New York grocers demand laws that crack down on violent shoplifters

A group repping thousands of New York City’s independent grocers demanded Tuesday that state legislators pass new laws cracking down on shoplifting — including locking up thieves who assault retail workers.

The push comes as city merchants grapple with a rise in shoplifting crimes, which have soared 81% through the first quarter of 2023.

Youssef Mubaraz, head of the 5,000-member Yemeni-American Merchants Association, said, “We shouldn’t be treated as second-class citizens who get taken care of last on the list.

“We do not stand for that at all.”

The measure is sponsored by state Sen. Jessica Scarcella Spanton (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and state Assemblyman Manny De Los Santos, a Democrat who represents the northern Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood.

“As we have seen a spike in violence and economic hardship over the past few years, there has been an increase in shoplifting that often results in verbal and physical assault against retail workers,” the lawmakers said in their memo supporting the bill

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