On a couple of occasions, we have lamented the lack of arrests being made following the mass looting and destruction taking place when “peaceful protests” transform into riots after dark in several American cities. This is particularly true in Chicago, where even Mayor Lori Lightfoot has complained that the rioters who destroyed and emptied the Miracle Mile seemed to have “no fear of consequences” for their actions. Well, perhaps there is a light at the end of this particular tunnel. The Chicago PD has managed to arrest one of the looters from the Miracle Mile carnage on Monday, August 10. Of course, in the case of Taeshia Rochon, perhaps they didn’t have to call in their top detectives to crack the case. Rochon fired up her camera and live-streamed herself robbing two stores on Facebook. Hang on for the video because it struck me as quite educational. But first, the basics of the story from CBS Chicago.

A woman has been arrested and charged after authorities said she posted Facebook Live videos of herself looting two stores a week ago Monday morning.

A tip to the Looting Task Force police set up after the chaos led to the arrest of Taeshia Rochon, 22, police said.

Rochon was charged with two felony counts of burglary and two felony counts of looting.

In Central Bond Court Monday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said Rochon posted two Facebook live videos of herself inside a Nordstrom and Sunglass Hut during the looting on Monday, Aug. 10.

This video is roughly four minutes long, but I would suggest that it’s well worth a look, not just for the flagrant stupidity on display by someone filming themselves committing a crime, but the attitude of Rochon and her pals as they go about their “business.” She can be heard laughing and giggling as the crew breaks up the stores, destroying security devices meant to deter theft and chatting casually about how to get the goods loose and who should take what. Ironically, at one point she yells “I can’t breathe.” But it’s not because there’s a cop putting her in a chokehold. She’s just panting because she’s jogging from place to place looking for things to steal. Take a look via YouTube and make sure the sound is on.

https://youtu.be/olRfZmUcjv4

Listening to the entire thing you will note one point of interest. There isn’t a single mention of George Floyd or police violence, inequality or justice. There is no protesting of any sort. This was simply a massive group of opportunistic criminals with zero regard for the property of the stores, the future jobs of the employees or the safety of those around them. It was a prolonged orgy of smash and grab theft, without a care in the world for whether or not they might run into the police.

And why would they care? They clearly knew that the Chicago PD was busy back out on the streets with all of the other rioters who were setting fire to the city and destroying one of the higher end shopping districts in Chicago. And even where there are cops in the vicinity, they’ve gotten so little support from the municipal government that many of them are far more concerned with whether or not they can qualify for retirement at this point than trying to tangle with a mob of this size.

I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but every time you hear some BLM activist talking about defunding the police or asking why people can’t imagine a world without the cops, point them to this video. This is what a world without cops looks like. Broken glass, rampant theft, arson, and inner cities driven further into ruin.

When I point out incidents of legitimate violence or misconduct by rogue police officers, I am frequently taken to task for describing them as “a few bad apples.” In reality, it’s an apt description because the number of cops who go bad isn’t even a rounding error in the nation’s total police force. But looking at this video of Chicago’s Miracle Mile last week, allow me to ask another question in return. Does this look like “a few bad apples” in an otherwise huge crowd of “peaceful protesters?” Does it look like “outside agitators” coming into the city to cause trouble? Get back to me when you have an answer. I’ll wait.