Philly’s Mass Looting Spree Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg: Property Crime Is Skyrocketing

Looters hit Claudia Silmeas’ beauty store in northeast Philadelphia twice in 24 hours — leaving her with thousands of dollars of damage at the shop she opened five months ago. 

Nat's Beauty Supply was ransacked on Thursday, then it was broken into again Friday morning as part of three straight nights of mass looting across the city.

“I'm worse than yesterday morning because it happened again at about the same time this morning, it happened again... again,” a devastated Silmeas told The Messenger as she surveyed the damage.

Silmeas' store is one of dozens that have been wrecked and plundered this week in a rash of city-wide looting.

The mass raids on businesses this week — which included up to 100 people at a time, some of whom livestreamed their crimes — turned national attention to the massive rise in property crime in the city of 1.6 million.

Break-ins, thefts, vandalism and other property crimes have sky-rocketed since the pandemic — up 38% from 2019 to 2022.

And they're continuing to escalate this year, surging 21% compared to the same time last year, police data shows.

The city has seen decreases in violent crime, which is down 7%, and homicides, which are down by 23% compared to the same time last year. But, the murder rate is still more than 6 times higher than New York City, and 20% higher than Chicago, according to 2022 data complied by The Messenger.

While property crime stats don’t separate residential property crimes from businesses crimes, many of the city’s store owners are venting their frustration at crime in the city.

When well known sandwich shop, Jim’s West Steaks & Hoagies, reopened earlier this month in West Philadelphia following a legal battle over its name, new owner Cortez Johnson hired security guards armed with assault rifles to protect customers and deter thieves, ABC affiliate WPVI reported.

“You want people to feel safe and be safe. So when they come out and eat, they don't have to worry about no type of harm,” Johnson told the outlet. 

In a recent survey by the Diverse Chambers Coalition of Philadelphia, small business owners said reducing crime was the No. 1 top priority for improving the business climate in Philadelphia. 

Half of respondents reported being impacted by crime and have had to invest in security and reduce their hours of operation. That, coupled with hiring shortages and a drop in customer count, has added to the difficulty of operating in the city, according to the survey.

Jason Gravel, a criminal justice professor at Temple University in Philadelphia said businesses might think twice about opening in area that are prone to looting and other retail crimes.

If police and city leaders are looking to curb property crimes, there are simple, proven strategies, he said. "Patrols, just having people on on foot on bikes, just having a show presence in areas where a lot of this crime is occurring, can prevent some of this to happen," he said.

At least 61 people have been arrested in connection to lootings, which police have called a “coordinated attack."

The looting began Tuesday night after protests in response to charges being dropped against the Philadelphia police officer who killed Eddie Irizarry during a traffic stop. 

“This had nothing to do with the protest,” John Stanford, the interim police commissioner, said following the chaos. “What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists take advantage of a situation and make an attempt to destroy our city.”

But several business owners, including Silmeas, suspect the looting was at related to Irizarry — at least in some ways. 

Jay Pross, whose clothing store was also looted, told CNN that the events are likely connected. 

“For a dozen people to run in and out of my store, I am a small business, and I have nothing to do with what happened with the officer and Eddie Irizarry. I just think it is one person taking the lead and a bunch of others following," he said. 

While Pross told the outlet he will rebuild his business, many others may leave the city. 

"Since this situation has happened, a lot of people say ‘You know what Jay, it is time for you to get out of this city.’ That hurts me because I love it here, I love the people here,” he said. 

“I think that there is a mentality in Philadelphia to get out while you can," he said.