Socialist Lawmaker Suggests Shoplifters Should Get Pass If They Steal For ‘Biological Need’
A New York socialist lawmaker says people who swipe basic goods from stores shouldn’t face charges because they have a “biological need” for what they take.
State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher made the argument Thursday at a news conference outside Manhattan Criminal Court, according to the New York Post. Gallagher is a Democrat who represents parts of northern Brooklyn. She told reporters that most theft cases she had reviewed involved essentials, and that arresting anyone over such items amounts to punishing poverty.
“Most of what we saw were crimes of poverty-people who are stealing things like toothpaste, people who were stealing things like, you know, soap. And that means if you’re stealing those things, you need them,” Gallagher said in a video posted on X. She added that the city protects “billion-dollar companies, like CVS and Walgreens” over struggling residents, and called it a “true crime” that people can be jailed “simply for having a biological need.” (RELATED: Democrats Want ID For Hot Pockets But Not For Voting?)
Gallagher joined other left-wing officials and advocates from Court Watch NYC at the event, the Post reported. The group said it tracked 360 arraignments across four days and found more than half involved misdemeanor charges. The officials pressed Mayor Zohran Mamdani to abandon “broken windows” enforcement targeting low-level offenses.
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A member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Gallagher wants to swap jail for treatment and has backed easing penalties on fare evasion and public urination, according to Todd Starnes. She shared the clip on her own X account, writing that no one should be arrested or jailed for taking toothpaste. Her district covers Williamsburg and Greenpoint.
Retail theft fell 15.3% across the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same stretch last year, with drops in all five boroughs, according to NYPD data. Fox 5 New York reported the city is tracking toward its safest year on record. Retailers have locked merchandise behind plastic cases as Walgreens estimates roughly $250,000 in losses per store, Starnes reported.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola told the Post that lawmakers “now advocating for thievery is going to push even more of them to close shop.” Councilwoman Vickie Paladino wrote on X that officials like Gallagher “want to enable this very activity.”
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