Due to the lack of police enforcement and prosecution by the courts, a segment of the populace has figured out that they can do things like this and get away with it, with no consequences.

There's a segment of the population that seems to believe this kind of looting and other theft/crime is largely a product of poverty; that if we would increase the minimum wage, have more affordable housing, and generally improve the conditions of the working poor, that these crimes would go away.

I believe that kind of thinking is dangerous and foolish.

The punishment for petty crime in cities has been getting smaller and finally reach a threshold that people no longer see it as a real deterrent.

The lack of workers rights, the high price of housing, and the lack of decent social safety nets has helped to create a lot of poor, desperate people and a high property crime rate, high enough that police do not have enough manpower to prevent them or even respond to them.