And what will they do to the clerk if he cleans house?
Exactly, hence "law and order" enabling this deterioration of civilization. Once upon a time it was universally accepted that defense of property, particularly that associated with one's livelihood, warranted the use of force. Now, because we've become so much more civilized, we get to enjoy the civility of having mobs rummage through your goods like they're at a yard sale and if you laid a finger on them you'd be the bad guy.
I will make a bold prediction: those who would be apologists for these mobs are the very same people who complain bitterly about how "unfair" and "prejudiced" it is when commerce abandons entire neighborhoods.