“I can’t deal with the 405!” laments Sayid Mohammed Bahar, a Syrian refugee who recently arrived in Los Angeles. Bahar has survived the oppression of Bashar al-Assad, the terror of ISIS, and the heartbreak of being separated from his friends and family, but nothing could have prepared him for what he faced in the backseat of his Uber driver’s Jetta. “I let out a sigh of relief as the car left LAX. I thought I was finally safe. I was so wrong.” says Bahar. “At first I assumed there had been a bombing or terrorist attack, but no, it was only 405 traffic on a Friday night after a light rain. I’ve never felt so helpless.”
Asylum-seekers from around the world have found the same problem. A recent study from Amnesty International shows that 87% of refugees would rather return to their homeland than deal with the 405. “How can people live with such an inhumane situation? The 405 is literally the worst thing in the world.” weeps Bahar, although he can’t actually weep after his tear ducts were fused shut due to al-Assad’s chemical warfare.
While it is too late for Bahar, he vows his family will not suffer his fate. “My dream was to bring my entire family America, but after seeing the 405 at rush hour, I will not subject them to such torture. They will stay in Syria, where all the freeways have been destroyed.”