Letter: An idea for handling closed Walmarts

Since the news from Chicago most weekends is so negative. I have an idea on what the city and new mayor, can do to solve the food desert problem, with Walmart closing four of their eight stores in the city. With these four locations now closing, have Chicago buy, lease or rent these fully equipped facilities and run them as ongoing grocery only stores.

Walmart would be happy to have these locations off their hands, but might be more than willing to be a supplier source to keep the stores operating to become food oases. Instead of filling up these now unused facilities with newly arrived immigrants, put them to a better use.

This would be a win-win solution since the hundreds of jobs would be saved, the communities would be a valuable food source and local business people should be involved with their daily operations. Since the schools already supply breakfast and lunch for many school children, there is experience within the community on how these services could be provided.

As a credit-only grocery store no tobacco products, beer, wine of liquor, snacks/candies, soft drinks or lottery tickets would be sold possibly eliminating robbery/shoplifting/looting problems. After-school employment should be possible and local ownerhip/operation an excellent example of what the new mayor can actually do for Chicago, especially since he said that the previous administrations had failed to provide these opportunities for their communities. The new stores could be renamed creditmarts.

Bill Mitchell

Arlington Heights