Minneapolis neighborhoods face food desert after looting closes multiple stores

[question everything]

With Cub, Target, two Aldi stores and many small markets damaged by rioting over the past week, Longfellow and about eight other neighborhoods have nearly become a food desert. Many residents of the area shop lower-priced stores such as Aldi or dollar stores. Two of those dollar stores — including Family Dollar on Lake Street — were destroyed in last week’s looting and violence that arose after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis police custody.

(snip)

Amplifying the problem over the weekend and again on Monday was the fact that Metro Transit was not operating buses or trains. Public transportation will again be shut down on Tuesday. Sylvester Hudson walked about 40 minutes from Fort Snelling Apartments to the Cub Foods at E. 46th Street and Hiawatha Avenue. It is the only supermarket left in the Longfellow neighborhood along the light-rail line after four other supermarkets closed because of destruction during the protests.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch a cab, so I’ll probably have to walk,” said Hudson, 70, who brought a two-wheeled cart for grocery transport, as he finished shopping at Cub Foods. “This is the only store left open in the neighborhood that I can walk to.”

(snip)

Business has been up more than 60% at Longfellow Market since the other stores were forced to close, according to manager Terry Mahowald. “We never planned to be this busy,” he said. “Everyone’s stressed. This is certainly not the way we wanted to increase traffic.” He plans to add more lower-priced, generic items to help keep prices reasonable for shoppers at the natural and organic grocery.

Mahowald thanked neighborhood volunteers for saving the Longfellow Market. “We’ve had nearly 25 people from the neighborhood guarding it every night since Tuesday,” he said.

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-longfellow-neighborhood-almost-food-desert-after-riots/570928442/

[Raine]

1. These are the ones hurt the most by the the looters and

the vandals but gee it's just the loss of property NO it's much more then that!

[jimfields33]

2. That was predicted.

[MichMan]

3. Can Mayor Frey order the closed stores to open due to the state of emergency ?

[sarisataka]

4. You can't order to open what isn't there

The stores are destroyed. It will take months to repair and reopen them.

But it's just property

[Crunchy Frog]

5. I hope the people here who have been defending looting are happy.

[Blue_true]

6. Unfortunately, we have Sarandon/West/Moore like people here

who so fucking hate capitalism that they are blind to everything else. Those low priced stores were lifelines to people in that area, allowing them to stretch thin resources to feed and even cloth themselves.

The thing that really kick me in the mouth? Several of the people cheering on agressive actions by street protesters seem to have NEVER had to shop at one of those low cost places.

[Crunchy Frog]

7. I periodically find myself astounded at some of the stuff I read here.

[judeling]

8. Don't be too harsh

There is a big gulf between theory and practice.
Any of you who came of political age in the late 60's early 70's should be familiar with the debate.