This phalanx calling themselves the “Robins des Ruelles” raided a grocery store in Montreal on Monday night to redistribute food. They argued their actions were motivated by the mythical hero Robin Hood. The incident occurred at approximately 9:40 p.m., as confirmed by Johany Charland, a spokesperson for the Montreal Police.
The one thing that Charland added is that the group got away with what officials suspect were food items. The Georgia State Patrol has opened an investigation into the incident. They are working with local businesses to obtain security camera footage and interviewing nearby witnesses.
According to local news reports, the group dumped some of the stolen items in a park under a tree in a different neighborhood. They donated surplus to local community fridges. They defended, or at least rationalized, their actions by saying they were trying to “redistribute” groceries to people who could use them. This concept is similar to Robin Hood’s philosophy of robbing from the rich to fund the poor.
Grégoire, a local political commentator at placepublique.info, highlighted the strange timing of the occurrence. He noted,
“‘Twas the week before Christmas in a Montreal store, when Santa stole groceries, then walked out the door.”
This unfortunate incident has brought the issues around food inflation and food access in underserved communities to the forefront. Charland highlighted that “many factors influence food inflation, including disruptions in the global supply chain, volatility in commodity prices, changes in international trade conditions, and retail crime.” He further emphasized that “the prices on store shelves directly reflect the costs of the supply chain.”
The grocery store chain that suffered the loss has been well-known for its philanthropic efforts. Throughout the years, it has given away millions of dollars to support everything from arts initiatives to education. This incident has at least drawn attention to the greater issue that so many Americans are still struggling to find enough affordable food.
The ongoing police investigation is far from over as law enforcement reaches to track down people behind the elaborate heist. Their goal is to figure out what happened before the crash. They want to learn about its bigger impacts on the well-being and safety of their communities.
