Another Symptom of the Disease

This article in today's Detroit News made me so angry. It's about how the last of the major chain supermarkets (Farmer Jack) are closing and leaving the city. The article specifically mentions a Farmer Jack on East Jefferson. I remember when this store was first opened - to lots of fanfare and hoopla - only about four years ago. Supermarket companies state that they can't make a profit in the city due to crime, difficulty finding good employees, and too many poor people that can't buy expensive items.

So now there are really only a few options for people in the city: shop at the convenience stores and buy unhealthy food items (which many people do) or rely on the smaller mom-n-pop type stores. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all about supporting small, locally owned business. The problem with many of these smaller stores is that the prices are set much higher, there is little variety, and the food quality often poor. There is a smaller grocery store about 5 minutes from my house, but I only shop there when I need a quick item or two for these very reasons. I drive 20 minutes to a nicer, larger grocery store - that has lower prices, more variety, and fresher food - for my bi-weekly grocery shopping. (Hey, I'm single. I can get by with bi-weekly shopping.)

I'm fortunate though, in that I have a car and can afford to travel a distance to go grocery shopping; many people in Detroit can't, so they are forced to rely on cheap, unhealthy food products. And we are then surprised to find out that obesity rates in Detroit are sky-high. The more I think about it, the more I've convinced that one of the most damning things about poverty is the lack of choice (or seeming lack of choice) people have to face.

I think one man in the article makes the point that this is an issue of injustice. I couldn't agree more. It also demonstrates that injustice is a wicked, tangled web. What would it take to get the stores to stay? A better educated work force (the need for better schools), and patrons with money to spend (the need for better paying jobs...or jobs period) and less crime (What does it take to reduce crime? Morality, education, having a sense of hope and a purpose, better police forces, a criminal justice system that truly rehabilitates people and is not just a revolving door). I could go on. I guess my point is that this seemingly small thing is just one more symptom that gives evidence to how messed up this city (and this world) is. I'm reading a book that is reminding me that God never intended for people to be poor...but that's for another post.