Car thefts are on the rise in St. Louis, and why wouldn't they be? Kimberly Gardner, the circuit attorney, is a George-Soros-backed, pro-crime prosecutor. Only 25% of crimes have been prosecuted in the city since she took office.
Of the cases Gardner is interested in prosecuting, the most famous is when she went after Mark and Patricia McCloskey for brandishing weapons on their property to discourage rioters from attacking them or destroying their home: charges which resulted in a pardon from the governor.
Of course, political prosecutions take up a lot of time, so there's not much time left over for Gardner to prosecute actual crime, like car thefts.
This headline says it all:
So what's the city's solution to all the car thieveries?
Why, sue the auto makers for making the cars so easy to steal of course.
The city has focused on Hyundai and its subsidiary Kia as their targets for the lawsuit. Gardner and St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones have singled out these two automakers because of a viral TikTok challenge using the hashtag "Kia Boys," which demonstrates how certain models of Kias and Hyundais can be stolen with a screwdriver and a USB cord. The models in question are not equipped with electric immobilizers.
That's why the city leaders claim car thefts are on the rise.
It has nothing to do with the removal of all deterrence from the criminal justice system in their minds.
City Counselor Sheena Hamilton wrote the automakers:
With this letter, the city demands that Kia and Hyundai mitigate the defective conditions providing thieves – including teenagers as young as 13 – the instrumentalities by which they are destroying property, endangering city drivers and themselves, and, in some cases, committing violent felonies. Kia and Hyundai's defective vehicles have caused a public safety crisis in the city, endangering the health, safety, and peace of all those who live, work or visit the city. Your companies bear the responsibility to mitigate the public nuisance your negligence has created for the city and its residents.
Hyundai Motor America spokesperson Ira Gabriel told Fox News that the company received the letter from the City of St. Louis and provided a formal response:
"Our vehicles are not defective and comply with all applicable safety regulations. Notwithstanding this, we have been working cooperatively with the St. Louis Police Department and the police departments in other communities to provide our assistance in responding to these thefts. We have provided the St. Louis Police Department and police departments elsewhere with steering wheel locks so that they can distribute them to our customers affected by these criminal acts. We continue looking for meaningful ways to support law enforcement efforts," he continued. Gabriel also noted that a security kit that helps shield cars from the thefts is available at Hyundai dealers and authorized installers.
In addition, all Hyundais and Kias after 2021 will be equipped with immobilizers, which should raise prices for everyone.
Without criminal deterrence though, it will just be a matter of time before someone figures out how to bypass that system too.
So, what's next?
- Sue the window manufacturers for making their glass too easy to break and causing home burglaries?
- Sue the cash register companies for making their cash registers too easy to open when there's a gun in your face?
- How about suing the spreadsheet software companies for making it too easy to fudge the numbers and embezzle money?
