Trader Joe's drops Black-Neighborhood Store plan

Associated Press, 14 hours ago


PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Trader Joe's grocery-store chain has dropped a plan to open a new store in the heart of the city's historically African-American neighborhood after activists said the development would price black residents out of the area.

The grocer, whose stores are found in urban neighborhoods across the nation, said Monday it wouldn't press its plan, given community resistance, The Oregonian reported.

"We open a limited number of stores each year, in communities across the country," it said in a statement. "We run neighborhood stores, and our approach is simple: If a neighborhood does not want a Trader Joe's, we understand, and we won't open the store in question."

The Portland Development Commission had offered a steep discount to the grocer on a parcel of nearly two acres that was appraised at up to $2.9 million: a purchase price of slightly more than $500,000. The lot is at Northeast Alberta Street and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and has been vacant for years.

Critics said the development would displace residents and perpetuate income inequality in one of the most rapidly gentrifying ZIP codes in the nation.

The Portland African American Leadership Forum said the development commission had in the past made promises about preventing projects from displacing community members but hadn't fulfilled them.

It sent the city a letter saying it would "remain opposed to any development in N/NE Portland that does not primarily benefit the Black community." It said the grocery-store development would "increase the desirability of the neighborhood," for "non-oppressed populations."

Mayor Charlie Hales and the urban renewal agency's executive director, Patrick Quinton, signed a letter in January that described what they said was the commission's contributions "to the destructive impact of gentrification and displacement on the African American community."

Trader Joe's is based in Monrovia, Calif. Its store would have been the anchor of a two-building development that included space for four to 10 shops and 100 parking spaces. A company owned by African-Americans in Portland had been slated to build it.

Hales said Monday it was too soon to determine what might happen to the vacant lot.

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http://news.yahoo.com/trader-joe-39-drops-black-neighborhood-store-plan-224732374.html

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:smt108 What did I just read??

 

I'm fucking floored right. A corporation that actually acts in interest of the people

 

Acts in interest as in, pulls out when asked to?
or as in...they wanted to bring their great business to the area?

 

Both

 

unbelievable...what do they want? another trashy walmart? i wish trader joes would knock down a few old buildings and put a store in my neighborhood so i could watch my property value go up...

 

The metro area I live in has at least five Wal-Marts, maybe six. I would gladly trade two of them for one Trader Joe's. And Trader Joe's pays their employees more than Wal-Mart, which is also a plus.

 

Then the property value sores and the people in the area who rent can't afford to be there anymore.

 

If your complaint is that there are economic issues in your community and then you complain about businesses moving in, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth.

Maybe the smarter thing to do would be to work with Trader Joe's to insure that local people would get hiring priority, and that Trader Joe's uses area specific pricing.

And since a Black owned Construction company was going to do the work, it is doubly stupid.

Misguided gentrification can be destructive. So that is why black leaders need to work with businesses not against them.

 

The evolving story of Brooklyn today. All the average Manhattanites are running from the ridiculous real estate prices, where a shoe box cost 1 million dollars and they can get a Brooklyn brownstone for a quarter of that and the rent prices are more palatable to their appetite over the ridiculousness that is Manhattan, where property only exists for the Wall Street Banker types.

It can certainly help revitalize the area, but then what about the folks who were living in Brooklyn all along and now can't afford to in their own area. Hmmm.

Gentrification unfettered can be highly uncool. Its why communities have to organize and speak to have their presence respected and not be priced out of somewhere they have lived for a long time.

 

Next will be the Bronx, I see it already. Its ridiculous. What happens when the people have no where to go?

 

Yep, I guess packed on top of each other in a New York City Housing Authority Projects I guess.

That is one good thing about De Blasio coming in as Mayor, he seems to be someone who will take those kind of issues with a bit more understanding from the viewpoint of residents who face these issues, where Bloomberg was all about business and what is good for business.

Its somewhat ironic that many who whites had ran from Brooklyn and Bronx in the 60's to the suburbs of Long Island and the outer areas of the city proper, their grand children are now coming back. I was in downtown Brooklyn the other day and was like, damn a lot of white folks here now.

 

Fam you know its crazy when I'm being invited to book readings in Bushwick lol

 

This. Though I have to give major props for Trader Joes for not opening up. But I seriously wonder what drugs these activists are taking or what companies are paying them.

When are these "activists" going to complain about the other crappy chains in the area that take money out of the community? Where is the complaints about the MCDONALDS or other chain grocery stores in the area? A store known for selling healthy products is trying to set up shop, and activists deem this as too white. That philosophy is just fucking retarded.

So essential the crappiest products, and genetically modified organism crap should be fed to the black community, but good healthy organic quality Trader Joes food is a big no no. These "Activists" are much like the black overseers telling the slaves to stay on the plantation. Trader Joes is not whole foods, and is somewhat affordable. Even just buying their RBST growth hormone free milk is miles in the healthy direction. Also Trader Joes actually pays workers slightly above minimum wage, and gives health insurance to part time workers, but clearly this is not beneficial to the community according to the activists.

This idea held by many Blacks, and Hispanics that eating healthy foods, and succeeding academically is "Being too white" is quite frankly doing the work of white racists for them. Many plantations were self run with black overseers keeping everyone in line. Its things like this, and continued faith in the religion of "Slaves obey your earthly masters." makes me face palm when meeting many a black person.

These activists playing on ignorance basically prevented a good business to open up, and leaves any rational person baffled.

 

i'm very excited that trader joes is coming to denver...i have shopped them in minneapolis and love the store...they are not as expensive as whole foods and carry a different selection than your run of the mill grocery store:heart:

 

:smt043:smt043:smt043

More white women to interact with in that neck of the woods.

 

as someone who knows ppl in portland this is a case of blacks not wanting nice things and so what if was a black company building it? the 2nd part is a smoke screen. if portland had fair hiring practices then the black company would be getting it's share of business anyway. since the article mentions them tells you they don't.

all gentrification is bad. remember you only need to fix areas that have been neglected. so the fact that these areas have been ignored makes you catious.

 

way to argue strawmen. tj may be a good box store but it's still a box store. just like walmart they get benefits that local businesses don't. that 10 dollar job doesn't really mean that much when black purchasing power is leaving the community.

 

The ironic thing is, the land was sitting EMPTY for YEARS! Bringing property values DOWN, providing ZERO jobs. Talk about cutting their noses to spite their face!

The 'leaders' also act as if there are no Black home or business owners who wouldn't also benefit from the value of the area elevating. Not to mention higher property values directly tie to funding better education for the local kids.

And it's not like Trader Joe's is GOOGLE or MICROSOFT coming TO 'INVADE' with outrageous salaries and specialized skills required, whose employees willingly uproot to go live nearby, it's a bloody supermarket!! focusing on healthy foods at affordable costs, that pays its primarily unskilled workers a decent salary. The fuck??

 

Well DeBlasio is in direct conflict with the Democratic Governor. 'Cause I just saw a commercial Cuomo ran, begging for businesses to come to NY with a promise of FREE TAXES for 10 years. (Democratic Philly already offers the same thing, and has for years, sometimes with 15 year offers).

http://startup-ny.com/

Business will be able to locate in these zones and operate 100% tax-free for 10 years.

No income tax.
No business or corporate state or local taxes.
No sales tax.
No property tax.
No franchise fees.

So basically if you're rich/have money/are of the non-oppressed ilk (aka, racist double-speak for WHITEY), and/you will raise property values...stay the hell out, right?