One of the hallmarks of our time is the rise of “anarchic tyranny.” It is the centralization of government control over our lives, alongside the anarchy and lawlessness that prevails in the streets. Retail theft, porch piracy, street takeovers, and flash mobs are becoming more common. As a result, theft and street crime are essentially legal in large swathes of American cities, even as the government cracks down on political opponents who protest election results or pray in front of abortion clinics.
There is no such thing in Florida.
It turns out that criminals respond to incentives and discrimination.
Governor Ron DeSantis is on a mission to not only make Florida a free state, but also to ensure that Floridians enjoy orderly freedom without descending into anarchy. It’s a bit of a departure from his current trends.
DeSantis signed anti-riot legislation in 2021 and recently signed a bill banning “public camping” on city streets, sidewalks and parks in an effort to stem the tide of vagrants. On Tuesday, he announced new legislation to ensure that flash theft mobs and porch piracy trends are thwarted in Florida as well.
“Part of that is making sure the penalties are strong enough to deter people from doing this in the future,” the governor told reporters at an event in Cape Coral. “Currently, in the state of Florida, you can only be charged with a felony if you commit five different retail thefts within a five-day period. [steal] And if they get caught, they go back into the well. They should give you the hammer! ”
crackdown on theft
HB549 Rep. Bob Rommel (R) would make repeat retail theft a third-degree felony, making it a third-degree felony for those who used a firearm to commit the crime or who already had two retail theft convictions. It would be a first-degree felony.
To discourage flash mobs, the bill would make it a second-degree felony to solicit someone to commit a crime through social media. Furthermore, even if it is a first-time offense, if five or more people commit the theft together, it becomes a third-degree felony.
Retail theft against the elderly (of which there is a distinctly high incidence in Florida) will result in charges of first-degree aggravated retail theft.
Finally, the bill would require retail offenders to pay restitution for theft of merchandise or damage to property.
To stem the growing trend of porch piracy, the Rommel bill made stealing property valued at $40 or more a third-degree felony; stealing property valued at $100 or more; It would make it a second-degree felony for anyone who steals property worth more than a dollar amount. There are 20 residences.
Senator Jay Trumbull sponsor A companion bill in the state Senate.
Florida is the nation’s third-largest state and home to several urban areas, so DeSantis has understandably been alarmed by the social deterioration plaguing other cities.
“One of the things I’ve noticed is that when you go into things like pharmacies, toothpaste is locked away,” DeSantis said. “There are places like Fort Knox, but there are also places that only carry regular items.” He said cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York have “effectively enacted policies that legalize shoplifting.” criticized.
California started the trend.
According to 2020 investigation Organized retail theft has jumped nearly 60% since 2015, costing stores an average of $719,548 per $1 billion in sales, according to a survey of 61 retailers by the National Retail Federation.
What has changed since then? California voters in 2014 passed Proposition 47, which turned many felonies, including property crimes, into misdemeanors. The state also changed its sentencing rules and increased sentences. early release. As a result, violent crime in the Golden State increased by 13%, and robberies, thefts, and auto thefts soared in 2015 and 2016. This is why “smash and grab” flash mobs are more common in California than anywhere else.
As California progresses, so does the country. Unfortunately, laws that reduce penalties for theft are not limited to the left, but are part of the Koch-backed “criminal justice reform” agenda.
In 2016, Oklahoma politicians followed California’s path and passed State Question 780, which completely downgraded drug and property crimes. In 2018, Sooner State lawmakers applied these changes retroactively, leading to the largest single-day release on record, with 462 felons released from prison on Nov. 4, 2019.
In time, Oklahoma began experiencing some of California’s most notorious trends. 2019 Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office announced A new task force to combat the growing trend of robbery has placed the blame squarely on new legislation.
“Oklahoma County has seen a steady increase in thefts since certain crime standards changed some felonies to misdemeanors in 2017,” the sheriff’s office wrote. in a Facebook post. Little has changed. Criminals now know: steal less than $1,000 Buy items each time and sell items on the black market before purchasing more items.
It turns out that criminals respond to incentives and discrimination.
Cost of “reform”
Liberals like to argue that property crimes are not as serious as violent crimes, but they have a devastating impact on quality of life. Retailers will lose $112 billion in theft in 2022, and that loss will go to consumers who have already been robbed. Also, in the past three months, he said 44 million Americans have had their packages stolen. According to Security.org, the average value of stolen items hovers around $50. This is tough for many people who are stuck with inflation.
Without efforts to get tougher, not weaker, on theft, stores will continue to close because workers are too scared to go to work and consumers are too scared to shop. And, of course, as more and more people avoid stores and choose to buy online, they face piracy on their porches. This is a direct result of a decade of “criminal justice reform.”
Thankfully, Florida’s governor and attorney general have no such thoughts. Quality of life for parents may be becoming a luxury in this country, but at least we can applaud efforts to strengthen law and order in the Sunshine State.
