A follow-up to Spencer's post this week, which we also highlighted yesterday, in the context of concurrent crises under progressive governance. If you missed it, one of the world's most iconic food and beverage chains, Starbucks Coffee, announced that it will be shuttering 16 stores, due to violent crime and drug incidents -- which the company euphemizes as "challenging incidents" -- that have made conditions "unsafe to continue to operate."
As we noted, all of the announced locations targeted for closure are in deep blue cities run by progressive Democrats. A Seattle-based talk radio host obtained footage of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz telling employees in an internal meeting that the phenomenon is far from over:
EXCLUSIVE: Today at an internal meeting CEO Howard Schultz said: "Starbucks is a window into America... we are facing things in which the stores were not built for... we're listening to our people and closing stores, & this is just the beginning. There are gonna be many more. ?? pic.twitter.com/E9ayQqSmB8
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) July 13, 2022
Some extraordinary and telling comments:
"I don't have to spend much time on what's going on in the country, and how America has become unsafe. But you all read the press release in the last couple days about the fact that we are beginning to close stores that are not unprofitable. But we're closing stores as a result of the [more than 60] co-creation sessions that we've had...in all of those sessions, it has shocked me that one of the primary concerns that our retail partners have is their own personal safety. And then we heard the stories that go along with it, about what happens in our bathrooms. The issue of mental illness. The issues of homelessness and the issues of crime. And Starbucks is a window into America. We have stores in every community. And we are facing things that the stores were not built for. And so we are listening to our people and closing stores -- and this is just the beginning; there are gonna be many more."
They're closing profitable stores because their employees fear for their physical safety in crime-riddled urban locations. And the dozen-plus announced closures could be the tip of the iceberg, based on these remarks. Schultz's point about Starbucks being a "window into America" because of their many stores all across the nation is also an interesting one. It will be instructive to see where they decisions conditions on the ground are too dangerous to keep operating -- and where they don't choose to close up shop. There may be some lessons to be learned, including inside the headquarters of that 'progressive' company itself. Meanwhile, here's a related story involving another ubiquitous American chain:
7-Eleven announced it was offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect accused of going on a string of robberies and deadly shootings at several Southern California stores on July 11. The crime spree in Orange and Riverside counties left two people dead and three wounded, including a clerk and a man discovered in the parking lot. A customer in Riverside was shot in the head and remains in grave condition. "7-Eleven is offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Tipsters may remain anonymous by contacting Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS," a spokesman from 7-Eleven, Inc said...Corporate headquarters encouraged 7-Eleven stores in the region to close overnight in the wake of the violence.
Yes, some 7-Eleven stores have been curtailing their hours as a result of this violence. Last year, Walgreens closed multiple locations in San Francisco as a result of runaway crime and looting. The pro-crime District Attorney in that city was thrown out by voters in a recent recall election (as were three school board members), and his left-wing counterpart in Los Angeles might be next. Here's the latest mind-bending move out out LA DA George Gascon's office:
NEW: Sources in LA DA office tell me victim advocates in the “lifer” unit were told Tuesday they will soon no longer be allowed to notify crime victims/next of kin about an inmate’s upcoming parole hearings, because Gascon admin finds it “not appropriate ”. Unit to be disbanded. pic.twitter.com/xad9pIia4r
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) July 14, 2022
I received a lengthy message from Julianne Walker, a victim advocate in the “lifer” unit being disbanded. She says the Gascon admin statement isn’t truthful for a number of reasons, which she lists below. She has given me permission to publish her statement on the record @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/IwxbItKmmk
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) July 14, 2022
Los Angeles County DA Gascon is disbanding a group of victim advocates and prosecutors in the DA’s office who notify victims and their family members about their assailant's parole hearings, sources tell Fox News. The Parole Unit, also known as the "Lifer Unit," will be disbanded by the end of the year. The move comes after Gascon has banned prosecutors from attending parole hearings. Gascon’s office confirmed the move to Fox News, saying that notifying the victims can be "triggering" to them, that it bogs down resources, and that ultimately, it is the responsibility of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Deputy District Attorney Julianne Walker has criticized the disbanding, saying Victim Service Representatives "are not lawyers and do not understand the legalities of the parole hearing."..."What Gascon wants to do is he wants to make it so that not only the next of kin are unaware of these parole hearings, but he wants to make sure that prosecutors and district attorney’s offices don’t hear about them either," Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said. "When that happens, that means that (Gascon) and his public defender cronies can, in essence, do what they’re doing in the dark, and no one will ever know." Gascon's controversial time as DA has been marked by a number of policies he instituted that many say have made Los Angeles streets more dangerous.
More pro-criminal, anti-victim lunacy from this person, who is facing an active recall effort. And organizers appear to have gathered more than enough signatures to trigger an election: "A preliminary count of signatures submitted in a petition to recall Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón totals 715,833, L.A. County elections officials reported Saturday. L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan said his office has completed the first step in the review of the petitions submitted Wednesday and is now working on verifying signatures. The process must be completed no later than Aug. 17. At least 566,857 valid signatures are required before voters can decide whether to recall Gascón from office," the Los Angeles Times reported last week. "Fueled in part by rising crime and homelessness, Gascón and his progressive policies have been the subject of intense criticism since he was elected in 2020."