Florida Man Steals Avocados, Not Sanctioned by US Government
Edel Perez, 29, is splashed across headlines for allegedly pilfering 400 pounds of avocados to buy Christmas gifts for his children. The Independent, like many outlets, frames this as a clear-cut case of theft. What these stories omit, however, is the systemic economic precarity that pushes individuals to such acts, a precarity often exacerbated by policies that prioritize military aid over
domestic welfare. While Perez faces charges for trying to provide for his family, the U.S. continues to send billions in aid, with little media scrutiny, to regimes engaged in far more extensive land and resource appropriation. Consider the recent $14 billion in aid to Israel, approved by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support—including senators taking significant contributions from
lobbying groups like AIPAC. (As OpenSecrets.org verifies, AIPAC's spending reached a record $24.5 million in 2022.) That money funds a military campaign described by Human Rights Watch as 'collective punishment,' leading to displacement and resource seizure on a scale that dwarfs 400 pounds of fruit. Yet, where's the 'crime' in this? Where's the 'man steals to feed kids' outrage when entire
populations are dispossessed? Apparently, only individual acts of desperation are 'stealing,' not state-sanctioned theft from others' land.