Crime rampage costs Philadelphia more store closures, as organized gangs of looters descend on retailers.
By Eileen Griffin
The city of Philadelphia has lost an unprecedented number of retail stores due to crime.
Last week a group of criminals ransacked and looted stores across Philadelphia in a coordinated attack, Fox News reported. Stores including Apple, Lululemon, Footlocker, and other retailers were targeted.
Windows were smashed and stores entered across the city of Philadelphia. Large groups of criminals stuffed merchandise into bags and left unimpeded.
The coordinated theft occurred shortly after a judge dismissed charges against a white police officer who shot a black man. A protest occurred after the verdict was announced.
The criminal activity was not connected to the protesters, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford told Fox News.
“These were not protesters, these were criminals,” Stanford said. “This is disgusting. It has no place in this city.”
Larry Krasner, the Philadelphia district attorney, who was elected with the financial support of George Soros, called the theft and looting “unrest,” and pointed out that most of the looters were young people with no criminal history.
Krasner has long been criticized for his soft-on-crime policies, as Heartland Daily News previously reported. Criminal activity has skyrocketed since he took office.
With criminals undeterred, groups of thieves are growing more brazen and store owners are becoming more desperate.
Boost Mobile announced the closing of their Philadelphia stores after being looted three days in a row, ABC network affiliate WPVI-TV reports.
Store owner Ankit Tawari called the police, but when no one responded he chased the thief away with a bat. The suspect in the thefts has not been caught.
“I knew to save my store and my property and my employee I would have to take matters into my own hands,” Tawari told the outlet. “It took 28 minutes for them to come to the area on the robbery call.”
Boost Mobile lost more than $25,000 in a month and over $75,000 in the past six months due to robberies. In the month of September, seven of the stores were robbed.
“As a business owner I just can’t keep taking losses like this all the time,” Tawari said.
Stores have been closing in Philadelphia for many months. In May, Fox Business News reported a large number of retail stores were closing due to ongoing organized crime and shoplifting mobs.
Target also closed a location in Philadelphia earlier this year. Target has closed several locations in crime-ridden Democrat-run cities, as Heartland Daily News previously reported.
The Marshall’s store in Philadelphia announced that it would be closing its doors in November. This would be the second Marshalls to close in the Philadelphia area this year.
“A big box department store in Philadelphia is shutting down after nearly 20 years,” writes Chris Coleman for WPG Talk Radio. “And, sadly, this is just the latest in a string of store and restaurant closings in the City of Brotherly Love.”
A jewelry store with a 75-year history announced the closing of its Philadelphia business in September.
A beauty-supply store was only open 6 months before being ransacked by the looters, CBS News reported. Shop owner Claudia Silmeas said she lost thousands of dollars in merchandise that she had just placed on the shelves that day.
Video caught the mob of mostly women grabbing merchandise and running out of the store with their arms full of wigs, weaves, and hair extensions. One woman was seen carrying a tire iron into the store.
“It’s just me doing everything, I don’t know what to think, I don’t know who to call,” Silmeas said. “It’s just a lot right now. Everything is still missing. I don’t see where or how I’m going to get any help.”
The National Retail Federation reported that organized crime rings have cost retailers over $112 billion in losses.
“Retailers are seeing unprecedented levels of theft coupled with rampant crime in their stores, and the situation is only becoming more dire,” said NRF Vice President for Asset Protection and Retail Operations David Johnston.
“Soft-on-crime policies have normalized looting,” Andrew Pollack wrote on X. “How many of these criminals are out on bail this morning?”