Democrat Crime Wave: San Francisco Shoplifting Mobs Loot With Impunity

The link between left-wing anti-cop messaging and support for the Black Lives Matter riots have emboldened criminals in Democrat-run cities across the country. Broad daylight shootouts make New York City look like a wild west movie. And the gun violence in Chicago leaves dozens wounded or dead on a weekly basis. But nowhere in America is shoplifting the more preferred way to steal than in the liberal stronghold of San Francisco.

“It’s astounding, it’s jaw-dropping, it’s completely unacceptable…it’s outrageous,” former Republican mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg reportedly said. “This city is controlled completely by left-wing ideologues. There’s not enough police — part of the whole defunding police movement.”

Recent reports highlighted the looting of a Neiman Marcus store in which street thugs smashed the display windows and made off with high-end handbags. The entire store was reportedly emptied in the same fashion Americans witnessed during the Black Lives Matter riots. Designer products often garner headlines because they are expensive. But the reality of the San Francisco crime wave is that even budget retail outlets are being overrun.

Walgreens announced it would no longer tolerate the lawlessness and already shuttered upwards of 17 stores. Target recently followed suit by announcing the discount chain would limit its hours due to the rise in brazen shoplifting.

“For more than a month, we’ve been experiencing a significant and alarming rise in theft and security incidents at our San Francisco stores, similar to reports from other retailers in the area,” Target spokesman Brian Harper-Tibaldo reportedly said. “With the safety of our guests, team members, and communities as our top priority, we’ve temporarily reduced our operating hours in five San Francisco stores.”

To say that San Francisco’s far-left policies have been a complete disaster would be something of an understatement. The once vibrant city suffers tragic homelessness rates and drug addiction. Streets are now littered with needles, drug paraphernalia, and smell like a fouled toilet. Conservative critics routinely shine a spotlight on San Francisco as the worst-case scenario outcome of Democrat policies. Although it’s been relatively easy to publicly flog San Francisco, the shoplifting crime wave is something no community has ever experienced.

Thieves no longer cleverly sneak items into pockets or bags. They walk right into a store, clear entire shelves, and pack large cases with products. Security camera footage of petty criminals riding bicycles in and out of stores or packing rollaway suitcases look like television blooper videos. In essence, San Francisco’s failed leadership makes them the butt of a joke in what can only be described as America’s stupidest home videos. Adding insult to injury, security guards are effectively hamstrung from stopping looters.

“It’s going to be lawsuits (if security intervenes). Obviously, they don’t want ourselves or anybody else to get injured while we’re out here attempting to make these apprehensions and leave it to law enforcement,” Walgreens security guard Kevin Greathouse reportedly said.

California has steadily embraced “criminals first” policies that include reducing shoplifting under $1,000 to a misdemeanor. Organized gangs, drug addicts, and petty thieves know they aren’t going to jail, and they now act with impunity. San Francisco declines to prosecute criminals after police make arrests. It sounds crazy, but shoplifting appears legal in San Francisco.