A not-so-new liberal law has finally made it up the food chain, or in this case, drugstore chain. California Democrats practically legalized shoplifting with Proposition 47 a few years back. Now, between thieves and rioters, it’s not just the mom and pop stores who are closing their doors for good.
Unlike, small, locally-owned stores, big-box giants like Wallgreens have the capital and major insurance policies to fall back on. Even still, that wasn’t enough to stop many of them from shuttering their doors for good.
Proposition 47 is seen by critics as one of California’s biggest blunders. Supported by the state Democratic Party and championed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the referendum was passed by a wide margin in 2014. The idea behind it was to reduce certain non-violent felonies to misdemeanors in order to free up resources for cops and prosecutors to focus on violent offenders.
Since Proposition 47 was passed, there has been an increase in theft across the state. Cities like San Francisco have seen organized crime rings turn shoplifting into a well-organized racket involving desperate thieves and unscrupulous black-market resellers.
Among the nation’s 20 largest cities, San Francisco now has the highest rate of property crime, which includes theft, shoplifting, and vandalism.
According to the Wallstreet Journal, this wasn’t the first Walgreens to close:
“Progressives in California in recent years have strengthened property rights—to other people’s property. Shoplifting has essentially been decriminalized, and retailers that apprehend thieves can be sued. The result: Another Walgreens store in San Francisco, the seventh this year, is closing after its shelves were cleared by looters.
“All of us knew it was coming,” longtime customer Sebastian Luke told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Whenever we go in there, they always have problems with shoplifters.”
Mr. Luke has been posting photos of the shoplifting sprees. “I feel sorry for the clerks, they are regularly being verbally assaulted,” he said. “The clerks say there is nothing they can do. They say Walgreens’ policy is to not get involved. They don’t want anyone getting injured or getting sued, so the guys just keep coming in and taking whatever they want.”
I’m not sure how in the world Democrats continue to stay in power in California as the state gets overran by violence, filth, and an overgrown homeless population. The only real explanation is how California’s districts are broken up. By placing the wealthy few in power while the majority of the state suffers.
It’s terribly sad.
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