Here is why stores are closing in the hood.

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I believe the Floyd riots further enforced the idea that you can loot/shoplift with impunity. Also the more progressively lenient on crime a city is, the more criminals are going to flock to it. So it's no surprise this is happening in San Francisco.

They have been deserts for decades for this reason I'm sure.

I grew up in Chicago in the 80s so I have some idea.

Precisely. Why not five years in jail for this? Some states actually charge inmates for every day of their stay to mitigate it's expense. And give them a record to forever follow them to whatever employer or landlord may consider them in the future.

If you watched the news clip, in San Francisco its as simple as where the state wide misdemeanor line is, making some crimes fall below what police are willing to invest their time with. The misdemeanor line is one of those laws created via proposition, i.e. by voters who aren't given all the right information to think through how what sounds like a good law will actually play out in practice. The idea proposed to voters was to not clog the jails with minor offenders, but it's also become a license to raid stores for items that fall below the felony line. And to steal bikes. Stealing bikes is more popular in California than stealing cars is.

I watched the clip. What was said in it reflected what I said about the growing realization to criminals that you can shoplift with impunity in cities that are progressively lenient on crime. I believe the raising of misdemeanor line was a result of the increasing leniency that's been taking place in certain cities and states over the last several years.

I think the "legislation by proposition" is an important piece to the puzzle. All law changes implemented via propositions seem to more flawed than normal, IMHO.

Sounds like we were so outraged we destroyed our own neighborhood. Ok then. You made your bed now you have to lay in it.

Do some research. Shopping centers and major size retail establishments have been on the decline for some years now. This is happening all over and not just in "those neighborhoods" you talk about with people of a different race than you. You buy anything on Amazon recently? Just asking...

It's so funny how everyone is trying to turn this into a race thing when I said nothing about race. Ok hood is African American slang but it's pretty mainstream and not racist.

Don't most news stories here get turned into a race thing?

Do you mean a race to the bottom

Ok what do I really think? I think these thieves should be strapped naked to a frame and beaten with a cane Singapore style until blood splatters with suffering to rival those hacked up by demons while wading through rivers of burning brimstone toward the eternal ministrations of Hells grim tyrant .

You mean give them a "real" Singapore sling?

It's really easy to be judgemental on hood / ghetto culture when you're on the outside looking in.

There are a huge number of factors at work here.

Poverty, ill-health (and lack of treatment options), malnutrition, crime and gang violence, domestic abuse, drugs, gambling, prostitution, lack of opportunity for education / training / employment / promotion, housing market exploitation by slum landlords, debt, permanent wage insecurity, institutional racism and sexism, lack of democratic representation, language and cultural barriers, "rats in a cage" population density, pollution, harrassment, corruption, alienation and persecution (providing a breeding ground for political and religious extremism), fear, hopelessness, death.

There is a point beyond which NOT getting involved in some degree of criminality is impossible. Just saying no is a great idea in theory, but if you live somewhere that's run by gangs, with a Police force that's either absent or entirely corrupt, keeping out of trouble becomes a full time battle and chances are, you'll eventually lose.

Traditional ideas of left and right wing politics don't help.

The left wing's propensity to pander to thugs isn't helpful, though the desire to improve wages, living conditions, social engagement, education, job opportunities, representation etc. certainly is.

The right wing's propensity to judge behaviour without context, and based around a set of ideals unobtainable in a hood / ghetto environment, isn't helpful. But their promotion of consistent, fair but firm discipline for persistent rule-breakers certainly is.

Essentially we need social reform to prevent these crime-ridden areas from developing in the first place, and to help those already trapped to get out. But we also need firm reinforcement of the positive messages for those who won't listen and are determined to cause trouble.

So:

The Police are there to help you, no matter who you are.
Corruption is chased down and eradicated.
Your existence is valued, likewise your voice and your contribution.
Your needs as a citizen will be given greater priority than the wishes of large corporations and the pressure groups who represent them.
If you need help (for example protection from violence or exploitation, debt management advice, recovery from drug addiction), it will be provided.
You'll have the same opportunities for learning, growth, employment and development as everyone else. Including, where necessary, positive discrimination to balance out existing systematic imbalances.
Permanently disruptive individuals who refuse to relinquish their antisocial / criminal behaviours will be jailed.

It's carrot and stick. The carrots need to come first, because as things stand there's often no way out of the hole. But repeated unwillingness to abandon criminal behaviour even when there are improvements and opportunities available won't be tolerated.

I can understand people robbing stores if they are desperate. Especially if that's actually an insignificant risk compared to some of the other things they face on a day to day basis. But if one's personal circumstances improve, and the wider environment also improves, there's really no excuse any more is there? Some people just like watching the world burn, there needs to be a mechanism for dealing with them as well as giving greater chances to those who do genuinely want a better future.

Anyone thinking that fairy lights, rainbows and niceness will cure everything is delusional.

Anyone thinking that chopping the fingers off crooks will cure everything is delusional as well.

A balanced approach, giving long term incremental change, is what's needed. With genuine help and support for those who want it, and punishment for repeat offenders who refuse to learn.

Because not everyone who does bad things wants to be bad. But some do.

There are also good people who live in "the projects" who cant help being born there.

the term "hood" to me. indicates an aera with high incidence of drug dealers, pimps, serial killers, and petty criminals. grafitit, low civic morale and poverty.

hood, projects , ghetto, yeah it sucks to be born into a bad environment. There isnt many ways out of such a predicament. Plus you'll likely to be very angry at your situation....