CITIZENS NEWS

Once-posh Beverly Hills now littered with CLOSED STORES amid California crime wave

By ramontomeydw // 2023-09-08

The once-posh city of Beverly Hills, made popular by the "Beverly Hills 90210" TV series, is now dying – with barren retail spaces replacing luxury retailers. The New York Post reported about the city's decline, citing footage posted by the user "Nostalgic Angelino" on TikTok. The user's videos showcased more than a dozen Beverly Hills establishments that permanently shuttered their doors. Only empty storefronts with signs announcing their vacancy remained, shells of once-thriving businesses. Some of the businesses Nostalgic Angelino posted include luxury staples Barneys New York and Escada, with the two having filed for bankruptcy in recent years. The former Escada store on Wilshire Boulevard remains vacant after the company filed for bankruptcy in 2022. Other big-name stores such as Chanel, Rite Aid and Niketown have also left the Garden Spot of the World. The Chanel store on North Robertson Boulevard shuttered for good after it fell victim to two burglaries in 2022. A building on North Bedford Drive remains closed after its main tenant Rite Aid moved out in early 2023. The former location of Niketown in the city, a once-popular stop for shoppers, is now empty. Retail stores weren't the only ones that closed down, as restaurants like Chipotle and Starbucks also left Beverly Hills. "The barren stores stand in stark contrast with the city's reputation for glamor and opulence, and as a place where celebrities, fashionistas and business moguls are regularly photographed by paparazzi," the Post remarked. Meanwhile, the businesses that survived the slow demise of the once-posh city – Saks Fifth Avenue, Hermes, Gucci and more – made it to Nostalgic Angelino's "Best of Beverly Hills" compilation.

Los Angeles County facing waves of brazen retail theft

Stores that survived the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the economic downturn that followed are now facing a new threat: retail theft. Smash-and-grab gangs threaten businesses in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles County at large. Law enforcement agencies in Southern California have established a task force solely focused on combating retail crime. The new task force is composed of the LA Police Department (LAPD) and the LA County Sheriff's Department at the local level. Federal law enforcement – in the form of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Apprehension Task Force and its counterpart in the U.S. Marshals Service – also joins the task force. The group, which features 22 full-time investigators, was formed the same day as a Macy's department store in LA was raided by a group of masked thieves in hooded sweatshirts. Meanwhile, officers arrested at least nine individuals – including six thieves who robbed a Nike store in East LA. (Related: Los Angeles PD vows crackdown on crime following smash-and-grab heists by flash mobs.) At the state level, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged to help the task force. He announced that the Golden State would be tapping California Highway Patrol (CHP) resources to stamp out theft in LA. Newsom said in a press release: "The state is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime – and when our local partners need further assistance, we’re ready with a helping hand." According to the governor's office, CHP's Organized Retail Crime Task Force has arrested more than 1,250 people since its establishment in 2019. It has also recovered more than $30 million in stolen merchandise since its creation. Data from the LAPD shows that as of Aug. 26, there have been 9,455 burglaries in the City of Angels this year. This number was less than three percent lower from 2022 numbers, but still higher by more than 14 percent compared to 2021. Visit CaliforniaCollapse.news for more stories about the collapse of Beverly Hills and other cities in the Golden State. Watch Glenn Beck put in his two cents about an Aug. 12 "flash mob" theft at a Nordstrom location in LA. This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Gallup poll: Los Angeles among five cities deemed unsafe to live in or visit. L.A. is so crime-ridden and dangerous, head of police union is warning tourists to stay away. Flash mobs brazenly rob luxury retailers in Los Angeles as city fails to hold thieves accountable. LAWLESS CHAOS: LAPD tells residents to "comply" with robbers as society collapses in blue cities… escape while you still can. Sources include: NYPost.com Brighteon.com

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