Albertsons/Haggen/Safeway conglomerate blocks grocery store for racially diverse neighborhoods.
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In May of 2016, Albertsons closes the only grocery store serving the Birchwood and Alderwood neighborhoods to force business to its other stores, which include Haggen and Safeway. It also puts a non-compete clause on the property, for 25 years, to prevent any other grocery store from serving these neighborhoods. The nearby Lummi nation also relied heavily on this grocery store.
The Albertsons/Haggen/Safeway action constitutes a clear example of institutional / systemic racism.
These neighborhoods — among the most racially diverse in Bellingham — have a disproportionate number of low income residents without cars, and there is no convenient bus service to another grocery store.
In response, the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters was formed to protest and encourage boycotts of Albertsons, Safeway, and Haggen in Bellingham. Other forms of organizing for food justice and food security have followed.
To date, Albertsons/Haggen/Safeway has refused to lift its non-compete clause to allow another grocery store to serve these neighborhoods. Conscientious Bellingham residents are withdrawing their business from these stores.
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