Last summer I fell in with a bad crowd and discovered that ‘takeovers’ and street racing still happens in Toronto. Although not widely reported by the TV and newspapers, they occur with frequency. Rapidly organized through Instagram groups, these Toronto takeovers takeovers aren’t really prevented by police, they just break-up the events. That needs to change.
I brought my Subaru SVX to a bunch of late-night car meets to check out other cool cars, and meet like-minded people. I became familiar with a young couple who organized illegal drifting events. Sometimes held at industrial spaces near the airport late at night, cars took turns doing donuts and burnouts (not actual drifting).
One Saturday night, a bunch of drivers at a ‘park-and-chill‘ meet got bored and headed out to a second location, Down Hwy 403 to the industrial land between the lakeshore and the highway. What started as a cool spot for a photoshoot quickly devolved into street racing on South Service Rd. One kid nearly drove into a guardrail, while a pair on motorcycles nearly got taken out by oncoming cars. That was it for me; I left, knowing this would end in tears.
Despite spending the summer with these hooligans and seeing some drifting and street racing, I never saw a real street takeover like the ones in the US where they block of bridges or intersections. No, the events I witnessed were kind of tame. So I was really surprised when I stumbled across Gavin Barry’s videos on YT about street takeovers in Toronto. He’s a young journalist exploring the underbelly of Canadian society.
The street takeover he filmed took place at Goreway Dr and Zahavy Way, right under the Hwy 427 overpass. These are just dusty old industrial roads near the airport. It’s not downtown with bystanders. There’s no through-traffic. It’s kind of the middle of nowhere, and the police helicopters can’t fly over because it’s so close to the airport. This is nothing like real takeovers, where truly anti-social people block intersections and don’t even run from the cops.
The crowd was pretty big, and everyone participating duly had their faces obscured and their plates removed. But everything about the events seemed so small-town, Like a bunch of teenagers playing gangster, smoking cigarettes and using the N-word. When a report of police car approaching reached the crowd, they all run like scared children.
Toronto takeovers at 2:30 am in the middle of desolate industrial lands might not be putting the public at grave risk. But I do worry about these easily influenced youngsters, trying to mimic what they see online. They want to be Instagram Famous like that goof Antonio Ginestri known as ‘Squeeze.Benz’ who got a massive following by posting videos of himself drifting through Times Square in his Mercedes. The fear is that they’ll end up like 25-year-old Andre Beadle, anther YouTuber celebrity who called himself ‘1Stockf30’ who died last year while racing on a NYC expressway.
The police have to find a way prevent takeovers, perhaps by looking at social media posts, or somebody is going to get killed.
~ Chris #16 Demaras
Cleveland Ohio, about 100km north me had trouble with these takeovers and arrested a few of the hooligans. Took their cars, a few got some jail time, etc. They pretty much stopped.
Here’s what Mr Google said, “Convictions for 2024–2025 Cleveland street takeovers have resulted in significant prison sentences (up to 18 months), vehicle forfeitures (including a 2020 Infiniti Q50), and felony charges for participants and organizers. Key convictions involve charges of aggravated riot, disrupting public services, and weapon-related offenses, with authorities using surveillance and social media evidence.”
Jeez, you mean Cleveland has it figured out, but the brain-trust at the Toronto Police Department can’t figure this out?!
I watched that video young Gavin Barry shot of the takeover. He had a second video (which I didn’t link to) where he interviewed the hooligans. They’re just kids! Teenagers driving cars their moms and pops bought them.
Jail sentences and vehicle forfeiture would send shockwaves through the car community here!
P.S. Bravo, Cleveland… bravo.
Hangin’ with the hooligans? At least you know what goes on. Out here we have had a different type of takeover on Central Ave. (old Route 66) for years. Low-riders and other cars drive slowly down all lanes, making their cars hop up and down and do other weird gymnastics with their hydraulic suspensions. The last time I was in downtown Albuquerque, the city was reducing Central to one lane each direction. That will slow things down even more.
Yup… hangin’ with the hooligans. And I’m old enough to their dad! I thought the organizer was a rich kid, and we were going to drift in his father’s factory parking lot. Private property means those police have to follow different rules. I was wrong.
Bro, I have never seen a lowrider in real life. I mean, I’ve seen them at car shows, but never in their natural environment, cruising down the boulevard, hopping. I wish I could see that.
You are SO lucky!