The Walgreens shutdown in a Chicago neighborhood is being used by Black conservatives, Black liberals to weaponize corporate relationships in the community.
8628 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60619
While the store put out a report about their stores not being safe, let’s discuss the facts.
That particular Walgreens is in an economically aged out area of Chicago’s South Side. Many of the Black community members that now have to travel “a mile away” are post progress and pre progressive. This means many are retired and benefited when Chicago’s racist city hiring opened up in the 87 Harold Washington era. The problem their economic growth was used to hold hostage to many development deals vs high commuter areas due to tribalism. In the 90s it was pretty typical of fights between city wards over funding, and who was good enough to get the better stores as higher incomes allowed more home purchases and potlical leverage in the area.
From what’s remembered that particular store regained attention after the competing Walgreens was shutdown, across from a local university. Ward vs Ward fighting sabotaged the build, operations, and eventual demise, letting the prior store falter on some us vs them nonsense.
Basically the region was a 90s forward, bougie neighborhood that was known to horde community contracts and resources towards potlical family/affiliated areas.
They ended up with a lot of development in areas that made no sense, steering away from prior locations known for higher foot traffic between 71st, 79th and eventually 87th & Dan Ryan.
So despite the national attention, it’s more about a spoiled portion of the community simply not getting their way, not some deep corporate conspiracy. That Walgreens was also annoying as hell to turn, seeing those same old people they care about, constantly playing car tag with people almost running them over. The spot was always a trip to access.
The most important note, the South Side used to have dozens of Black pharmacies that suffered from dwindling support after the 2000s. Those family operations struggled to get the building upgrades, and support, watching the locals side with the corporate companies.
It also doesn’t make sense since the local university had a big time contract with Walgreens to create more Black pharmacists. The goal from what’s remembered was to produce more Black pharmacists to open Walgreens backed shops in the predominately Black areas. But of course, this also wasn’t supported either.
During COVID many people were provided for by these few remaining Black pharmacies (like Roseland Pharmacy) but, the latter generation of these retirees began to migrate out of the city by the 2010, mainly to the suburbs. The neighborhood isn’t really a victim of flat out crime like the rest of the South Side but mass relocation to South Suburban areas. Who’s left are children of children who live in family homes.
For a long time the area was known for high earning Black workers, and it’s crazy to hear how boneless the neighborhood became in 2026, especially it’s long successful history. The area income went from $75k to a third earning $25k (a year) after 2022. This showed with prior home owners selling or turning their properties into income housing (Section 8, rentals). The fall of the regional store is multi layered not just Walgreens disappointing a community.
Read – https://southsideweekly.com/looking-for-economic-revival-in-chatham/
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