I used to live near Market/Van Ness. Pre pandemic when I needed to pick up medicine I had to go to two Walgreens before walking another mile to end up at CVS to find what I needed because half the shelves were empty at both the Walgreens I went to (one oh Market, the other in Hayes). I asked an employee what was going on, I thought they must be closing. She said no it’s because of all the shoplifting and that there’s nothing they can do about it and the police don’t care either. As she was telling me this I witnessed a guy in the aisle loading up a suitcase. Unbelievable. I told her I’m sorry she has to deal with this all the time.<p>It’s also frustrating as a consumer because I’ve noticed over the past couple years Walgreens’ hours has been reducing, like closing at 7pm at a major intersection for crying out loud. The trend is that operating expenses are increased due to shoplifting thus prices increase and hours reduced which means fewer jobs. We all lose.<p>This isn’t unique to Walgreens this is affecting independent convenience stores and markets as well and it’s really disheartening to witness on a nearly day to day basis.
If you've ever visited a small grocery/convenience/pharmacy type store in a developing nation environment where law enforcement is almost nonexistant, the standard system is that there's a counter and you have to ask the staff for each item. Customers are not allowed in the area where the stock is kept.
> A statement from Safeway read at Thursday’s hearing blamed Proposition 47, which lowered penalties for thefts under $950, for “dramatic increases” in shoplifting losses.<p>$950 seems extremely high as the threshold for punishment (especially considering many crimes won't be caught and prosecuted), but also how can you shoplift $950 worth of stuff at a Walgreens?
There was a walgreens in downtown oakland that was smashed during the BLM protests. They decided to just never open up again, because theft had cut into their margins so much.
A quick search on YouTube shows this is no joke.<p>[Shoplifters Steal from Walgreens in San Francisco Unimpeded.](<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLbvtRIo3i8" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLbvtRIo3i8</a>)<p>[Customer Seen Jumping Over Counter to Shoplift at Walgreens](<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FmN4e1fNUo" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FmN4e1fNUo</a>)<p>[Sting Operation Busts Professional Theft Ring With Millions In Stolen Merchandise](<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8iKPRYfugA" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8iKPRYfugA</a>)<p>It's becoming clearer by the day how bad policies and lack law of enforcement is degrading the Bay Area and is driving people away in droves.
Here’s the SFPD crime dashboard: <a href="https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard" rel="nofollow">https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crim...</a> where you can compare which crimes have gone up
A worthwhile read about the current SF DA that might explain a lot: <a href="https://stanfordreview.org/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-crime/" rel="nofollow">https://stanfordreview.org/chesa-boudin-san-francisco-crime/</a>
Is it just be or are we just repeating the cycle of big cities?<p>- City expands, lots of jobs, people move there<p>- City is mismanaged, middle class flee, city gets worse<p>- City stagnates for a while and either dies or makes a comeback<p>- Rinse and repeat
recall the DA, Chesa Boudin <a href="https://recallchesaboudin.org/" rel="nofollow">https://recallchesaboudin.org/</a><p>their "restorative justice" policy is sending criminals back to the streets as soon as they're arrested<p><a href="https://www.zenger.news/2021/02/16/jogger-killed-by-repeat-offender-in-stolen-vehicle/" rel="nofollow">https://www.zenger.news/2021/02/16/jogger-killed-by-repeat-o...</a>
These Walgreens are pharmacies where many homeless get their medications.<p>I’ve seen people in the middle of a mental health episode wander in, and a security calmly “manage” them until the pharmacist can figure out and fill their prescription.<p>These are literally medical facilities being shut down - facilities that serve those most in need.<p>If 17 reproductive health clinics shot down, the feminists would be up in arms.<p>If 17 HIV clinics shut down, gay rights activist would be up in arms.<p>These pharmacies provide birth control, plan b, HIV medication, etc.<p>Not to mention COVID vaccines …<p>This is a crisis, not an inconvenience.
Unsurprising outcome of systemic poverty and a complete lack of real social safety net.<p>People want the homeless to simply go away and die quietly somewhere, but no, people need to survive, and if need be petty theft is the way to continue living. People need food and people need to fed their chemical addictions. With the lack of services theft is an answer.<p>If people don't want to experience petty theft well then we need to ensure that every person has food and housing. Create a safe supply of free prescribed drugs so that people don't need to steal to get cash to buy drugs from the street.<p>These are simple solutions but of course they cost money, so if your top priority is keeping taxes low, well they're impossible and so the status quo of systemic poverty, misery and crime continues.
"San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Doug Welch called in to the hearing to say his clients charged with shoplifting are not part of organized crime, but are homeless or struggling with substance abuse and need more services."<p>As if is not stealing if you are a druggie or homeless.
Not that stealing is ok, but the solution to this problem in the long run is jobs -- lots and lots of green jobs. When you stop moralizing and step back from the situation, you see cost of living skyrocketing and the job market hollowing out from the bottom, and it seems obvious to me that the people on the lowest rungs of the ladder are just falling off and hitting the pavement. We're seeing the effects more and more people with years and years of no income and no prospects. The solution is building a ferocious economic engine that employs people, wants their contributions and cultivates their talents. If jobs were easy to get, like so easy that you could just walk over to the employment center and be working within the day, I just have to believe that this kind of anti-social behavior would quickly get back to normal.
Did seriously no one watch Disney's 1992 Aladdin? "Streetrats" get just as hungry as everyone else. If these outfits spent half the money that they do on security on feeding and clothing their neighbors, we wouldn't be in this mess, but shareholders don't appreciate altruism for it's own sake.