Are you offended by the “demeaning” way drugstores “close up everything,” as “1619 Project” head Nikole-Hannah-Jones is? Worried that K-9 units are being deployed by Midtown stores to discourage shoplifters?
Afraid of the Fulton Fish Market after the murder that occurred after the theft of shrimp? Disappointed by the story of bodega worker Jose Alba, who was forced to kill an armed shoplifter in self-defense?
In the progressive dystopia, every shoplifting is considered a “crime of poverty” and hence should be treated as if it were not a crime at all.
Read more:Â A Gunman Was Apprehended by Undercover Police at a New York City Bodega
New York’s “reforms” to the criminal justice system make it nearly impossible for district attorneys to put these criminals behind bars, therefore the same small number (but a growing number!) of suspects continue to commit crimes.
This resulted in a 45% increase in shoplifting complaints citywide in 2022 compared to 2021, and a nearly 275% increase from the first decade of the century.
More and more shop owners are deciding against filing complaints because they see no point.
Meanwhile, bolder criminals target high-end retail establishments, often in the millions of dollars.
By the way, it’s not only the no-bail legislation; other “reforms” require prosecutors to do lengthy paperwork for every case they intend to bring to court, so they drop some felony cases and most misdemeanor cases.
Read more:Â A New Proposal Suggests the Fdny May Charge Up to $1,400 for an Ambulance Transport Within the City
And no, it’s not a “crime of poverty” or even to pay the bills: We suspect that the majority of the stolen money is used to fund the criminals’ drug habits.
Mayor Eric Adams stated last week, “Those who allege that we’re criminalizing the poor – they’re mistaken.” “We’re losing those enterprises in our city,” a politician said, and as a result, “poor and low-income New Yorkers are being unemployed.”
Without closing their doors, stores are resorting to extreme measures, such as hiring private security guards and deploying facial-recognition technology to protect their stock of locked-up toothpaste, deodorant, and the like.
However, liberals in the legislature are set on repealing Gov. Kathy Hochul’s modest amendment to the no-bail statute, which would remove the ambiguous mandate that judges use the “least restrictive” means possible to guarantee a defendant appears in court.
Read more:Â The Most Haunted Field in New Jersey Is Located Just Outside Philadelphia.
They would rather “reform” further by reducing the number of obligatory minimum sentences for those who are still convicted.
To some on the political left, New York’s only crime issue is that some individuals are getting locked up. And they don’t understand why so many local shops are closing in the districts they’re responsible for.
