Tribune: Blue Cross to bring 550 jobs to South Side, with opening of new center in former Target location

It's great to see one of the two Target stores that closed earlier this year will soon find a new use:

Blue Cross has leased a nearly 130,000-square-foot space that formerly housed a Target at 119th Street and Marshfield Avenue in Morgan Park, the health insurance company announced Monday.

Part of the facility will be offices for Blue Cross workers, and part of it will be used to help people in the community — and not just those with Blue Cross health insurance — such as by offering free yoga or nutrition classes.

The new center is expected to open in the first half of next year.

“It makes us more accessible to our employees who live across Chicagoland and Cook County,” said Jill Wolowitz, vice president of government relations and community affairs at the health insurer. “It makes us more visible and accessible to our members who live throughout Chicago, and we’re looking forward to providing some economic stimulus in a significant South Side neighborhood.”

Most of the 550 jobs will be new ones, but the company is still working out what type of jobs will be included, Wolowitz said.

The company plans to recruit for many of those new jobs from the surrounding communities, through job fairs and other local opportunities, she said.

Tribune: For some South Side Chicago residents, losing 2 Target stores isn't just an economic blow

This is the month that the Targets in Morgan Park (just off of I-57 at 119th Street) have closed for good. It seems reading this recent Tribune piece it is still a sore spot for many in those communities, especially in Chatham where the Target had opened in 2002.

'I feel cheated': For some South Side Chicago residents, losing 2 Target stores isn't just an economic blow https://t.co/aODu76qVv9 pic.twitter.com/py9a1OKcZy

— ChicagoBreaking (@ChicagoBreaking) February 7, 2019

Store closings aren’t unusual. But for neighborhoods served by the Targets that have left — among them Chatham, South Shore, Avalon Park, Grand Crossing, Morgan Park, Calumet Park — it is a particular blow because of the lack of big-box, nationally recognizable shopping options. The community’s emotional response reveals just how the disparity is taken personally and its impact on the morale of a neighborhood.

As Target is closing its South Side locations, it plans to open at least one new store on Chicago’s North Side, deepening the emotional blow to residents south of downtown.

“Target filled a gap in terms of the quality of life for these communities,” said U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Chicago, who staged public protests and demonstrations to try persuade the retailer to stay. “Abruptly, that gap has been reopened, without any consideration, commentary or collaboration with the community at all.”

It’s no wonder that residents feel so upset that some are vowing never to shop at the stores again, Rush said.

“The emotional reaction stems from, here you have a community that has been underserved for decades, finally getting a small respect, some sense of quality of life for consumers and they felt they had options to buy and purchase goods,” he said. “They were kicked to the curb, so to speak. When will it stop? We befriended Target. We supported Target. And now we’re left without many options. (Residents) are mad, they are angry.”

Nedra Sims Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham Initiative, said Target’s pullout “just feels like a deliberate disinvestment.”

“Target wouldn’t tell us how many people the stores served, the revenue,” she said. “We wanted to work with them. But we can’t work with an organization that is impenetrable. It feels like a betrayal.”

Target called the decision to close the stores difficult but one based on their performance. A company spokeswoman said at the time that the move was “not about a neighborhood or geography,” though she said the proximity of other stores was a consideration. She also said Target remains committed to Chicago.

A Target spokeswoman declined further comment Thursday.

But in the two South Side areas affected, the closings remain a sore topic raised on email discussion groups and social media, and at community meetings. When people talk to Fears about it, she reminds them of the many small businesses and locally owned stores that could use their support.

“We are not defined by one store,” Fears said she tells them. “Target gave our community some cachet. … It had an appeal. I believe we have some lovely boutiques in the area, and we will all come together and figure out what a replacement option will look like.”

Congressman Rush: S. Side Target customers looking for economic justice, respect #cutthecard #notanothercent

Before I share the editorial published Nov. 16th from our long-time Congressman Bobby Rush I do understand what he is going for here. He seems to be making a racial appeal as far as the closing of Target stores in two predominantly Black areas of the south side.

There are some who will note that in different years Target has closed many stores around the nation. Also the retail landscape is different today and many retails don't wait too long before they pull the plug on any location.

Though I will note that the opposition to Target's closing especially in Chatham is likely driven by their own work in bringing Target to the community. For those community activists who worked to get the Target that opened during the holidays of 2002 the coming closure is certainly seen as a slap in the face.

Meanwhile a brief snipped of Rush's editorial and please read the whole thing

When Target made public its callous decision to close its stores in Chatham and Morgan Park, many residents of Chicago’s South Side were shocked and angered. After all, they were loyal Target customers who spent their hard-earned money in these stores, conveniently located in their communities. Their anger grew into action and as their congressman and resident of the South Side, I joined them as they demanded Target Corp. keep the stores open and work on a turnaround plan.

Simply put, the residents’ demands of Target are about economic justice and respect. Their position is deeply rooted in the innate self-dignity and self-esteem they have for themselves and their community. The idea that residents are “begging” Target to stay is ill-informed, insulting and rooted in a sense of pride, a sentiment that leads to destruction as is stated in the ancient biblical proverb.

We have seen the truth of this proverb born out in communities throughout the South Side. Retailers come to these communities and take our money, often against the backdrop of poor customer service. Then, they leave in the cover of night, with little or no warning and with little or no explanation. In the wake of their departure, neighborhoods are left with abandoned, defunct structural eye-sores and fewer and fewer retail and grocery choices. This is why the engaged and focused South Side residents understand their fight is about Target specifically and disinvestment in general.

Of course let's bear in mind, Congressman Rush was involved in the Black Friday boycott of our local Target store, so in addition to this editorial he's definitely on the front lines. 

Target 87th Black Friday protest #Cutthecard #NotAnotherCent

The West Chesterfield Community Association used their FB page to report on yesterday's Black Friday protest outside of Target's Chatham store. Most of the reports that involved Congressman Bobby Rush who made some noise after Target's announcement that they were closing two of their south side stores in Chatham & Morgan Park you may have also seen West Chesterfield's Michael LaFargue in the background in photographs. Anyway the protest against the closings are still making the news.

I want to share the Sun-Times article attached to the West Chesterfield post, however, I want to share Worlee Glover's thoughs from Concerned Citizens of Chatham on the future of the Target site once the store vacates the location they operated since 2002.

Chesterfield Community Council on Target closure #6WardChicago #Ward09

Since the announcement of closures for the Target stores in Chatham & Morgan Park, the Chesterfield Community Council share a couple of posts from their FB page illustrating some history and their thoughts on the closure.

We'll start with some letters from over 20 years ago. Noted here is the work of the Chesterfield community and others to bring that Target store to it's current - and soon to be closing - location at 87th/Cottage Grove.

The next post is regarding the closure and perhaps another call to boycott Target's decision to close the store on 87th Street. The "hashtag" is #CutTheCard, perhaps referring to Target's Red Card (and for the purposes of this post I won't be linking).

For my block: When was Target local?

You might have seen this exact video on instagram through Jahmal Cole's My Block My Hood My City instagram page. Earlier this month he's shared this video on his FB page.

Basically what's he saying in this video? Cole is saying that we have an opportunity to build our local economy. We don't necessarily need a large chain store in our community. We need our own businesses to keep our cash in our communities. To go further we need our local businesses to hire people from our community and to help build up our communities.

Cole is right "Shop local. Buy local. Think Chatham".

Editorial: Target's abandonment of the South Side

Target's recent decisions to close their locations in both Chatham and Morgan Park are still being discussed in the community. I want to share with you an editorial by Chicago Tribune's Kristen McQuery

Target, which descended on the Chicago area with its Greatland outlets in the early 1990s, is closing six stores next year in Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Two Illinois locations are closing and both are in South Side neighborhoods, Chatham and Morgan Park. So those red splotches on the Chicago map will be mostly on the North Side come February.

In other words, the South Side loses again. Hundreds of workers will be displaced. Nearby stores that rely on Target as an anchor will suffer. And left behind? Two vacant behemoths, each the size of three football fields.

Here’s the extra salt: Target is expanding and building on the North Side. The developers of a $58 million Target mall expected to open at the Edens Expressway and Foster Avenue secured $13 million in tax increment financing from the city. So Target is abandoning two South Side stores while taking taxpayer money to build anew on the North Side. That’s greedy.

Nationally, Target is renovating hundreds of locations and opening retail hubs to serve college towns and metro areas. The store planned along the Edens Expressway looks like an architectural gem with soft lighting and rows of landscaping, not the brick boxes built elsewhere.

But lopsided treatment is something to which South Siders, including myself, are accustomed. We’re stuck in the marketplace of low expectations. It’s not unusual to be pushing a shopping cart that is missing the lower rack where ordinarily you’d toss cases of water or pop. Company executives apparently have determined, based on my address, I might sneak items through the checkout without paying. So they rig my shopping cart. 

And let me share this with you also:

Ald. Carrie Austin, 34th, helped bring Target to the Morgan Park location and fought organized labor’s “big box” ordinance at the time. The ordinance would have required large retailers to pay a higher minimum wage. She knew Target wouldn’t come unless she blocked it. She also acquiesced on the size of the store, the grocery component and alcohol sales. The neighborhood didn’t want a superstore, but Target wanted it. And her ward needed the economic development.

She learned of the store closing via news release. Same for U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, who has been holding community meetings and talking about a boycott. He led a protest Monday at a Target store in the West Loop.

“The killer for me is you (Target) want to capture the Christmas dollars and then you’re gone,” Austin said. “That is just such heartbreak for me. We fought to keep you and keep you and keep you. And now you say you’re not making enough money. And then no warning. They didn’t tell the store managers or tell us until they gave out a press release. How do you dog people like that?”

I want you to read the whole thing when you get a chance.

Also from Worlee Glover's Concerned Citizens of Chatham. The Chatham Avalon Park Community Council is behind a boycott of Target on Black Friday though it still seems with or without this boycott the decision isn't likely to change on Target's end.

 

Southside Chicagoans deserve economic development solutions

You might have seen this in state Sen. Elgie Sims' latest e-mail blast referring to the future closure of Target stores in Chatham & Morgan Park.

I’m disheartened by the news that the Target Corporation has decided to close two stores in February 2019 on the city’s South Side, including one located in my neighborhood, Chatham. Not only is the store a source of income for more than 100 people, but many of my constituents rely on it for everyday essentials, including food and medication. This closure will make it harder for families who are already struggling, forcing them to find a way to travel farther to get the items they need.

It seems that the people of Chicago’s South Side, in predominantly African American neighborhoods, are always the first to be left out in the cold by big box stores. Members of the communities surrounding these stores supported them for 10 years, and now Target has decided to close their doors, giving explanations that do not seem to match with reality.

Recently, I joined with elected officials from the state, city and federal governments to speak about this ill-advised decision, which happens to involve closing the stores AFTER the lucrative holiday season, and I intend to find solutions to this problem. The people of the 17th District and all of the communities it includes deserve better.

Yes we do! Now how do our communities avoid being left out in the cold?

And also bear in mind Sims' constituent office is also near the Target at 87th & Cottage Grove.

Doesn't look like Target will reconsider #6thWardChicago

Posted to the Concerned Citizens of Chatham FB page (which is run by Worlee Glover who's running for 6th ward alderman) an article about Target choosing to double down on their decision to close two of their south side stores.

City officials are scrambling to get Target to reconsider its decision to close two South Side stores early next year, offering the retailer millions of dollars in incentives to keep the stores open.

But Target, which last week announced plans to close stores in the Morgan Park and Chatham neighborhoods, said it is standing by its “difficult decision” — one that has been met with criticism from shoppers and local officials alike.

The city is still trying to get Target to change its mind, though officials recognize it’s a long shot, said Adam Collins, a spokesman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Emanuel has spoken with Target’s CEO at least five times since the company notified the city of its plans the day before the closures were announced publicly, and he has offered millions of dollars in tax increment financing assistance, said Collins, who declined to comment on details of the city’s offer.

On Wednesday, Emanuel signed an executive order that would keep developers seeking TIF money for retail projects from getting incentives if one of their large tenants is planning to close stores in another part of the city.

The move was in response to Target’s announcement, Collins said. The City Council recently approved $13 million in assistance for a shopping center in Albany Park that the city said is expected to include a Target. The Minneapolis-based retailer has not publicly announced plans for a store at that location.

Emanuel said the executive order is meant to ensure “if you’re going to be a Chicagoland store you’re in all parts of Chicago.”

Mayor Emanuel may be unpopular for a variety of reasons, but I am with him on this. If you're going to be in Chicago you have to be in all parts of the city. It's one reason why Whole Foods Market is in Englewood today!

On the other hand, what would it take for Target to change their minds on closing either or both stores on the south side? It seems like they've made up their mind and no mood to change it!

RELATED: Target to exit far south side neighborhoods #6WardChicago

Upset with the closure of Target?

The store in Chatham & Morgan Park which was announced earlier this week? Concerned Citizens of Chatham let's us know who to direct our questions and concerns to. Probably worth it to reach out and let them know how valuable the store has been to our community.

BlockClubChi: Target Boycott Considered As Company Closes Stores In South Side Neighborhoods

From Block Club's Lee Edwards who covers stories in Chatham.The neighborhood is abuzz with the news that our local Target store is closing.

Black Chicagoans are threatening to boycott Target after the retailer decided to close two stores on the South Side.

A Target spokeswoman said the store at 8560 S. Cottage Grove and the Morgan Park location at 11840 S. Marshfield Ave. are two of the five stores nationwide picked to close because they’re not profitable.

This baffled shoppers and local elected officials, who said the stores were always bustling with customers.

...

Target spokeswoman Jacqueline Debuse said the primary factors leading to the closure of both stores are performance and profitability, but declined to release details on the stores’ financial performance. Both stores are slated to close Feb. 2.

“If the stores had been underperforming for several years I don’t understand why they wouldn’t look to the city for information, if not assistance, to do what we can to keep those stores afloat,” [Ald. Roderick] Sawyer said.

The backlash on social media to the closures was swift, with frustrated South Siders pointing out that the company is growing rapidly on the city’s mostly-white North Side.

...

Sawyer said he’s already made a few preliminary calls to developers and potential stores to gauge interest in filling the 126,000 square-foot space. He said he intends on working with city and community partners to find a viable tenant for the space in the coming weeks.

“For such a large retailer as Target it demonstrates a lack of a connection to the community and extreme insensitivity toward people’s feelings about their shopping experience,” he said. “I have friends that are religious Target shoppers and for them to do something like this it’s extremely disconcerting and I think extremely insensitive.”

Congressman Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) scheduled a press conference in the parking lot of the Target store in Chatham for Thursday morning. 

 
“Target should immediately postpone their closure date,” Rush said in a statement. “They cannot take our money around the holiday season and then pack up and leave.”

Worlee Glover of Concerned Citizens of Chatham was also quoted:

Glover said companies like Target leaving the community impacts young people and seniors the most. He said his late mother was able to visit Target’s pharmacy and grocery store via a local transit and return home, and teens are losing employment opportunities within the community.

“When companies like Target and Best Buy have moved out of my community I do my own silent boycott,” he said. “If my money is no good with you in my neighborhood, my money is no good with you outside of my neighborhood. I will find another source.”

I didn't see much about a boycott here, question is whether or not this will influence Target's decision for either of the two south side Chicago Target stores. Although many seem to be making their own boycott as Worlee does. Our money is no good to you, then why support you? 

State Representative Marcus Evans on the closure of Chatham's Target

Shared this on our FB page earlier this week and will share it with you on this blog tonight. Rep. Marcus Evans represents Illinois' 33rd state rep. district who's office is actually across the street from the Target near 87th/Cottage Grove.

Ald. Sawyer urges Target to reconsider closing of South Side stores #6WardChicago

A press release sent to us tonight regarding the impending closure of Target. Let's see if this makes a difference.

• Ald. Sawyer urges Target to reconsider closing of South Side stores
  Says corporate divestment will harm South Side community
  
  CHICAGO (Tuesday, October 30, 2018)--Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6), chair of the Black Caucus of the Chicago City Council, denounced in harsh terms the announced decision to close Target’s two South Side stores. The stores are located in Chatham and in Morgan Park.
  
  “Target’s closing of the Chatham store will be a devastating blow to our community.
  
  “This closing will cost our area at least 120 jobs. Although the employer states that employees will be offered the chance to transfer to another Target location, there is no guarantee of employment, and certainly no guarantee that a job with the company will be anywhere near our community.
  
  “It is ironic that these stores will shutter in February, while the chain is putting finishing touches on two new stores on the North Side, in Logan Square and Rogers Park, both of which already have nearby Target stores. Once the Chatham and Morgan Park stores close, the nearest remaining South Side Targets will be at least 5 miles from this community.
  
  “It is disappointing that this giant corporation is not willing to address the serious management issues at this store, and to give our community more time and investment in order to continue the economic recovery and to increase its store’s profitability.
  
  “For all these reasons, I urge Target Corporation to reconsider what amounts to a racially imbalanced policy of development and investment, and keep the South Side Targets in place, rather than abandoning your investment here for the greener pastures of the North Side.”
  
  ###

I also wanted to share this story from CBS 2 with regards to the recently announced closures. Ald. Roderick Sawyer is seen in this video commenting on the closures of the two "Black Target" stores. [VIDEO]

Target to exit far south side neighborhoods #6WardChicago

Another great report per Worlee Glover, the Target on 87th & Cottage Grove and on 115th/Marshfield (off of the I-57 expressway) will close their doors next year. The Target in Chatham opened in the fall of 2002 and was often advertised as a great moment for the Chatham community. Almost on par with the opening of Wal-Mart on 83rd or even opening Whole Foods Market Englewood.

I'm sad to see Target leave though. Though I wasn't always a regular shopper I do know a few people who were. It's great not to have to go to the suburbs to go to a Target. Before that store opened probably would've visited stores in nearby Crestwood, Calumet City (now closed), or even Burbank. And yeah I know low patronage probably isn't the only reason why Target is shutting this store down.

On the other hand since we're losing Target, what could we find to replace it? We don't need a vacant big box store in Chatham for sure.

 

3 people hurt in Chatham shootings

From Chicago Breaking News tonight...

3 wounded in South Side shootings
April 15, 2010 8:36 PM No Comments

At least three people were taken to hospitals from two
shootings on the South Side tonight, officials said.

Just before 8 p.m., two people were shot at East 85th Street and South Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, a Chicago Fire Department spokesman said. The two were taken to Northwestern Memorial
Hospital with traumatic injuries.

No information about the circumstances of the shooting or the victims was immediately available.

About 8:10 p.m., paramedics responded to 622 E. 87th Place to reports of shots fired. One person was taken to Stroger Hospital.

No information on that shooting was available either.

-- Serena Maria Daniels

Can anyone explain what's going on? Yes, it was hot out tonight. But here in Chatham, between Cole Park and Target?!?!

Grocery at Target

A grocery at Target (at 87th & Cottage Grove) is scheduled to open on April 15.

Is that where these storage units and dumpsters were for?

Will this grocery be a big benefit to our community?