WASHINGTON, DC — Contrary to claims propagated by soft-on-crime Democrats, crime is not down in the nation's capital. Stories on the ground paint a grim picture of what life's really like for working-class Americans trying to make a living in urban areas.
This is the case for the 7-Eleven on the corner of 12th and U Street, located across from the African-American Civil War Memorial Metro stop. Just a year after its grand re-opening under new management, the convenience store is closing down again.
"Due to the high theft rate, we're not really making our money's worth," a sales associate manning the site's register said.
Homemade signs taped to the entrance say everything is half-off except for "cigarrettes [sic]," tobacco, and Frito-Lay chips, among a few other popular products.
A constant flow of customers poured through the doors on late Thursday afternoon to nab the remaining goods lining the scantily stocked shelves.
Prior to opening, the store had undergone renovations that completely gutted the place.
Now, graffiti litters its windows near wads of gum stuck to the wall beneath a "Say No to Panhandling" sign. The homeless camp outside and accost passersby for drug money.
Police are also regularly posted at the 7-Eleven location and can be seen making their rounds to other businesses at risk of robbery, such as the Walgreens a block over, where oft-stolen items like dish detergent and electronics are locked away behind plexiglass in an effort to deter shoplifters.
"They're here in spells," the cashier said of the police presence. "If there's a theft going on, then we call them, but sometimes they just come and sit up front."
A public information officer with the Metropolitan Police Department told Townhall that they perform routine "business checks" around that area, which has devolved into a hot spot for retail-related crime.
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Nearby, a pair of CVS stores on P Street were hit more than 20 times in a month's span, allegedly by the same suspect who stole nearly $8,000 worth of merchandise between the two targets, the MPD announced at the beginning of September.
A representative for CVS told a judge in July that thefts committed by repeat offenders have caused several stores within the district to close. The store spokesperson was delivering a victim impact statement in a federal court case involving a serial thief who had ransacked a CVS in southeast D.C.
Meanwhile, the 7-Eleven on Capitol Hill, which was plagued with violence, drug deals, and flash robberies for years, has since shuttered.
The one on U Street officially closes on October 7.
7-Eleven's corporate press office did not respond to Townhall's request for comment. The phone number for the northwest D.C. location is no longer in service.
Last year, robberies in D.C. increased by 67 percent, and theft overall rose by 23 percent, according to MPD crime statistics.
Research conducted by Capitol One found that D.C. retailers lost $120 million in revenue to theft in 2022, costing them $219.69 in sales per capita.
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