Soft on crime policies as well as DA’s who hate prosecuting criminals are a key reason for the LA crime epidemic. California voters are reaping what they’ve sown.

Sounds harsh I know. But it’s accurate. In the last two weeks or so, mobs of thieves have made national headlines for their smash and grabs at Nordstrom, Versace, Nike, and more. 

A task force formed to combat the rash of brazen smash-and-grab retail thefts plaguing the Los Angeles region has made 11 arrests since its launch last week, authorities said Thursday.

The Los Angeles Police Department said the arrests were made in connection with four of nine cases the Organized Retail Crime Taskforce (ORCT) is investigating.

“The city of Los Angeles and neighboring cities have recently experienced an increase in `flash-mob’ method retail crime incidents conducted by multiple suspects targeting retail establishments throughout the Los Angeles region,” the LAPD said in a statement.

Oooohhhh! A task force! Yeah, that’ll work. Look, I’m not knocking law enforcement per se regarding going after these thieves. They can only do so much. They can arrest, but UNLESS the District Attorney, GEORGE GASCON, is willing to actually prosecute these criminals, then their task force is essentially useless. 

Furthermore, the policies in place are what Californians VOTED for. 

But voters had help from deceitful activists and politicians who tricked them into thinking they were voting for greater public safety.

One of those deceivers is George Gascón, now district attorney of Los Angeles County, where nearly 10 million residents in 88 cities are living with the full consequences of the 2014 initiative Gascón co-authored, Proposition 47.

The authors named the proposed law The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act.

It promised to save money on costly incarceration and spend the savings on mental health and education programs.

With a favorable ballot description written by then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, it passed 60% to 40%.

Under Proposition 47, property thefts valued at less than $950 became an automatic misdemeanor, even if the stolen item was a handgun.

The measure also made incarcerated felons eligible for resentencing and release if their past crimes retroactively qualified as misdemeanors.

That wasn’t working so well, so Governor Jerry Brown with Kamala’s help wrote up another Proposition. Prop 57 that was supposed to make everyone even more safe in their communities. Except Prop 57 also classified as “non-violent” such crimes as rape, passing or selling guns to gang members, domestic violence, or even trying to bomb a school! Do you feel safer now? 

California voters evidently didn’t, and tried to undo these policies at the ballot box last year and were soundly defeated. 

So now, what the voters are dealing with is gangs of thieves running smash and grab operations. When they are caught, what happens? OH.

Four more suspects are arrested in a series of "flash rob" retail heists, and all four were previously freed as felony suspects. Several out on "zero bail" are now accused of new crimes including armed carjacking.
pic.twitter.com/WYRk8LiUsx

— BAY AREA STATE OF MIND (@YayAreaNews) August 26, 2023

California. The land of zero consequences. Criminals are emboldened by the feel good policies put in place by voters. 

I’ll tell you what the impact on businesses is. A business can only deal with so much looting before their bottom line craters. And that leaves them with no other option but to close up shop. San Francisco is a prime example with stores RUNNING away from the downtown area because of the skyrocketing crime, homelessness, and rampant drug use on the streets.

What are the elected officials doing about all of this? Not much. Instead some are whining about the busloads of illegal immigrants arriving in their city, the very same city that has been proclaimed a sanctuary city.

#BREAKING 10th bus from Texas arrives in Los Angeles carrying 39 migrants, including 12 families + 21 children

The 10th bus comes 5 days after the last

Earlier this week, @MayorOfLA told me "LA has not extended an invitation asking for people to come. This is a political act"

— MarlaTellez (@MarlaTellez) August 26, 2023

Again, you built this and you the voters, voted for these people. Including Adam Schiff who has been very very quiet about all of this. 

“Our district attorney, who Adam Schiff supports, refuses to charge them with felony theft or burglary. So, they all know they can get away with this. And the fact that Adam Schiff has not said a word about it is further confirmation about how he supports this criminal culture out here.”

Last week, dozens of masked thieves descended upon a Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale, California, within Schiff’s district, and made off with about $300,000 within minutes.

And, if any of them are caught, it’s a fair bet that there will be no consequences imposed. Leaving those criminals free to rob and loot again. 

California voters have built this mess. It’s a mess we are seeing play out in progressive cities all over the country. 

When will it be enough for voters to stand up and demand reform? What will it take? Because right now, the only people who feel truly safe in California are the criminals. 

Feature Photo Credit: Graffiti on wall, via iStock, cropped and modified