Representative Matt Shaheen | Facebook/ Representative Matt Shaheen
State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, is pointing the finger at Democrats as crime is being blamed for the closure of businesses across the country.
According to a Fox 7 Austin report, theft is leading to businesses, from small locally owned outlets to large retail stores like Walmart and Target are considering shuttering operations. Citing data from the National Retail Federation, the station noted that losses from theft were near $94 billion in 2021, with organized retail crime up by 26%.
“Failed liberal policies like Defunding the Police cause crime to spike in Democrat run areas,” Shaneen said in a post on Twitter.
The Fox report also noted that many perpetrations often go unpunished because theft is a misdemeanor and not a felony offense, and retailers maintain that arrests can curb thefts.
The report also noted that Prop 47, signed into law eight years ago, raised the bar for misdemeanor theft from $400 to $950, and perpetrators often are cited and released.
“Candidly, people are not being held accountable for breaking the laws,” Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association, told the Fox station. “There are some policy changes that still have to happen. We tried last year in the legislature; couldn't get a bill through.”
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