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San Francisco's shoplifting epidemic gets out of control


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2021 May 21, 10:05am   3,916 views  105 comments

by Eric Holder   ➕follow (5)   💰tip   ignore  

Soon after moving to San Francisco in 2016, I walked into a Walgreens in North Beach to buy an electric toothbrush.

As I was paying for it, a man walked into the store, grabbed a handful of beef jerky and walked out. I looked over at an employee, who shrugged. Then I went to Safeway next door for some groceries and I saw a man stuffing three bottles of wine into a backpack and walking casually toward the exit. On his way out he bagged some snacks. I asked the Safeway clerk about the thefts.

“I’m new to San Francisco,” I said. “Is it optional to pay for things here?”

Five years later, the shoplifting epidemic in San Francisco has only worsened.

At a board of supervisors hearing last week, representatives from Walgreens said that thefts at its stores in San Francisco were four times the chain’s national average, and that it had closed 17 stores, largely because the scale of thefts had made business untenable.

Brendan Dugan, the director of the retail crime division at CVS Health, called San Francisco “one of the epicenters of organized retail crime” and said employees were instructed not to pursue suspected thieves because encounters had become too dangerous.

“We’ve had incidents where our security officers are assaulted on a pretty regular basis in San Francisco,” Dugan said.

The retail executives and police officers emphasized the role of organized crime in the thefts. And they told the supervisors that Proposition 47, the 2014 ballot measure that reclassified nonviolent thefts as misdemeanors if the stolen goods are worth less than $950, had emboldened thieves.

“The one trend we are seeing is more violence and escalating — and much more bold,” said Commander Raj Vaswani, the head of the investigations bureau at the San Francisco Police Department. “We see a lot of repeat offenders.”

San Francisco has suffered in a variety of ways during the pandemic. The city has had twice as many fatal drug overdoses as coronavirus deaths. Tents of legions of homeless people lined sidewalks during the lockdowns. But the hearing last week focused on something much more prosaic: One of the richest cities in America is struggling with sticky fingers.



https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/San-Francisco-s-Shoplifting-Surge-16193767.php

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

« First        Comments 28 - 67 of 105       Last »     Search these comments

28   Eric Holder   2021 Jun 15, 10:11am  

zzyzzx says
I can't wait for Baltimore City to do this so I can do all my shopping for free!


Fly out to SF for a week and go on "shopping spree". More than pays for the tickets, hotel room and rental car.
29   mell   2021 Jun 15, 10:22am  

Eric Holder says
zzyzzx says
I can't wait for Baltimore City to do this so I can do all my shopping for free!


Fly out to SF for a week and go on "shopping spree". More than pays for the tickets, hotel room and rental car.


You could actually do that if you have the ballz. Maybe wait til you see a brotha clearing out the aisles, then just partner up with a trash-bag and keep loading up for yourself. There's plenty for everyone ;)
30   Eric Holder   2021 Jun 15, 11:00am  

mell says
You could actually do that if you have the ballz.


My elderly neighbor hasn't paid for a BART ticket for more than a decade. She just walks in and out through the emergency exit. Her reasoning? If brothas are allowed to ride free, why not her? And every East Bay homeowner already pays for BART as a line item on their property tax bill.
32   GNL   2021 Jun 15, 6:16pm  

Fortwaynemobile says
Patrick says
This is how San Francisco becomes Detroit.


Happening in LA too. Takes a while for people here to fucking realize there are real problems that need solutions and not superficial offended posturing. I do feel like CA deserves this.

Without a doubt.
33   Booger   2021 Jun 16, 4:02pm  

Misc says
Most people can't consume $950 worth of food and wine, however overpriced.


They are stealing the stuff that is easiest to sell.
34   Robert Sproul   2021 Jun 16, 4:39pm  

Eric Holder says
My elderly neighbor hasn't paid for a BART ticket for more than a decade. She just walks in and out through the emergency exit.

I think this is what happens as civic values degrade. Resentment grows as people think "why the hell should I pay when all these schmoes are not"? The elites pay no taxes and at the bottom they have a shoplifting free-for-all. The middle will eventually learn to join them.
35   SunnyvaleCA   2021 Jun 16, 4:59pm  

Ceffer says
I wonder if [French Laundry restaurant] was the place billionaire in laws took my dirt poor girl friend and me years ago in the day in San Francisco

That place is in Yountville, CA, which is a good 90 minute drive north from San Francisco. So, if you weren't out in beautiful rural wine country, I'd say that would be a "no."
36   SunnyvaleCA   2021 Jun 16, 5:00pm  

Booger says
You could make a nice living stealing just under $950 per trip and selling on eBay.

Ironically, the buyer on eBay will be arrested for possession of stolen property. The $950 limit only refers to the original robber.
37   SunnyvaleCA   2021 Jun 16, 5:04pm  

I'm sure that the next time "community organizers" complain about the food desert, some clever investigative team at NYT or WaPo will link it to the $950 limit causing all the stores to go out of business. .... nope!
38   Ceffer   2021 Jun 16, 5:09pm  

SunnyvaleCA says
Ironically, the buyer on eBay will be arrested for possession of stolen property. The $950 limit only refers to the original robber.

Darn. I thought it was transferable non-title.
39   Eric Holder   2021 Jun 16, 5:10pm  

SunnyvaleCA says
Booger says
You could make a nice living stealing just under $950 per trip and selling on eBay.

Ironically, the buyer on eBay will be arrested for possession of stolen property. The $950 limit only refers to the original robber.


Who's gonna prosecute?
40   FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden   2021 Jun 16, 8:09pm  

Really tempted to go do all my equity shopping in SF now.
41   Onvacation   2021 Jun 21, 4:22pm  

mell says
Also one of the reasons why I started fighting every single traffic ticket tooth and nail - when you realize the people you pay with your taxpayer money are not working for you but against you, you should not give an inch.

I fought a right turn on red, camera ticket.

Do your research! Find every case and every angle. Insist that the cop (or camera operator) appear in court to be questioned. Question equipment accuracy and calibration. Be a nuisance but not in contempt or disrespectful. Make a show of looking through your large stack of papers.

Overwhelm the system.

The judge can will cut you short but you can bring up a new line of inquiry. The judge has to hear your arguments.

I wasted about an hour of the courts time. At the end the judge asked, "Are you finished?". After my affirmation he banged his gavel "GUILTY!".

$500 fine with "court fees".
42   Onvacation   2021 Jun 21, 4:26pm  

mell says
Eric Holder says
zzyzzx says
I can't wait for Baltimore City to do this so I can do all my shopping for free!


Fly out to SF for a week and go on "shopping spree". More than pays for the tickets, hotel room and rental car.


You could actually do that if you have the ballz. Maybe wait til you see a brotha clearing out the aisles, then just partner up with a trash-bag and keep loading up for yourself. There's plenty for everyone ;)

Problem is, your loot gets looted as soon as you loot it.

So I hear.
43   Ceffer   2021 Jun 21, 5:16pm  

Onvacation says
Problem is, your loot gets looted as soon as you loot it.

Pinball Theft; gets stolen and re-stolen multiple times until somebody manages to keep it.
44   FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden   2021 Jun 21, 6:28pm  

Wear a mask, do all the shopping in SF.
46   Ceffer   2021 Jun 22, 12:58pm  

mbSFBay says
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/22/us/shoplifting-san-francisco-walgreens/index.html

He'll just be given time served and community service robbing more Walgreens by Cheesecake Boudin, with a DA approved, communist all access pass to the pharmacy.
47   Patrick   2021 Jul 2, 9:49pm  

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/07/02/san-francisco-rampant-shoplifting-forces-stores-cut-hours-close/

The crime wave in San Francisco, California, continues as police presence dwindles and thieves brazenly loot stores, causing Target properties in the Bay Area to announce they are cutting hours to reduce losses.

Target stores, which normally stay open until 10 p.m. in most cities around the country, will be closing at 6 p.m. in San Francisco, according to ABC7...

This development comes after Walgreens announced it is closing stores because of the inability to keep people from continuously stealing from its stores.

The ongoing thefts have been dubbed “organized retail theft,” but it appears more like looting when several people invade a store and grab as much merchandise as possible before fleeing.

ABC7 reported Walgreens emailed the outlet and said the company told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that theft in their San Francisco stores is four times more than the average in stores across the country. The company also spends 35 times more on hiring security personnel.

Walgreens has closed 17 stores in the Bay Area in the past five years.

The Public Policy Institute of California’s research shows San Francisco has the lowest arrest rate of any police department in California, according to the ABC7 report.


San Francisco voted for this. So they should get to enjoy it now.
48   Robber Baron Elite Scum   2021 Jul 3, 7:04am  

Makes prices higher. Less sales. Not bs. Since retailers mark-up based on lost goods and expenses.
49   BayArea   2021 Jul 3, 7:08am  

As usual, those who can pay will pay for those that can’t pay.
50   Patrick   2021 Jul 3, 10:32am  

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Car-burglar-confronted-by-witnesses-in-San-16237687.php

Car burglar confronted by witnesses in San Francisco opens fire


Car burglaries in SF are up more than 800% over 2020.
51   FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden   2021 Jul 3, 10:41am  

Patrick says
https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Car-burglar-confronted-by-witnesses-in-San-16237687.php

Car burglar confronted by witnesses in San Francisco opens fire


Car burglaries in SF are up more than 800% over 2020.


What I’m hearing is if I want free shit, go to SF and rob the fucking place.
52   Ceffer   2021 Jul 3, 10:43am  

Fortwaynemobile says
What I’m hearing is if I want free shit, go to SF and rob the fucking place.

It's skid row rules, so your shit might get stolen by strong arm robbery as soon as you have stolen it. If you fall asleep, it'll all be gone when you wake up.
53   Patrick   2021 Jul 3, 11:05am  

https://notthebee.com/article/over-40-of-ungrateful-comrades-plan-on-leaving-the-leftist-utopia-of-san-francisco

Over 40% of residents plan on leaving the leftist utopia of San Francisco ...

The poll found that 70% of residents thought quality of life has declined in the city for the second year in a row. ...

You have to wonder: Why would you leave this leftist paradise?

Is it that you afford ten homes in the Midwest for the price of an apartment in SoCal?

Is it the human feces everywhere?

Maybe it's the city's expensive programs that pay for homelessness instead of fixing the insane costs of living and red tape that's been created by high taxes and other dumb government policies?

Everyone loves to live around scores of used drug needles!

To fix all these problems, San Fran Mayor London Breed has pledged to throw another billion in tax dollars to fight homelessness.

That's sort of like putting water on a fire you're actively fueling, except as your taxpayers move away, you'll have less and less water to put on said fire.

Good luck with that!
54   Bd6r   2021 Jul 3, 12:11pm  

Patrick says
Over 40% of residents plan on leaving the leftist utopia of San Francisco ...

if these over 40% idiots would have voted differently, SF would not degenerate into being a shithole city. Unfortunately, they will take their stupidity elsewhere and drive other localities into ground.
55   Booger   2021 Jul 5, 6:35pm  

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/san-francisco-crime-surge-racism

San Francisco DA official says crime surge fears linked to racism
Reports of vehicle break-ins are up by between 100% and 750% in parts of San Francisco
56   Ceffer   2021 Jul 5, 11:31pm  

It's racist to not allow yourself to be beaten, robbed and murdered by blacks.
57   Tenpoundbass   2021 Jul 6, 7:39am  

Patrick says
This is how San Francisco becomes Detroit.


How much you want to bet that once Rockpoint Group LLC owns all of the RE in SF, they will dispatch every homeless person with a bullet between the eyes and dump them in a landfill?
58   clambo   2021 Jul 6, 7:51am  

If you have a store, black kids will rob you.
If you have a car, Mexicans will steal your catalytic converter.
59   Eric Holder   2021 Jul 6, 9:35am  

clambo says
If you have a store, black kids will rob you.
If you have a car, Mexicans will steal your catalytic converter.


And if you try to protect what's yours you'll be prosecuted and thrown to rot in jail.
61   Patrick   2021 Jul 6, 6:16pm  


'Crime is basically legal in San Francisco': Furious shopper posts video of horde of shoplifters fleeing Neiman Marcus - totally unchecked - with armfuls of designer bags
A video captures the moment at least ten people stole loads of designer bags from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco and fled undeterred
Police are still investigating the incident and the suspects were already gone by the time they arrived
Witnesses told KTVU that the store was about to close when the suspects came in and smashed display cases before nabbing the goods and leaving
This comes as Target made the decision last week to close its San Francisco stores at 6pm - four hours earlier than elsewhere - and Walgreens shuttered 17 stores in the area because of shoplifting concerns
Shoplifting cases have been on the rise in San Francisco for years
The problem arose after charges of property theft less than $950 in value was downgraded from a felony to a misdemeanor in 2014
62   richwicks   2021 Jul 6, 6:32pm  

No many of you are from the East Coast are you? What's going on in SF and LA is just a scam.

The "elected officials" allow a section of the city to fall into ruin, they allow crime to get out of control, they refuse to police it, and let it become a complete shithole.

Then they buy up properties below market rate. This is the real reason they don't want people with guns, and they prosecute people for fighting back. The government, itself, is the real criminal, the lowlife criminals are just their useful idiots.

After they own enough of the hell they created, then they start saying shit like "we need to clean up this city! It's TIME for a change!" and magically there is change. New puppet steps in, police start doing their job, people are allowed to fight back - and it's real cheap land in a couple of years.

They do this ALL THE TIME on the East Coast by they take their time doing it, like decades. This is just being done a bit more quickly.
63   RC2006   2021 Jul 6, 7:08pm  

richwicks says
They do this ALL THE TIME on the East Coast by they take their time doing it, like decades. This is just being done a bit more quickly.


No it's been getting worse for half a century. We are talking about huge cities, maybe that might work on small ones. Detroit, LA, SF, Portland, ect are not turning around there populations have changed.
64   Ceffer   2021 Jul 6, 7:20pm  

The strategy of property busting worked so well in Detroit, you can buy a house for $200, and forest is reclaiming large tracts.
65   BayArea   2021 Jul 7, 6:36am  

Laws preventing theft are racist
66   HeadSet   2021 Jul 7, 7:46am  

Ceffer says
The strategy of property busting worked so well in Detroit, you can buy a house for $200, and forest is reclaiming large tracts.

I heard that even though the property is cheap, the buyer will be on the hook for back taxes and required fix ups.
67   RWSGFY   2021 Jul 7, 9:21am  

Ceffer says
The strategy of property busting worked so well in Detroit, you can buy a house for $200, and forest is reclaiming large tracts.


Wait, Wakanda is not what used to be called Detroit?

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