Why are flash mobs looting stores?

Why are flash mobs looting stores? Because today’s America gave them the go-ahead

https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-flash-mobs-looting-stores-224615949.html

Some think that the protests/riots in the last few years provided them practice and confidence they can get away with it.

 

The real reason for this has to more that the organized crime bosses can now more easily sell the goods online for better profits. That other stuff is just silly speculation. There have been gangs of kids willing to act illegally since forever. There were probably gangs of kids in ancient Egypt getting into trouble.

 

Psst: hey, buddy. Wanna buy a used camel cheap?

 

Really? Where is the evidence that these robbers practiced in "protests/riots," please?

As Bill says, gangs have always committed crimes, including smash-and-grab jobs.

 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52209/15-historical-complaints-about-young-people-ruining-everything

 

Excellent article showing the same kind of sky falling nonsense about corrupted youth has been spewed since the beginning of time.

 

Personally, I blame comic books. That because I was recently blamed for being stuck in the 1970s, when we all know I'm really stuck in the 1950s. Bring back the Comics Code Authority!

 

Whatever has happened in the recent past that the old codger disagrees with is the prime candidate to blame for the corrupted youth of today. In the spirit of Rich's Comic Book theory, here's a fun summary of Rachel's wonderful article.

1. In 1816 it was the indecent Waltz.
2. In 1718 it was no longer speaking properly which was causing our downfall.
3. In 1790 it was youth having free access to romances, novels and plays causing corrupted youth.
4. In 1904 it was so bad I can't even summarize it. "Never has youth been exposed to such dangers of both perversion and arrest as in our own land and day. Increasing urban life with its temptations, prematurities, sedentary occupations, and passive stimuli just when an active life is most needed, early emancipation and a lessening sense for both duty and discipline, the haste to know and do all befitting man's estate before its time, the mad rush for sudden wealth and the reckless fashions set by its gilded youth—all these lack some of the regulatives they still have in older lands with more conservative conditions."
5. In 1926 it was the movies.
6. In 1859 it was chess.
7. In 1894 it was the wrong kind of umbrella.
8.In 1695 it was children calling each other nick-names and using filthy communication.
9. In 1843 it was in part girls who ride astride horses.

There are more but that last one is so good I'm going to just leave it there.

P.S. I might be the oldest codger here but still had to throw that into the opening line because it seems pretty mandatory when someone is complaining about the corrupted youth of the day.

 

Alternate reality?

I will check on line but beside some black Friday's stories of people attacking shelves in stores, I don't recall seeing the type of
flash mobs looting stores, in the way we see in the news these days, maybe Rodney King riots in early 90s when the rioters burned stores etc.
This type of looting is more remnant of the street protests in Seattle, LA, Portland , NY etc.
People looted stores running with all they can get their hands on.
And these are not necessary gangs of young people that performing this crimes.

 

What? What are you talking about? Did you even read the article that you linked? It was a stupid opinion piece, not a news article?

 

Opinion based on the news. "smash-and-grab"
I read the article before posting it, but I also added an opinion.
Here news:

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/flash-mob-thieves-target-us-retail-stores-black-friday-2021-11-27/

 

The article you linked to was NOT news. It was marked as an opinion piece. I then added my opinion which was that it was a stupid opinion piece.

I guess you're being serious? This last link was a news piece. It didn't make any ridiculous claims like the smash and grab crimes had anything to do with riots. Let's see if that idea even passes a smell test. I remember that there were riots in the mid-west. Is that where the smash and grab crimes are happening? No? They are happening mostly in California not the mid-west. I don't even remember any riots in California. Buzzzz, it fails the smell test. Just because an irrational conspiracy theory pops into your head it doesn't make it true. I suggest that you review the reasons for corrupted kids in Rachel's article. They make about as much sense from a cause and affect relationship.

 

IIRC, in California specifically, they effectively "decriminalized" smash-and-grab style robbery because the police said that they would no longer respond to such calls. They won't go after anyone if it's not an armed robbery. Partly to do with the pandemic (I think). There are a LOT of people who would be extremely tempted to help themselves to a five-finger-discount if they knew that there were zero consequences for doing so.

 

Now that is an example of an extremely reasonable cause and affect relationship, IMHO.

They are still usually breaking the law because that involves a $950 limit but they may not be aware of that little detail as their boss probably doesn't talk about that part. Perhaps more important, as a criminal commits a crime and gets away with it it emboldens them to recommit the same crime.

 

You memory is not serving you well. From what I remember seeing on TV and in the news, LA suffered greatly from BLM business destruction of looting mob destroying everything on their path during the "protests". Mayor and police didn't protect sufficiently the businesses and didn't go after the looters who got the confidence that they can continue robbing businesses and go unpunished.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-31/l-a-reels-from-looting-and-arrests-not-seen-in-decades


"Garcetti expressed support for the protesters’ goals but blamed “provocateurs” for some of the worst violence and called for de-escalation. He issued a citywide curfew from 8 p.m. Saturday until 5:30 a.m. Sunday, saying the measure was necessary to clean up overnight damage and restore order.

“I’m asking everybody to just step back,” Garcetti said.

Later Saturday evening, Garcetti asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to call out the National Guard, a rare step that reflected the gravity of the situation. Images of the National Guard bringing a military presence to the streets of the city remain a searing reminder of both the 1965 and 1992 riots."


https://www.dailynews.com/2021/11/30/la-sheriffs-team-ramps-up-patrols-to-fight-flash-mob-robberies/

 

Still a conspiracy theory with no real evidence to support it. I'll guess that you are just getting to used to getting your news off of social media where this kind of fake news nonsense is condoned.

 

Sure, this type of crime has become increasingly acceptable in some circles over the past several years.

Note- I didn't read the linked site, cuz Yahoo : /

 

Peoples opinion not necessary conspiracy more like logic, making connections of dots, I understand that you don't see it this way.
Many people se it as total failure of liberal leadership of the cities that failed to protect.