Exploring the causes and consequences of rampant theft in major cities
- Rampant larceny in major cities is a result of lax prosecution of misdemeanor crimes
- Prosecutors must consider the consequences of empowering criminals
- A public reckoning is needed to hold chief prosecutors accountable
- Lack of faith and moral values contribute to lawlessness
- Consumerism and overconsumption contribute to organized shoplifting
- Low social trust and declining income levels lead to desperate measures
- Rebuilding trust in society requires a change in leadership
Factuality Level: 2
Justification: The article contains opinions and perspectives from different students on the topic of retail theft and shoplifting. However, it lacks factual information and evidence to support the claims made by the students. The article also includes tangential information about a future topic of discussion and an advertisement.
Noise Level: 3
Justification: The article starts with a brief introduction and then includes four different viewpoints on the topic of retail theft and shoplifting. However, the article quickly veers off-topic and includes a random editor’s note about a completely unrelated topic. The viewpoints provided are somewhat relevant to the topic, but they lack depth and analysis. Overall, the article contains a lot of noise and filler content, which lowers its overall noise level rating.
Financial Relevance: No
Financial Markets Impacted: No
Presence of Extreme Event: No
Nature of Extreme Event: No
Impact Rating of the Extreme Event: No
Justification: The article does not pertain to financial topics or describe any extreme events.
Public Companies: Target (TGT)
Private Companies:
Key People: Alvin Bragg (Manhattan District Attorney), Matthew Maslenko (University of Oregon, advertising), Jack Harkin (University of Notre Dame, law), Icewarya Loganathan (Baylor University, management), Aman Majmudar (University of Chicago, law, letters and society)
Rampant larceny in America’s major cities is a symptom of a political culture that demonizes police officers and turns a blind eye to nonviolent crime. The cities facing the most acute struggles with theft have largely ceased to prosecute misdemeanor crimes in an effort to reduce prison populations and pursue criminal-justice reform. While seeking to prevent mass incarceration is well-intentioned, public prosecutors must consider the consequences of empowering criminals to pursue illegal schemes with impunity. It is past time for a public reckoning that holds the chief prosecutors in America’s major cities to account, so that private business owners and everyday Americans might be freed from the chokehold of the crime wave sweeping our nation.
The scent of lawlessness permeating the air is here to stay. When prosecutors fail to enforce the law, there is no deterrent to committing crimes. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg didn’t even wait for the sun to set on his first day in office before sending a message to criminals, especially shoplifters, that they could get away with their crimes. The problem is found in many Democrat-run cities across the country. The second reason we find a lawless society is a lack of faith. Faith in God gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Without faith, there is no greater moral authority than ourselves. We can justify all our actions as “living our truth.”
American shoplifting is nothing new. In our era of consumerism, when increased levels of customer trust yield higher profit margins, America’s appetite for spending has resulted in the proliferation of organized shoplifting rings. The solution to prevent shoplifting is simple: Reduce the level of trust placed in customers to lower the theft rate. The higher the consumption rate, the higher the theft rate, and American overconsumption is at an all-time high.
Increased shoplifting is a symptom of a larger problem: Many Americans at lower income levels feel nobody can help them, so they are turning to desperate measures. Social trust is low, and only 16% of Americans trust the government, the lowest percentage ever, according to the Pew Research Center. Yet the decline in trust of government has happened for good reason. Over the past few years, mostly under President Biden, Americans have gotten poorer. Only a dramatic change in leadership can reunite Americans and get them to once again feel the government has their backs. Then theft can more easily return to lower levels.
