Flash mob robberies - Target boycott's efficacy - Pig organ transplant success

Source: Bloomberg

1. Summary
   Over 30 people swarmed a Nordstrom store in Los Angeles on Saturday, stealing at least $100,000 in merchandise within minutes. One suspect used bear spray on a security guard. Five days before that, about 30 people grabbed $300,000 worth of products from a Yves Saint Laurent store in the nearby city of Glendale. A Nike store was similarly targeted.
   
   Theft in Los Angeles so far is down from 2022, but remains slightly higher than in 2021. Smash-and-grab robberies comprise a small share of retail theft. Some believe the high-profile thefts are caused by California's Prop 47, which was approved by voters in 2014 and lowers the penalty for shoplifting up to $950 in goods to a misdemeanor. Critics also blame LA's progressive district attorney for prosecuting fewer misdemeanors.
   
   California has since stiffened the law to allow "organized retail theft" to be prosecuted as a felony. According to a 2018 Pew Research report, since 2000, dozens of states have increased the value of stolen goods required to trigger a felony without seeing an increase in property crime.

   Highly-rated - last 48 hrs
   Flash mobs invade luxury L.A. retailers with brute force, overwhelming numbers.
   Los Angeles Times (Moderate Left) • Factual Grade 70% • 6 min read
   

1. Different political viewpoint
   Dozens ransack Los Angeles Nordstorm in $100,000 smash-and-grab heist.
   Daily Wire (Right) • Factual Grade 62% • 2 min read

1. Selected long-read
   Is shoplifting surging? What a panic reveals about US crime policy.
   Marshall Project (Center) • Factual Grade 80% • 8 min read

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