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Joe Shlabotnik

In September of 2013, executives of the nationwide organic grocery chain Whole Foods made an unexpected announcement: They were opening a store in Englewood, a predominantly African-American neighborhood that’s centrally located in Chicago’s South Side. Anticipating some head-scratching about this decision, Walter Robb, Whole Foods’ Co-CEO, promised that he would consider the community’s vision and offer competitive prices. He could not avoid the side-eye, though.

A few Tweets (gathered by Marketplace.org) sent shortly after the announcement provide a sampling of the cynicism and the racism felt around this decision:

@WholeFoods is opening a store in Englewood, Chicago… Whoever thought this is a good idea has gotta be on drugs 

Joshua Drury (@JetDrury) September 4, 2013

@WholeFoods is making plans to open a store in Englewood. Chicago will have the healthiest gangbangers in the nation.

Schatze (@GutterxFlower) September 4, 2013

They’re building a whole foods in Englewood. One of the worst parts of Chicago. Foolish.

nick. (@illernois) September 4, 2013        

The upmarket organic chain that people have nicknamed “Whole Paycheck” is setting up shop in a neighborhood where roughly 40 percent are unemployed. The average household income here is $11,993 and almost a third of its residents lack a high school diploma. One Englewood local told The Economist that it is easier to buy guns and drugs there than food. So the obvious question here is: Who can afford to shop there?

And then there are the very real fears around gentrification: Is Whole Foods’ cashing in on Englewood a signal that some will be priced out?

“From our perspective, the choice is not between stores selling Flamin’ Hots and those selling fruit,” wrote Naomi Davis in BlacksinGreen.org. “It’s not about whether Whole Foods will give a neighborhood discount. It’s bigger than that. It’s about systemic, persistent, genocidal practices in the African-American community which we must rise up and reverse now.”