Staff Reports
Walgreens announced it will close its Chatham store on Cottage Grove, citing rising theft and violent incidents. Instead of asking who broke the law, some local officials are demanding the company be punished for leaving. The row shows how upside-down priorities and weak law enforcement push businesses out and leave seniors stranded.
Walgreens pulls out of Chatham — and politicians want to punish the company
The company says the store’s final day will be June 4 and that staff safety and customer security drove the decision. Alderman William Hall and other community leaders held a rally and demanded Walgreens be “charged with first‑degree corporate abandonment.” They argue the closure will create a pharmacy desert and hurt seniors who depend on local prescription access.
You can’t arrest a business for being sensible
Let’s get real: there is no ordinary criminal offense called “first‑degree corporate abandonment” sitting on the books ready to slap a corporation that closes a store. That phrase is a political flourish, not a legal remedy. Closing an unsafe, unprofitable location is a business decision. If officials want to change that, they need laws and budgets — not indictments for making sensible business calls under dangerous conditions.
The real problem: crime, not corporate cowardice
Walgreens said the Chatham location faced “significantly higher levels of theft and violent incidents” compared with other stores. When employees are threatened and shelves are emptied every night, the store can’t operate safely or turn a profit. And yes, national restructuring and private equity pressure are part of the picture, but the immediate cause is crime and disorder. Blaming the company while ignoring shoplifting and assaults is exactly backward.
Practical steps Chicago should take — not performative fury
If leaders care about keeping pharmacies open, they should focus on prosecution, prevention, and practical help for seniors. That means stronger enforcement against repeat shoplifters, theft‑deterrent measures, neighborhood policing partnerships, and real support to deliver prescriptions to homebound residents. It also means asking for concrete plans from chains: will Walgreens convert the location to a pharmacy‑only model, partner with a community health provider, or fund mobile pharmacy vans?
Final thought
Rallying outside a closing store makes for good headlines. Fixing the problem takes tougher policing and smarter policy. Until Chicago makes neighborhoods safe for workers and shoppers, the practical result will be more closed doors, longer trips for medicine, and politicians pointing fingers at corporations instead of criminals. That’s the sad tradeoff when ideology wins over common sense.
