Residents are getting fed up with Democratic leadership.
That goes double for business owners in deep-blue areas.
And one CEO ripped Democrats to shreds for what they did to his business.
Businesses and residents are fleeing blue states in droves.
High taxes and burdensome regulations aren’t even the biggest obstacles for many blue-state refugees; it’s the surging violent crime that Democratic leaders refuse to address.
Pro-cime policies implemented by George Soros-backed district attorneys have turned many cities into crime-ridden hellscapes.
San Francisco has gotten particularly bad.
And another business owner is fleeing the city.
Cotopaxi CEO is throwing in the towel on San Francisco
Davis Smith, CEO of outdoor chic clothing company Cotopaxi, is throwing in the towel on the city of San Francisco.
Crime and inaction from city leadership were his two big reasons why.
Smith wrote in a sobering social media post, “It’s sad, but San Francisco appears to have descended into a city of chaos. Many streets and parks are overrun with drugs, criminals, and homelessness, and local leadership and law enforcement enable it through inaction. One of the most beautiful and amazing cities in the world is now a place where many no longer feel safe visiting or living.”
Many other city residents have voiced similar complaints, but they fall on deaf ears.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed pledged to stop the crime in a fiery speech, shouting, “It is time for the reign of criminals who are destroying our city—it is time for it to come to an end. And it comes to an end when we take the steps to be more aggressive with law enforcement, more aggressive with the changes in our policies, and less tolerant of all the bullsh*t that has destroyed our city.”
However, not much has happened since her screed.
City residents recalled Communist district attorney Chesa Boudin, but the systemic problems remain.
Smith continued, “We opened a retail store a year ago on Hayes Street, the charming shopping district just blocks away from the famous Full House home. Our first week there, our windows were smashed and thousands of dollars of product was stolen. We replaced the window, and it immediately happened again (four times). We replaced [the] window with plywood as we waited for a month+ to get a metal security gate installed (demand for those gates is creating huge delays). As of today, we are closing the store due to rampant organized theft and lack of safety for our team. Our store is hit by organized theft rings several times per week. They brazenly enter the store and grab thousands of dollars of product and walk out.”
Thieves know that the cost for committing crime is low because theft under $950 is effectively not prosecuted.
Exit from San Francisco follows CEO’s wife being accosted by “drugged up person”
Smith added, “Our team is terrified. They feel unsafe. Security guards don’t help because these theft rings know that security guards won’t/can’t stop them. It’s impossible for a retail store to operate in these circumstances, especially when cities refuse to take any action (despite us paying taxes well above any other state we operate in). The city recently announced a reduction of police presence in this neighborhood, despite mass-scale crime. It makes me sad that I’m now avoiding San Francisco, a city I used to love. Last time my wife and I went in 2020, a drugged up person ran up to my wife’s face and started screaming some of the most obscene things I’ve ever heard. She was terrified.”
Smith’s story is not unique.
This is what happens when far-Left Democrats are given the reins of power for too long.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
