Ross: Let people loot, save on police overtime

Do you ever wonder what looters are thinking when they loot?

I realize it’s unfair to stereotype someone as simply a “looter” because you see them looting. They’re also someone’s son or daughter, they probably remember birthdays and would help a neighbor in need …

They just need to break windows and take stuff from time to time. It’s an adventure for them. One of the Chicago looters actually posted a first-person video narrating her raid on the Dolce & Gabbana section of a department store – trying to find the tool that removes the security tags. Not sure why she’d bother.

But she was delighted to be getting away with it.

Although I wonder – once she puts her loot in the closet – if someone were to break into her home and re-steal it, would she be OK with that?

I don’t know. But what I DO know is that she’s helping the police collect a LOT of overtime: 5.3 million in Portland, 5.8 million in Boston, 6.3 million in Seattle, and in Chicago, 47.1 million in police overtime just for the month of June.

Which gives me an idea:

If people need to loot – why not just let them?

First Thursday of every month, stores let people take whatever they can carry, and write it off. People would peacefully take what they need; no broken glass to clean up, no police overtime.

It’s either that, or stop building stores with street level windows.

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