Capitalism and cause and effect are mysteries, to be sure. High end groceries aren't opening in poor, predominately white neighborhoods either.
Obesity rates in the inner city would say that a food dessert is a good thing....
Just judging from the heading (haven’t read the piece) I’d guess that this “food desert” is somewhere in the vicinity of Martin Luther King Blvd.
There are tens of millions of potential customers in ‘LaHood’ (a little RINO terminology). The ones that choose to not work are loaded with food stamps and can buy virtually anything in a supermarket. Because of this situation, the big chains would LOVE to serve those markets.
So, it’s up to Atlanta. If you don’t want to put criminals in jail, you won’t have the nice supermarkets. If you are willing to put criminals in jail, you will have the nice supermarkets.
It is up to the elected officials there, which means ultimately the voters - and, so far, they have chosen to go without the supermarkets.
My message to that community: Go Fix Yourself.
These "urbanites" steal from stores daily without fear of prosecution because of Soros funded District Attorneys, then they whine when the store closes temporarily because some "urbanite" stole the power wiring to sell for cash, or the store closes permanently because they're operating at a loss due to all the theft.
Cry me a f***ing river. Even a dog is smart enough to know not to crap where it eats. Enjoy your "food desert" you urbanites. You earned it.
Sounds like an opportunity for Oprah and Beyoncé to open grocery stores in underserved minority communities….but I doubt that’ll happen.
Pretty obvious why some communities are redlined and it has nothing to do with their race but rather their culture.
Conditions in ghetto areas make it more expensive to operate. Higher insurance, more shoplifting and internal theft, you have to pay good people more money to go there, etc.
But the chains CANNOT charge more to cover the increased costs, or they will have a local news reporter-slut doing a segment on why the same can of corn costs $x in white-area store and $2x in black area store (answer: "RACISM!")
What is the cost of an individual shoplifting a few items? Perhaps not much in the grand scheme of things but the truth is it is not just individuals and it is not just a few things.
Shoplifting (with the aid of liberal politicians) have made shoplifting a cottage industry. In California where they no longer prosecute shoplifters, you will find “homeless” camps around most big box stores. The “homeless” use these stores as their pantries.
In other places shoplifting is an organized sport. I would not be surprised if some don’t go in with shopping list.
So for those living in high crime areas the cost is higher prices if the stores remain open, or no stores within their area (so called food deserts).
Can the problem be solved? Yes, if we had the will. Unfortunately powerful groups actually like the way things are right now and they would fight any effort to fix the problem. So the answer is, we currently don’t have the will.
How many months before the govt orders grocery chains to open in high-theft, low income areas? They order us to wear masks, they tell us what we can teach our children, they order us to get shots.
Another bright solution the govt will invent is “give them more food stamps”. You can have a million dollars of food stamps, but if there are no accessible stores, you’re screwed. Kind of like Obamacare, you’ll have insurance, but there are no doctors. GOVERNMENT SCREWS UP EVERYTHING !
“... location decisions made by food retailers are evidence of intentional disinvestment in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color.”
Of course they are. This is not directly a poverty or PoC issue. It is a financial issue.
Police defunding => higher crime + looting => loss of businesses
Why would these businesses throw money away? People need, and will buy, food, regardless of their race or income level. However, if their stores are being looted and burned (and insurance and security costs go through the roof) there is no profit to be made.
Food deserts - coming to a BLM neighborhood near you.
I can imaging the discussions going on in the grocery chain main offices:
Young GC planner: “Look [on the map], here’s a large populated area where we could place a store. No competitor within miles.”
Old GC2 planner: “Yeah, we had a store there years ago. Shoppers would load up their carts and sprint out the door without paying. At night people would break in and empty the shelves. Police took hours to respond to the alarm. Occasionally someone would be caught, but they would be released without charges. We’re not going through that again.”
Groceries stores run on very thin margins. A penny here and a penny there is the difference between making a profit or a loss.
Shoplifting, security, repairs, higher insurance makes this unsustainable.
Stores don’t stay in “underserved areas” because they are robbed blind and can’t make a profit. Everyone knows this, but no one will say it. Least of all some idiot from Columbia J school who never thought to ask why stores close.
So long as they’re not closing The Varsity ....
Would this, by any chance, be in a predominantly blak section of Atlanta?
Then fix your communities.