When Michael Brown Jr got himself killed by stealing from a convenience store, Al Sharpton said that Brown had committed no crime.
Apparently, the “reverend” believes that Black people deserve free products at the expense of the Indian store owner Brown robbed.
But while you might be horrified at this Leftist ethnocentric logic, consider what California did.
In 2014, California passed Proposition 47. The proposition raised the amount for felony shoplifting to over $950. Thus, anything below that figure is a misdemeanor.
Worse, the state’s bail reform rules essentially render theft under $1000 a free for all. And their insane legislation proved a bonanza for every miscreant in the state.
Steal almost up to $1000. If you’re caught, don’t sweat it. You will likely be back on the street before the police officer finishes his report.
Any guesses as to what happened?
People who understood the system took advantage of it. Thieves robbed retail establishments into oblivion. National chains now abandon areas of California. Because loss prevention is useless. Moreover, how do you calculate the losses?
The legislation proved so lucrative, that organized gangs got in on the action.
Isn’t theft of any amount, theft?
One would think that California would look for a reasonable solution. For example, a kid who shoplifts from a store might be given a slap on the wrist. When I was a kid the limit was $50. I felt that was high, because theft is theft.
But the figure can’t be so large as to put retailers at risk.
The latest solution by a frustrated Democrat in California is dial the number back a bit.
California Democrat Assemblyman Rudy Salas believes the new number should be $400. So Salas introduced a new bill that would reverse Proposition 47 and reset the threshold of misdemeanor theft to its previous level of $400.
“Enough is enough, we need to fight back against the criminals who are stealing from our communities,” Democratic Assemblyman Rudy Salas said in a statement about the bill’s introduction Tuesday.
California’s Proposition 47 passed in 2014 and reduced shoplifting charges regarding the theft of $950 or less from felonies to misdemeanors. The new bill would lower the amount a suspect can steal before facing a felony to $400, which was the original threshold before Prop 47 passed.
While I applaud Salas for at least trying to reset the number, that solution is not the answer.
How about stronger punishment for shoplifting, aka blatant theft!? Some report the cost of “shrinkage” in the neighborhood of $61 billion annually.
From Shopify:
Shoplifting and employee theft make up the bulk of a $61 billion annual problem for the retail industry. The increase in incidents and new ways to steal are encouraging retailers to invest in new technology to reduce inventory shrinkage.
These numbers are from earlier years. One can only imagine what that number will be in California under the new law.
According to National Review, the impact has been significant.
In fact, Magnus Lofstrom, a researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California, pointed to a 12 percent jump in larceny-theft (essentially, unlawfully taking someone’s property) in the state immediately after Proposition 47 took effect. “Crime rates always fluctuate, and the data isn’t always accurate,” says Lofstrom.
Certainly San Franciscans aren’t debating whether or not crime is up. They know it is. In January, Police Chief William Scott acknowledged a 24 percent jump in property crimes from 2016 to 2017. Auto break-ins have soared in every district, and the arrest rate for them is an astonishing 1.6 percent.
Does anybody really believe the reduction to $400 will make a difference? Outside of thieves making more trips to steal, that’s about the only inconvenience I can think of.
What must sane Californians think?
I’m betting that they believe their government has lost its mind. They enact policies that encourage bad behavior. Reckless policies that endanger the public and cause entrepreneurs to run for the hills.
How long will Californians tolerate such nonsense? Who knows. They seem comfortable having laws come down on them with little complaining. Perhaps they feel helpless, since this has been happening for decades.
Is help on the way?
California may soon find itself at the breaking point. Frankly, the time has passed. Yet, the Fed continues bailing out these fiscally irresponsible morons. But enough is enough.
People want safety. And Californians find no safe spaces. Their cities are Third-World sh*tholes. Soon they will be overrun with non-taxpaying illegals. Next comes Escape from LA, except the whole state will be like the movie.
Let’s see how things develop during the mid-terms. I think California Democrats will get a rude awakening.
