A shocking clip making the rounds shows a flash mob of teens storming a 7-Eleven and ransacking the shelves while the robbers record themselves and celebrate the chaos they caused. The footage is raw and unfiltered — customers and the store owner are left stunned as the mob grabs anything they can and flees before police arrive.

At one point, a masked youth brazenly tells a bystander and the terrified store worker that the theft is “worth it” because his face isn’t showing on camera, a line that sums up the contempt these kids have for private property and for the law. That smug, defiant moment is the kind of image that burns into the public conscience and exposes what happens when consequences vanish and permissiveness rules.

Employees were left battered and frightened, with reports that a clerk was injured and had to hit the panic button as the mob threatened staff and destroyed property. This isn’t playground mischief — it’s violent, organized theft that puts everyday workers at risk and turns neighborhood businesses into targets.

We’ve seen this playbook before: street takeovers, social-media-organized “ride outs,” and flash mobs that move faster than police and exploit cities where prosecutors and politicians refuse to impose real penalties. California in particular has become a laboratory for what happens when public safety takes a back seat to political optics, and national chains and mom-and-pop stores alike are paying the price.

Let’s be honest: this is the predictable outcome of soft-on-crime policies and a culture that excuses bad behavior instead of holding criminals accountable. Hardworking Americans who open stores, stock shelves, and serve customers don’t deserve to be collateral damage to experiments in leniency and moral relativism.

The answer isn’t more excuses — it’s law and order, parental accountability, and swift prosecution of adults and juveniles who plan and participate in these organized crimes. Communities must demand that elected officials stop playing politics with public safety and start protecting citizens, employees, and small businesses.

Every time voters look away, these flash mobs grow bolder. If you care about the safety of your neighborhood and the dignity of honest work, now is the time to stand up, speak out, and vote for leaders who will restore order and defend the rule of law.