Are homeless people "exercis[ing] unauthorized control over the property of a retail merchant with the intent to directly or indirectly distribute the property for resale" (quoting the Indiana law)? If you're stealing something and then giving it away for money, we're pretty far from "stealing food to eat" territory. I don't think it's homeless people walking off with power tools.

> A national group retracted its assertion that organized retail crime stole half of missing merchandise.

My understanding of this article is not that they retracted their assertions about the amount of missing merchandise.

My understanding is that they withdrew their assertion that half of the total missing merchandise was attributable to organized crime.

There are two important points to be made here.

1) “missing merchandise” or “shrinkage” if you prefer ≠ theft

2) they, and subsequently the media, heavily implied retail theft was on the rise and not just that, but specifically “boogeyman style theft” even though theft numbers have remained the same

It may just be "unorganized" retail theft though, and not sure why that or race matters

> What is the penalty for lying purposely against a population that cannot afford lawyers for filing a defamation suit?

What lies specifically are you referencing?