By Paige Laver
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Officials from across the Bay Area are making an effort to ensure the safety of San Francisco residents amid “roving robbery caravans,” after a new video was released of a smash-and-grab burglary at a clothing store in Oakland earlier this week.
It’s the latest in a series of burglary cases that have been happening from San Francisco to Walnut Creek, and beyond.
The San Francisco Mayor, San Francisco District Attorney, and California Highway Patrol spoke out about recent retail crime, just as Oakland City Council Members and the Walnut Creek Mayor did a few days prior.
“We are going to make sure we do everything we can to keep our city safe,” said San Francisco Mayor London Breed.
San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced felony charges against five individuals who are believed to have been involved in the Union Square Louis Vuitton store burglary theft this past Friday.
“We stand here in solidarity, united, and we have your back. We will do whatever it takes to keep San Francisco safe,” said Boudin at a news conference Tuesday.
The California Highway Patrol announced Tuesday it is increasing patrols on the freeway corridors adjacent to major shopping centers across the state.
“I want to do the store experience, I’m going to probably go 60 to 90 miles outside of the Bay Area,” said Vivian Flaherty, an Oakland resident and one of the dozens who went to ABC7 News Reporter J.R. Stone’s Facebook page, commenting they don’t feel safe shopping in Bay Area stores, and will be taking their business to other shopping malls.
“People just don’t feel safe going out as they did before. You could be at a Target anywhere if you are shopping, if you’re driving, and there’s a feeling now from Sacramento all the way down that something has got to be done about that,” said ABC7 News Insider Phil Matier.
Flaherty related those thoughts and reported that she was on her way home from the Bayfair Center Mall in San Leandro on Nov. 20 when a car being chased by another car crashed in front of her.
“The guy had a big gun in his hand. He jumped out of the car really fast and then jumped into another car. I was so traumatized like my whole body was in shock. My head hurt from what happened on that freeway,” said Flaherty.
A reason why law enforcement agencies and public officials are now trying to tackle these crimes highlight issues that have also been reflected in other parts of the country, like Chicago.
“This is not based on one administration or one policy, this is a trend we’re seeing across the country, it has nothing to do with my policies, it has nothing to do with the effectiveness of the San Francisco Police Department,” said Boudin.
Mayor Breed, though, made it known that she is confident of full prosecution in these cases.
“Once the arrests are made we are hopeful the DA will prosecute,” said Mayor Breed.
LOL, that sounds so confident. So she’s confident in her hope that the DA will prosecute?
Like Chicago? Are they really saying that they’re actually tackling these crimes to save us from denigrating to places like Chicago? Chicago where crime and shootings are totally out of control?
“”People just don’t feel safe going out as they did before. You could be at a Target anywhere if you are shopping, if you’re driving, and there’s a feeling now from Sacramento all the way down that something has got to be done about that,” said ABC7 News Insider Phil Matier.”
Blame the media. We’re still near 50 year lows in crime rate.
Crimes aren’t being reported as they were because people are saying what’s the use. Nothing will happen.
People know what they’re seeing, what they’re hearing from others and what their own experiences are.
Both points are crap. People are reacting to viral videos, not what they’re seeing.
I have friends/family that live and/or work in the city. They see what’s happening everyday when they travel downtown. They tell me how downhill things are going. They tell me they don’t feel safe. I recently went to a Giants game and had to dodge feces on the sidewalk. Maybe that’s the crap you’re referring to?
Feces in the street is a homeless issue, not a safety issue. People are overreacting to videos. The actual violent crime rate is far lower than a decade ago.
Did you really just say that? Funny how progressives have declared video footage to be the savior of showing justice violations by police, but when video footage hurts public perception of their progressive goals, they declare it’s not a reflection of reality, that people are just reacting to the videos.
When Johnny goes marching home again, Harumph! Harumph!
Excellent point Alan. Should people not have reacted to the horrible George Floyd video because it was an outlier and not a reflection of reality?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/28/san-francisco-bay-area-gun-violence-murders-2020
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/27/us-murder-rate-increase-2020?CMP=series_embed_box
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Video-showing-SFPD-apparently-watching-as-16650311.php
https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/r2cujj/experts_baffled_by_video_showing_san_francisco/
It’s a totally thankless job being a cop these days. I read where the dispensary that was robbed by these thieves has been stolen from several times and nothing has happened to date. The cops in this case said they didn’t chase the culprits because they were driving erratically and they felt it too dangerous. If they apprehend the thieves and end up shooting one of them and they’re a POC the cops know they may end up facing charges. So why take a chance? I don’t blame the cops. This is today’s atmosphere that progressives have created.
In a strange turn of a phrase on vigilantism, it seems that progressives have taken the law of unintended consequences into their own hands
Well, RO, murder may be up, but crime is down!
You might say that progressives have taken the law of unintended consequences into their own hands. Vigilante Progressivism?
Five comment rule is in effect. Please monitor your comment totals.
And why is that? I feel Progressive DA’s and Democrat lenient policies towards criminals are leading to much of this.