Elon Musk said that the images of young looters ransacking retail shops in Philadelphia were a sign that “America is going full Joker.”
The Tesla mogul reacted to an amateur video that showed at least two dozen youngsters stealing merchandise and vandalizing property from popular retailers such as Apple, Lululemon, and Foot Locker in the City Center district late on Tuesday night.
Philadelphia police said they arrested at least 20 people.
Musk’s reference to the infamous Batman villain — portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in the 2019 film about Gotham’s descent into dystopia — comes on the heels of the tech mogul decrying the rampant crime that has plagued San Francisco, where his social media company X is headquartered.
Last week, the world’s richest person with a net worth estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index to equal $228 billion, pledged to donate $100,000 to help defeat Dean Preston, a progressive member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Musk said on X that Preston is “arguably the person most responsible for the destruction of San Francisco.”
The Post has sought comment from Preston.
San Francisco has seen a surge in crime, homelessness, and drug use in recent years — prompting an exodus of companies from the Bay Area.
A new report by the National Retail Federation found that organized crime rings in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston have cost companies $112.1 billion in losses in 2022 — up from $93.9 billion during the previous year.
“Retailers are seeing unprecedented levels of theft coupled with rampant crime in their stores, and the situation is only becoming more dire,” said NRF Vice President for Asset Protection and Retail Operations David Johnston.
Target, the big box retailer, is shutting nine store locations nationwide, including one in Harlem, due to rampant theft and violence.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
