Seattle considers allowing stealing if people can prove they need the stuff to survive

The Seattle City Council is discussing adding a measure to the city code that allows a suspect facing charges on up to 100 different misdemeanor offenses to use the poverty defense in court if they had to resort to stealing in order to provide for basic needs.

Also included in the defense would be pitching a tent on private property to obtain adequate shelter, which could lead to trespassing charges.

Stealing stuff or selling stolen goods to pay for basic needs is just one part of the defense.

If someone steals groceries from the local bodega, and had no idea there was a food bank around the corner they could claim they had “no legal alternative.”

And they didn’t know about food stamps (the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program).

Or the nutritional program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

Or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Or Medicaid.

Or Supplemental SSI.

Or Housing Assistance.

Or any of the other trillion or so dollars worth of federal, state or local programs that We, the People are already funding.

Advocates of the plan in Seattle say the goal is to find a different outcome than jail for desperate people who had to resort to stealing or trespassing to survive.

Yeah, we’re moving towards a “cashless society” but this isn’t really what everyone had in mind.

Who needs a job, or the inconvenience of applying for welfare when you can cut out all the aggravation and just take what you need?

How do you think THAT’s going to work out?

Everyone knows what you get when you don’t stop bad behavior: more bad behavior.

Take Minneapolis for example.

Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved an $8 million budget cut for police this week.
Instead, funds will be directed to violence prevention and mental health services.

“Defund the police” became a rallying cry after George Floyd died in police custody earlier this year, sparking anti-police protests and violence.

As a result, around 160 police officers have left the Minneapolis force or have gone on leave since then. More are preparing to leave amid retirements and poor morale.

How’s that worked out for the city?

Surprise, surprise. Homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and arson have all surged.
Police have recorded 532 gunshot victims this year as of last week, more than double the same period a year ago.

Carjackings have also spiked to 375 so far this year, up 331 percent from the same period last year. And violent crimes have topped 5,100, compared with just over 4,000 for the same period in 2019.

We live in a frigging upside-down world right now. The government is shutting down local stores and restaurants. But if you break into one and fence a bunch of jewelry or equipment, that’s just fine.

SMH.