D.C. Council member Trayon White said he will work with officials with the Giant Food corporation and the city government to keep the grocery chain’s location on Alabama Avenue SE open and encouraged his constituents and customers to behave lawfully in the store.
White made his comments at the parking lot of the Giant while a resource fair that featured District government agencies and nonprofits offering services to residents took place. White was joined by several community and union leaders at his news conference encouraging Giant to remain at the location.
“We have one grocery store for 80,000 people while other wards have seven,” White, 39, said. “Seventy-five percent of people don’t have cars. For some people, it takes one hour to get to the grocery store. I am standing in solidarity with others to keep the Giant.”
In a statement, Giant said it doesn’t have “any current plans” to close the Alabama Avenue location but stressed that its stores need to be run “safely and profitably.”
“The reality is that theft and violence at this store is significant, and getting worse, not better,” the company said. “As a result, it is becoming increasingly difficult to operate under these conditions. We have invested in a host of measures to mitigate the issue at this store, and across many stores, but we also need the help and partnership from the community and local officials to truly combat the theft and violence that continues to escalate.”
White said the Giant store has suffered $500,000 in product losses, about 20% of the sales. He noted that the company has spent over $300,000 for security at the store to combat theft and shoplifting.
The council member mentioned a few programs that are sponsored by such nonprofits as Martha’s Table, Bread for the City and DC Central Kitchen which give out free food to needy residents. Additionally, he talked about Giant’s Produce RX program, in which qualifying residents get a weekly $20 voucher to purchase fruits and vegetables at the store.
“You don’t have to steal out of the grocery store,” White said. “Taking from the store is taking from yourself.”
White said he has talked with the city’s deputy mayor for planning and economic development about the matter, adding that they will work with the community to prevent the store’s closure.
Jo Patterson, an anti-violence activist, praised White for his efforts and noted the necessity of keeping the store open.
“Violence comes in different ways,” Patterson said. “We need to keep this store because people are going to survive by any means necessary.”
The Rev. Anthony Motley, a longtime community activist on behalf of neighborhoods located east of the Anacostia River, said residents and customers in the store must be respectful and lawful.
“People have to stop being irresponsible,” Motley said.
I have heard folks in the neighborhood comment recently that they don’t like shopping at that Giant because of the people that hang out front – sometimes setting up tables and chairs and spending time loitering and making the entrance unwelcoming. It’s sad.