Mich. Police Prepare for Worst if SNAP Funds Cut amid Shutdown

Police departments around the Detroit area are on alert after people took to social media threatening to loot grocery stores if they lose access to food aid because of the federal government shutdown.

By George Hunter

Source The Detroit News

Oct. 31, 2025

5 min read

DETROIT—Metro Detroit police officials and grocery store owners said they're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst if more than a million Michiganians lose access to food aid amid the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1.

State officials announced last week that food benefits for 1.4 million Michiganians would be delayed in November due to insufficient funding during the federal shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture previously said 42 million people across the country would not receive their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, starting Nov. 1.

Following the announcement, dozens of people took to social media threatening to loot stores if their SNAP benefits are cut off.

Local police officials have taken note and are preparing for possible trouble.

"We have become aware of social media postings of individuals who have stated they would take groceries without payment," Highland Park Police Chief James McMahon said in a statement. "As a result, we are deploying special attention units to grocery stores, markets and other stores that supply food. These units will work with the businesses and consumers to address any challenges that may arise from these types of situations."

Southfield Police also have a plan in place if the benefits get cut off, Police Chief Elvin Barren said.

"We are aware of the concern (over people losing benefits)," Barren said. "Dispatchers and patrol officers have been notified. We directed our officers to provide special attention to the grocery stores."

The Detroit Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Sami Bahoua, who has owned the Liberty Food Center on W. McNichols in Detroit since 1986, said he's preparing for problems.

"We are afraid," Bahoua said. "There are a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck, who are on a limited income, and we really don't know what's going to happen if their benefits get cut off. Everything is in the air right now, and we're trying to prepare, although we're not sure exactly what we're preparing for."

Aside from security concerns, Bahoua said he's worried about not being able to sell perishable items.

"We just did a bare-minimum order," he said. "We have nothing in the back, and we ordered very little fruit. I don't want to lose money."

Grocers "will definitely feel the impact (if SNAP benefits are cut off)," said Vic Veda, spokeswoman for the Michigan Retailers Association, the umbrella organization for the Michigan Grocers Association.

"Many of our grocers rely on SNAP contributions, and the volume of produce will drop drastically if people can't purchase groceries," Veda said. "We encourage our retails to take extra security precautions if they think it's necessary. Worker safety is always a top priority, and we want everyone to do whatever they can to keep everyone safe."

SNAP benefits in Michigan are released over the first three weeks of the month, depending on the recipient's Social Security number.

Michigan's elected leaders are taking steps to try to fill the void. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the state would provide $4.5 million to the Food Bank Council of Michigan to feed families. On Thursday, the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 27-4 in favor of a stopgap proposal that would allocate $50 million to aid low-income individuals and households in buying food and $21 million to food banks and other assistance programs. But the legislation needs to lay over for five days before the Republican-led House can vote on the measure.

If lawmakers get the money approved and over for Whitmer's signature or if the shutdown ends in the next week, only the households that get their payments at the start of the month would see a delay.

In New York, the head of the Bodega Alliance, a group of store owners, pleaded with residents not to loot the group's businesses if SNAP benefits are shut off.

“We are just afraid that if they come in and loot, and one of the bodega owners or workers intervene, they could be shot, they could get stabbed, they could get killed,” Bodega Alliance founder Fernando Mateo told the New York Post. “And that’s what we want to prevent.”

The New York Post, citing anonymous law enforcement sources, reported that Walmart and grocery stores throughout New York state are being threatened with mass looting.

A Columbus, Ohio Dollar General store boarded up its windows this week in preparation for possible looting if SNAP benefits are cut, although the store later removed the barriers.

The Barstow Police Department in California is also preparing for possible looting, the department said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

"We understand that these circumstances may cause additional stress for many families," the department said. "To help ensure the safety of residents, customers, and business owners, officers will be conducting extra patrols around local grocery stores, convenience stores, and shopping centers. These increased patrols are not in response to any specific incident, but are a preventive measure to maintain public safety, deter theft, and reassure the community that law enforcement is present and ready to help."

Barbara Williamson, an employee of Savon Foods Super Market on Livernois in Detroit, said she's trying to stay optimistic.

"This will hurt both sides, citizens and businesses," Williamson said. "Hopefully, the politicians can get their act together and avoid all that. I'm not going to think negative; I think they'll get it together."

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