This video is from April 2022, and shows a CVS in Los Angeles California experiencing the Benefits of Diversity.When California passed Proposition 47, it changed the theft of items valued under $950, from a felony to a misdemeanor[1]. So while they technically didn't legalize shoplifting, they de-prioritized it so much, that the police now spend their time going after higher priority felony crimes, and shoplifting goes largely unpunished. Shoplifting is still illegal, it's just very unlikely anyone will be arrested or prosecuted for it. Shoplifters in California have figured this out, and now regularly walk into stores, fill a bag or backpack with merchandise and just walk out. Stores that have been hit the hardest by this are drugstores like CVS and Walgreens or big box retail stores like Walmart[2]. When the stores close, this has a profoundly negative affect on the community, as residents now have to travel farther to buy prescription medication, over-the-counter medicine, personal hygiene, and health and beauty products[3].
Citation Links
Archive of San Francisco Chronicle - Archive of LA Times