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Oct. 25, 2023 - Epoch Times
29:42
Surge of Shoplifting: Why Police Can't Take Action | Evette Ingram #californiainsider
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And it went from having a hair and wig boutique to a beauty supply.
And for all those years, it was my passion.
But recently, my passion has been stolen.
I've had so many break-ins.
It just went on and on and on.
The shoplifting when the store is open, the burglaries when the store is closed at night.
My guest today is Yvette Ingram, who had to shut down her beauty stores in Los Angeles because of retail theft.
She's just one of many who said, I've just given up.
I can't do it.
I can't do it anymore.
And who's fighting for me?
To understand the retail theft better and why it's occurring, I also sat down with Shannon Dykus, who is the sheriff of San Bernardino County, as well as John Kabatak, who represents an association of small businesses in California.
They can't realize the California dream, they can't realize the American dream, because the basic premise of safety and security has left the building, and unfortunately has left their building.
And they can't fight for themselves, and our policy makers are doing nothing to address it.
I'm Siamai Karami, welcome to California Insider.
Yvette, it's great to have you on, welcome.
Thank you, it's great to be here.
We want to talk to you about your story.
You had stores in LA, you worked very hard to build these stores, and then they got robbed multiple times, 12 times, and then you had to shut down.
We want to talk to you about what happened.
Yes, the name of my business was Yvette's Beauty Supply.
And I got started in this business because of my love for wigs.
And I started in a very, very small boutique in Sherman Oaks, California, inside of a salon suite.
And my very first customer was a lady that was going through chemo.
And as she sat in my chair, her hair was literally falling out.
And she cried.
We talked for maybe an hour.
And once I put this wig on her head, everything about her changed.
She felt beautiful.
She felt like she could go on and she could conquer the chemo and she could go to her high school class reunion and look beautiful.
And at that moment, My love for wigs developed into a passion.
A passion to help women and girls and even men.
Even men come in sometimes that are experiencing medical hair loss.
But at that moment, it developed into a passion for wigs.
Especially to help those that are experiencing medical hair loss, be it going through chemo, cancer, alopecia, whatever medical hair loss they're experiencing.
And it went from having a hair and wig boutique to a beauty supply.
But recently, with all of the thefts and the burglaries and the shoplifting, my passion has been stolen.
I've had so many break-ins.
I've had customers pull knives on me at my store.
I just recently had a break-in at my Tarzana store.
And after being diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure in February, I had to make a decision if my businesses were worth my life, my health.
And so I closed my businesses.
I started closing my stores in February and got a phone call from a police officer on February 13th that someone broke into my store.
And I would say I'm pretty much numb to it now, you know, because I have worked so hard, so hard, that I miss time with my family, miss time with my granddaughter in the summers because of my business.
It's been very, very tough.
But at the same time, I know I can't give up because Not only was this my passion, but I started this to create generational wealth as well as to leave something for my granddaughter.
And her coming from Minnesota to work in the stores in the summer, she's 10, she loves it.
She absolutely loves working in the stores in the summer.
And it's something that she wants to take over one day.
So I know that I have to keep this going.
So can you take us back to the first time you experienced this breaking?
It wasn't like this when you started, right?
How was it in 2016?
No, it wasn't like this at all.
I had maybe one theft and I came in the store and caught this lady stuffing some of my raw Indian hair bundles in her clothes and called the police and she went to jail.
And I didn't have any more problems, just the average, you know, shoplifter here and there.
Like they would be like trying to take something without you looking.
Right, yes, yes.
At the height of the pandemic, when the pandemic first started, now I'm going to go back.
I'm essential, so my businesses were never shut down because I provide medical wigs and I accept insurance.
So at the beginning of the pandemic, three young men came into my Pasadena store and ran out the door with four high-end wigs.
And from there, it just went on and on and on.
From 2020 to 23, there has been 12 break-ins, numerous shoplifting.
And the shoplifting is not just little petty things.
They come in with big bags and load them up and run out the door.
So they come during the day?
Yes, when the store is open, yes.
The shoplifting occurs when the store is open.
The burglaries occur when the store is closed at night.
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Did you have incidents where you were there when they came in front of your face and took things?
Well there was one time, this was back in October, I was working at my Tarzana store.
So it was October last year?
October 2022.
Just came from a beautiful week vacation in Maui with my boyfriend.
My store manager, her father passed away so I decided to give her the day off and I would go and work for her that day.
And a lady called who had cancer and she wanted to come in and try on a wig so that she can purchase a medical wig.
So she came in.
All of my attention is on this client because my attention is to make her feel good, make her feel comfortable, make her feel beautiful when she walks out that door.
And so I heard some noise going on behind me, bags ruffling, and the client and I looked in the mirror and we noticed at the same time that these three young girls were stuffing a lot of merchandise into their huge shopping bags.
So when I went to confront them, one of them pulled a knife out on me.
That was a very scary time, you know, because I had to not only think about myself, but my client who was in there as well, if she got hurt.
So I had to open the door and let them out.
About three weeks later, a man comes in with a knife.
The same store?
The same store.
And you were there?
Yes, I was there.
Yes.
And he was shoplifting.
So, you know, I've had to deal with things like that.
So did you call the police afterwards?
What happened?
The first time I did not call the police because I was so shocked that it happened.
After I helped my client, I just closed the store and went home.
And didn't open up the store for a week.
About, almost a week.
Because...
I was just shocked that this happened to me.
The second time I didn't call the police, it was in and out.
You know, and the police have been to my store so many times.
You know, I figured, okay, I wasn't hurt.
Just be more cautious from now on of who I let in the store.
How much merchandise, so how much are the costs of these wigs and how much merchandise did they take when they come and put them in?
My last burglary was over $25,000 in wigs and hair extensions.
So in total, I have lost over $150,000 in burglaries.
And does the insurance cover that?
Sometimes, not all the time, no.
I had the chance to sit down with John Kabatak, who represents small businesses, to see if this is occurring across California and what the state leaders and government is doing about it.
So it breaks my heart every time I hear somebody like Yvette with her story.
What we're finding is, unfortunately, Yvette is just one of many, many, many businesses out there.
And we see it in Sacramento County.
We've seen this in San Jose.
We're seeing it in Los Angeles.
We're seeing problems all over the place.
And the NFIB, National Federation of Independent Business, we represent about 14,000 small businesses in California.
We have been meeting with policy makers in Sacramento, governor's staff, attorney general's staff, calling for them to focus on the most vulnerable Individuals in California that are getting hit by property crimes.
Small and ethnic businesses and families and neighborhoods.
I mean, we feel terrible that a CVS Health or a Saks Fifth Avenue becomes a victim of these kinds of property crimes.
But the bigger, more pervasive, more commonplace problems that we're finding are with these small businesses in our communities.
And they can't fight for themselves.
And our policymakers are doing nothing to address it.
What we're hearing from most in Sacramento is that we really want to help.
We really want to address the crime.
We also hear it from people on these public safety committees that say we do care about the small businesses and the families, but we're not seeing it.
In 2022, there were 17 pieces of legislation, many authored by Democrats and Republicans alike.
None of them made it out of committee.
And in this year, there are about seven or eight.
And again, bills that would include rehabilitation plus accountability for the crime.
And nothing has moved forward.
So what we're hearing a lot in Sacramento is lip service and nothing getting done.
To their credit, we've had both Democrat and Republican legislators looking to fix Prop 47.
Some have addressed reducing that amount from $950 down to $400 or $450, back to where it was originally, which we believe would help mitigate these crimes.
But we've also seen efforts from both Democrats and Republicans to really account for two or three repeat property crime thefts that then would warrant their time behind bars.
We think that's realistic.
Again, we are getting some leaders in Sacramento who, on both sides of the political aisle, want to get something done.
They're hearing it in their backyard.
They're feeling the pain.
But at the end of the day, these public safety committees aren't even letting them see the light of day.
So we either need to change the Public Safety Committee makeup and we call upon our leaders to get that done.
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Now let's go back to the interview.
Was there a time you called the police and you were hoping that they will figure it out?
Well, yes.
My Pasadena store has been robbed numerous times.
When the police come out, sometimes they don't even get out of the car.
My employee has walked up to the car, told them what happened, they look at the window, and they give us the police report number.
In Tarzana, the police have really, really done their job.
One individual was arrested.
I believe he's still in jail.
I received documents about three weeks ago that I may be receiving restitution.
And the new case, the police are working diligently to find out who these people are.
And you have, like, footage of these people.
You have the cameras, right?
Yes, yeah.
I have very good security cameras, and they record everything.
So who are these people?
Is it just random people?
Some of them, I believe, are customers, or they have been in the store at one point, because looking at the video footage, Just their demeanor and the things that they want, they go directly to it.
That lets me know that either they have shopped at the store before, but they have been in that store once, maybe twice to know exactly where the wigs are that they're looking for.
Go straight to that wig and snatch that wig down.
One of my stores, the young man told my employee, I'm coming back for that wig.
I'm definitely coming back for that wig.
Well, three nights later at three o'clock in the morning when the store was closed, he came back for that wig.
He broke the glass and came in.
Pulled down two wigs.
But only took the one wig that he said he was coming back for.
So, yeah.
So, it's that brazen.
People are coming.
Yes.
And you put a lot of effort in building this business.
Can you tell us what was it like to build this?
It was very hard because I am a solo entrepreneur.
I do everything myself from painting to painting.
Moving big, huge fixtures by myself to even installing slat walls sometimes.
So I put in...
Have you ever heard I put in my blood, sweat, and tears?
Yeah.
Well, with every single store, I put in blood, sweat, and tears.
I've cut a finger, cut a leg.
I've cried.
I've sweated.
So I literally put in my blood, sweat, and tears.
Sometimes I'm there...
A whole week without going home building this business.
So it's been very hard but at the same time it has been, it was rewarding because I was creating something for my children and my grandchildren.
And what was it like to help these people that are dealing with cancer?
I loved helping them because their self-esteem is low, they feel less attractive, and I love making them feel beautiful again.
And it didn't even take makeup to make them feel beautiful.
Just putting a wig on their head and making them feel like, oh my gosh, I feel like my hair has never fallen out.
So that is my passion.
I love it.
What was the breaking point for you?
The breaking point for me was the first time that the knife was pulled on me.
That was pretty much my breaking point.
That day, I felt my passion was stolen.
With all of the break-ins, all of the retail theft, all of the robberies, I felt that my passion was stolen.
And it's been hard to get that passion back.
But I know I can't give up.
Did you feel that you could lose your life at work?
And what about your employees?
I felt that I could lose my life over some merchandise, yes.
I was actually working the store by myself that day because I had given the employee off so that she could go and bury her father.
I have a pretty good relationship with all of my staff, but there were times where they were scared.
There were times where, you know, some of them have ran out the door after a customer that was shoplifting.
But, you know, and I had to teach them not to do that.
Never put your life in danger for some merchandise.
But, yeah, I'm pretty sure that, you know, there were times where they were a little scared to come to work because this was happening on a weekly basis, practically.
On a weekly basis?
Yes.
The regular?
Oh, the regular with the shoplifting.
The break-ins were happening at least every other month, three or four times a year.
They would break your glass, you have to fix it the next morning.
Yes.
And the regular shoplifting, weekly, somebody would come in and take something?
Oh, the shoplifting was daily.
Wow.
Yes.
And you wouldn't report them?
No.
The regular, no, because I know the police weren't going to come out because someone stole a $100 wig or, you know, they stole merchandise, so, no.
To see the law enforcement's perspective, we also had a chance to discuss Yvette's story with Shannon Dykus, who is the sheriff of San Bernardino County.
I believe, as well as many of my colleagues believe, that ever since Prop 47, the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act was passed through, really enabled a number of these shoplifters.
And there were a couple of changes that occurred as it relates to shoplifting as a whole.
Grand theft used to be the breaking point of $400 or more, where law enforcement would treat that as a felony versus a misdemeanor.
What happened during Prop 47 is they raised that threshold to $950.
So what we're seeing at stores just like her store is that people are realizing the cost of these items, and they will steal just under that threshold because the law enforcement officers, should they catch them, are just going to write them a citation, return the property, and then they go back out.
There's really not any incentive for them to stop doing it because there's no threat of incarceration.
And that's the second step that a lot of people don't realize that were changed.
It used to be that a person that was committing shoplifting or these petty thefts could also expose themselves over time, in other words, doing three of these petty thefts, to what we called petty theft with a prior.
That means your exposure is no longer county jail.
Back when grand theft was $400, your exposure, if you did it three times, was now state prison.
They've also minimized that.
There is no petty theft with a prior anymore.
So all of the teeth in terms of retail theft has been taken out.
So what you're seeing in terms of her shop and a number of other businesses, and I hear this from our business community, Getting a citation doesn't prevent the person from coming back an hour later after the law enforcement has been there.
It doesn't prevent them from going out and tell other criminals that this is an easy target and you can come out and you can do these things.
So the frequency, that's what you see the frequency going through, whether it's the same person committing it over and over again or whether they're telling other people.
Then it becomes to a point for a business owner, realistically, do you even call the cops anymore?
And think about how many times, and I know we've all seen these in newspapers, you have staff that are trying to stop shoplifters and being assaulted by a shoplifter or getting in a fight.
And think about how that boils down to liability and insurance concerns for a business person.
They end up having to make a business decision where they don't even call anymore, now they take the loss.
And what does that do?
The victimization now increases because we're not calling, we're not reporting, we're not doing these things.
They're just trying to balance it and continue to make their businesses work.
And what we're also missing is the root cause.
Selling wigs to cancer patients to make them feel better about their lives.
I can tell you firsthand, my first wife passed away as a result of breast cancer.
I can tell you that those wigs made all the difference in their personal outlook.
That's where the true victimization is going on.
Our businesses and the relationship with law enforcement is just that.
Anybody should be able to come into any community, open up a business, And try to realize their dreams.
That's what businesses do.
And they offer services just like that one to the public, services that are needed.
Nobody realizes how important that little coffee shop is, how important that restaurant is for gathering, how important it is that makes community.
But now that community, because of these reasons, That business community is leaving because they can't make money here.
They can't realize the California dream.
They can't realize the American dream because the basic premise of safety and security has left the building and unfortunately has left their building.
Do you think this is making it very hard to do business in LA or have a business like yours?
I think it's very hard because people feel, well, you know what?
It's under a thousand dollars.
It's not going to be a felony or maybe the police aren't even going to come out.
So people are doing things now that we didn't see before the pandemic.
That we didn't see once they got a little relaxed on the laws or changed the laws.
Now people are, I mean, you see people just running in stores with bags and just filling them up.
One, they know you're not going to touch them and they will threaten you and run out the door with all of your merchandise.
So do you think it's becoming impossible for average people to actually build businesses, like a small business like this?
You have to really be strong.
You know, I guess it comes with the business, you know, the shoplifting, the break-ins, burglaries.
It comes with the territory, but at the same time it's scary.
But we have to make a living.
And what do you think will happen to LA if more businesses like yours shut down?
I think it would be very sad because we're losing a lot of not just the big corporations, but we're losing a lot of the small businesses.
We're losing a lot of the minority-owned businesses because we don't feel that we're protected.
I don't see much help.
I'm a minority.
I haven't seen much help for my business as far as financial or any other way.
The people that are coming to steal, do you think they've become more brazen?
Do you think they've become different?
They must know the loss.
They must know what the consequences are, right?
Oh yeah, they must know what the consequences are because they have come much more brazen.
You know, you used to see teenagers shoplifting, and now I see people from all walks of life shoplifting.
I see people from all walks of life when I view my video cameras breaking into my stores, so from young to old.
So yeah, they have definitely become more brazen.
Do you think we have made that kind of theft become somewhat legal?
I believe so, because they feel they have rights.
I even had one girl tell me, oh, well, you can't touch me.
I have rights.
You're shoplifting in my store, and you're telling me that you have rights.
So, yes.
So, do you think we have made the right and wrong upside down, basically?
It's very upside down.
It is very upside down because in their mind, they're right.
They have rights to do this.
How did all of this make you feel when you were going through this process?
I felt disrespected.
I felt violated and not safe at all.
In my own business.
To the point where we started locking doors and letting people in and out, you know, at our own discretion.
Taking a chance of missing a sale just because this person looks a little sketchy who probably really wasn't sketchy.
So it's making you guys to have to judge your customer who's, you know, who could be a potential thief and who could be actually a customer.
Exactly.
We have become judgmental, yes.
You are here vocal about this.
Why are you doing this?
I am doing this because it has happened so many times.
And I want law enforcement or lawmakers to know that we as business owners, we need help.
We need you to either change the laws, enforce the laws, but we need help because this is a daily occurrence thing everywhere, all over California.
And business owners, we don't feel safe.
And so many businesses, like my five stores, for example, are closing.
Now, you came here from Chicago, right?
Yes.
Why do you care about California this much?
I love California.
I love the weather.
I love the people.
For me, it just seems like I've been here forever.
California is home for me.
So the process you've gone through, does this make you want to give up and not continue?
Sometimes it makes me want to give up and just focus on my health, but as I said earlier, I started this to create generational wealth, and because it's my passion, and my granddaughter loves it, so I know that I can't give up.
I'm going to start again, but this time I'm going to do things a little different.
More security, because we never had a security officer, so I will have a security officer and better alarm systems.
So I've created a GoFundMe so that I can get donations to assist with all that, because I'm starting again.
And now, what do you recommend to average LA residents and businesses?
For the businesses, I would recommend make sure your business is protected at all times.
Know that if you're starting a business, especially a retail business, well, this is really happening with all businesses.
Know that you are going to experience thefts, break-ins, but be equipped.
Know how to Spot things.
For the residents, support your local small business because we need you to survive.
And what about the leaders of the state?
If you had a minute or two with them and they would listen to what you were going to tell them, what would you tell them?
I would tell the leaders of this state to rethink these laws because people think that, oh, if it's under a thousand dollars, it's not going to be a felony.
I'm not going to go to jail.
Rewrite these laws to protect us small business owners because if If these criminals know that there are going to be some serious repercussions because of your actions, I'm quite sure they will stop and think before they commit the crime.
Yvette Ingram, former business owner, it was great to have you on California Insider.
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