Runaway Crime in the Suburbs

John noted yesterday the brazen organized looting of a Nordstrom store in the normally placid Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, and how this represents a serious escalation of the looting seen in downtowns of big blue-run cities like San Francisco and Chicago.

Suburban looting expanded yesterday to other Bay Area cities, as noted by a San Francisco TV reporter I follow on Facebook:

The most recent was at the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton where nine people wearing black busted into the mall Sunday night.

At the Hayward Mall on Sunday, video captured criminals with hammers and other weapons used to break the glass at Sam’s Jewelers. The Macy’s and Footlocker were also ransacked; police say they got away with shoes and clothes. Witnesses say in some cases 40-50 people are behind them.

The same day in San Jose, police say a group of people entered the Lululemon store in Santana row and took merchandise.

Did I mention California effectively decriminalized shoplifting several years ago? Good luck getting this contained any time soon.

Chaser:

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