XPost: alt.january, alt.politics.republicans, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.politics.liberalism   
   From: rkoch@banmlkday.com   
      
   'These people just go out and steal, not because of need, [but]   
   because they can and they won't get in trouble,' a California   
   police officer said of smash-and-grab theft   
      
   It's a scene that has played out in retail stores across the   
   U.S. scores of times in 2023: Hordes of looters running in and   
   out of shops, grabbing everything they can and then scattering   
   before anyone can stop them.   
      
   Many of the thieves, who can hide in the anonymity of the crowd,   
   never even face consequences for these flash-mob robberies —   
   though the mass robberies sometimes turn violent.   
      
   In Los Angeles over the summer, dozens of masked thieves   
   orchestrated a smash-and-grab heist at Nordstrom in the Topanga   
   Mall, leaving behind a trail of broken glass and strewn   
   mannequins while hauling off an estimated $100,000 worth of   
   merchandise.   
      
   Philadelphia's historic Center City was paralyzed over several   
   nights in September as social media-fueled mass looting targeted   
   liquor stores and retail shops like Foot Locker, Lululemon and   
   Apple.   
      
   More than 70 arrests were made, and business owners are still   
   recovering from damages and lost merchandise.   
      
   While there isn't specific data on flash mob robberies, industry   
   experts have seen an uptick of these incidents in 2023 year and   
   predict that the trend will continue in the new year, according   
   to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the nation's largest   
   retail trade association.   
      
   The NRF considers flash mob robbery as "organized retail crime,"   
   which is rising, according to the group's analysis.   
      
   "Retail theft is not a victimless crime. It impacts jobs,   
   consumers and communities in several ways," David Johnston, vice   
   president of asset protection and retail operations for the NRF,   
   testified to Congress this month.   
      
   "Increased violence involving theft has caused injury to   
   employees and consumers, the unfortunate death of some retail   
   associates, and a fear of working or shopping in high-crime   
   locations," he said.   
      
   "This makes it difficult for retailers to retain or find labor   
   to support consumers."   
      
   The group estimates that this type of looting costs companies   
   roughly $700,000 for every $1 billion in sales.   
      
   What drives flash mob robberies?   
   These types of robberies often hatch online by young people who   
   put out a call out for others to join in the looting, Drew   
   Neckar, president of Security Advisors Consulting Group, told   
   The Messenger.   
      
   "Social media and a constant cycle of knowing what's happening   
   elsewhere hits TikTok and other platforms, and people may see it   
   and think, 'why aren’t we doing that?’” he said.   
      
   Committing crime in a group gives the perception that   
   participants can hide in large numbers and that the chances of   
   being caught afterwards are low because a majority of large   
   retailers are telling staff not to stop mobs of shoplifters for   
   fear of injury or death during these sometimes violent   
   intrusions, Neckar added.   
      
   Despite the difficulty in apprehending looters, law enforcement   
   in many cities have undertaken concerted efforts to stop flash   
   mobs of robbers from having their way.   
      
   The Sacramento Sheriff's Office coordinated its first major   
   retail theft sting in the busy shopping month of December,   
   dispatching 50 undercover deputies for one week in 12 major   
   stores in the county, including Target, Walmart, Ulta and   
   Walgreens.   
      
   Under “Operation Bad Elf" the office counted 285 theft arrests   
   over seven days.   
      
   "We're tired of it, the public is tired of it, this is a big   
   issue," Sheriff Jim Cooper at a media conference. "These people   
   just go out and steal, not because of need, [but] because they   
   can and they won't get in trouble."   
      
   But for Neckar, flash mob robberies and other types of thefts   
   reflect an increasing economic divide as these robberies tend to   
   occur in affluent shopping districts within driving distance of   
   low-income and high-crime areas, he said.   
      
   Ultimately, though, these crimes as well as other thefts hurt   
   communities because when stores close, there's a loss of jobs.   
      
   And with limited police resources, "if you're concentrating on   
   preventing retail crime in high dollar shopping areas, what's   
   happening in the other neighborhoods?” he continued.   
      
   More shocking flash mob robberies in 2023   
   A two-day September crime spree in Philadelphia started as a   
   "coordinated attack" on dozens of stores across the city,   
   including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple.   
      
   The looting followed peaceful protests over a judge's decision   
   to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia   
   police officer who shot and killed a driver Eddie Irizarry.   
      
   Seventy-two people have been charged in connection to the   
   looting, with more arrests still expected.   
      
   At least 30 suspects orchestrated a heist on an Yves Saint   
   Laurent store in Glendale, Calif., in August, making off with   
   about $300,000 in merchandise before fleeing in several cars.   
      
   Dressed in hoods and masks, the flash mob robbers descended on   
   the upscale Americana at Brand shopping center in broad daylight.   
      
   Video appeared to show bystanders, including an Amazon worker,   
   attempting to fight burglars in the streets.   
      
   Days later, a group of thieves in black hooded sweatshirts and   
   masks stole $100,000 worth of goods from another Southern   
   California luxury shop, the Gucci store in Costa Mesa.   
      
   https://youtu.be/G8rghHfPBaA   
      
   A flash mob of up to 400 teens erupted into chaos over the   
   summer at a northern California mall, where lotting, vandalism   
   and fights were reported.   
      
   It ended when gunshots rang out at the outdoor Bay Street Mall   
   in Emeryville, causing many in the crowd to flee in panic.   
      
   One person was stabbed during the bedlam.   
      
   Police said that the gathering was coordinated via social media   
   and promoted on several platforms.   
      
   In November, more than a dozen robbers — four girls and thirteen   
   boys, all between the ages of 15 and 20, police said — were   
   caught on camera ransacking a Los Angeles-area Nike store.   
      
   Customers watched as the thieves stole armfuls of merchandise   
   from the shelves of the athletic store in the Watts neighborhood   
   before they fled the scene in multiple vehicles.   
      
   A security guard opened fire on Dec. 17 after at least six   
   suspects ransacked a Washington D.C. Chanel store — the scene of   
   a separate flash mob robbery that happened in February.   
      
   One of the suspects used a fire extinguisher as a weapon, police   
   said, before the thieves stole an "undetermined amount of   
   merchandise."   
      
   No injuries were reported.   
      
   In February, 15 masked and hooded suspects robbed the same   
   Chanel store and also used a fire extinguisher to create chaos   
   before swiping handbags and other merchandise.   
      
   Dozens of suspects robbed two Memphis gas stations last month,   
   stealing more than $17,000 worth of merchandise.   
      
   One by one police said the suspects grabbed goods from one   
   store, including snacks, drinks and alcohol.   
      
   The thieves then hit another gas station 90 minutes later.   
      
      
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