Six Target stores in recently announced that they will be changing their operating hours due to rising crime in the city. Target released a statement saying that for over a year they’ve experienced a significant rise in theft and security at their stores. “With the safety of our guests, team members and communities as our top priority, we’ve temporarily reduced our operating hours in six stores,” they said.
The Chamber of Commerce recently commissioned a poll of 500 San Franciscans and found that over 40% of residents plan to move out of the city in the next few years. 8 out of 10 pollsters said that crime has increased in the city and over 90% of the people who polled said that they believe the homeless crisis has gotten worse.
“What stands out in the polling results is the strikingly high and consistent number of respondents who now view homeless and crime as the leading problems facing the City,” the chamber wrote.
Crime in has been increasing, including a significant surge in burglaries. statistics found that break-ins have increased by more than 700%, with thieves taking advantage of tourists and breaking into rental cars. The crime has increased as state restrictions are being lifted and more people are visiting the area.
One tourism operator said he feared that thieves would sabotage the city since it’s already affecting business. Tourists are going home and saying that is a terrible city full of crime. Plus, the numbers don’t lie.
The chief blamed the surge in crime on two things: not enough on the streets and criminals being let out of jail due to relaxed prosecuting. The number of officers should increase in high-crime neighborhoods, which the city council doesn’t believe to be a top priority. The chief said that the same criminals are going into stores and snatching property.
“Once we arrest them, we find out they’ve been arrested over and over again. It’s frustrating,” Chief Scott explained.
The shoplifting rates have increased in many stores, with most of them being committed by homeless in the area and a small percentage being organized shoplifting groups. But it points back to the city’s larger problem with homelessness.
One viral video showed a shoplifter at Walgreens placing items into a garbage bag as a security guard watched. He rode his into the and then left without consequence. The 7-Eleven on Drumm St. in the Financial District also made changes due to crime and only does business through a metal door after 10 p.m. You have to ring a bell to let them know you’re outside. The manager explained that they first installed a security window but thieves would break the glass.
Other shoppers also said they understood Target is running a business and that they have to shut it down to protect their money, but emphasized how expensive everything is becoming in the state. Between high tax rates, soaring gas prices, and expensive food, middle class Californians are moving out of the state faster than ever. In some cities, the only people left are the super rich and the homeless. It creates for a chaotic and weird atmosphere. The same thing is happening in some parts of .
Target said that they would not know how long the new hours would remain in place. Cutting hours is not the solution and city unions are starting to blame radical-left elected leaders for their agenda. Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, also said that the elected leaders need to start holding people accountable and providing businesses with the right security and right staffing.
“There comes a point — with what we have shared with the elected leaders of the city — where these types of decisions have to be made. The bottom line is when these employees don’t feel safe coming to work. That’s when they have to take these drastic measures,” Michelin said.
Besides Target, Walgreens has also closed several stores for the same reason and security guards are being told not to engage with shoplifters. There are fears of lawsuit in the air and shoplifters carrying weapons. One security guard said that a shoplifter threatened him with a and that he had “no intention of getting stabbed for $60 worth of stuff.”
Democrat policing and crime policies are worse than awful, they actually encourage crime. It’ll be interesting to see how Democrats try to turn the crime rates on Republicans. The radical left will probably start calling shoplifters “misunderstood consumers” or something.
