New York. Mayor Eric Adams is taking a stand against retail theft, calling it a major problem that costs jobs, shuts down stores, and hurts local communities. Speaking at the Mayor’s Retail Theft Task Force meeting, he highlighted real stories of struggling workers and businesses, stressing that theft is not a “victimless crime.” Adams pledged tougher laws and stronger enforcement, promising to fight back and keep New York City’s economy thriving.

Mayor Adams Delivers Remarks at Mayor’s Retail Theft Task Force Meeting

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much and you know the other day I was at a town hall where we were listening to a group of residents and they talked about some of the concerns that they had in the city. At the end of the town hall there was a gentleman sitting in the back with his daughter and he raised his hand and I said before we leave let’s hear what his question was. And he stood up and stated that he has four children and he lived in a homeless shelter and he was able to get one of our vouchers, our thefts vouchers, and he was able to move out of the shelter and find an apartment. But he lost his job. He was a security officer at one of the drug stores and because of the constant theft,  the store closed down and he lost his job and he was unable to provide for his family. 

We were able to get him a voucher to get in housing and after the town hall we were able to identify a new job for him. But what about that store? What about the other employees? What about the grandmother that had to take the bus to go to another store outside of our community and had to pay [for] the transportation on an already strained budget? What about the clerks and those cashiers who work there and now had to find a new employment to be able to provide for their family? What about that storefront that now remains empty because of it? 

So I challenge people who tell us that retail theft is a victimless crime, that there are no victims. They are victims. They are real victims and it impacts on many layers of our desire to continue the prosperity that this city has to offer. That is why when we became mayor and many of you came to us and put this on our radar, we did not sit back and dismiss it in an arrogant sense as though it’s not a major issue. It is a major issue. 

And coming together we decreased retail theft about 8.2 percent but that is not enough. And we called on our lawmakers to say how do you have 575 people who are arrested 7,500 times and we’re not adjusting the laws to fit that. You cannot solve problems in a sterilized environment of a legislative chamber when on the streets of our cities you’re seeing these problems continue to escalate. That is the real crisis we face. Too many people don’t go out and hear directly from you on how we fix the issues we are facing. That is not who I am as a mayor. 

Generals don’t send the troops into battle, they lead them into battle and they fight with them. So I stop in your stores and your restaurants and ask what are the real problems that we are facing so we can come up with real solutions. We brought technology together. We looked at other ways of how we can answer the problems in [a] real way. There’s no greater indictment on our system than when you have to lock up every item and push a button for someone to come and give you what you need. 

Those are indicators of surrenders and we don’t surrender. We fight back. We solve the problem and we come to real conclusions together. That’s what we must do. And this city is coming back, bigger and better than ever. And those with the foolish assumption that this is a city of chaos, that is a lie. You can’t find restaurant reservations anymore in this city because people are out again and just go walk down Times Square and [see] everyone that’s trying to come to New York, the fourth largest tourist production in the city’s history. 

People are again excited about this city. And at the cornerstone of that are your shops, your stores, your supermarkets. We need to make sure that you can thrive and that people don’t normalize walking in, taking whatever product they want and believing we abandon the right for you to provide a service to the people of this city. And so I thank you for what we started and we have more to finish, but you have my commitment and dedication that we are going to do all that’s possible to not alleviate retail theft, but to eradicate retail theft. Thank you very much. 

April 2, 2025 New York City Hall, Manhattan

Sources: NYC.gov., Midtown Tribune
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