Stolen shopping carts everywhere are a bigger problem than their contribution to rising grocery prices (“Shopping cart thefts raise prices of groceries,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Dec. 6). It indicates a breakdown in basic law and order.
Each stolen cart represents a theft of anywhere from $250 to more than $1,000 (for the heavy-duty type). When law enforcement does nothing as these stolen items roll continuously by them on a daily basis, it signals that our police are overwhelmed or don’t care. That only invites troublemakers.
That officers often cite non- homeless persons for minor violations literally in front of lines of stolen shopping carts breeds resentment toward homeless folks. It looks like a double standard.
Being homeless isn’t a crime, and most of us support helping those willing to accept help. Theft, vandalism, littering, public intoxication and defecation, however, have been and remain illegal. They require ongoing, constant enforcement, no matter who the perpetrators are — homeless or homed.
Joseph Perez
Kakaako
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