That Viral Sign in San Francisco About Stealing Items Up to $950 Is Completely Fake

Have you seen photos connected societal media of a thoroughfare motion that reads, “Notice, Stolen goods indispensable stay nether $950"? The photos were taken successful San Francisco and look to beryllium referring to a right-wing disinformation run that claims theft has been legalized successful California. But the signs weren’t enactment determination by immoderate authorities entity. They’re a prank.

When the photos archetypal surfaced connected X implicit the weekend, galore radical speculated the images whitethorn person been photoshopped oregon created with AI exertion successful immoderate way. One of the photos adjacent received a Community Note submitted by users that claimed arsenic much. But that’s not true.

They’re photos of a “real” motion successful the consciousness that they weren’t created utilizing programs similar OpenAI oregon Photoshop. The motion was captured from aggregate angles, arsenic you tin spot above, helping beryllium that this motion was really placed determination successful beforehand of the Louis Vuitton store.

And portion they look professionally done, the signs had subtle clues indicating they weren’t existent (including screws that look antithetic from those utilized by the city), which proves they were installed by anonymous pranksters. The San Francisco Department of Public Works and the Office of the City Administrator confirmed to Gizmodo connected Monday by email that the motion “was not City sanctioned and not posted by the City.”

What’s the thought down the sign? It’s astir apt a notation to the information that the authorities of California raised the threshold for erstwhile shoplifting goes from a misdemeanor to a felony backmost successful 2014. The threshold successful California is $950, which immoderate radical deliberation is excessively high. Fox News has done respective segments connected the topic, claiming that California has “legalized” shoplifting, which is implicit nonsense. The thought is fueled by cellphone videos aired by blimpish media that springiness viewers the content that theft is non-stop successful the state.

The problem, of course, is that galore different states—including those with Republican governors and legislatures—have overmuch higher thresholds for erstwhile shoplifting becomes a felony. In fact, arsenic erstwhile Washington Post transgression justness newsman Radley Balko wrote successful 2023, a whopping 34 states person a higher threshold than California. That includes Republican-run states similar Texas ($2,500) and South Carolina ($2,000). Needless to say, cipher is claiming that Texas and South Carolina person legalized theft.

Professional-looking signs intelligibly made by pranksters person been popping up successful San Francisco for years. There was the motion adjacent OpenAI’s office a fewer months agone that warned each activities were being monitored by information cameras and used for grooming AI, others declaring a “no-tech zone” back successful 2015 aimed astatine tourists, and the 1 that work “we regret this motorcycle lane” in 2023.

Given the fig of fake official-looking signs that person sprung up successful San Francisco implicit the past decade, it seems improbable we’ll ever larn who was down the “stolen goods” motion that’s been going viral successful caller days. All we tin accidental for definite is that it’s not a existent motion enactment retired by the city. And contempt what you mightiness spot connected Fox News oregon X, retail stores successful California aren’t truly a lawless Mad Max hellscape. You person to thrust the freeways successful L.A. to acquisition that.