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> This is a city where nearly any deli or corner-store has a We're Hiring sign But then Andre would need to work for somebody else and with somebody else, on s
by unsupp0rted 5y ago
> This is a city where nearly any deli or corner-store has a We're Hiring sign
But then Andre would need to work for somebody else and with somebody else, on somebody else's own schedule.
If you're amoral and see having a criminal record as a cost of doing business, then selling stolen merchandise on a street corner lets you be your own boss on your own schedule, which, as we on HN know, lots of people are willing to give up a third to half of their paycheck to achieve.
- 30367286 5y agoThis is one aspect of homelessness that I never see addressed by those advocating for liberal policies like free housing. What do we do with the people who simply prefer not to work at all? Even giving them Basic Income would not stop them from selling stolen merchandise.
- pas 5y agoGiving them housing doesn't mean they also get immunity from criminal laws. Recidivism itself is seen as a factor during sentencing, which means that even for the same isolated criminal act the same perpetrator gets longer and longer sentences.
- 30367286 5y ago> Giving them housing doesn't mean they also get immunity from criminal laws. All evidence to the contrary. SF, Seattle, LA… seems like the free housing people are indeed immune to at least petty crime laws.
- honkdaddy 5y agoIn theory yes, in practice, no. Here in New York people aren't reprimanded for petty theft anymore, and even if they are, they're not usually charged. The Yonkers man who brutally beat a 67yo Asian woman [1] had already been arrested 14 times. Only now, after they beat a harmless elder half to death for no reason, will they see any level of punishment. [1] https://pix11.com/news/local-news/northern-suburbs/yonkers-man-charged-after-allegedly-punching-asian-woman-more-than-125-times/ https://pix11.com/news/local-news/northern-suburbs/yonkers-m...