Posted on 09/21/2023 12:39:29 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A failure to address the basics in Chicago didn’t stop the mayor from proposing a new plan to put taxpayers on the hook for government grocery stores.
Since Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) took the reins of the Windy City from his predecessor Lori Lightfoot in May, incidents of major crimes had increased across the board and locals were contending with the uptick in illegal aliens.
With the addition of a massive budget shortfall, the mayor appeared to disregard sources of problems in Chicago to explore a new government program through a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago in neighborhoods that Walmart and Whole Foods had already fled.
“All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options. We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides,” Johnson said in a Sept. 13 press release.
“My administration is committed to advancing innovative, whole-of-government approaches to addressing inequities. I am proud to work alongside partners to take this step in envisioning what a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago could look like,” he added.
In addition to remarks from Johnson, the statement from his office contended, “Historic disinvestment has led to inequitable access to food retail across Chicago, and these existing inequities have been exacerbated as at least six grocery stores closed on the South and West sides over the past two years.”
While the city included data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that estimated between 52 and 63.5% of residents in neighborhoods they were focusing on lived more than half a mile from grocery stores, they claimed “food access and security link directly to environmental and racial justice. 37% of Black residents and 29% of Latine/x residents are food insecure, compared to 19% of residents overall.”
Left out of the release was the fact that big-name retailers like Whole Foods, which shut down a South Side location last year, and Walmart, which had closed three stores in April, were shuttering due to the city’s failure to address rampant crime.
“If it’s not corrected over time,” said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon about the nationwide shoplifting problem that impacted the closures, “prices will be higher, and/or stores will close.”
The company put out a statement when those Chicago locations were closed that said, “The simplest explanation is that collectively our Chicago stores have not been profitable since we opened the first one nearly 17 years ago — these stores lose tens of millions of dollars a year, and their annual losses nearly doubled in just the last five years.”
“The remaining four Chicago stores continue to face the same business difficulties, but we think this decision gives us the best chance to help keep them open and serving the community,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Ameya Pawar, senior advisor for Economic Security Project, the city’s nonprofit partner in exploring the grocery store plan, touted “Not dissimilar from the way a library or the postal service operates, a public option offers economic choice and power to communities. A City-owned grocery store in the South or West side of Chicago would be a viable way to restore access to healthy food in areas that have suffered from historic and systemic disinvestment.”
Johnson too boasted, “A better, stronger, safer future is one where our youth and our communities have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive.”
However, as previously noted, in the six major crime categories, incidents had only increased since Johnson took office leading to the city likely outspending the $210 million used on police overtime in 2022.
At the same time, Johnson admitted that with a budget shortfall of over $500 million, “The projected budget gap paints a realistic picture of our city’s financial condition, which will require careful consideration and strategic action.”
Hospitality advocate Sam Sanchez wrote on X of the mayor’s proposal that the intention was noble “but not a good idea,” that the businesses would lose taxpayer money and the solution was far simpler than officials were admitting.
“Control crime and business will come.”
Makes sense... the city runs in the red every year, what do they care if stuff walks out the door of a store and they lose a few million?
Probably not the way it will work. The city will allow itself to do the policing they wouldn't allow a private business to do.
Government-run businesses. Sounds like socialism to me. And we know how efficient they are, like in the old Soviet Union, Cuba, Venezuela etc. So what if you have to wait in line 8 hours to buy a quart of milk (assuming there’s any on the shelves. It’s “equitable”.
Typical Demonrat idea: put a small Band-Aid on a terminal cancer. Should work just fine! /s
Been done. Soviet years.
Ration cards after two hours of standing in line outside. Only to be disappointed that the rutabagas, potatoes and kale are sold out.
Another month of ramen noodles, Rice a Roni and gruel. 🥣🥣
“The simplest explanation is that collectively our Chicago stores have not been profitable since we opened the first one nearly 17 years ago — these stores lose tens of millions of dollars a year, and their annual losses nearly doubled in just the last five years.“
Chicago deserves their leadership. I hope they get it good and hard.
L
“Gov’t Grocery Store” = Free Food???
A government run grocery store
stocked with government food.
Powdered eggs, big bricks of
cheese, spam, powdered milk.
Of course theft will go down.
Who would want to steal that
stuff?..../s
Let’s see-——
people who have NEVER run a business in their entire lives are proposing to OPEN a store with taxpayer funds to provide goods & services that WORLD KNOWN stores have abandoned.....
This should prove very fascinating.
Have done bookkeeping/accounting for over 66 years.
WOULD NOT TOUCH THIS CLIENT FOR ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY-—NOT AT ALL.
The stupi mayor’s answer to crime is for the very corrupt Chicago city government to run government owned stores. Everything that could possibly go wrong will go wrong.
Well, it is possible that a city-run grocery store will be less inefficient than the average city department. Not likely, but possible. They can run specials on SuperBowl party mix, since they must also believe that Justin Fields will get the Bears to the Superbowl every year that he is the NFL MVP.
it wouldn’t be a government-owned grocery store, it would be a free food pantry because of all the looting.
LOL - as if Chicago’s not broke enough now... what an idiot. Dumber than the last Chicago mayor... and that takes a lot.
This was no advancement. This was planned. Run out the capitalists and instill socialism.
The government has no authority to operate commercial enterprises.
Make it a federal facility, then when the ferals steal the Wagyu beef and grape soda it is a felony.
In third world nations the Constitutions and even the laws are just toilet paper.
The rulers do what they want.
If you import third world people you become third world societies.
If you import third world goods you get a third world standard of living.
Typical government. Treating the symptom… not the cause…
It would be handled best if it gets contracted out. Kim Jong Un might be interested in expanding out of NK and Cuba is looking to get into the US market too. Might as well go with the folks with government grocery experience. /s
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