Actress and failed New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon denounced anti-shoplifting laws, arguing that people who steal necessities in order to survive should not be prosecuted.
In a recent tweet, Nixon decried a New York City CVS for locking up merchandise due to an uptick in theft.
“The CVS on my corner has started locking up basic items like clothing detergent. As so many families can’t make ends meet right now, I can’t imagine thinking that the way to solve the problem of people stealing basic necessities out of desperation is to prosecute them,” she tweeted.
The CVS on my corner has started locking up basic items like clothing detergent.
As so many families can’t make ends meet right now, I can’t imagine thinking that the way to solve the problem of people stealing basic necessities out of desperation is to prosecute them. https://t.co/5RsdMTDWqa
— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) May 22, 2021
Nixon was responding to a tweet from Errol Louis, who said that “several candidates for Manhattan DA (and for NYC Mayor) say shoplifting should not be prosecuted because that’s ‘criminalizing poverty.'”
Louis mentioned the Manhattan DA candidates after sharing an article in The New York Times noting that shoplifting has skyrocketed in San Francisco recently, likely a result of Proposition 47, which said stealing would not be a felony in California if the item stolen did not exceed $950. The San Francisco News described the situation as being “out of control,” and that 17 Walgreens have had to close in the past five years due to rampant shoplifting in the city.
17 Walgreen locations in San Francisco have closed their doors within the last five years according to a report from the SF Chronicle. Ten of these closures transpired from 2019 to this year with the last Walgreens store to close its door as of this writing, back on March 17. The cause of the closures is due to rampant shoplifting and looting that has transpired at Walgreen locations in the city believed to be perpetuated by an organized crime ring.
On Thursday, May 13 a hearing was held by the Board of Supervisors with retailers, the SFPD, the district attorney’s office, and probation departments. Brendan Dugan, director of organized retail crime and corporate investigations, believes that San Francisco is at the center of organized retail crime. He brought up a state bust in the Bay Area from last year in which $8 million in stolen merchandise was confiscated from five suspects. The merchandise came from CVS, Target and Walgreens stores from all across San Francisco.
In the fall of last year, actress Cynthia Nixon denounced author J.K. Rowling for her stance against extreme aspects of transgender ideology. Speaking with The Independent, Nixon said that her transgender child Samuel felt deep pain after hearing Rowling’s comments due to the influence that the “Harry Potter” series had on the child.
“It was really painful for him because so much of his childhood was tied up with Harry Potter. We’re a Harry Potter family,” Nixon said. “The books seem to be about championing people who are different, so for her to select this one group of people who are obviously different and sort of deny their existence, it’s just… it’s really baffling.”
“I know she feels like she’s standing up for feminism, but I don’t get it,” she added.
Related: Cynthia Nixon: J.K. Rowling’s Comments Were ‘Really Painful’ For My Trans Son