New York City bodegas have reported a sharp increase in violent crimes as the virus outbreak continues to drag on in the city with forced lockdowns that have put many residents in dire financial straits.
The New York Times reported last week there has been a 63 percent increase in shootings outside bodegas, a 222 percent increase in burglaries, and a 10 percent increase in robberies in the first eight months of the year.
Fernando Mateo, a founder of the United Bodegas of America, told the paper the coronavirus has created a suitable environment for those looking to commit crimes. He said some people are “taking advantage that everyone is wearing masks.” He said when someone shoplifts a beer or hand soap, the inventory is “real dollars” because there is such a razor-thin profit margin for these products.
The paper spoke to a bodega owner in Queens where a deadly shooting occurred after one of his employees confronted a man who was shoplifting. Police tell these store owners not to engage with shoplifters, but the store where the shooting occurred had been hit hard by shoplifting in recent months and could not sustain its losses, the paper said.
The shoplifting trend is not limited to small, independently owned bodegas. Last week, the Washington Post reported that stores across the U.S. have experienced an increase in shoplifting, mainly with products like shampoo, diapers, and packages of meat.
“People will say, ‘I was hungry,’” Joo Park, the manager of Capitol Supermarket in Washington, D.C., told the Washington Post. “And then what do you do?”
The Post reported many Americans are dealing with a challenging financial situation. Last week, more than 947,000 workers filed for state unemployment, according to the Labor Department. More than 20 million Americans are on some kind of assistance. The NYT pointed out that an increase in unemployment was recorded in three of the last four weeks.
The Times said it spoke to more than a dozen retailers that gave the same consensus: shoplifting is surging throughout the country. Stores like Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have recorded an increase in shoplifting. There tends to be an increase in “low-impact” crimes after national tragedies. The report also said 54 million Americans will struggle with hunger in 2021, which is a 45 percent increase from 2019.
“We’re supposed to be the greatest, richest country in the world, and we don’t have safety nets for when something like this happens?” said Danielle Nierenberg, the President of Food Tank. “People are being forced to steal when they shouldn’t have to, and that’s a great American tragedy.”
TREND FORECAST: Sadly, none of this comes as a surprise to Trends Journal subscribers. We had forecast there would be a large spike in crime when the COVID War was launched.
As Gerald Celente has said, “When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it.” And losing it they are: financially, mentally, and spiritually.
PBS’ “NewsHour” spoke with a 37-year-old Navy veteran who had a wife that needed surgery and – with no savings and mounting bills – needed to find some way out.
“I felt like I was a failure,” he said. “It’s the whole stigma… this mindset that you’re this guy who can’t provide for his family, that you’re a deadbeat.” The report said, “Those fighting hunger say they’ve never seen anything like this in America, even during the Great Recession of 2007-2009.”
As lockdowns continue and the “Greatest Depression” worsens, millions of Americans who worked their entire lives and never asked for government handouts will continue to join long lines at food banks.
