Between 30 to 50 people swarmed the Nordstrom at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills, making off with thousands of dollars worth of luxury handbags and high-end clothing, an LAPD spokesman told NBC News.

  • pizza-bagel@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    It makes me laugh how many people think this is a new development only in CA and in 2023.

    This happened back in the 90s to my mom while working retail. Like 10 people came in and carried off the furniture they had in the store, because they knew the employees were instructed not to do anything.

    Shit like this has been happening all over the US for decades, the media just decided it was the hot new topic to get more clicks recently. Even the Walgreens CEO who said theft was so awful they had to close a bunch of stores later admitted they “cried wolf”.

    Rich people love the idea that theft is out of control in the media because it gives them a talking point to keep us peasants in control. Starbucks was charged by the labor board for closing down unionizing stores under the guise of “safety concerns”. Starbucks isn’t the only place that has been pulling that shit.

    And that’s not to say I agree with 50 people bear spraying people and stealing luxury shit either. This isn’t someone stealing food from the grocery store to feed their kids. It wasn’t billionaires working in the store, it’s people working a shitty retail job for shitty pay no doubt. But it is a topic being overblown for rich people’s benefit.

    • driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br
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      1 year ago

      The biggest theft is wage theft. But nobody cares because is ok to stole from someone that is poorer that you.

      • mommykink@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        but what about

        No one cares about the fact that they stole some overpriced pirses dumbass, were calling them pieces of shit because they ran in and bear sprayed people who would have never intervened in the first place. The people doing this have no concept of class solidarity and the whole reason they’re stealing in the first place is for posturing, it has nothing to do with “sending a message”

    • quicksand@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Same energy as people bitching about the homeless in SF and Portland. It’s like have you seen our downtown bro, there’s a tent city

      • NewNewAccount@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Strongly considering buying property in Portland because values are depressed because of the propaganda/fear-mongering. I think there is a small, but legitimate risk that it eventually becomes true, though.

        • quicksand@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Downtown Portland has gone to shit, no doubt about it. But there are problems in every city that needs addressing. For what it’s worth I’d move to Portland still, the area is beautiful and much better than the increasingly overpriced desert I’m living in

        • SokathHisEyesOpen@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          Have you actually been to Portland? It’s not propaganda or fear-mongering. There are massive tent cities of homeless people under all of the major overpasses, and at a few random points throughout the city. It’s a very real problem.

    • PutangInaMo@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I used to work at a dollar store back in the day, and I was warned that this guy comes in every few weeks and grabs a bunch of jackets then runs out the back door.

      No shit like clockwork it happened.

      I was warned not to engage and just call the cops. My first time, I was in the back taking a shit in the bathroom next to the rear emergency exit. I heard the alarm go off and jumped up, pulled up my pants and ran out to catch him. He ran out back, I ran out after him. He pulled a gun on me and I learned my lesson. Let the dude have the jackets. Got it.

    • porkins@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This isn’t someone stealing food from the grocery store to feed their kids… But it is a topic being overblown for rich people’s benefit.

      How is it overblown? It is a real issue with law enforcement in America. People are being permitted to destroy and steal property. We need to get to the root cause of what’s going on their. It’s due to failures on multiple fronts. You can’t just say ignore it because capitalism bad. Capitalism is a founding principle of this country’s economy. You can’t play the card that these people are protesting corruption because others are enriching themselves by stealing goods. That’s not noble in any way and doesn’t help employees.

      • Black Yeonmi Par𝕏@lemmygrad.ml
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        1 year ago

        Fuck the founding principles. The “founding principles” of this shithole have been letting nepo babies, clay-footed ‘philanthropists’, grifters, and con artists rob the common man for 400+ years. And the ‘rise of criminality’(fuckin lmao, okay settler) will only get worse the more the common are robbed. The ‘root cause’ is the elites being ‘elite’; and there is really no way you’re gonna get me to condemn actions like what these raiders took in this day and age.

        • pizza-bagel@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I don’t understand why you think bear spraying employees who probably get paid a shit wage and can barely afford rent let alone insane grocery costs right now is helping? Now they will have medical bills they can’t afford on top of maybe having to miss work, which they also can’t afford.

          I agree the root cause needs to be fixed. But if you want to steal as an attempt at fixing that at least do it in a way that you are not fucking over other people in the same position as you. They aren’t part of the problem.

          • Black Yeonmi Par𝕏@lemmygrad.ml
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            1 year ago

            Is it unfortunate that civilians were in the splash zone with lpos and rent-a-pigs? Yes. Am I going to condemn the thieves’ actions? No. Fuck the police, fuck the elites who rob us day in and day out, and fuck anyone who’s gonna sit there and pearl-clutch for them like you’re not getting robbed too.

            • pizza-bagel@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              Billionaires love when we infight amongst ourselves rather than go after the real problem. You’re just playing into their hand. It’s not “pearl clutching” it’s called solidarity. Standing together against the real issue instead of continuing to fuck over each other. There are plenty of ways to steal without fucking over your fellow worker.

              You seem to prioritize harming fellow workers over tackling the root cause, which is unfortunate. United we stand, divided we fall. There’s a reason billionaires are VERY scared of us working together, even moreso than theft.

          • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            they didn’t bear spray the employees, but two security guards. a non-lethal measure that police use all the god damn time on civilians.

            What this shows is the continued fraying of the social contract that exists within any society. We aren’t taking care of people, so desperate people turn to acts of civil disobedience as a means of support. These clothes don’t have special identifying markers or characteristics. There’s no VIN number. They’re being sold second hand in order to provide for people. The only way a billionaire can exist is for millions of people to live in poverty. somebody can’t have a huge slice of the pie without taking pie away from others. I fully support their actions, with my only caveat being that ideally, nobody gets maced. We’re human being after all, not cops.

    • jscummy@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      It’s changed recently to be far more organized. Crime goes in cycles though, catalytic converter and retail rings are just the big ones right now.