Over a month ago, the socialist Mayor of NYC, Zohran Mamdani proclaimed that five city-owned (and operated) grocery stores would be built, one in each borough. These stores, he announced to the crowd’s cheers, would sell food at 30% below retail.

This is in addition to his other “popular” actions. These include freezing rents on a million apartments, taxing second homes, and a host of other American- and New York-style socialist measures, “for the people” and “for the children.” Again, the (no doubt, hand-picked) crowds have cheered.

But…

Apparently, many of the small grocery store owners and operators – often immigrant businessmen and women working hard to make a go of it in America – have and are protesting him. They see it differently: big, powerful government competing unfairly with small, family-owned businesses. And at a significant disadvantage. Mamdani’s super-dooper markets won’t have to pay high (insane) property taxes, will get subsidized by the City and State governments, and get much of their overhead expenses paid for and done by City bureaucrats.

They are, of course, ticked. Mamdani is changing the rules. Playing stupid government games.

So they are going all out to fight Dear Leader and his minions.

Here at TPOL we are reminded of several recent events.

When the Rodney King riots terrorized Los Angeles, the LAPD wasn’t allowed to help defend small, local businesses. Just as a few years later, in Minneapolis, the riots over the death of George Floyd destroyed small businesses and cops were viewed as the enemy. And as is more and more common today, modern Woke street-warriors rushed in to push the chaos and destruction.

In LA, decades ago, there was not the nationwide mobilization of street fighters and others to “occupy” the city, and those portions in turmoil. And the Korean and other “ethnic” businessmen and women fought back, using their God-given rights (recognized by the US Constitution if not by LA or CA politicians) and protected their businesses with armed force.

In Minneapolis, apparently they were not allowed to do so – we do not recall hearing anyone who defended a business nor a home with a gun. And mobs swept in and much was destroyed. The supposed killer was railroaded.

Who knows what will come of Mamdami’s communist takeover in NYC?

But perhaps more to the point, in many countries, small businesses, their employees, and their customers have little choice but to take to the streets and protest. And all too often, their protests turn violent and ugly: enough go for looting and worse to make everything worse.

But even in NYC, it appears that the relatively poor immigrant business people are willing to try to get the courts to intervene first. Will that work?

We don’t know, but again, Mamdani should count his blessings that the long-suffering businesses of NYC do not, at this point, seem to be resorting to convening the Street Senate. NYPD and NYFD seem to have a lot to be thankful for, as well.

But things can change quickly. The lessons of Paris, of Berlin, of Petrograd and Moscow, remind us how quickly they can change for the worse. Food riots are a natural outcome of chaos and government taking control of, or competing with, private enterprise.