Walmart is set to close its last two stores in Portland, Ore. as leftist-run American cities continue to experience relentless waves of high crime and shoplifting.
Walmart locations in the North and Southeastern sections of the Rose City will shut their doors for the final time on March 24, months after company CEO Doug McMillon lamented a rise in “shrink,” an industry term for in-store theft.
Although Walmart did not acknowledge whether or not theft was a factor in the decision to close the stores, saying it was done after a “careful review of their overall performance,” Jeremy Girard of the Oregon Retail Crime Association says shoplifting in the city has a “crisis level” and stores are losing $5 million per year to theft.
McMillon previously told CNBC that “prices will be higher, and/or stores will close” as a result of the spate of thefts, which is “higher than what it has historically been.”
600 employees at the two stores face being transferred or laid off, while the majority of law abiding residents in the area will now be deprived from being able to shop locally.
Portland is such a hellhole city that it can't even keep its Walmarts open https://t.co/7ReEXUGDsd
Portland police recently carried out a “blitz” targeting shoplifters across the city, although their actions are routinely hindered by leftist government officials who are constantly pressured by the heavy presence of Antifa radicals.
“We’re having big retailers leave,” said Jordan Zaitz, a member of the Portland Police’s Neighborhood Response Team. “I mean, to have Walmart close two of its stores is a really big deal. The people in those neighborhoods, that’s where they shop.”
Home Depot, Target and Nike, which has had one of its stores in Northeast Portland closed for months, have all been prime targets for criminals.
Nike even asked city officials to give them permission to post off-duty police officers at their stores with the power to arrest shoplifters.
As we document in the video below, major cities across the country are increasingly descending into bedlam and chaos as the mad, the mentally ill and criminal mobs take over the streets while ‘defund the police’ initiatives leave resources stretched to breaking point.
Wealthy residents are investing in protection dogs that cost as much as high end Mercedes cars in cities like L.A., which is experiencing a huge spike in home robberies.
Serial Killer Billy Chemirmir ‘Killed by Cellmate’ in Texas Prison
The judge in the case declared a mistrial.
Published
19 hours ago
on
20 September, 2023
Chris Menahan | Information Liberation
Composite
Convicted murderer Billy Chemirmir, an illegal alien from Kenya suspected of being one of the most prolific serial killers in American history, was reportedly killed in prison on Tuesday morning by his cellmate.
Convicted North Texas killer Billy Chemirmir, who was suspected in over 20 murders, was killed in a state prison Tuesday morning, officials confirmed to WFAA.
Chemirmir, 50, was serving life in prison without parole after he was twice found guilty of capital murder by Dallas County juries. He was accused of killing 20 other women in Dallas and Collin counties and still faced charges in those cases.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s office confirmed they were notified by Texas prison officials that Chemirmir was killed Tuesday morning. State prison officials confirmed that Chemirmir was found dead in his cell early Tuesday and his cellmate, who was serving on a murder charge out of Harris County, was “identified as the assailant.”
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot told WFAA that Chemirmir was killed after apparently making inappropriate comments sexual in nature towards his cellmate’s children. According to Creuzot, the cellmate allegedly beat Chemirmir, dragged him out of his cell and killed him while other inmates watched. No one intervened and Chemirmir may have been stabbed with a pen, Creuzot said.
They should identify the cellmate so the public can send him letters of appreciation.
Criminals In Washington Are Intentionally Crashing Into Vehicles To Carjack Them
Just when you thought you’d seen it all.
Published
1 week ago
on
13 September, 2023
Zero Hedge
The Washington Post via Getty Images
Just when you thought you’d seen it all: now, criminals are intentionally wrecking vehicles in order to carjack them, according to a new report from KIRO7.
Bellevue Police in Washington are alerting motorists to a new carjacking tactic taking place in their jurisdiction, the article says.
Officers responded to an attempted carjacking near the crossroads of Bel-Red Road and 156th Avenue Southeast in Bellvue, Washington, around 2:30 a.m. on a recent Friday.
The carjacking victim had reported a minor crash with a white Kia and said that upon exiting his vehicle to assess the damage, two individuals emerged from the Kia, brandishing guns and demanding his car keys.
The victim refused to hand over his keys, and the suspects fled in the Kia, the report continues.
Police are now warning that this event has similarities with other incidents taking place locally wherein assailants initiate minor accidents before attempting armed robbery.
Bellevue Police, as a result, recommend staying aware of your environment and avoiding distractions like texting. They have warned residents to opt for well-lit, busy roads, particularly at night, and steer clear of isolated or dimly lit areas.
Finally, they are telling residents to ensure their car doors are locked and windows are up, and to remain in their car if they feel endangered before calling 911.
“Unprecedented Levels” Of Theft In Nation’s Capital Forces Supermarket Chain To Remove Name-Brand Items From Shelves
Published
2 weeks ago
on
5 September, 2023
Zero Hedge
Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Foot Locker, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Dollar Tree, to name a few, have all raised concerns about out-of-control thefts in their stores nationwide.
The latest is supermarket chain Giant Food, which warned about “unprecedented levels” of “shrink” – the loss of inventory due to circumstances such as retail theft – at one of its stores in Washington, DC.
NBC Washington said the Giant Food, located at 1535 Alabama Ave SE, has already warned if rampant shoplifting continues, the supermarket will have to close its doors.
The Giant on Alabama Avenue SE is the only full-service supermarket in the area, and if it closes, it will create a food desert in Southeast DC. Instead of closing, it seems the grocery chain has come up with a solution:
In a statement, Giant said it plans to remove national brand health and beauty care items and replace them with private label brands where possible. The new policy aims to reduce “unprecedented levels” of theft and make the store safer for shoppers and employees.
“None of the tactics we deploy is the ultimate solution to the problem we face, but we continue to invest in efforts that will improve safety for our associates and customers and reduce theft,” part of the statement read. –NBC Washington
Replacing brand name items, such as Tide, Colgate, or Advil, with only private label products is a last-ditch effort to prevent the store from closing.
DC’s failed progressive social justice reform policies have only emboldened criminals, as AP News warned in July: “Violent crime is rising sharply, fueled by more homicides and carjackings.”
Major corporations who funded the ‘defund the police’ movement during the Covid era are getting what they deserve: A surge in thefts as soft on crime Democrats in control of many of the nation’s cities have only sparked a theft and violent crime wave.
Retailers sounded the alarm on the theft wave this past earnings season. The number of times CEOs mentioned “shrink” on earnings calls soared to a record high.
A new report last week drew a Mexican cartel connection in America’s retail theft epidemic that cost companies like Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Home Depot, and Foot Locker, among others, tens of billions of dollars last year. Yet another failed Democrat policy to leave borders open.
Open borders are not so great after all… It’s time to reinforce law and order in the nation or face out-of-control theft waves now making it to suburbia.