Powerless Employees Look On as San Francisco Store Looted in Broad Daylight
The video taken at a San Francisco Walgreens is self-explanatory.
But what it actually means for the city by the bay is dark — San Francisco is falling apart.
In the video, three hooded individuals casually loot store shelves in full view of employees. No one stops them.
And although a woman says, “Call the police!” it is unclear if anyone did and more unclear whether it would have mattered — police most likely would have simply filled out a report rather than chase anyone down.
San Francisco pic.twitter.com/liaxrF0RpJ
— Josh (@JoshLeCash) March 3, 2020
If this video is any indication, shoplifting is not only on the rise but appears to be out of control.
Were this instance a locally owned small business instead of a corporation, sustained shoplifting like in the video would most probably not allow it to survive.
Residents of the city can thank the passage of California’s Proposition 47, otherwise known as the “Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative,” in 2014.
The main effect of the proposition was to turn some felony crimes into misdemeanors.
Shoplifting, grand theft, forgery, fraud and some drug possession charges were reclassified as misdemeanors so long as their value did not exceed $950.
The intended purpose of Prop 47 was to reduce the state’s prison population by reducing the severity of penalties associated with certain crimes. It apparently did accomplish that.
However, no crystal ball was needed to foretell the consequence of reducing criminal penalties: an increase in crime.
According to a 2018 study, Prop 47 led to an increase in larceny and auto break-ins since its passage.
In fact, according to Fox News, San Francisco now has the highest rate of property crime among 20 of the largest cities across the U.S.
These property crimes include theft, shoplifting and vandalism.
Choosing not to deal with certain crimes only subsidizes and enables those who would commit them.
It forces good law-abiding folks to live with the poor choices of policymakers, who too often live in safer communities that are unaffected by their own decisions.
It isn’t like San Francisco is not already dealing with a bevy of other issues, such as homelessness and a new district attorney who ultimately might cause more harm than good.
But if the city’s residents are going to combat the anarchy of property crimes affecting their daily lives, they might want to start with the anarchy of their own policymakers first.
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