Nationwide, countless criminals have gotten the message that shoplifting is a crime which will come with little to no consequences. This is a result of law enforcement being defunded and cash bail being watered down to basically nothing.

Meanwhile, there are growing reports of stores being repeatedly robbed in broad daylight. This has gotten so out of control that some businesses are leaving Democratic communities for greener pastures.

In another disturbing turn, certain stores are cracking down not on shoplifters, but on their employees who try to stop shoplifters. It’s for this very reason that the Circle K gas station is facing a lawsuit, as reported by the New York Post.

During a 2020 shoplifting incident at Circle K in Colorado, clerk Mary Ann Moreno used her hands to try to stop thief Tyler Wimmer from taking cigarettes without paying for them. Eventually, Wimmer managed to get away with the cigarettes, leading Moreno to inform the store manager and call law enforcement.

Yet, in the aftermath of this incident, Circle K fired Moreno, alleging that she was in breach of company policy telling workers not to confront or chase after robbers.

Now, Moreno is suing, alleging this boils down to wrongful termination. Moreno also revealed that Circle K let her go despite her working for the store over the course of two decades.

Unfortunately, what happened with Moreno at Circle K is far from an outlier. At one of Lulemon’s retail locations, two women were fired for their own efforts to stop in-store theft.

Right now, if stores keep going like this, they will be attracting way more shoplifters and fewer workers. People will eventually catch onto the idea that it is not worth risking their safety or job security if thieves decide to strike.