To nobody’s surprise, another moonbat California initiative is bearing poisoned fruit.
A few years ago, California passed one in a series of bills aimed at emptying the jails and prisons. Proposition 47 carried the disingenuous name of “the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act” and its stated purpose was to keep non-violent offenders out of jail. To achieve this goal, the state decriminalized a number of lesser offenses, including retail theft. The law raised the value of the amount of merchandise someone could steal while still only being charged with a misdemeanor to nearly one thousand dollars.
To the great surprise of the government, people noticed this change and began taking advantage of it. They have now recorded multiple years of steadily increasing, organized robbery. These plots are known as “mass grab and dash” thefts and they generally involve large numbers of young people all entering a store at the same time, grabbing armfuls of merchandise and dashing back out to their vehicles and hitting the highway. Not only are robberies on the rise, but arrests and prosecutions are down. Who could possibly have predicted this?
. . .
“It’s a boldness we’re seeing like never before and just a disregard for fellow human beings,” said Lieutenant Mark Donaldson, Vacaville PD.
He explained these crimes have evolved into more than just shoplifting. It’s organized retail theft and he says it’s happening across the state. Cities like Vacaville, with outlets and shopping centers located near major freeways, tend to be a target for these organized retail crime rings.
. . .
… when you make it easier and less risky to steal larger amounts of goods, people will steal more merchandise. Did it really take a rocket scientist to figure this out?
There’s more at the link.
What can I say? This is what happens when you let progressive far-left moonbats, with their heads in ideological clouds, make laws affecting the real world. The consequences are always far less desirable than those they imagined – but they don’t care about that. Those of us who worry about such things are not “woke” or “enlightened” or “caring”, like they are: therefore, our thoughts, feelings and desires don’t count. We peons must just put up and shut up. (Subtext: “or else!”)
Next stop: Virginia Democrats’ war on the Second Amendment. What’s the betting it’ll have similar, unintended (and emphatically undesirable) consequences? They won’t believe that, of course. They never do. Their theories trump reality. Just ask them.
Peter
I would suggest the retailers all raise the price of everything by $951 and give a discount at the register.
Or whatever dollar value the empty headed legislature makes the minimum they'll prosecute.
But Mr. Grant, we can't put them po' yoots in jail! Dat's RAYCISS!
*sigh* No, I'm entirely unsurprised. You know this is going to annihilate retail storefronts in California, right? Nobody's going to run a store where they're at risk of a mob of 'yoots' charging in, grabbing anything, and running out again while the cops sit on their hands and collect their paycheck.
Unless of course storefronts resort to methods such as payouts to more 'organized' outfits. Say, hire a gang of teens to keep watch. When someone tries to steal something, wait till they get outside and then beat the living hell out of them.
Yeah, I know, this is how things start to go entirely pear shaped. More likely retailers will just close their doors rather than deal with California's pro-criminal legislation. But it'd be amusing to watch.
I don't remember where I got this quote – quite possibly from you – But here it is: Crime will expand according to our willingness to put up with it.
Sacramento is having large problems too… And getting dangerous for John Q Public that happen to be in the mob's way…
Born and raised in California. This is all true except the word "unintended." I'm not too sure about that one.
Clever, Rogue…
I like Dave's idea… a return to basic protection rackets. Cuz it's that, or everything goes into the closed warehouse behind the counter, and isn't brought out until you order and pay. (Methinks Walmart's shop-for-you service may turn into that, in some areas.) Of course then you'll need protection on your way to your car, but that's where hiring the local gang comes back in. Didn't we just leave this party, back about 1920??
And expect to see an upsurge in "new" merchandise being sold by online swapmeets like eBay, where there's absolutely no way to know the provenance of that 'new with tags' or 'open box' or even 'pre-owned' (by whom??) item being sold by a dealer in every-damn-thing. Why pay Alibaba wholesale and shipping when your local smash-and-grab gang will sell it to you for half the price, and may even steal to order??
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I lived in SoCal for 28 years, mostly in the high desert. Used to be you'd see the odd perp or hooker, nothing serious, and didn't have to be anal about locking your doors. Left in 2012. Last time I was down there, in 2014… OMG, what's with the gangs of lowlife patrolling the main drag? Asked a friend and he said since the Feds told LACounty they had to reduce jail crowding or else, they did so — by dumping the worst of 'em in north county. And current owner of my desert house (15 miles from town) has bars on all the windows. When did Lancaster turn into Stockton??!
Also born and raised in California. It’s criminal, what the politicians have done to this formerly-beautiful state. Left in 2019 and never looking back.
Too bad they can't utilize some 2nd Amendment private enforcement. We don't have homeless or other miscreants doing this in Texas.
The moonbats are sure that this will not affect them in any way… Whatever happens to businesses, it's no skin off THEIR noses.
I spent 4 years in Riverside; left in '84,
Any idiot who chooses to live in Commiefornia deserves it all, good and hard.
The Left has to make things worse so they can save the plebs from the bad conditions. We've seen this over and over and over…
"If you think our problems are bad, wait until you see our solutions!"
"Heads in intellectual clouds?"
I would say their heads are firmly implanted 2-3 feet above ground in something far smellier than clouds.
Just hire your 'Loss Prevention" specialists at the local biker bar.
I don't understand all of what's going on, but this isn't affecting all of California. In Ventura County I know someone ho overlooked a $10 item in their shopping cart and was arrested and jailed for theft (for just a few days)
More and more products at the nearest Walmart are ensconced behind locked plexiglass.
It atarted, believe it or not, about a year ago with pens, markers, and spray paint.
I did not know the spray paint was locked up until about six months ago. I had to show ID before they would sell it to me.