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Javajoe25

Javajoe25 is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Protesters Gather as Demolition of Farmers Market Building Begins

It's more than symbolic of diminished expectations, Taximan; It's a trend that has been going on for quite some time in this country: the big box replacing the local retailers, mom & pops, etc.. I instinctively react in the negative to this kind of development, but I do wonder sometimes which option really helps or hurts the community. Consider; the farmers market provided opportunities for merchants from far and near to sell their produce, foodstuff, and merchandise, but the fact is, there are not many farms in Sherman Heights, so the primary benefit was to the consumers. I imagine some local folks managed to get jobs assisting with the process; helping set up; loading and unloading, sales, etc. Not sure what I would guess they made pay-wise, and I doubt there was much in the way of benefits such as medical insurance and the like. Then when I consider what Walmart will bring to the community: quite a few retail jobs, shipping & receiving positions; stocking, maintenance, security, cashiers, managers, supervisors, etc., I have to wonder whether this is a gain or loss for the community. Yes, the landscape will be different; and yes, the jobs will not pay very well and I'm not sure what the benefits story is with Walmart although their rep is that it stinks. But, consider all the local people who will be going in there and buying their food and merchandise at considerably lower prices. That's got to be worth something too. Like I said, I'm not thrilled with this trend of big boxes replacing local retailers. I realize what is lost is the more personal relationships that we have with the butcher, the baker, etc., and those people lose their chance to sell to us. But I also see that an army of people go to work at Walmart every day. They may not make much money individually, but it is more than they were making the day before they got hired. And there is a lot more of them than there were butchers, bakers, and what have you. I think rather than try to stop these changes, which seem inevitable and popular once they are established, we ought to be fighting for higher wages and better benefits for Walmart employees. That's what would really benefit the community the most. Rather than fight to keep the neighborhood the way it has been for many years, we ought to be fighting to modernize things, and if that means Walmarts, then so be it, but at least we will have more money coming into the community and an alternative to paying the outrageous prices charged by Ralph's, Vons, and Trader Joe's.
— April 19, 2012 9:36 a.m.

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