Target hit with protest against closing South Side, Chicago stores

Congressman Bobby L. Rush (c) supporting community members efforts to keep 
Target locations open in South Side, Chicago

The following information was forwarded from the Betty Shabazz International Charter School in Chicago, Illinois, US.

Target recently announced that the company would be closing two of its stores in South Side, Chicago. One of the store locations is in the Greater Chatham community. This is also the community that our Betty Shabazz Academy (BSA) campus serves.

It is no secret that many neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago are known as “food deserts,” or places with little to no access to larger grocery stores and fresh produce. The Target in Chatham provided a grocery section that addressed the food desert issue for the community, so when Target announced that this location would no longer be serving the residents of the Greater Chatham area, BSA staff and parents decided to attend community meetings organized by Congressman Bobby Rush to get an understanding of the issues and have an opportunity to voice their concerns. 

A letter was drafted by Congressman Rush to the CEO of Target addressing the community concerns and petitioning the company to rethink their decision. As a result, the CEO agreed to meet with community members and listen to why closing the store would be detrimental to the community. We are so proud of the BSA Parent Council and others in the community who are leading by example by being civically engaged within the community.

NOTE: According to Wikipedia, "The South Side is an area of the city of Chicago. It is the largest of the three Sides of the city that radiate from downtown."