply help yourself and then just tell customs that you “picked it up”<\/strong><\/em> free of charge and duty-free in California. Welcome back from a very different paradise.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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