LA’s Crime Surge Migrates to Wealthy, Whiter Zip Codes of Boldface Names

LA’s Crime Surge Migrates to Wealthy, Whiter Zip Codes of Boldface Names
The Hollywood sign in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2005. David McNew/Getty Images
James Varney
RealClearInvestigations
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On March 22, in the broad daylight of a typically gorgeous day in Beverly Hills, thieves in hoodies and sunglasses took a sledgehammer to the plate glass window of Peter Sedghi’s boutique and furiously rummaged through the shards. In less than 90 seconds, the robbers stole more than $3 million worth of jewels. Two days later, in response to a wave of high-end robberies, the Los Angeles Police Department announced there would be no arrests. Instead, it cautioned Hollywood residents not to wear high-quality jewelry in public.

“Beverly Hills is one of the most affluent, safest neighborhoods in the world and now everyone is scared,” Sedghi said. “All of my clients—no one wears anything.”

James Varney is staff writer at RealClearPolitics. Previously he was a national correspondent for The Washington Times. Varney is currently based in Mandeville, Louisiana.
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