New York City’s storefront vacancy rate has soared to over 11%, the highest since the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily driven by unchecked shoplifting and unhelpful legislative policies.--Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's refusal to enact stiffer penalties for retail theft and assault on store clerks exemplifies the legislative inertia contributing to the crisis. Despite significant losses statewide, Heastie's stance remains, as he leads "the charge against even targeted tightening of the no-bail law and other 'reforms'", and asserts, "increasing penalties doesn’t deter crime --https://mxmnews.com/article/de6fe0ae-8600-456b-bae9-df3dc95aa153
