By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-15 16:22:05 | Updated at 2026-08-15 17:13:10
1 hour ago
A progressive New York City lawmaker says shoplifters should be left in peace to steal items like toothpaste and soap.
Emily Gallagher - a Democrat Socialist member of the New York State assembly - shared a clip on her X account that also villainized drugstores, which have been forced to lock products in plexiglass cases because of rampant theft.
Gallagher wrote that 'no one should be arrested - much less jailed' for stealing toothpaste' and said in a speech that such thefts were just 'crimes of poverty.'
Speaking at an event, she continued: 'People who were stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like soap.
'And that means if you're stealing those things, you need them.
'And we are choosing to protect billion dollar companies like CVS and Walgreens over the people who are struggling to get by.'
New York City lawmaker Emily Gallagher is pictured giving a recent speech where she suggested shoplifting should be legalized
Gallagher said thieves have a 'biological need' for items like toothpaste, after drugstores plagued by rampant shoplifting began locking such products in plastic cases
Gallagher represents NYC's District 50, which comprises the wealthy Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Many residents of New York and other big cities have complained that soft-on-crime policies such as those pushed by Gallagher have worsened their quality of life.
The drug store chains she sought to villainize now lock tens of thousands of everyday products in cases, which can only be opened by staff forced to endure regular abuse and anti-social behavior.
But Gallagher was unrepentant and continued: '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 said she would push for 'treatment not jail' punishments.
Gallagher's opinion was quicky pilloried online, with many saying branding her 'dumb,' naive or even dangerous
She urged her fellow progressives to 'hold the line' on criminal justice reform policies that have passed and which she claims are being 'threatened by right-wing media looking to fearmonger.'
The lawmaker was quickly attacked by commenters who suggested she was 'dumb', naive - and even a danger to society.
Journalist Leighton Woodhouse wrote: 'People steal toothpaste and soap to sell them to fences who then sell them on Amazon and Facebook Marketplace. I don’t know if it’s that lawmakers are this dumb, or that they think the rest of us are this dumb.'
An X user called Snapperhead said: 'Hey, stupid. Everything you said happens from failing to conform to societal norms and rules.
'Shoplifting is a crime and should be fully punished. If more people were held accountable for their actions, we would have a better society, but you liberals who want to save everybody are destroying the society we live in. Grow up. Life is hard; you earn your way.'
An X user called Six String said: 'A consequence free society results in anarchy. Maybe you want to live in that muck, but most sane people don’t.'
Gallagher is pictured with New York City's socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani at a campaign event earlier this year
Matt van Swol said: 'The entire foundation for a civilized society rests on private property, ownership, and not stealing. If you legalized stealing, society would literally crumble overnight. Stealing should face SEVERE punishment.'
Other tweeters suggested Gallagher open her own store that people could steal from - and said that if everyone followed her rules, stores would be forced to close and neighborhoods would be hollowed out.
Gallagher's words echo those of Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon.
In 2021, the actress and failed New York gubernatorial candidate, said CVS should let people steal 'basic necessities' like detergent, instead of locking such items in cases.
