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WASHINGTON - During FOX 5's Wednesday night broadcast, we showed you the bare shelves at a CVS in Northwest D.C.'s Columbia Heights neighborhood.
While outside, a nearby street vendor was selling detergent he said was sourced from a "flea market."
FOX 5 raised the issue of vendors selling potentially stolen goods on Thursday with Mayor Muriel Bowser.
She pointed the finger at the D.C. Council for decriminalizing street vending.
Council Chair Phil Mendelson pushed back against the mayor's comments via X.
Flyer posted on vacant DC store calls for shoplifters to 'unite'
A flyer posted outside a vacant storefront in Columbia Heights is calling on shoplifters to ransack their local Safeway grocery store.
He posted that it's still illegal to sell stolen items, and it's up to D.C. police to enforce the law.
The police union weighed in on that post, telling FOX 5 that the council chair's comment "shows he has a very limited understanding of the unintended consequences of his misguided legislation."
"Phil Mendelson voted for and passed The Street Vendor Advancement Act of 2023, which decriminalized illegal street vending and prohibited MPD from engaging in street vending investigations and enforcement," said Gregg Pemberton, the D.C. Police Union Chairman.
FOX 5 reached out to Mendelson, but we haven't heard back.
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Flyer posted on vacant DC store calls for shoplifters to 'unite'
Rampant shoplifting in The District has reached a whole new level. A flyer posted outside a vacant storefront in Columbia Heights is calling on shoplifters to ransack their local Safeway grocery store. FOX 5's Derick Waller has the story.