Small business owners in New York City, the Rotten Apple, are increasingly skeptical of the ways the government claims it is trying to combat crime in the city. Particularly, small business owners have sounded off over Gov. Hochul’s proposed “solutions” to combat retail theft, saying that the policy will be ineffective and thieves have grown emboldened by soft-on-crime policies over recent years.
As background, Gov. Hochul recently unveiled her plan to combat organized retail theft, such as flash mobs that loot stores and the steady drumbeat of goods being stolen and resold. Part of that plan is a task force on retail theft, and it also involves giving those caught stealing trespassing notices, which means they can be arrested if they return to the store.
Commenting on the situation, Gov. Hochul noted that the retail theft groups are increasingly sophisticated and problematic, saying, “We really are focused on what has become a sophisticated, organized retail operation – the smash-and-grab efforts. They go in and swipe everything off the shelves, and oftentimes they’re loading into a stolen vehicle, compounding the crimes here.”
Residents, particularly small business owners, doubt that her plan will prove effective, however. For example, Robert Morales, owner of 784 Hardware store, spoke to The City about his family business and the theft issue in it, saying, “We have groups who come in and grab stuff and run.” He added, “And we have people who come in and wait for the store to get busy and take power tools.”
Similarly, Deborah Koenigsberger, who owns a boutique clothing store called Noir et Blanc, told The City that her profits have been decimated by the steady drumbeat of theft and that the thieves have grown ever more brazen. She said, “People used to try to hide the fact they were stealing and you could deter them by watching.” She added, “Now people walk in, take a couple of items and walk out the door.”
Continuing, Koenigsberger added that the problem is now so bad that she has to have at least three employees in the store at all times so that they can stay safe. Commenting on the impact that has had on her workforce, she said, “It’s really bad for morale. People say, ‘I don’t want to be here, I am scared.’” It’s also bad for the bottom line, for the obvious reason that having excess staff around for safety rather than economic reasons is not great for the profit line.
The problem has gotten so bad that, according to the President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Lisa Sorin, small businesses now dread people coming through their doors because of the likelihood that those visitors are thieves rather than patrons. “Small businesses have become fearful of people coming in their doors, especially young adults,” she told The City.
The end result of that crime disaster, a professor at John Jay College told The City, is that criminals can get way with massive amounts of theft and NYC is now “the worst.” That professor said, “We have the reputation that you can steal $1,000 or less without much consequence. That is why New York is the worst and we weren’t like that in the past.”
Hochul, for her part, is at least starting to rethink some of her state’s policies, such as its sanctuary policies. Watch her discuss that on MSNBC here:
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