Kerby Anderson

Starbucks recently announced that it would be closing 16 locations in cities across the country. These stores aren’t being closed for lack of business. The problem is crime and homelessness: two topics I have addressed recently in my commentaries.

Starbucks is closing stores in Los Angeles, Portland, Philadelphia, and Seattle. They have much in common. Each of these stores is being closed for safety reasons. Each of these cities has a radical prosecutor who is unwilling to prosecute serious crimes. During these mid-term elections, it is time for the voters to wake up and smell the coffee.

Baristas try to be helpful to the homeless who come into the store, but they are starting to fear for their safety. One barista tells the story of a woman who came into the store and set fire to the woman’s bathroom. When they opened the door, they met a wall of flame. She also tells of a man who comes in and routinely threatens people, often with a weapon like a broomstick.

As you may know, Starbucks has been a consistent adopter of progressive ideas. This mindset accelerated after an incident in Philadelphia where the police removed two African American men who refused to buy anything. The company required implicit-bias training for their staff and now open their stores to anyone and everyone.

Of course, Starbucks isn’t the only store leaving cities. Walgreens has shut nearly a dozen stores in San Francisco due to vandalism and shoplifting. RiteAid and CVS are closing stores in major cities. This ends up hurting the urban poor who depend on these stores to buy food, toiletries, electronics, and school supplies.

If the voters keep electing mayors and district attorneys who will not adequately address the problems of crime and homelessness, more stores will leave and make those cities unlivable.