The crime problem in Chicago has continued to chase away private businesses, including Walmart:
A line of Chicago mayors heavily courted Walmart over the last two decades, brushing aside community protests. And Walmart welcomed the opportunity to show cities it could be a strong corporate partner.
But now, Walmart is pulling back from Chicago.
The largest retailer in the country announced plans this week to close four of its eight stores in the city, citing growing financial losses. Three are in predominantly Black and low-income neighborhoods, and their closures with little warning mean residents — including elderly citizens and people without reliable transportation — will have to travel further to buy groceries and pick up their medications.
How should that be addressed? If you're a left-wing politician, the solution is an increase in what's causing the problem in the first place: More government (and taxpayer) involvement:
Mayor Brandon Johnson explores city-owned grocery store in Chicago https://t.co/4oS00zI4sl
— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) September 13, 2023
NEWS: Mayor Brandon Johnson has started a group to explore the possibility of a municipally owned grocery store in Chicago, a city with vast stretches on South and West Side without good shopping options.
— Gregory Pratt (@royalpratt) September 13, 2023
First, maybe the mayor could explain why these areas don't have "good shopping options."
Second, it seems like there would be an easier, more logical way to solve the problem, but at least Mayor Johnson would have made Karl Marx proud.
TFW when a mayor would rather embrace communism than make the streets safe for commerce. https://t.co/jbI2dCAuRC
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) September 14, 2023
The mayor must consider that a more attractive option than controlling crime so businesses don't leave. After all, that's easier than condemning theft and looting, which Johnson has refused to do in the past:
The new mayor of Chicago refuses to condemn looting.
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 17, 2023
pic.twitter.com/lTd9mIm6Rg
More on what Johnson's looking into doing in lieu of controlling crime from the Chicago Tribune:
Johnson announced a partnership with the Economic Security Project to explore the possibility of a city-owned grocery store. The first step will be to perform a feasibility study, though the city did not provide a timeline.
“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 statement. “A better, stronger, safer future is one where our youth and our communities have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive. My administration is committed to advancing innovative, whole-of-government approaches to address these inequities.”
Have you noticed that the more the government "helps" people the worse things get? Funny how that works.
So Chicago taxpayers will now be able to subsidize shoplifting and theft. https://t.co/PUv78X23i1
— EdAsante (@EdAsante77) September 14, 2023
Most likely that's how it would work out, but it seems that most of them voted for it, so here we are.
No talk on the WHY there isn't good food options in these areas? Or is this a root cause this mayor isn't interested in?
— lola larue (@La_Lola_Larue) September 13, 2023
Mayor Johnson won't care to take on the actual reason for the lack of "shopping options," but he apparently is very open to taxpayers funding stores that will get robbed repeatedly by people who won't be arrested for it.
Man, Chicago is about to become Venezuela 2.0
— Brandon Saario (@SaarioBrandon) September 13, 2023
They had a name for those in the USSR .. slips my mind. Shelves were always empty
— Andrew Coffey ☕️ (@coffeygrinds) September 13, 2023
This is why they support the riots, lawlessness and disorder. To kill off small business and then usher in a more communist economy. https://t.co/L1rHBdqBjJ
— Dr S Maitra (@MrMaitra) September 14, 2023
For leftists like Johnson, the more government control the better, and it's too bad ordinary Americans have to pay the price.
