Unpoliced Zones

Unpoliced Zones, also known as UZs, are a product of New Washingtonian politics.

Municipal Corporations manage the local government of New Washington, and do so within Precincts. Each Corporation vies for control by a combination of popular support, subsidiary ownership and, occasionally, war.

Corporate War (known as 'Official Opposition' within the corporate culture) is the fastest way for a Municipal Corporation to gain territory, but it is also the messiest and most difficult to properly chart. Sometimes a disputed area of land will end up without any municipal ownership whatsoever. Such an area is an Unpoliced Zone, as its lack of corporate ownership means that no private police force governs it.

The stereotypical UZ is a hotbed of criminal activity and a home for only the completely destitute and desperate. Denizens of these areas are derisively referred to as "yuzies", a portmanteau derived from the pronunciation of their living area.

Those UZs that are more organized are generally kept in order by Guilds, societies or gangs. Some such organizations, such as the gang known as the Noise Pumps or the Society for Acceptable Living, provide reasonably fair policing practices and manage their area fairly. Other UZs are not so well cared-for, and what parties run them do so with arbitrary and cruel enforcement.