Brooklyn Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher (D-50th District) wants New Yorkers to believe that walking out of a CVS with a fistful of stolen toothpaste isn't a crime. It's a "biological need."
Yes, really.
Gallagher, who represents Greenpoint and other parts of northern Brooklyn, made her case Thursday at a news conference outside Manhattan Criminal Court, flanked by fellow far-left officials and activists from Court Watch NYC. The group said it monitored 360 arraignments over four days and found that more than half involved misdemeanor offenses. Gallagher used those numbers to argue shoplifters swiping basic necessities shouldn't be prosecuted at all.
"Most of what we saw were crimes of poverty-people who are stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like, you know, soap," Gallagher said. "And that means if you're stealing those things, you need them."
Since when does needing something give you the right to steal it?
Gallagher wasn't finished. She went on to accuse the city of siding with corporate villains over the downtrodden.
"We are choosing to protect billion-dollar companies, like CVS and Walgreens, over the people who are struggling to get by," she said. "So I would say that the true crime is that there is such incredible wealth disparity in this city that there are people who can be thrown in jail simply for having a biological need."
Gallagher, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, wants "treatment-not-jail" outcomes for shoplifters. Never mind that NYPD statistics through Aug. 9 already show retail theft down 14.7% and petit larceny down 5.4%, or that drugstores have had to lock up merchandise just to stay open. She and her far-left colleagues also leaned on Mayor Zohran Mamdani, another socialist, to make good on his promise to end "broken windows" policing of offenses like graffiti and fare evasion.
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Obviously, the New Yorkers who actually pay for their soap and toothpaste see this differently.
Shoppers on Saturday at Food Universal supermarket in The Bronx’s Co-op City told The Post they were aghast over Gallagher’s remarks, which give license to stealing and drive up costs for law-abiding customers
“It’s foolish to think one should not be punished for stealing. It is a crime,” said Rev. Susan Webb, 68.
“Mamdani can implement that in his [city-run grocery] stores, so if you don’t have the necessities, you can go there and get them for free.”
Sanctioning retail theft will also drive up crime stats, which as of Aug. 9 show retail theft down 14.7% and petit larceny is down 5.4%, compared to last year at this time, according to the NYPD.
Jeanette Mack, a 49-year-old academic adviser, agreed, saying Gallagher and other far-left pol’s soft-on-crime policies are “ridiculous” because “they are enabling [shoplifters] instead of helping them.”
“People are going to feel entitled because they know they can walk in and walk out and nothing will happen,” she said.
Republicans weren't shy about weighing in. Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-Queens) said on X that Gallagher and her allies "try to obfuscate reality because they want to enable this very activity."
"They know it's devastating to retail stores and that's the point — they're communists and want to use crime to force these stores to close. It's social justice," Paladino said.
Former Queens Councilman Robert Holden kept it simple, calling Gallagher "a major dope." Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Queens) said politicians "now advocating for thievery" will only push more struggling businesses to close shop.
"This is the kind of backwards, left-wing lunacy I would expect from someone who values the rights of criminals more than those of business owners," Ariola said. "Policies that Gallagher is pushing are exactly what's driving so many of them away."
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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