Adams blames the rise in thefts on “organized crime” and cash-only weed shops.

Mayor Adams told Manhattan business leaders Thursday that “organized crime” is partly to blame for the rise in retail theft that has plagued the city since the start of the pandemic, and criticized those who frame the enforcement of anti-theft laws as “criminalizing the poor.”

“There is nothing acceptable about people going into stores, taking what they want and leaving. And then when they get arrested for acting to have people say we criminalize the poor – no, we don’t,” Adams said during a speech at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “Organized crime is involved.”

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the press for the end of 2022 crime briefing at 1 Police Plaza, Manhattan on January 5, 2023.

It was not immediately clear whether Adams was referring to the mafia, other organized crime, or more loosely organized groups of thieves seeking to take advantage of retailers.

For Adams, who spoke at the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Crime Summit, addressing the city’s business community was an opportunity to bring together the two topics he focused on during his first year in office: crime and New York’s troubles. post-pandemic revival.

In his speech, Adams criticized cannabis legalization rules that prevent police from taking action against unlicensed marijuana shops and said the all-cash nature of these businesses has contributed to an increase in theft.

“They create some of the spikes that we see in commercial robberies,” he said.

Mayor Eric Adams, center, holds a bag of food at a news conference on the distribution of unlicensed and problematic weed products at City Hall in Manhattan, Dec. 15, 2022.

“They’re committing crimes because people are robbing these stores because it’s a cash-only business,” he said. “I am giving you this landscape because the partnership between the business community and this administration is very clear. And the idea is that it comes from you. Your observations will help us identify some of the problems.”

While Adams questioned the intentions of progressives who criticize enforcement of theft laws, he also acknowledged on Thursday that city officials are considering the circumstances surrounding the arrest of shoplifting suspects.

“Those who need care because of addiction issues or if they need food – we are partnering with DAs to say we can address this issue at the precinct level, invite many of our social service organizations to engage with these people to give them the right care,” he said. “But we’re not going to accept people who think they won’t follow the basic rules that make sure this city becomes a place where everyone wants to do business.”

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