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>> Armed gangs of 60-80 are now systematically looting malls and shopping districts. Is that true?

• augustuspolius 5y ago
  Sort of. It happened several times in the past few months.
• kgin 5y ago
  https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-san-francisco-holidays-theft-8f798f79e2deaf2905f4412f75e3603a https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-san-francisco-... > Hours later, about 80 people, some wearing ski masks and wielding crowbars, ransacked a Nordstrom at an outdoor mall in Walnut Creek
  • YeGoblynQueenne 5y ago
    The article says this happens "systematically", which I interpret to mean regularly and often. That's what I'm asking about. Is it true that this kind of thing happens "systematically", or is it an exaggeration expressing the author's frustration that such things can happen at all?
    • actually_a_dog 5y ago
      No, it does not. You hear about it on the news every time it happens in part because it is rare, not because it is common.
• pengaru 5y ago
  Not just in SF, it's a relatively recent CA-wide thing, has happened in LA as well. Some blame Prop47: "Proposition 47 was passed by California voters on November 5, 2014. It made some 'non-violent' property crimes, where the value of the stolen goods does not exceed $950, into misdemeanors. ... Under California law, though, if two or more person's conspire to 'cheat and defraud any person or any property, by any means which are in themselves criminal' they can face no more than one year in county prison, a fine of $10,000 or a combination of the two." It wouldn't surprise me if this just accelerates the total disappearance of retail businesses. Next up: smash and grab the Amazon warehouses.