First I went to say hear hear to Andy's statement concerning economic racism. As someone who went to high school on the Northside and who worked at the Target on West Broadway, it's not hard to see that poor folks of color in that area have traditionally had little access to decent groceries (Jerry's New Market does NOT qualify) or retail options. Target has been a long term source of easily accessible household goods for prices that poor folks can afford. Opportunity costs such as time and transportation costs significantly hit poor communities harder, and with the closing of the Target on West Broadway those costs will go up significantly for the communities in that area.
I stopped in at Target this morning to see my Mother. The atmosphere in the store, particularly amongst the employees was grim. Employees have been guarenteed employment somewhere else in the company, without a corresponding loss of pay and/or ranking, but for many of these folks that store and their co-workers have created a community of mutual support. My Mom today was fairly eloquent in expressing what losing that community will mean for her. Her close friends and support circle are all based around her work experience at that Target. When a store that has existed in a community for a significant amount of time closes, more than just jobs and convenience are lost.
Brandon Lacy Campos Powderhorn Park
Chair National Lavender Green Caucus Green Party of the United States
Lavender Greens: www.lavendergreens.org BrownTones: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~brandonl/ YouthAction: www.youthaction.net
Chair National Lavender Green Caucus Green Party of the United States
Lavender Greens: www.lavendergreens.org BrownTones: http://galileo.spaceports.com/~brandonl/ YouthAction: www.youthaction.net
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