Barbed Wire Rings Santa Monica Place to Prevent Smash and Grab Robberies on a Nervous Thanksgiving

Shoppers on Thanksgiving Day 2021 report barbed wire (or razor wire) surrounding Santa Monica's one modern shopping mall, Santa Monica Place. "I was surprised about the barbed wire, since the shops were supposed to open at 8 pm Thursday night, for Black Friday sales," said one shopper named Jody.

The barriers are apparently a response to recent smash and grab" robberies that gangs have committed in Major California cities, including San Francisco, Hayward, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, and The Grove.

Located between downtown Santa Monica and City Hall, Santa Monica Place features department stores like Nordstrom's, high end shops like Louis Vuitton, and other boutiques. This Christmas season, Santa Claus and his elves will be there taking photos with kids.

The San Francisco DAs office announced today that it would charge nine people with felonies for participating in Bay Area smash and grab robberies. Simultaneously, the LAPD said that three had been arrested for participating in Los Angeles area smash and grab robberies.

Other US States have also experienced smash and grab robberies. Chicago in particular has experienced what may have been intended to coincide with rallies to protest the Rittenhouse verdict. By and large, those rallies never appeared.