Grocery Stores Abandoned West Garfield Park. Will the City Step In?
There are currently no grocery stores operating in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. An Aldi that operated there for three decades suddenly boarded up their doors in October, and now the Save-A-Lot is temporarily closed after failing a health inspection. Losing a grocery store has big consequences for people living in the neighborhood. It means longer commutes, higher prices, and losing access to healthy foods. It means a community where the average life expectancy is 16 years lower than that of neighboring white, affluent communities is left even more vulnerable to malnutrition and illness. The city could step in to buy the vacant property and facilitate a new grocer coming into the neighborhood. Community members are demanding that whoever moves in be held accountable to its neighbors. WBEZ's Linda Lutton and Director of the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative TJ Crawford join host Jacoby Cochran to discuss what’s next for West Garfield Park.
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