On the surface, the story is already infuriating enough. But this, along with other stories, illustrates a deeper and more disturbing reality bubbling below the surface.

On Wednesday, footage went viral on social media showing the encounter. The video featured a man behind the counter at a 7-11 shoveling packs of cigarettes into a trash can as the workers repeatedly told him to stop. At one point, the thief threatened to shoot the two men, and his hands went toward his waistband. It is not known whether he actually had a firearm on his person.

The bystander filming the encounter can be heard saying, “Just let him go – there ain’t nothing you can do. They’re not going to do nothing.” The comments seemed to reflect the series of organized shoplifting thefts that have plagued many California cities over the past few years.

Later in the video, one of the employees grapples with the robber and takes him down to the floor just before his co-worker begins beating him with a broomstick, with the bystander cheering them on. He later asks the shoplifter if he is ready to give up, to which the suspect answers in the affirmative. “Yeah, I’m done,” he wailed. “I’m going to go.”

Seems like a pretty open-and-shut case, doesn’t it? The two men stopped this would-be thief from stealing their property and possibly threatening their lives.

Unfortunately, since this incident occurred in the Democratic People’s Republic of California, this isn’t the end of the story. The city decided it would be a good idea to investigate these men who could be facing criminal charges.

Did I call it or what? pic.twitter.com/hK24ISu0NO

— Jeff Charles, King of the Nonwhites🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) August 6, 2023

Unfortunately, the local press is on board with potentially punishing these men for defending their property. The Modesto Bee’s editorial board published an op-ed slamming the employees for beating the individual trying to steal their property and also threatening them:

No wonder two 7-11 clerks in Stockton who battered a would-be shoplifter with a wooden rod are being investigated by police, as reported on TV news. Although brazen stealing is frustrating, costly and dangerous to store employees, confronting it with violence that far exceeds self-defense is not the answer.

The article notes that while state law allows “a homeowner the right to confront an intruder with deadly force,” this right “does not extend to commercial property subjected to shoplifting.”

The piece also cited reporter Dominique Williams, who explained that if there is no “immediate threat to their own or others’ safety, citizens should be encouraged to let police handle the situation.”

And therein lies the rub.

Where the hell were the police during this entire encounter? Were they present on hand to stop this thievery from happening? It is not known whether the men had already contacted law enforcement, but chances are they would not have shown up until after the theft – or something worse – had already occurred.

The crux of the matter rests on the fact that folks like the ones governing California’s cities want to place citizens in a situation in which they either have to hope the police show up in time to defend them or simply allow themselves to be victimized. There is no in-between. There is little ability for one to defend themselves or their property.

It is for this reason that these people want as many Americans as possible to be unarmed. These folks do not want us to be our own first line of defense if evil people decide to attack us or our property. We either rely on the government, or we just let bad actors have their way with us.

It is absolutely despicable.

Reasonable people can squabble over whether the Sikh men went too far in protecting their property. But the notion that they should be thrown in a cage is ridiculous. It reveals the terrifying reality that these progressive governments would rather protect criminals than those victimized by them.