Do We Still Have A Looting Problem? (Yes, And It’s Far Worse Than You Might Think.)
It isn’t just hurting America’s businesses; it’s hurting you.
Only three years ago, we had so many questions; some were innocent, and others horrifying. Are we still doing football? Remember going to the movies? … By the way, is there going to be a civil war? Some of those questions have been (thankfully) laid to rest, and others… haven’t.
Not so long ago, the pandemic was making headlines. Like, all of them. Then a tale of two presidents (which some still cling to); almost like the 2016 election is never going to end. There was also a brief period — also not so long ago — when the pandemic fell out of view (similar to today), but it was about something else. We saw countless articles and news reels with photographs and videos of teenagers looting blazing supermarkets, donning face masks, and dodging munitions from the local police.
But years later? A good chunk of America didn’t stop thinking about how to better guard their businesses from looters, rioters, and what-have-you. To the point where Florida passed a law making it easier to use deadly force.
Before we get carried away, let’s talk about these businesses. These places aren’t having an easy time weathering the aftermath of the godforsaken plague that ravaged our planet and upended our economy — just like the rest of us. Non-essential stores were hit pretty hard; some went bankrupt and disappeared forever. It was just as bad — if not worse — when things were only beginning. And out of nowhere came the riots and the looting?
So let’s get it straight; theft is bad.
We can’t lose sight of that and cherry-pick ethics over politics. All of our belongings are the fruits of our labor. The vast majority of us can’t afford to pay an unexpected $400.00 bill, and that was before the last few years threw the world into a dizzying chaos. We’re entitled to the sweat of our brow, and having it taken away… that’s wrong. How are we not condemning this, right now, of all times? Well. For a few reasons.
Here’s an unusual question. Can you have a thing stolen from you before it’s even belonged to you? Yes. Wage theft (believe it or not) is unchecked and unhinged in the United States. To the extent that it comprised ≥75% of all theft in the three largest cities in the country in 2009. Which means that we’re looking at $39.2 billion. That isn’t a joke. In this study, wage theft literally makes up three quarters of the picture. Let’s break down some interesting comparisons; how much theft makes up run-of-the-mill burglary? $4.10 billion. And what about robbery? $0.34 billion.
We’re living in a world where those are real statistical figures. Let that sink in a little bit. Wage theft outweighs larceny, auto theft, burglary, robbery, and shoplifting — combined. Even at the height of 2020. Even now.
It’s been that way for a long time. Wage theft is an invisible Goliath, and it’s really bizarre that we’re not talking about it. So why was everyone talking about looting? (Hint: it’s because the poor were doing it.)
Let’s be clear — shoplifting isn’t okay.
Alright, alright. Wage theft is a problem, but this doesn’t make the headline photograph any better. Theft is theft, after all. Plenty of us worked in retail and met our fair share of shoplifters. You might have had something stolen from you back in school, or maybe even at work. It’s a terrible thing.
There’s a store in Albuquerque that had to close in 2018. And why? Burglary. One bad night, and the owner had to start all over again.
A store in Stockton faced the same problem, and had to switch gears to doing business online. Superstores are ostensibly pulling out of entire cities over the problem of shoplifting. When you look at the issues caused by stealing from stores, it’s woefully clear that businesses (small and large) face the risk of being set back for weeks, months, or even years.
And in the worst cases? Closed down for good.
We all know that actions have consequences; forcing a small family-owned business to close up shop forever is an indignity to the American Dream; it’s a future that someone took away. In the words of Khaled Hosseini:
“There is only one sin — only one — and that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. When you kill a man, you steal a life, and a wife’s right to a husband; rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.”
So why were people doing it?
As the wealthiest country in the world, three years ago, we were anxiously cracking jokes about toilet paper shortages, while plane tickets cost less than a pizza delivery, and oil barrels were literally worthless — and in the very same breath, we found ourselves in utter disbelief that people were resorting to looting abandoned shopping centers. (Occasionally on fire.)
For a while, it became normal. In its own bizarre way. You can’t be in a state of total shock forever. Eventually, you grow numb to it; the exhaustion kicks in. That being said, if the looting fiasco kicked off again, it probably would be shocking. But don’t be surprised. All the ingredients for it to happen again are coming back around for a second lap. Maybe not this year, an maybe not the next. But things can get desperate in a hurry.
Now, let’s say it happens. It’s important to understand that at the height of the protests (which were often characterized as riots — not to say those weren’t happening on their own), we discovered an interesting statistic. Yeah, it’s one of those articles. Numbers, numbers, numbers. But here’s the kicker: of all those protests, 93% were peaceful. And thanks to plenty of varying media, that might come as a surprise. (So, just be aware of that.)
Maybe another surprise: there wasn’t just one looting fiasco. Not in the purest sense of the word. What dominated all the headlines for weeks? That was breadcrumbs. When the stimulus was passed, everyone talked about their $1,200.00 checks. Meanwhile, Wall St. was talking about their $9 trillion check. Yes, that’s right. Twelve zeroes.
You’re looking at a pie, and 99.9% of it goes to the top 1%. And these aren’t our hardest working “top men”, as the ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ would put it. But that’s the kind of raiding going on, and it happened in broad daylight — with or without a pandemic; with or without an economic crisis. To unpack this concisely, let’s take a point from James Baldwin:
“Anyone who’s struggled with poverty knows how expensive it is to be poor.”
So, of the 7%. The ones who broke windows, slashed tires, lit cars on fire; or rather, the ones who stole food, clothes, appliances, etc. Let’s talk about that. Why do people do that? Why did people do that? Why will people do that again, when the ecosystem continues to buckle? Because we live in a country where everyone — probably even you — who isn’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth gets to hear it; the bootstrap paradox.
And then the 75% figure (of all theft) finds its way into their paycheck.
This is a nation of payday loans, credit cards, soup kitchens, and wage slavery; just as much as it’s a playground of day traders, IG models, and super-yachts. Despite what people were told, it doesn’t really trickle down.
Ask yourself what you’d do.
Now imagine this: you’re practically stretching dollars like a bungee chord, living paycheck to paycheck; you’re driving a car that doesn’t have a backup camera (which is definitely a luxury); you’re living in a duplex with paper-thin walls… and then chaos erupts. Y’know, the ladder.
Nobody’s standing at the register. Like, anywhere. Everyone in the store’s just grabbing whatever they can from the shelves; cigarettes, milk, paper towels, canned food. (Or even those Nikes you’ve always wanted.) And guess what? The police have bigger problems on their hands.
It’s the Konami code. No, seriously. (Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, ‘B’, ‘A’, start.) You’re looking at a real-life cheat code.
Are you saying no to that? Would you really walk away from this opportunity without taking something? Not even one thing? If you didn’t, that’s believable. And if you did, that’s also believable.
Here’s the sad reality; oftentimes, people don’t even want what they take, when they’re doing this. They just want the experience of taking — because they’ve been taken from their entire lives. And that doesn’t make it excusable. It’s just something to think about if you see this happening.
This isn’t about making the whole thing seem okay. It’s about looking at it from the inside; it’s about explaining the whys. Sam Harris says it best:
Ethically speaking, intention is (nearly) the whole story. The difference between intending to harm someone and accidentally harming them is enormous — if for no other reason than that the presence of harmful intent tells us a lot about what a person or group is likely to do in the future.
The top 1% get to exploit the country with cheat codes. Every day.
We even call it “gaming the system”. And when the impoverished do it? Then we have a problem. And that’s one of many double standards we face in the United States. We glorify taking — until we don’t.
Funds donated to Campaign Zero support the analysis of policing practices across the country, research to identify effective solutions to end police violence, and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide.
