A Los Angeles neighborhood that served as the backdrop to the “Fast and Furious” films has witnessed protests once morest filming the next installment of the fast-car series, arguing that the neighborhood’s roads have witnessed a boom in illegal urban races since the work was launched.
Residents expressed their anger ahead of filming scheduled to begin this weekend in Angeleno Heights, a historic district near downtown Los Angeles. This is the imagined residence of Dominic Toretto, the character played by Vin Diesel in the series.
Since the films were released, the neighborhood has witnessed illegal races, during which fans gather at night to watch speed enthusiasts start their car engines at high speed in the city streets.
Neighborhood resident Damian Kivet, who runs the organization that opposes the practice, said the “Fast and Furious” films have contributed to “the glorification of illegal activity” that has turned Angelino Heights into a “tourist destination for illegal street racing.”
“There were no street races in the neighborhood before he saw the filming of ‘Fast and Furious’,” he added.
Bella, another neighborhood resident who refused to give her last name, said her children were traumatized by the noise of cars waking them up in the middle of the night outside the house.
Now she says they are too afraid to go outside to play, because “they have seen cars out of control”.
Bella believes that Universal Studios, which produces the work, should move the filming location to another location, while the “Save” association is urging city authorities to fix speed bumps and have a zero tolerance for street racing.
The association also asked the producing company to add a sign to the movie “Fast and Furious” to encourage people not to participate in such races.
Universal did not immediately respond to AFP’s calls.
The first movie of this series was released in 2001.
The series has since become the eighth highest-grossing movie franchise in box office history, taking in $6.6 billion for its ten films.
“Fast and Furious 10”, the eleventh part of the series, is scheduled to be released next May
