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Chicago Mayor Johnson Unveils Tragic Plan - America Insider

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Via: Texan1211 • 3 years ago • 60 comments

By: Carver Malone (America Insider)

Chicago Mayor Johnson Unveils Tragic Plan - America Insider

The Democrat-led city of Chicago is facing skyrocketing crime, homelessness, and drug use, among other problems. As a result, many businesses are fleeing the city. Customers simply refuse to put themselves in harm's way, which causes sales to plummet. This ultimately results in employees losing their jobs as businesses are forced to close. Ken Griffin, […]

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S E E D E D C O N T E N T

Carver Malone

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2 hours ago

The Democrat-led city of Chicago is facing skyrocketing crime, homelessness, and drug use, among other problems.

As a result, many businesses are fleeing the city. Customers simply refuse to put themselves in harm's way, which causes sales to plummet.

This ultimately results in employees losing their jobs as businesses are forced to close. Ken Griffin, who was the richest man in Illinois at $29 billion, moved his multi-billionaire hedge fund Citadel from Illinois to Florida.

Walgreens and Aldi have also shut down stores in Chicago.

Chicago Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson says he wants to open "taxpayer-funded, city-owned grocery stores" in order to deal with the problem of businesses shutting down.

The plan is reminiscent of a socialist or communist agenda, in which the government runs businesses using taxpayer dollars as opposed to the free market.

While the city claims this service is similar to "the public library or post office," many Americans believe it is an alarming move for the government to run local grocery stores.

"All Chicagoans deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery options," Johnson said.

"We know access to grocery stores is already a challenge for many residents, especially on the South and West sides," he continued.

"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," Johnson added.

Nobel intention but not a good idea. This groceries stores will be operating in the red and loosing tax payers money.
Control crime and business will come. https://t.co/hWi5jitCto
— Sam Sanchez (@samsamco) September 13, 2023

The plan is called "the Economic Security Project," which is looking into the possibility of opening city-owned grocery stores.

Economic Security Project senior adviser Ameya Pawar compared the plan to how "the library or the postal service operates."

"The city of Chicago is reimagining the role government can play in our lives by exploring a public option for grocery stores via a municipally owned grocery store and market," Pawar said.

"Not dissimilar from the way a library or the postal service operates, a public option offers economic choice and power to communities."

"All of our stores are closing, and so now we have to go outside our neighborhoods to purchase food," one South Side Chicago resident told CBS News. "I think that's a good idea that Mayor Johnson is picking up the slack where these big store chains are leaving."

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Professor Principal

3 Sean Treacy 3 years ago

I can’t even imagine the boondoggle that will turn into. So many clouted democrats are going to get rich(er) off these. Between this and the tens of millions flowing to democratic special interest groups to “take care of” illegal aliens, it’s never been a Better time to be a connected contractor.

Senior Guide

4 Drinker of the Wry 3 years ago

I’m sure that shoplifting will go to almost zero at city owned stores. Folks won’t want to steal from their own city.

Professor Principal

5 JohnRussell 3 years ago

Chicago is the "capital" of the midwest region of the United States. It is not Detroit or St Louis, it is one of the major financial centers of the world. In other words, Chicago is not going to fail and fall apart.

I think Brandon Johnson is too extreme for what most of the people here want, and he will either change some or be a one term mayor.

I dont know enough about the city owned grocery store proposal to comment on it. I doubt if it is the end of society travesty the rwnj's want to portray it as though.

Professor Principal

5.2 Vic Eldred replied to JohnRussell @5 3 years ago

I think Brandon Johnson is too extreme for what most of the people here want,

Then how the hell did he get elected?

Professor Principal

5.2.2 Sean Treacy replied to Vic Eldred @5.2 3 years ago

His opponent was a white liberal who didn’t demonize police.

Professor Participates

5.2.3 GregTx replied to Vic Eldred @5.2 3 years ago

Public unions.

Senior Guide

5.2.4 Drinker of the Wry replied to GregTx @5.2.3 3 years ago

“It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” - FDR

Government workers negotiate for more tax money or in the case of federal workers, more federal debt. When government unions strike, they strike against taxpayers. FDR found that “unthinkable and intolerable.”

Professor Quiet

5.2.5 Ed-NavDoc replied to Texan1211 @5.2.1 3 years ago

Chicago got conned I to thinking they were getting somebody better than Lightfoot. They didn't.

Senior Guide

6 Drinker of the Wry 3 years ago

Chicago has seen a greater decline in population than any other city over the last five years except for NYC and San Francisco. Many who have moved are blue collar workers. The trend lines point to an increasingly city of have and have nots.

Professor Principal

6.1 JohnRussell replied to Drinker of the Wry @6 3 years ago

The population of Chicago slightly increased from 2010 to 2020. Chicago is basically too big and too important to fail. You can keep dreaming though if you want.

Senior Guide

6.1.1 Drinker of the Wry replied to JohnRussell @6.1 3 years ago

Chicago is basically too big and too important to fail. You can keep dreaming though if you want.

I wrote nothing about failing, maybe you are the one dreaming.

I have been to Chicago five times an greatly enjoyed each visit. Nevertheless both their metro area and Cook County are losing population. Many of those leaving are working class black people. They are leaving for less expensive housing, better schools, less crime, ect. It is a Black reverse migration.

Professor Principal

6.1.3 JohnRussell replied to Texan1211 @6.1.2 3 years ago

Chicago could lose half its population and still be one of the largest cities in the country.

Professor Principal

6.1.4 Sean Treacy replied to JohnRussell @6.1.3 3 years ago

Would that be a good thing?

Professor Silent

7 SteevieGee 3 years ago

So... Government owned stores kind of like the ABC stores in Virginia and North Carolina?

Senior Guide

7.1 Drinker of the Wry replied to SteevieGee @7 3 years ago

Exactly, no liquor deserts here in Fairfax County.

Professor Silent

7.2 charger 383 replied to SteevieGee @7 3 years ago

Virginia ABC stores turn a profit and do not have a shoplifting problem,

Professor Quiet

7.3 arkpdx replied to SteevieGee @7 3 years ago

I really don't have a problem with government stores as long as their general expenses (utilities, insurance etc.) and they are run on a for profit basis. Their profit margins do not have to be as much as private companies but enough to be in positive territory.

Senior Guide

8 Drinker of the Wry 3 years ago

Retail theft is a growing problem in Illinois with National Retail Federation data reflecting that retail theft accounts for more than $720,000 in losses for every $1 billion in sales. In Chicago, organized retail theft has reached even larger proportions.

Chicago, NYC, LA, SF and Miami now have rampant organized retail crime.

Professor Silent

8.1 mocowgirl replied to Drinker of the Wry @8 3 years ago

Chicago, NYC, LA, SF and Miami now have rampant organized retail crime.

It is a billion dollar business. The thieves are selling online. I used to try to support "small" businesses online. Now I realize that some of those "small" businesses are likely to be fencing stolen goods. I now pass on most "bargains".

12 Indicted in $12 Million Scheme to Sell Stolen Retail Products on Amazon, eBay – NBC New York
Twelve people have been indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme to steal merchandise from retail stores in 28 states, including New York, and resell the stolen products on Amazon and eBay, officials said Wednesday.

The alleged thieves resold at least $12 million in merchandise stolen from stores like Staples, Best Buy and Office Depot in New York City and across the nation since 2012, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said.

He called the takedown one of the "largest-ever busts of a retail theft ring."

Over the course of the 10-month probe, dubbed "Operation Sticky Fingers," investigators seized more than 5,300 stolen electronics and ink cartridges from alleged members of the criminal enterprise. Nearly $8 million was taken from the defendants' homes, banks and Amazon and PayPal accounts.

The accused kingpin of the scheme, 64-year-old Richard Rimbaugh, who goes by the name "the General," has allegedly been directing theft crews and reselling stolen goods for more than two decades, Schneiderman said.
According to the indictment, Rimbaugh allegedly instructed crews of thieves to steal specific printer cartridges, computer software and other retail electronics based on their resell value. He typically paid the crews 30 to 50 percent of the retail value for the stolen merchandise, the indictment alleges.

Professor Silent

8.1.1 mocowgirl replied to mocowgirl @8.1 3 years ago

Thefts are escalating yearly across the US.

How many stores will be left standing if this is allowed to continue?

more info.

Retailers Lose Billions As Organized Crime Resellers Thrive Online (businessinsider.com)
That's just one snapshot of a crime wave that's been building for years. Back in 2011, the FBI posited that "organized retail crime" was a $30 billion industry . And industry operators say the problem has only grown since then. A 2020 survey from the National Retail Federation found that organized retail theft has seen a nearly 60% increase from 2015, now averaging $719,548 for every $1 billion in sales.

Retailers are now sounding the alarm on spiking theft statistics and the role of e-commerce platforms as "fences." Traditionally, fences have taken the form of pawn shops or flea markets, but the rise of online shopping has turned this on its head. Brick-and-mortar retailers complaining that thieves are increasingly hawking pilfered products online, but e-commerce platforms argue that regulating sites will just stifle competition.

Retail companies have implemented a number of initiatives to combat these targeted thefts. Recently, Home Depot released power tools that won't work unless they're properly scanned and activated at the register via Bluetooth technology. The retailer is also looking to continue to introduce technology to combat theft, rather than locking up products. Stores have experimented with lockable cart wheels that freeze up if a person shoves a cartload of goods outside without paying. Others resort to controversial facial recognition tools , often in addition to other security measures, to assist in identifying thieves. Critics say that, without regulation, this technology could end up violating human rights .

Jason Brewer, the spokesperson for the Buy Safe America Coalition, a lobby group for the retail industry, spoke with Insider about the efficient, intricate shadow businesses of professional shoplifters.

"This is a professional criminal," Brewer said. "They're not looking to steal food for dinner, or something they need because they can't afford it. They are stealing specific items that they know they can resell online."

Brewer said that organized retail crime rings vary in terms of their size, origin, and specialty. He said that some could be connected to larger organized crime outfits. For those major players, organized retail crime is yet another business in a portfolio that may also include narcotics sales, human trafficking, and gunrunning. Smaller rings could just be a group led by a figure that can convince desperate people — sometimes impoverished, unhoused, and drug-dependent persons — to steal in exchange for a small cut of money. Shoplifting ring "CEOs" will pass down a product list to low-level members, who then must go out and steal those items in order to get paid.

But despite their ubiquity, Glenn said it is important not to underestimate shoplifting groups. He said that they can be helmed by "good administrators" and function somewhat akin to shadow businesses. Glenn said that in some cases, these professional shoplifters will steal "right up to that felony threshold" without ever crossing the line.

Most states have a felony theft threshold, meaning that a person who steals money or property valued over a certain amount can be charged with felony, rather than misdemeanor, theft. The NRF notes that these syndicates often look for "a mix of valuable high-end products and cheap but easier to fence everyday necessities."
"They know that nothing's going to happen if it doesn't pass that certain level," Glenn said. "They'll steal up to that amount and they'll go to the next door and they'll steal up to that amount."

Professor Participates

8.1.2 GregTx replied to mocowgirl @8.1.1 3 years ago

How many stores will be left standing if this is allowed to continue?

What happens after?..

Professor Silent

9 mocowgirl 3 years ago

more information.

It is not surprising to learn that the Chicago mayor is planning to get access to state and federal taxpayer money to fund grocery stores in Chicago. So if the plan goes forward, all US taxpayers will be funding grocery stores in Chicago. Is this legal?

Mayor Brandon Johnson explores opening city-owned grocery stores in food deserts (msn.com)
CHICAGO (CBS) – Despite a projected half-a-billion dollar city deficit, Mayor Brandon Johnson is exploring opening a city-owned grocery store to promote food equity.

But as CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported, residents won't be able to buy food anytime soon.

It's an endeavor done in other small cities, but if a Chicago-owned grocery gets up and running, and that's a big "if," the city would be the largest to accomplish it. Johnson's team explained the need for the project.

Under Johnson's proposal, the city would use economic development grants. Johnson's policy chief, Umi Grisby said the city will team up with an organization to open a city-owned grocery in one of Chicago's food deserts.

"So we are not spending any taxpayer dollars," Grisby said. "What we're also going to be able to access is the funding that exists at the national level, at the state level."

Terry : "How does a grocery store get pushed ahead of crime and safety? Over other things?"

Grisby : "So I don't want to say that this is taking a priority. I would like to say that overall, it's not also about a grocery store. What it is is about increasing access to healthy options and to food for all Chicagoans."
While the mayor's office said the grocery store would be funded by grant money, that grant money could come from state and federal tax dollars, not just local taxes.

Senior Guide

9.1 Drinker of the Wry replied to mocowgirl @9 3 years ago

So if the plan goes forward, all US taxpayers will be funding grocery stores in Chicago.

Maybe US taxpayer money or maybe part of the $3T federal deficit expected this year.

Professor Silent

10 mocowgirl 3 years ago

When looking for city owned grocery stores, I found the following article from 2019. I did not find any recent news articles about the Baldwin store.

Baldwin, Fla., opens town-run grocery store after becoming a food desert - The Washington Post

BALDWIN, Fla. — When Sean Lynch ran for mayor, he never anticipated that the job would involve hiring a butcher and tracking the sale of collard greens.

But in 2018, two years into his first term, the only grocery store in town shut down. People in Baldwin, Fla., a rural outpost in northeast Florida, were left with few options. They could leave town, driving 10 miles through road construction to nearby Macclenny, or battle 20 miles of freeway traffic through Jacksonville’s suburban sprawl. Alternatively, they could cobble together a meal out of canned goods from the local Dollar General or head to a nearby truck stop for greasy, deep-fried fast food.
So Lynch came to his colleagues with a proposal: What if the town opened its own grocery store?

At the Baldwin Market, which opened its doors on Sept. 20, all of the employees are on the municipal payroll, from the butcher to the cashiers. Workers from the town’s maintenance department take breaks from cutting grass to help unload deliveries, and residents flag down the mayor when they want to request a specific type of milk.

“We're not trying to make a profit,” Lynch told The Washington Post in a recent interview. “We're trying to cover our expenses, and keep the store running. Any money that's made after that will go into the town in some way.”
Though Lynch didn’t know of any other municipally owned grocery stores when he brought the idea to the town council, Baldwin isn’t alone. A similar experiment has been successful in St. Paul, Kan., which has had a city-run grocery store since 2013. David Procter, who directs the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University, told The Post that another city-owned grocery store will open in Caney, Kan., in the spring, and at least one other town in the state is considering following suit.

Over the summer, after holding several workshops, the town council approved a $150,000 loan from a reserve fund to get the Baldwin Market up and running.

So far, though, the experiment has been a success. The town council had hoped to take in $3,500 a day, and sales have routinely exceeded that, Lynch says. About 1,600 people — roughly the equivalent of the town’s population — stopped in during opening weekend, according to the Florida Times-Union , and the market sold out of meat. Eight employees, all Baldwin residents, were hired at the outset, but the town recently brought on two more people to help out during the busy holiday season.
Though the Baldwin Market doesn’t need to worry about making a profit, there’s considerable pressure to break even in a notoriously low-margin business. The initial loan from the reserve fund still needs to be repaid, and the council will likely shut down the store after a year if it proves to be a financial drain.

Professor Silent

10.1 mocowgirl replied to mocowgirl @10 3 years ago

I did find a link to Balwin Market's facebook page.

Baldwin Market | Baldwin FL | Facebook

Senior Guide

11 Drinker of the Wry 3 years ago

Retail theft at brick and mortar stores is income redistribution without the middleman.

Professor Silent

12 charger 383 3 years ago

This is why some places just can't have nice things

Professor Principal

12.1 JohnRussell replied to charger 383 @12 3 years ago

What places are those?

Professor Silent

12.1.1 charger 383 replied to JohnRussell @12.1 3 years ago

Some parts of Chicago, as described in the article, are good examples

Senior Guide

12.1.2 Drinker of the Wry replied to JohnRussell @12.1 3 years ago

Riverdale, Englewood, Washington Park, Fuller Park, West Englewood…

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